I hate characters who victimize themselves. Sometimes in a good way, assuming the character was well written. But I’ve run into more than one character that serves as the voice to an author’s rant, which usually turns me off of a book. At least I am comforted, as I toss the book in the yard sale pile, that the plot wasn’t that good to begin with.
Now I’m not talking about characters who are true victims, assault victims, robbery victims, rape victims, etc. I’m talking about characters who think the world is out to get them and no matter what they do, everyone is against them. It’s a fine line, this type of plot. The burden is upon the author to prove that the victim’s persecution is real. Or, if it’s not real, to make the character likeable enough that a regular reader will be willing to put up with the "Why are my co-workers so horrible to me" / "Why do the neighbors hate me" commentary.
And now I am faced with a dilemma. I have a character who is a victim. Not a real victim. A "Feel sorry for me because everyone hates me" victim. The self-victimized victim who makes himself or herself the victim because of attitude and the reactions (s)he has to certain events. And I have to make that character someone who the readers can love or hate without chasing away my readers.
Wow. I’ve got my work cut out for me. Lucky for me this isn’t the protagonist, but a supporting character. …Who will still have scenes in her own POV. Maybe I should stop trying to find a redeeming quality and just make this character one of the mini-villains.
And in other news, the availability of good layman-level material (and affordable) on Hemolytic-uremic syndrome is really, really low. The best I’ve found so far is a bunch of used medical school books that are going for $200.00 – $800.00 a pop. Yikes!
I think it’s time I called up the local Mayo Clinic and see if they have anyone specializing in H.U.S. Maybe they can give me some advice on medical journals, studies, and answer pressing questions about new and old treatments. I still haven’t heard back from the CDC on whether or not there was a wide-spread breakout in Minnesota back in the 1990s. And searching the CDC’s website is a lot harder than it looks.
One Response
HUS
I’ve dealt with HUS, rather more than I wanted to – it’s nasty and no fun. One thing you should not expect a person with HUS to do is get up and walk very far; they will be weak, and may also be delirious. They will be pale, and bruise if you look at them crosseyed. And they will need dialysis in one great hurry – their chances of preserving their kidneys go down with a delay in starting dialysis.
Good news is, if they get better, they are basically fine. Unless the HUS is genetic, which is a whole nother ball game.
Let me know if you need any more info.
AB