Yes, it is very dark and everything but Jo never went too dark.
I beg to differ. The point about Neville's parents being tortured to the point of insanity, the deaths of Harry's parents, the little graphic moments in many of the novels (first that comes to mind is Harry's detention with Umbridge where his hand is magically cut into by the pen he's using) are all pretty dark for pop fiction.
Yes, she did point out corruption and all but there are adult novels like the da vinci code to do that for us.
Well, that's my
point. Many people believed that the first three novels of the series were solely for children -- and the light-hearted, magical tone of the first novel and even the second novel seemed to point in that direction -- when the series progressed from that light-hearted tone into something darker. One can argue that the fifth through seventh books bear very little of that childhood innocence that the first through third (and possibly the fourth) books bore, as if the tone of the story grew up along with the titular character. Beyond that, yes, they were at one point considered children's stories, hence why an adult who wanted to buy the book would occasionally opt for an "adult version" with a different cover in the UK -- to prevent the people around the reader from thinking that they were just reading a fantasy novel for children.
I have a question.
How do most of the authors here come up with human personalities? I'm having a bit of trouble with a few of my own (Gasp, I know) so I'm looking for suggestions.
It's personally a mix for me. I usually get a
basis for character from any of the following sources of inspiration:
1. Other media. (Viola, for example, was inspired by a combination of Viola from
Twelfth Night and Kurorat Jio Clocks from the manga
Dream Gold.)
2. The people I meet or know. (Cesario = my friend when she's a GM and me when I'm blinking sadistic.)
3. The storyline. (If, for example, an event calls for an arrogant twerp, I summon up a character like Rosaline and build from there.)
After writing down a very basic foundation for a character ("whiny and lacking in self-esteem but incredibly brilliant," "mysterious and sadistic," "annoying and full of herself," et cetera), I go back to the story and see what happens. Usually "see what happens" means "I think like the character and see how they react to different situations." So, it's a lot like roleplaying where you're all the characters, which means you really have to get into the mindsets of your own creations. Once you get into the mindsets, it might be easier because you'll be able to see what decisions your characters can and most likely will make based on what you know about them. Once you understand the logic and motives behind what your characters are
doing (because you're thinking like them), they tend to grow and change on you (because you start to think of them like people) or at least end up being a bit more believable.
So, um, maybe this is just a crazier way of agreeing with Alter Ego. XD Or adding to what he's saying by recommending thinking like the character as well.
