Would This Get Boring?

[sweet insanity]

So, I'm writing about the 5 main regions, each part following the main storyline of the games (with a few differences, of course). Leaf is like the 'Ash' of my story. However, as I am planning the later regions I wonder if she's going to get boring. I know that nearer the time when I come to write about the later regions, things may start to fall into place, but right now I'm wondering if I should ditch her after Kanto, after a couple more regions (Johto and Hoenn seem pretty good in the planning stage) or if I should just keep her. I'm also making a very conscious effort to make her less like Ash, but sometimes I find it hard to make her something other than the overused general kind, Pokémon loving person. She has low confidence near the beginning, but she soon realises that with her friend, Red, and her Pokémon by her side, she will be okay. She can communicate with Pokémon and can share their feelings (but not all of the time, just in tough situations) . She is usually quiet and shy but will be brave and bold if she must defend her friends or her Pokémon.

tl;dr - I'm writing about Leaf, and she's really nice and kind and I wonder if she will get boring.

If you want I can post/PM you a bit of it.

 

[Lugion]

My advice is to just write it. Forget about what other people might think. A good protagonist doesn't get boring quickly, and you'll know when to replace him or her if the time comes.

 

[sweet insanity]

Thanks!

 

[Caitlin]

From the sound of things, she'd get boring as a character if she stays the same throughout each region, much like Ash has. It's always dangerous territory to hold onto a character for too long, as they either continue making rookie mistakes well after they should know better, or they just steamroll the competition.

And, for personal opinion, it'd probably get boring to reread the same basic story, but with a different character in there. I hope you have big plans for uniqueness in plot, character development and all that good stuff.

 

[AceTrainer14]

I would recommend some variety to prevent things from getting dull. One thing the anime has gotten wrong is that the same thing happens in each region. I think if you are afraid it will getting boring, than maybe tie in the plots from the games and use them to shake up the storyline to add a bit of drama and maybe through in some proper character development that Ash lacks (e.g.: one of the bigger things being the fact he never ages. Give your Leaf the chance to grow up.)

Do you mind me asking what sort of plotlines you have planned at the moment?

 

[sweet insanity]

Do you mind me asking what sort of plotlines you have planned at the moment?

For Kanto, it's basically the storyline of the games with a few tweaks. Leaf is really unsure of herself at the start but Red helps her carry on. Blue is really arrogant and unkind but after an incident in Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower, he realises his way of thinking is wrong. He is still very competitive though. Red decides he wants to be a breeder later on, after receiving eggs and being able to care for his Pokémon well. Leaf's confidence builds higher and higher throughout the journey. At the end she faces Blue, who is now the champion. She beats him and decides to become a travelling trainer, allowing Blue to maintain his position.

Now that I really think about it, there's not much left for me to do with Leaf's character. I guess it sounded good at first, but it really makes no sense. As I went on planning, Leaf seemed to be losing the spotlight more and more, and now that I've actually started writing, new ideas have come into my head. So, yeah, I think Leaf will leave at the end of Kanto.

By the way, does anyone know how I can write male characters better? I really cannot think of characters to suit Lucas and Brendan.

 

[Lugion]

Don't worry about them yet. It's not important, in my opinion. You can wait until you actually get to Hoenn and Sinnoh.

 

[an illegible mess.]

By the way, does anyone know how I can write male characters better? I really cannot think of characters to suit Lucas and Brendan.

although it's best to not worry about this until the time comes, i'd just like to point out that one of the hardest things of a writer is writing a story in the point of view of a character that is of the opposite sex. for some (namely me xD) it's really easy (i actually find writing in a male perspective easier than writing in a female perspective, which is my sex). if you have any guy friends, i suggest you hang out with them and take note of how they act, what they do, etc. i think that's how i got to be better at writing from a male perspective because i used to hang out with men a lot. :U experiences can really change your writing.

as for the plot itself, i can see how your character can get boring. just make sure she's not perfect and doesn't act like a complete mary-sue. that's pushing it. make sure she has a personality flaw, and kind of change her view on things as she moves from region to region. maybe something in one region changed her aspect on something. you don't want it to remain too identical to the other region's adventure because it will bore readers and they may know what will end up happening. add a lot of twists and turns in all your regions, making them sudden. just don't piss people off by adding so many of them.

i think that's all the advice i can give. pfff, my brain is kind of fried right now so i may sound rusty and uneducated xD.

 

[sweet insanity]

Thanks, that's great advice! I'll keep that in mind!

 

[Gama]

@Lugion has given you some very good advice here.

It's very important not to get too hung up on the details of the plot that aren't going to come for a very long time - it makes you less invested in what is happening at the moment. It's a completely new arc, so you can think of that nearer the time. I don't mean to be insulting but there is a chance that you could actually never even reach Sinnoh or Hoenn (I'm not saying you might "fail" but you may well get bored of this story and think it best to end it after one or two arcs and start something completely different instead).

Of course, it is important to plan ahead - just don't go crazy.

 

[Lugion]

Exactly what Gastly's Mama just said.

I've found myself getting to caught up in planning ahead and getting excited for far future story arcs that I lose all interest in what I was currently writing, that I just drop the story altogether.

I'm, uh... very experienced in that regard. >_>