Have you ever read a book, watched a movie, or seen a TV show in which a character makes a stupid choice? Not a mistake. A mistake would be yelling at your mom when she hasn't done anything because you've had a rough day. That's a mistake we as human beings make, and help our characters become three-dimensional. A stupid choice is if a character puts themselves in a dangerous position for no good reason when they know there's danger.
A comment I often see on Goodreads reviews from low ratings is the reviewer complaining that the main character is "stupid." And they then go on to list the stupid things the character does. I've read some books lately which made me think, "Wow this character is stupid."
So how do we avoid our own protagonist from being stupid? I think that this clip from The Office explains it:
Just ask yourself "Would an idiot do this?" If you look objectively and see that yes, an idiot would do it, then don't have your character do it. Easy peasy. In theory, at least.
I've read a book somewhat recently that I feel sort of takes Michael's stance on action. It's like the author was thinking, "Well, as long as things are blowing up and people are fighting, that'll make my book interesting!"
I wish sometimes authors (and screenwriters and anyone making a story) could see that they're pulling a Michael here. Now, obviously there needs to be action, and for some stories it's appropriate to have guns and that type of action. People have guns in TV shows and movies because it is exciting, like Michael said. But Michael fails to realize that usually before the big fight that he wants to emulate in his improv class, there's character development and conflict and mystery. They may start out with a big scene, but then it peters out and we get the plot. Bursts of action may come in the middle, but sandwiched between those there's other crucial elements that make a story interesting and worth reading/watching.
But really, seeing/reading anything that just seems to down on the action without incorporating other elements can just be tiring. This may be more of a jab toward action movies than books, but this is something we can all fall into and I've been thinking about.
We all know that writing a book, and then publishing is a lot of work that expands beyond just the author. So, if I could choose my team for my book from the character in NBC's The Office, this is who I would choose for what job:
Pam Halpert would be my critique partner. She's already given the world her idea for her own YA series, and so we're both going down the same path. I think she could be honest with me, but still be nice and supportive.
Dwight K. Schrute for my agent. He's the top salesman at Dunder Mifflin, and I think that the sign says everything there is to say about him. He'd get my book sold.
Oscar Martinez for my editor. As a member of the Finer Things Club, he already has an appreciation for literature. Given his level head, I think he'd be best suited for this job in the office.
Kelly Kapoor as the cover designer. Now, my first choice would have been Pam, but she's already my critique partner. Kelly has style sense already, so I think out of all the people in the office, she would be able to most adapt to that role.
For my marketing manager, I'd choose Michael Scott. Now, some of his ideas are crazy. But some of his ideas turn out pretty amazing, like his proposal to Holly:
So, if this cast of characters is what I had for a publishing team, this is who I would choose.
Thank goodness there are other options, though.
