But there's a flipping limit to character development.
Let me explain myself.
I'm sure you've all read a book where there was this really dark, mysterious guy with snarky comebacks.
here I'm talking about...
And then comes the third book and the kick-ass character you knew becomes a mushy empty shell. Remember those amazing come backs? They're gone. Now, the only thing left is a whiny, sad person... GROSS!
I get it, you want to show that your characters have emotions and feelings, but it makes me cringe so bad when in the middle of a series, a character does a 360 and becomes somebody else entirely.
To come back to my examples, I started The Mortal Instruments series loving it! I laughed almost every time Jace opened his mouth. But then, he fell in love... and became needy... and clingy... and just plain ANNOYING!
It's sad because I see this ''transformation'' too often. For me, it's what makes a difference between a good writer and a GREAT one.
For instance, and here some people will probably get ready to throw tomatoes at the screen, Becca Fitzpatrick did a good job with her Hush Hush series. I'm not ashamed to say that I love it! It made me laugh and swoon and all that good stuff a book should do to a reader. Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that Becca Fitzpatrick did not try to change Patch. Even in the last book, Patch remained Patch. I mean, come on, read these quote and tell me you're not laughing!
“You dress to impress," I said approvingly.
"No, Angel." He leaned in, his teeth softly grazing my ear. "I undress to impress.”
“All I can think about is bed.”
“We’re sharing the same thought.”
“You’re thinking about bed too?”
“I’m thinking about YOU in MY bed.”
Maybe it's just me, but these make me smile every time!
*I need to specify that even though I loved Hush Hush, my feelings regarding Becca are mixed considering her newest book Black Ice.
I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right, and maybe it's just me being a picky reader, but I find it SO unrealistic that someone could change so much in a matter of pages. Maybe it all comes back to how some writers have difficulty actually writing a book form the POV of a teen. Regardless, it's something that has been bugging me for a long time.
How about you guys? Did you ever had similar experiences?
Or if you are a writer, do you have a reason behind this ''phenomenon''?
Let me know what's on your mind in the comments!
Sophie
