First I'd like to welcome all of my new visitors, followers, and fellow campaigners. I'm participating in Rachael Harrie's Platform Building Campaign and it's already a whirlwind of blogging activity. Talk about connecting. . .what fun! There's still time to join in, but the deadline to get on board is August 31st, so don't delay.
Memoirs are even more remarkable when you remember that the MC you're reading about is also the author. A few YA memoirs that I've read lately are: Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas, I Don't Want to be Crazy by Samantha Schutz, and The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon. The bravery of these authors blows me away.
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Who are some of your favorite transparent characters or brave authors?
The MC, Lia, in Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson was an especially powerful one for me. She definitely had her flaws. Having not read much on eating disorders before, I was mesmerized by Lia's crisis. I literally had to stop reading in parts because it affected me so. Lia was an extremely transparent character and Anderson, a very brave author to immerse herself in writing such a book.
ReplyDeleteI love this post and I totally agree. Being able to see their weaknesses as well as their strengths just makes them more realistic. It makes it possible for us to relate. I haven't read this books so I am excited to check them out. I just read an adult fantasy romance called QUEEN IN EXILE. I'm not usually a romance reader, but this was good and I loved the two main characters. They were so real. She did a great job making it so the reader could relate.
ReplyDeleteHi just visiting to say 'hi' from the Rachel Harrie Writer's platform campaign.
ReplyDeleteI struggle sometimes with trying to portray their weaknesses in a realistic light. Sometimes it feels too forced, and I wonder why it is challenging for me to write in a way that shows weaknesses as real.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog! I am excited about the campaign. I am trying to form a short story critique group, so if you are interested please contact me!
YA memoirs...wow, those would be pretty haunting. Sound like great reads though.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you via Rach's Campaign!
Hi from the campaign! Thanks for visiting my blog, following and commenting. The best memoir I've read recently is by fellow blogger Ann Carbine Best with her In the Mirror, a Memoir of Shattered Secrets (available everywhere). She tells of her husband leaving her for a gay lover. She is so strong. I love the sound of Because I am Furniture. I do love memoirs.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're safe.
Denise
I haven't read many memoirs lately, but the most transparent-sounding character I've met in recent times is the protagonist of Cut by Patricia McCormick.
ReplyDeleteHappy to be your group member in the campaign...short stories rock!
Hello back! This was a great post; really got me thinking.
ReplyDeleteJane Austen and Somerset Maugham both have really, truly divinely transparent characters. I started to list Elizabeth and Larry specifically, but then I got to thinking and realized that really, all their mc's are richly developed and usually horribly flawed. Flaws are so important; you're absolutely right. I fear my characters are usually very one-dimensional.
Onward with the Campaign!
I guess most of my flawed characters come from crime novels (my favourite read) but the emotionally torn detective has become a bit cliched. I love Ian Rankin's Rebus series because his flaws are truly part of the character, rather than a plot device.
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling in at my blog. Looking forward to the Campaign.
Ruth, thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm looking forward to blogging with you during the Campaing :-) I'm your newest follower too.
ReplyDeleteI love this post -- believable characters are a must for me in a novel. I must admit, I've lost interest in a book many times before because I had a hard time connecting with the characters.
Hi thanks for dropping by my post sorry I was out - entertaining my friend from forever/editor!! I do hope the 'winds' have not affected you too much -watched in developing on vidoe - scary force - all the best
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I don't have any MC's to add right now, but I wanted to say that I hope you made it through Irene safely.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love an MC best when they're not perfect. My favourite brave authors... That would be Liz Gilbert! She wrote without reserve about the pain of her divorce, her dissatisfaction with her life overall and the subsequent depression that spurred her to travel to Italy, India and Indonesia with a healthy dose of humour (even if that humour was retrospective) and absolutely NO self-pity or whining.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite transparent MC would actually be from the book I'm currently reading, Paint it Black by Janet Fitch. Josie, struggling to come to terms with her boyfriend's tragic suicide, lets it all hang out and I'm really able to feel for her as she works through it.
