tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post801443132929485754..comments2024-01-28T23:18:19.360-07:00Comments on Julie Daines: Dios ex MachinaJulie Daineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-77034859431568844682011-12-08T11:43:53.870-07:002011-12-08T11:43:53.870-07:00@Michael, I do love Tolkien!@Michael, I do love Tolkien!Julie Daineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-3752347265490606102011-12-07T11:28:36.384-07:002011-12-07T11:28:36.384-07:00@Brooke, We keep our fingers crossed that the hand...@Brooke, We keep our fingers crossed that the handsome knight in shining armor will swoop in and rescue us! :)<br /><br />@Michelle, Good point about catching a break. Sometimes our heroes really need it. Especially Frodo, because the eagles didn't come until after he had endured and succeeded in his trials. Same with Harry Potter. And that's the important part--the hero has to earn his title of Hero.Julie Daineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-29320879256214096202011-12-07T10:47:08.754-07:002011-12-07T10:47:08.754-07:00The Lovely Bones is my least favorite book of all ...The Lovely Bones is my least favorite book of all time, hands down. <br />I never knew this plot device had a name, but now that I'm thinking about it it seems like it happens all the time. Maybe 10 or 20 times in Twilight alone (Jacob imprinting on the the baby and finally ending the love triangle). <br />Maybe the key is to not overuse it? And to have the main character go through trials that he has to work his way out of first. Poor Frodo had been through thousands of pages of beastly stuff, maybe that's why the reader is relived to see him finally catch a break. Same for Chamber of Secrets. They had to do a lot of their own sleuthing (even if they were a bit slow about it), it seemed like they had earned the phoenix.<br /> It does seem like a thing you have to watch out for. I like Yamile's comment as well. Sometimes the main character just has to make a sacrifice.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16209537361618766497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-36597946161129944972011-12-07T00:32:43.535-07:002011-12-07T00:32:43.535-07:00True. But don't we all keep our fingers crosse...True. But don't we all keep our fingers crossed that someone, somewhere will swoop in at the last moment and save us?Brooke @ Silver Lininghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15122246696900173040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-49939088220188225952011-12-06T21:44:28.950-07:002011-12-06T21:44:28.950-07:00@Scott, That sounds really painful. You gotta love...@Scott, That sounds really painful. You gotta love the B movies, though. <br /><br />It reminds me of when my third son was born, and our oldest son wanted to name him Waspo.Julie Daineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-27962190828941022362011-12-06T16:37:42.171-07:002011-12-06T16:37:42.171-07:00It's like this one b movie I have. The heroes ...It's like this one b movie I have. The heroes need to go deep into the jungle to destroy the giant wasp-like monsters, facing many dangers and a lot of stock footage along the way. Suspense builds (or is supposed to, anyway) as they get closer to their goal. