Healthy Sadomasochism: Self-Improvement

I’m learning to be cruel to my characters.  The more I like them, the more they must suffer.  I learned this from reading Cider House Rules.  I didn’t want those characters to be broken, damaged and humiliated…but it sucked me in when it happened.

Call me a sadist-in-training.

Sadomasochism

So, one of my characters is based upon my best friend who is a super-cool, whip-smart, real-life fashion designer.  I love her to pieces.  And she always has helped me out, even when I was stranded in Mexico…with no money to my name.

My friend was the jumping off point for this character.  The character has evolved.  But I still feel that I should be nice to her, because she’s based on my best friend.

Now, in order to become a great novelist, I’m going to do mean things to my best friend…oops…I mean my protagonist’s best friend.  She’s going to become an ugly person.  Revenge will be exacted upon her.  Her frailties will be exposed.  She will become a suspect.  Maybe she will be cleared but her reputation will be damaged.

I’m not sure if she will be exonerated.  I hope she doesn’t “unfriend” me on Facebook.

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