Learning from what you Read: V

Character Creation. Jill suggests in building your characters, the protagonist in particular should be slightly off the beaten path, original, the type of person that is just shy of mainstream, "Square Peg in a Round Hole" sorts as she says.

Looking for a way to represent that character type she suggests an open expression of an uncommon opinion. And I hesitate, bursting to my tongue and dancing like pop-rocks is a singular question:

"What makes an opinion uncommon?"

Opinions are governed by perception, you can put two hundred people in a room with a painting and each person will perceive something different, that perception will aid in the forming of an opinion. Logically that infers that each persons opinion will be unique even if they are in agreement.

But I digress and am now arguing with myself.

Rules to govern Square Pegs: I laughed when I started reading this, as I am more than a little unusual (per my peers, friends and colleagues) I decided to forgive and continue reading. Now first I will cite Jill, then I will give my interpretation.

• "The character's square-peg nature has to be believable, not just something you tacked on to make them stand out.."
• "Know why you're character is an outsider."

 Schizophrenia runs in my family. My Grandmother was diagnosed in the early '60's... That sort of influence compels my siblings and I to step out of the box when listening to what others have to say and makes people look at us and judge us on how we act or what we say. Now it creates a problem when you are scrutinized like that you either become hyper sensitive to other peoples opinions or you stop caring completely, so I stopped caring and started saying and acting in a way that I can live with and not how society thinks I should.

• "Does your character know that they are different?"
• "Over time are the assimilated or adapted into society?"

Its not socially acceptable to say what you think and mean what you say, but I do, so I'm careful to make certain that I don't say anything in the heat of the moment, this removes the need to apologize. I resent apologies I feel that the lowest form of subjugation is forcing someone else to change who they are, and even if you regret your actions later, at the time you acted you were passionately vested in what you were doing. Its easier for me to accept, "It was never my intention to hurt you." Than "I'm sorry that I offended you." for some people its saying the same thing, but the second statement implies that if you could go back and undo what you did you would while the first acknowledges how their actions impacted another and clarifies that any pain caused was accidental. I know that this puts me in the minority but its an example of an acknowledged character quirk.

I know I am different.

Over time society, or at least my peers have accepted me, but I would not say that I have a great many close friends.