Warriors Fanfics: Specialized Writing Guide

Out of Character Moments

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HOW TO USE THIS TROPE (WHEN WE HAVE TO)

Fanfictions do not fair so well with out of character moments. They are extremely rare, however, as most of us tend to stick to our main character's strengths. There is the odd time when we might want to know how to use this trope just in case.

If it is one mistake I see when finding this trope around this site it is writers not using them when they have to. This trope is to correct your error as an author, remember? It is like wrapping a wound that is not there. In worst cases, it is like slicing yourself with a knife on purpose, then wrapping it. Self-inflicted wounds are never a good idea. Especially in your writing. I guarantee a good out of character moment can be replaced with decent character building instead. That character building adds to what we have already written. This trope only circumvents that for our convenience. Yes, this goes against my point of using these on purpose, but I was talking about how to twist them to your advantage. At the end of the day, your readers will see good characterization instead of a bandage if you manage to pull it off. And very few do.

A good use for out of character moments is when your character is faced with an ultimatum. If inevitable events are about to occur in your plot, this trope may be necessary. This is equivalent of backing your main characters into a corner. They have nowhere else to go but through the obstacle or to StarClan. Animals do irrational things when they lose control of their own fate. Using this trope in a position like that is one of those opportunities to turn it into something good. Remember, your characters must not have control over the situation. If they do, your audience will certainly find the path they could have taken. And that will be in their heads instead of your attempt at awesome characterization.

It is probably better if I show you an example from our nonexistent fanfiction:

- Catstar, the pacifist leader of ShadowClan, is forced to make a decision between aiding ThunderClan and RiverClan in a war between them. ThunderClan is led by her mother, and her littermates are senior warriors there. RiverClan has captured Otherleaf, her best friend and clan-loved medicine cat, and threatened to kill her if they are not aided. The battle draws near, and Catstar knows she could lose both if she does not choose one...

Seems like Catstar meets the criteria for use of this trope. While we do not know all the details, we have assumed that our fanfic had ThunderClan and RiverClan just really going at it. Screw the warrior code and everything. We know that Catstar is a pacifist, and not native to ShadowClan. Somewhere in the story, negotiations just stopped working. We know that WindClan and SkyClan are not touching this at all. We know that Catstar's clan would prefer to save Otherleaf. And we know that Catstar cares about her family, despite being the leader of a rival clan. Most importantly, we have written ourselves into a corner... or have we? This can go down a few ways.

- Catstar, the pacifist leader of ShadowClan, declares war on RiverClan. She cannot turns her back on her family and feels ThunderClan is in a better position than their opponent. Their combined efforts destroy RiverClan. Catstar finds Otherleaf killed in their medicine den. Her family says she did the right thing and accept her, but she is filled with regret. Her clan starts to question her leadership...

- Catstar, the pacifist leader of ShadowClan, declares war on ThunderClan. She was raised with Otherleaf in ShadowClan, and puts their needs over her biological family. RiverClan is slightly outmatched, but with combined efforts they beat ThunderClan and topple her family's dynasty. Her clanmates tell her they have killed all senior members of the clan in battle, which destroyed ThunderClan's resolve. Catstar is devastated for choosing to wipe out her family (and any info she may have received about her past). Otherleaf is even disappointed in her decision to attack another clan so readily...

And that is it. Or is there a third option? This is an ultimatum, after all. Our lead has no control over the situation. A neutral pacifist backing a side during war seems out of character, but she does not want to attack. She is not out of character, just forced to choose between the death of two things she loves. If we really wanted her out of character, and did not want it to read like an ass-pull, we would have to do something bizarre:

- Catstar, the pacifist leader of ShadowClan, does not respond to either clan. Instead, she orchestrates a plan to kidnap her mother, ThunderClan's leader, and rescue Otherleaf. Her plan seems to work: they assassinate her mother and take her body while she is reviving. They blitz RiverClan while they attack their enemy and take back an injured Otherleaf. ThunderClan, without a leader, and RiverClan, without leverage for help, decided to keep attacking each other anyway. Meanwhile Catstar is interrogating her mother into learning about her past, and is at a greater peace of mind knowing Otherleaf is safe...

See what happened there? Our story took a different direction. If a heated war between ThunderClan and RiverClan seemed to be our plot before, then the story of Catstar in full seems to be it now. 1) Our pacifist Catstar has just outwitted two warring clans. With what conniving mind? If she is a pacifist, she would have no need to learn to think like this. On top of that she is perpetuating a war that she probably tried to stop. Her pacifist persona is temporarily shattered. 2) She acted selfishly, from a character standpoint. This third ending worked best for our ShadowClan, yes, since they have their medicine cat and they no longer need to pick a side. But her intention was to just let ThunderClan and RiverClan do what they will to each other and worry about what she wanted.

What is the best part about this out of character moment? It had a decent twist. Not the greatest ending, and nothing groundbreaking, but it did not end the way we had set it up to. Also, we have left some things open to reader interpretation. Catstar has just rescued her friend and may learn about her past with as little violence as possible. On the flipside she has condemned two clans to prolonged violence; ShadowClan was to join a side and end the war. Without their warriors, the two clans may have needed to fight longer to win. Were her actions selfish, or genius? It is up to our readers. And reader interpretation is better than a reader scratching their head any day (unless we want to confuse them). And with that, we have used an out of character moment to help us more than it should have.

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IN CONCLUSION...

Out of character moments are best saved for when we have truly written ourselves into a corner. This tends to only happen in published content with an ongoing and unfinished narrative (like TV shows, movie series, or fanfiction on sites like this). I am not saying they cannot be used intentionally, but they should not. Many of you will mistake this for a badly written twist, even if you are a reader and not the writer. Good characterization and a consistent plot are better than inserting a left turn for the sake of it.

This is an emergency literary tool. You have to be pretty deep in your corner to use it. And also pretty creative to twist this wildcard trope to your advantage.

- Tyto