[is the fine balance you've struck between sympathy with Neal, and acknowledgment of his shortcomings and tendency towards self-justification]
I think, to be honest, that this may come kinda easily to me, because I seem forever caught in a strange limbo between wanting to hug Neal and pat him on the head and make everything all right for him and wanting to murder his face in. So, um, yeah.
(One of the techniques I learned, at some point, for increasing reader sympathy with characters was that to a point, the harder the story and its attitudes were on a character, the more sympathy would be elicited from the readers. Which is something that gets lost in a lot of stuff I read by aspiring writers, and in White Collar itself, where the prevailing ethos seems to be "Look at how hard and awful everything is! How unjust and unfair, and how our poor, noble protagonist struggles under the weight of this cruel, terrible burden!" Which, as evidenced with White Collar (see above re: murderfacing), isn't really a treatment that works for me, on a visceral level. (I usually wind up hating either those characters or their writers, because apparently I like being contrary.) So being a little sharp and unforgiving toward the characters I'm writing angst for is usually something I strive for, because it's a treatment that usually works a bit better for me as a reader.)
[Or possibly there without a shuttle.]
I really love the extent to which Neal just does not have a framework that adequately explains Peter. Peter just does not make sense, according to the laws of human interaction which Neal has observed.
...there is a reason I have that Peter Burke tag. <_<
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 08:27 pm (UTC)I think, to be honest, that this may come kinda easily to me, because I seem forever caught in a strange limbo between wanting to hug Neal and pat him on the head and make everything all right for him and wanting to murder his face in. So, um, yeah.
(One of the techniques I learned, at some point, for increasing reader sympathy with characters was that to a point, the harder the story and its attitudes were on a character, the more sympathy would be elicited from the readers. Which is something that gets lost in a lot of stuff I read by aspiring writers, and in White Collar itself, where the prevailing ethos seems to be "Look at how hard and awful everything is! How unjust and unfair, and how our poor, noble protagonist struggles under the weight of this cruel, terrible burden!" Which, as evidenced with White Collar (see above re: murderfacing), isn't really a treatment that works for me, on a visceral level. (I usually wind up hating either those characters or their writers, because apparently I like being contrary.) So being a little sharp and unforgiving toward the characters I'm writing angst for is usually something I strive for, because it's a treatment that usually works a bit better for me as a reader.)
[Or possibly there without a shuttle.]
I really love the extent to which Neal just does not have a framework that adequately explains Peter. Peter just does not make sense, according to the laws of human interaction which Neal has observed.
...there is a reason I have that Peter Burke tag. <_<