Thoughts for the day: #1, On inconstancy.

[randomness]

Just because what she said then she now contradicts completely doesn't mean she was any less sincere then, or believes in what she says or does now any less.

Sometimes, that's hard. But it isn't any less true.

Comments

[nafe.livejournal.com]

I swear I'm no being cheeky when I say this, but with a character, I suspect you'd need to be consistent with your inconsistency. You're right that you probably won't get away with it if you do it just once, but if you establish it as a character trait, your audience will begin to catch on.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yah, point.

I actually thought about posting a comment about certain people making their inconsistency a habit, but I decided it would detract from my point.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Nah, you don't sound cheeky. :) What you have to do is *explain* the inconsistency. There's got to be an acknowlegement of the change, either internal or external, and if the character flips back and forth too much you get annoyed readers, not understanding ones. People are a lot more forgiving of erratic behavior in real life than they are in fiction. Possibly because it's harder to drop a friend than drop a book. :)