It's important to choose your protagonist carefully. In general, they should be the character whose choices and actions move the plot forward. If the protagonist is also the narrator, they should be present for most, if not all, of the key events.
Sleeping Beauty, for example, is not the best choice. She doesn't make a lot of decisions, and she misses all the good parts. Pretty much her whole story is like this:
Sleeping Beauty (from Aurora's Point of View)
I was born today. Don't remember much. I think Mommy was there, some scary people, and -- Oo! Sparkly!
[Time passes.]
So after 16 years of being sheltered by my godmothers, I finally met somebody. And he's HOT! I can't wait to tell the old girls I'm getting married and they don't have to take care of me anymore. Wonder if Sir Hotty will let me talk to other people...
Okay, so my godmothers have been lying to me for, like, ever. I can't marry Hotty McHandsome cuz I'm already engaged. Screw that, I'm outta here.
Hey, a needle. OW!
Not sure what happened. I ran away, cut my finger, and then...Sir Hotty was making out with me? (Still don't know his name, btw). Turns out I was engaged to him the whole time. Oh well, works for me.
You see how much better that version is?
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Adam. That was pretty entertaining. I'm trying not to laugh (not succeeding) because I'm afraid it'll wake up the little stinker I just got back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteVery funny!
ReplyDeleteSo who would you choose as the protagonist for this one?
Poor Sleeping Beauty! She is a bit of a victim. Good job she - eventually - gets a happily ever after. ;)
ReplyDeleteLOL, good point!
ReplyDeletehahahhhHaAHHAHAHAHHA!!!
ReplyDeletea lesson with a laugh!
you rock!
Could make a good short comic strip
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that might totally rock in first person, present tense. Just saying ... :)
ReplyDeleteWell I think we know who needs to write this story now. You could spend the intervening chapters describing what she dreams about.
ReplyDeleteOoooor not. I kinda like it as-is, short and to the point.
Why does Beauty remind me so much of a lot of the more problematic urban fantasy heroines? "OMG, he's a vampire/demon/not-my-fiance/wants-to-kill-me...but he's hot."
ReplyDeleteThis was great, Adam! Makes me ponder what sort of bizarre pov I could take in this story. LOL Maybe the gifts she receives are sentient. *Grins*
ReplyDeleteCourse... then they'd EITHER have to be connected with the fairies OR you'd have a really short range for the story. See, it's making me ponder. Oooo sparkly!
ReplyDeleteMaybe an animated short...
ReplyDeleteFairy, that's a really good question. In the Disney version, at least, I think the three fairies are the real protagonists. Though if the story were left to me, I might cut them entirely and make the prince the protag.
Although I bet Aurora would make a good ACTIVE protagonist if the story were twisted to minimize the sleeping part.
Aw man, I actually LIKED Aurora. You ruined it for me!! Arg.
ReplyDeleteOkay, she's a little flighty, but ... okay, maybe she is a completely passive heroine. *sigh*
Amy
Oh, Adam. Please do this for every fairy tale ever told. Hilarious!
ReplyDeleteDo you know the story of the real Sleeping Beauty? It's not a happy fairy tale and actually it's quite disturbing.
ReplyDelete