tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post441700670470098645..comments2024-01-24T05:13:06.164-08:00Comments on Not Your Usual Suspects: CASTING AGAINST TYPESusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11286314155783213006noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-44514251276510005912011-05-09T07:31:57.846-07:002011-05-09T07:31:57.846-07:00That's *exactly* what I love, reading and writ...That's *exactly* what I love, reading and writing that twist - and this genre is one of the best of all for it!<br /><br />It astounds me that I can still be caught out, too. I rather like that naivety LOL. My 21yo son is rather more cynical - he spotted the twist in Shutter Island (movie) within 20 minutes *spoilsport* - but The Usual Suspects kept him guessing until the end :).Clare Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09392142798976142547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-3888704520059024132011-05-04T08:43:21.738-07:002011-05-04T08:43:21.738-07:00Writing is a grand adventure, isn't it?Writing is a grand adventure, isn't it?Elise Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12111849185666548945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-55494132465680266472011-05-03T08:40:05.608-07:002011-05-03T08:40:05.608-07:00I love it when my characters surprise me. Had tha...I love it when my characters surprise me. Had that happen on my most recent book, when someone I thought was a minor character turned out to be the villain. That was a shocker I didn't see coming. LOLAnne Marie Beckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17603878676306179018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-41815364560374205342011-05-02T18:01:48.601-07:002011-05-02T18:01:48.601-07:00I've learned to listen to my characters. Somet...I've learned to listen to my characters. Sometimes when they throw me a curveball, I'll sit back and let them talk to me in a monologue. They usually pipe up when I'm trying to take them down the wrong path or make them do something they wouldn't.Carol Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00321447534996724331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-67242773173264256732011-05-02T17:52:36.271-07:002011-05-02T17:52:36.271-07:00Wonderfull blog. Look the Blog Diniz K-9.
http://d...Wonderfull blog. Look the Blog Diniz K-9.<br />http://dinizk9.blogspot.com/BLOG DINIZ K-9https://www.blogger.com/profile/04350539693413477596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-68484354317613407352011-05-02T16:58:37.702-07:002011-05-02T16:58:37.702-07:00I'm with Kathy in that I love it when a charac...I'm with Kathy in that I love it when a character I initially disliked or mistrusted turns out to be the true hero. And I agree with Rita about brilliant casting. Nobody would ever have believed that Patrick Stewart would ever have been chosen to play the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. And yet, he was the *perfect* choice.Marcelle Dubéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18164965676254630066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-19517787126818992142011-05-02T13:02:11.698-07:002011-05-02T13:02:11.698-07:00Thanks for your comments everyone. One of my chara...Thanks for your comments everyone. One of my characters threw me yesterday in the last chapter of a first draft. I have to admit he was right.Elise Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12111849185666548945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-47790846158761059122011-05-02T12:46:56.373-07:002011-05-02T12:46:56.373-07:00Good post. The easy route is to stereotype. It tak...Good post. The easy route is to stereotype. It takes a much more skilled author to cast against type but it's so much more interesting.Wynterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13611293420659353094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-69799511644648161332011-05-02T11:26:51.486-07:002011-05-02T11:26:51.486-07:00What you describe is what most call high concept. ...What you describe is what most call high concept. Take the ordinary and give it a twist. Remember they always said Star Wars was a Western set in space? A new movie IS aliens in the old west. What about a President who goes blind but gains the ability to read minds or foresee the future? <br />Even the visual of a character can make things more intense. You mention Hannibal Lecter. In the movie The Silence of the Lambs, think of all the Hollywood tough guys the director could have picked to play Lector. Each and everyone, evil, and diabolical. He chose Anthony Hopkins, a five-foot- six, middle aged, English Shakespearian actor whose only screen roles to date had been portrayals of gentle men. The performance Hopkins gives is chilling.Ritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09054306874904898496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-28837567655004075632011-05-02T08:48:36.661-07:002011-05-02T08:48:36.661-07:00I love stories where at first you think one charac...I love stories where at first you think one character is the villain when in reality the real villain is so against character as to make the twist totally unexpected. They're the type of reads that always make you stop and think about what you are reading, and sometimes I'll go back and read again to make sure I didn't miss any of the clues scattered through the story. <br /><br />Thanks for an interesting blog post.Kathy Ivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16440759802997389459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-37461963811701898922011-05-02T08:48:11.627-07:002011-05-02T08:48:11.627-07:00I think as a writer just starting out you can fall...I think as a writer just starting out you can fall victim to stereotyping. But that phase passes quickly because as you're writing you are attempting to entertain yourself before you endeavor to entertain others. <br /><br />Characters with twists just make me smile. There is nothing more exciting than to sit back and think, "Wow! I didn't expect them to do that."Maureen A. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16432964748852427405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-76581132668718454842011-05-02T08:14:29.029-07:002011-05-02T08:14:29.029-07:00I loved the Thomas Harris books. I really enjoyed ...I loved the Thomas Harris books. I really enjoyed an episode of Criminal Minds where they'd cast these two kids as killers and at first you think the one kid is the brains of the operation, and then you realize that the other guy is SO smart he's pretending to be the 'slow' kid and the follower who doesn't really understand the operation. <br />AND, the movie THE USUAL SUSPECTS, I think that works so well because they cast against our expectations of 'type'. <br />Maybe :)Toni Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08348843511453338339noreply@blogger.com