Dawn and Abby, thanks for these recommendations. I'm adding them to my list. =)
ReplyDeleteHi Juliet, K, and Trisha, thanks for stopping by!
Denise, I'll add In the Mirror to my list. Thank you!
Damyanti, You said it - short stories rock! They are my first love in writing. I'm adding Cut to my list. Thanks for the recommendation.
Jes, I am a HUGE Jane Austen fan, so I agree completely.
Thanks for the recommendation, Morning AJ and for stopping by.
Angela, nice to meet you. Thanks for following. See you on the campaign trail.
Alberta, Thanks for stopping by.
Kelly, Yes, we just had high winds and very little rain. We are feeling very grateful. Thanks so much for checking in with me. ;)
Crystal, Thanks for recommending a brave author and a transparent character! They sound great. I'm adding them.
Glad you made it through the hurricane safely!
ReplyDeleteVisiting back on the Campaign Trail.
I also like to see a character's flaws/weaknesses to really get a feel for them. I think you can't entirely know someone, whether in literature or real life, without knowing some of their flaws, even if just surface ones. The first examples that pop into my head are memoirs, such as "Lucky" and "Blackbird Trail." The title on the second book might be off.
Thankful you made it through Irene. It hit hard here in NC. I love this post. It reminded me of a book I read when I was a kid. It had a total transparent character, but I can't remember the name of the book. I can remember the character though. Isn't that funny? It just goes to show what that transparency can do. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery good point - transparency is applicable in many areas of our lives. Hope you fared well through the storm!
ReplyDeleteHave a good week,
Karen
I've heard of I am furniture, but not the others. Thanks for the new titles!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful memoirs! Glad you mention them here.
ReplyDeleteHope Irene didn't do damage to you or your property. My friends from New Jersey refuse to discuss weather anymore--earthquakes, hurricanes and they're done with anything weather related.
Hi Ruth I am a new campaigner and new at everything.....including blogging...lol. Love your blog, hope you came out of Irene okay. Down here we have been glued to the tv keeping up with what is going on in your neck of the world. Hope we catch up and get to know each other later.
ReplyDeleteI read I Don't Want to Be Crazy, and I'd like to read the other two.
ReplyDeleteEllen Hopkins' characters seem transparent to me.
I've just finished reading My Brother's Keeper by Patricia McCormick. Brave author, transparent, *real* mc. Story that draws the reader in. Also recently read her book Sold. Wow. Powerful stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the picture book group in the campaign, looking forward to getting to know you over the course of the campaign.
Hello, fellow campaigner saying hello. Glad you are safe. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love to read a real, rounded-out character.
ReplyDeleteHI from a fellow campaigner. :-)
Just hopping around with the blog campaign. I enjoyed your post. I loved the memoir, The Glass Castle.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Everyone, for stopping by and sharing your transparent characters and brave authros! I'm happy to be able to add them to my list.
ReplyDeleteThose books look awesome! I'll have to check them out sometime. My favorite transparent author is Neal Shusterman. His characters are fabulously flawed. I even find myself even relating to the "bad" guys.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Thanks for visiting my blog. I'd like to welcome you back once your carpal tunnel feels better. Love your header and background on your blog. Is it a blogspot theme?
ReplyDeleteThe memoir that sticks with me the most for transparency is "She's not There" by Jennifer Boylan. About a trans gender male who becomes a woman, risking all the love and professor career that she had built up in her life. Real raw stuff. Definitely showing her flaws. Ones she shared in a way I could relate to even though I in my wildest dreams couldn't imagine.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! So nice to meet you through the campaign. :)
ReplyDeleteI am not a big reader of memoirs, so I can't say I've got a favorite. But I've heard of I Am Furniture, and I need to read it. :)
Fellow campaigner here, just stopping in to say hello. Wonderful post, btw. I really think transparency in characters helps the readers connect because flaws make them seem more human. Otherwise, they can seem a little robotic.
ReplyDeleteFellow campaigner dropping by!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite transparent characters are written by Alexander McCall Smith. His No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series is full of simple beauty.
Claire