… Charm.
Have you ever read a book where the main character was nothing but perfection? Everything about her was charm and goodness. How did Scarlett O’Hara put it? “Nothing but a pasty-faced little goody-goody,” or something like that.
I have to confess, I’m with her. When my town put on the musical “Oklahoma,”I didn’t want the part of Laurie. Too normal – too goody-goody. I wanted to beAdo-Annie, the girl who cain’t say no. She had character and spunk. The same
Read more »
Marji is a recently "graduated" homeschooling mom whose twin girls have blessed her by sticking around the nest for a little longer. She spends her days directing the children’s music program at her church and working with the authors of Write Integrity Press to put out the best possible version of their books. Raised in suburban Dallas, she got her first taste of writing through the stories of brilliant authors of their day, Mignon Eberhart and Phyllis A. Whitney, and through stage experience. After directing and acting in productions for decades, Marji started writing her own scripts. From that early beginning, she delved into creating scintillating suspense with a side of Texas sassy. She invites readers to unravel their inspiration, seeking a deeper knowledge of the Lord’s Great Mystery that invites us all.
Marji Laine 
2012/January at 7:56 am
Fun post and a lot of thought put into it!
LikeLike
2012/January at 8:53 pm
Ah. I loved being involved in theater! I played Abby in Arsenic and Old Lace, and Kate in the Taming of the Shrew. Both definitely flawed, yet lovable!
LikeLike
2012/January at 12:21 am
Ooh, great post! I've done a little acting, too (although not for a long time, outside of short skits, anyway). I always preferred playing the more "colorful" characters, too. And, you're right. The combination of charm along with flaws makes a great character! I especially love it when a writer pulls off a bit of (believable) charm in a villain! 🙂
LikeLike
2012/January at 9:31 pm
It's fun to play the characters who can't say no.Sidney Carton from Tale of Two Cities. He's a drunken rude lawyer who sacrifices himself at the end, at the guillotine, for the woman he loved.
LikeLike
2012/January at 3:23 pm
I loved this. You are right, many of the characters we are attracted to start out being the bad boy, but they have to have some redeeming attributes, some charm about them, or we wouldn't be drawn to them. My mind just went to "Happy Days." Richie was the goody-goody. Fonz the tough guy. The girls swooned at his feet. Yet, with Mrs. C. he was putty. He became the little boy, needing a mother's love. You had to love that. It made him all the more desirable.
LikeLike
2012/January at 2:27 pm
That's just it. Way too close to home. It's so much easier to play the comic relief as long as it doesn't go too far afield! I've also played a bear, a British Maid, a hick waitress, and a woman stuck in the looney bin in Harvey.
LikeLike
2012/January at 12:16 pm
And yet I picture you in real life as the sweet, lovable character you don't want to play.
LikeLike