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Q&A How to write a convincing character with a opinion that differs from the author's?

If the readers think the opinion of your protagonist is your own opinion, then I'd guess the problem is not that the protagonist has that opinion, but that the protagonist's opinion is not or not s...

posted 6y ago by celtschk‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T09:04:47Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38976
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T09:49:30Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38976
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T09:49:30Z (almost 5 years ago)
If the readers think the opinion of your protagonist is your own opinion, then I'd guess the problem is not that the protagonist has that opinion, but that the protagonist's opinion is not or not sufficiently challenged in the story. That is, the book actually seems to promote that protagonist's position, which an author of different opinion usually won't want to do.

Now it might be that the other participants only read a small excerpt of your story, then it probably doesn't matter much; anyone reading the full story will hopefully see that this is not your real opinion. But if after reading the whole story the impression prevails, you probably want to do something about it. Not by changing the protagonist, but by challenging the protagonist.

For example, you might explicitly show a case where the protagonist's prejudices turn out to be false, but the protagonist brushes it off as exception to the rule. If that happens a few times, then the reader will see a pattern of denial here, and thus recognize that you don't share those prejudices (or you would not have explicitly written those cases).

Or maybe someone else makes a good argument against the position, and the protagonist does not see how to refute it, but simply dismisses it as stupid argument because it doesn't fit into the protagonist's world view. This will again be a hint that you don't support the protagonist's position (or else, why would you put an argument against it without refuting it?)

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-09-17T09:03:52Z (about 6 years ago)
Original score: 16