…and why my “true confessions” will never be more than superficial fluff.
The worse you make a fictional character, the better real people feel because they can feel superior by comparison. Readers can enjoy hating the evil man who is fictitious because they know they are meant to hate him. They can boo at the manipulative woman who beguiles those around her and feel that, if nothing else, they don’t act like she does. In other words, it’s enjoyable to hate a villain.
However, when you speak the ugly truth about those who are real to you, you probably come off as arrogant and judgmental. At the very least, you’re showing poor diplomatic skills by exposing others to criticism.
I often smile at the small hypocrisies, questionable intentions, inconsistencies and other subtle character flaws in those around me. It would be very simple to take these things and turn them into humorous slices of life, but I know the good of these people too much to laugh at them. And, of course, some human frailities are too serious to laugh at anyhow.
Benjamin Franklin stated, “Any fool can criticize, condemn andcomplain and most fools do.”
If I am to be a fool, give me the role of Fool from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: one who uses wit to entertain those around me, using the cover of a fool's mirth-filled laugh. (More on this another time, perhaps. And if you get a chance to travel down to Cedar City this summer, be sure to book tickets to Twelfth Night at the Shakespeare Festival. It is well done.)
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