Protags with Problems

[Peg Herring]

It's become customary to give your protag a problem to deal with on top of the required crime to solve. He's accused of murder AND alcoholic. She's targeted for murder AND struggling with a cheating husband. More often than not, he or she is in physical danger AND harassed by a parent, living or dead, who screwed him or her up royally and made simple, day-to-day living difficult.

I won't comment on the American addiction to Blaming Parents for Absolutely Everything. But I notice that the problems tend to be psychological rather than physical. Now if your protag had a bad back, that would be truly limiting, as I can testify from the last few weeks. How about if she suffers from migraines? Spending the afternoon in a dark, quiet room isn't condusive to crime-solving. What if he has fallen arches? Glaucoma? Urinary incontinence?

Probably not. We prefer our demons to be mental, not physical. But in real life, I bet Kinsey and V.I. are getting to the age where they have find just the right sort of lighting or they'll never be able to read that clue.

[Peg Herring]

As a multi-decade teacher, I know exactly what you mean. My own mother had an abusive, alcoholic father whom she never blamed for her own mistakes. She became successful in every aspect of life with the attitude you mention. And I saw it over and over in my students, those who might have been angry and weren't, might have rebelled but didn't. And then there were the ones who had great lives and manufactured all sorts of parental issues to explain their own failures. Go figure.

[Clair Dickson]

Ah, but most people today have issues. A character without one isn't as realistic. Few of us go through the day or week or month without those lovely mental problems cropping up from time to time. Partly, they make us who we are. And for a character, they add a touch of realism.

Peg, the ones you listed are ones that are "easier" to write. Since they're so common (cliched even?) that they often seem to require less writing or explanation. This is not true characterization. To me, it's really a cop out instead of taking the time to explore the character. Not all people who go through X end up reacting in way Y. (For example, I'm an alternative high school teacher. Many of our kids have unfortunately parenting situations. Some say screw school, life, future, I'm gonna go get drunk and/ or high. Others say, I'm finishing school if it kills me, so I can get a good job and get the hell away from here. And still others struggle between those two options.)

Now, if you excuse me, I have my own issues to deal with. ;-)

[Peg Herring]

That's dangerous...

[Dana King]

I recently succumbed to the majority opinion that my private detective was too bland and gave him a demon to handle, though, as you noted, it's psychological. (Not his parents.)

I like the idea of protagonists with some physical problem. Doesn't have to be fatal, or even particularly debilitating, just inconvenient, or cause problems in other aspects of his life. Imagine a 50s-style PI with Erectile Dysfunction. Urinary incontinece is a good one, especially for a cop who has to do stakeouts. Think of the fun someone like Carl Hiassen could have with a detective with ADD.

Hmm, now you've got me thinking...