writing
"There's no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you"
-Maya Angelou
Welcome to c/writing!
This is a space for all kinds of discussion referring to writing. This could include the structure and style found in different types of writing, authors worth talking about, different genres, trends, etc.
This is also a space for users who wish to share their own writing for feedback. This could look like independently posting excerpts of poems/prose/plays or it could be replying to one of the writing prompt threads. Brainstorming and worldbuilding ideas are welcome too!
Ideally, this will be a community where we work together to become better writers and appreciators of writing in all its forms.
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I mean it makes sense to me that this kind of character would exist in a lot of settings. If you're a gang of assassins looking for new people to turn into killers, a war orphan who has already become somewhat desensitized to violence, may be easily manipulable by filling the role left by dead parents, and who has no one who will know to come looking for them if they disappear seems like a pretty solid candidate
Aha, and now you've created an interesting backstory with storytelling hooks! There was a war, the character is receptive to manipulation in exchange for comfort, and there's someone turning victims into soldiers.
it makes sense but it tends to breed empty characters with no growth potential and no real hooks for storytelling
I suppose it can. That's why the assassin gang/teacher(s) should fill the roles normally filled by family for that character. You can tell all kinds of stories about questioning the philosophy which supports being hired murderers, or recognizing and gaining distance from the abusive relationship which turned one into a killer, etc. I feel like a lot of these kinds of characters tell very interesting stories about figuring out who you want to be and learning that your mentors or parent figures aren't necessarily good people.