how do I make her seem human?

[vindemiatrix]

I'm not sure this is in the right section, but I trust Tundra to move it if she feels it'd be better off somewhere else. *grin* (And is it me or am I starting a LOT of threads lately? *blush*)

My problem is this: the main character of my novel is a seven-hundred-year-old witch with immense power and wisdom who is also holding off a specialised form of insanity. Most people are scared of her, she's incredibly snappy, bad-tempered and self-pitying (the world she loves has been dying for centuries and she's given up hope of ever seeing it returned to its former beauty and health), and most of the story is in her POV.

The thing is, being seven hundred years old and immensely powerful, I'm worried that readers aren't going to relate or sympathise with her, especially since she does have so many character flaws. (You'd think seven-undred years would give you time to develop a better personality...) I do want her to be somewhat of an anti-heroine, but I don't want readers to actively hate her. However, I don't want to give her too many good points, because she's already in danger of becoming a bit of a Mary-Sue.

Has anyone got any ideas? Any help would be much appreciated and rewarded with my eternal praise and gratitude. *grin*

[Thren]

Hmm - I reckon a sense of humour would be a nice touch - as in you say that she is crotchety and snappy, so make her have some smart/humourous comebacks or lines...somewhat like Granny Weatherwax in Discworld??

[Aimless]

She's seven hundred years old... but is she old? Just wondering :)

[Maegan]

Hmm - I reckon a sense of humour would be a nice touch - as in you say that she is crotchety and snappy, so make her have some smart/humourous comebacks or lines...somewhat like Granny Weatherwax in Discworld??

That's actually something along the lines of what I was thinking. No one would say Granny Weatherwax was a really nice or amiable character and she is exceptionally powerful, but you still don't hate her. So long as someone is suffering/snappy/etc for an actual legitimate reason (ie, not just that the author wants to have a "Character in Pain" :P), most readers will sympathize with her.

[snooze]

You know how there are some things where you think "an eternity of reasoning could not make that make any form of sense"? Use things like that. Like the idea that Paris Hilton has tried every job there is and still would not be able to support herself if she woke up tomorrow with no money. Once you HAVE money, making more isn't too difficult.

[Tundra]

^ does she REMEMBER the entire 700 years?

[AXJ]

Typical human quirks/flaws might be nice, things that a lot of us do. And it'd open up some opportunities for humor, too. Anything that you wouldn't think an ancient, powerful, fiercely independent witch would do- maybe even something that she wouldn't think she'd do. For example, maybe she develops a crush on some boy (or girl) without realizing it- and then when they come around, when the witch realizes she's checking her hair in a mirror, she can be a bit disgusted with herself, behaving like a fool teenager.

[vindemiatrix]

So long as someone is suffering/snappy/etc for an actual legitimate reason (ie, not just that the author wants to have a "Character in Pain" :P), most readers will sympathize with her.

Haha, "Character In Pain" (TM). Her despair is an integral part of the plot, thank god.

She's seven hundred years old... but is she old? Just wondering

Well, it's hard to write someone that old, but I think I'm getting there. If that's what you meant. She doesn't look old.

does she REMEMBER the entire 700 years?

Not well. Not photographically. Equate 100 years of her life with a decade of human life and that's pretty much how her memory is. Considering the plot, I'd say she doesn't remember well enough. -__-

Typical human quirks/flaws might be nice, things that a lot of us do. And it'd open up some opportunities for humor, too. Anything that you wouldn't think an ancient, powerful, fiercely independent witch would do- maybe even something that she wouldn't think she'd do. For example, maybe she develops a crush on some boy (or girl) without realizing it- and then when they come around, when the witch realizes she's checking her hair in a mirror, she can be a bit disgusted with herself, behaving like a fool teenager.

:lol: That's an adorable idea! I've got a few candidates for her secret affections in mind at the moment. There's already another witch, the closest she has to a friend out of all the witches, who obviously has some sort of hero-worship crush on her, and there's a few people she meets during the story that could prove interesting if she developed feelings for them...

Of course, I'd love maybe one or two more ideas along those lines. If anyone can think of any more quirks I would love to hear them!

[Aimless]

Make her superstitious :o

Like pilots.

[snooze]

Make her superstitious :o

Like pilots.

Pilots are superstitious? My father's a pilot, but he's not superstitious. Likes to have fun with the intercom, but not superstitious. Trade secret: they turn on the Fasten Seatbelt sign when one of them needs to use the toilet and doesn't want to fight the passengers for the loo.

[Tundra]

^ i am so using that in my novel now.

[Aimless]

No, like fighter-pilots. They're more superstitious than sports stars I think :o

[underground_diva]

have a scene were she is crying. but make her cry over something trivial coz it would be ironic, but not too trivial because it would not be believable. for example burnt potion versus broken broomstick

[vindemiatrix]

...this thread has been dead for three months and then I get a reply that has made me want to write the damn story all over again.

Thanks, chickie! :D

Now you have to go to our introductions thread and introduce yourself.

[elle]

give her a very human hobby, maybe she supports football and is fond of saying that the game peaked in 1904* and went downhill from there.

* I have no idea when football started, don't quote me on that year.

[Aimless]

An eternal being would surely appreciate jokes like, "What did the fish say when it hit the wall? 'Dam!'" :)

[vindemiatrix]

*runs headfirst into a wall*

[LadyAbby]

you said that she's old but doesn't look old. What does that mean? does she look like she's in her 20's still, or like she's in her 40's, or like she's in her 70's or 80's? because then she can be interested in something shallow. She can be shoe obsessed, or purse obsessed, but just the one thing. And it can be funny because she spends outrageous amounts of money on it when she could conjure it up easily. "But it's just not the same!" Lol.

[Sammi]

If she's old and cynical, you could play on that. If you watch Law & Order, or Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, you'll find old and cynical cops who act and feel human. For instance, before he became a cop, John Munch was a radical journalist with delusions of grandeur. Until one episode in which he got a look at his actual FBI file, he'd have bet large sums of money that he was a big thorn in their side and that they had a bulging file (and at least two agents) on him. (He had one page in his file which declared him a minor annoyance.)