Writing Originality and Politics--I'm Not Impressed

 A writer does not want her characters to be stereotyped or cliched. She wants her characters original.

That's why the tool of listing is used. Put some traits generally associated on the surface of your character, then the complete opposite of that trait in the other column.

Like with Gretel from the folktale, Hansel and Gretel.

First                                            Second                                     

Follower	Leader
Intelligent/smart	Dull/slow/apathetic/awkward
Emotional	Put-together
Patient	Impatient/nervous
Courage	Coward
Determined
Shy	Outgoing
Good	Misbehaving
Naive	Street smart, thinks on feet
Trusting	Suspicious
	Protective
	Clever
Younger	Immature/reckless Older

So I mix up what people think of the character Gretel and make a new, more interesting character. Instead of the younger sibling, she is the older. She is still smart and determined, but impatient and immature. Hansel has to be protected by her, so she is clever through her recklessness.

There is more than one way to switch her up. I could only change her age and keep everything else. Change her so much she is no longer recognizable as the icon of Gretel. There are extremes of sameness and complete difference.

I guess that's where I feel right now. Two extremes without the middle ground. I am the middle ground. Why isn't there a place for me? All the yelling around me only makes me angry and clam up.

Today's politics are bipolar. You are only this or only that. There are a set of requirements for that political party and goodness--none of them should fall into what the other party is fighting for! Yes or no. No compromise. No easing up to it, then finally getting your position done. Let's just alienate one-half of the population.

And I'm in the bloody middle.

Why are there single issue voters? Well, what does that mean? It means they believe in something so much, they are willing to take the heat from the other side. Willing to live in a less-than-ideal situation themselves because they believe so much that their cause is more important than themselves. 

Compromise. Change it up. Don't alienate. Grow up.

Oh yeah, and I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Excited.