Forces of Nature, Forces of Character

Challenge 298 Response

by Carmen Ruggero

I am one big skeptic. I don’t easily buy into the supernatural or fantasy, but John Vieczorek’s “Superstition Rock” and “Mystic Lake” were good enough to keep me reading.

“Superstition Rock” is character-driven. Linda and Brad are very believable, and consequently it’s easy to accept the ending’s supernatural twist.

In “Mystic Lake” I understand and believe Sarah, her father, and even her mysterious mother; and I believe the conversation between the two girls. I’m pulled into the story. I think the ending is a bit stretched, but the story holds together to the very end.

In contrast, “The Achiever” is entirely plot-driven. It presents two characters headed toward a fate predetermined by the author. And the characters are of entirely different orders. Diane is presented as being level-headed, honest, caring, and straightforward. As such, Diane is a stock character taken straight from the “ready made” shelf or a literary prop room; but she is believable.

Diane’s subservience to Todd is a tragic flaw, and such flaws must be written into the action. For example, Oedipus thinks he can outwit the Oracle, and his actions show him to be incautious and overconfident. By contrast, Diane gives us no reason to believe she would plunge into freezing waters, even after having several drinks, just to prove her commitment to Todd.

At that point we don’t know enough about Todd himself to believe the action that follows. Yes, Todd is a “win at all costs” kind of guy. He’s also a coward and a bully: he pushes others — not himself — beyond their limits.

But why does he maniacally repeat his one-line mantra, “Winners never quit; quitters never win”? Is that all there is to him? That’s the definition of a one-dimensional character. Therefore, when we see Todd finally cornered by the events of his own creation, how can we care what happens to him?

To sum it up: Diane is believable up to the point she joins Todd in his brutal and insane challenge to swim in the icy lake. But Todd is an enigma from beginning to end. Why is he a tyrant?

The consequences of Todd’s behavior are neither emphasized nor weakened by being either magical or realistic. If a character is simply a force of nature — an accident going somewhere to happen — we can’t understand him, let alone empathize with him. It won’t matter how the story ends; it will be pointless.

We need to be able to understand and believe what happens. The best way to enable the readers to do that is to develop solid characters and let them tell the story.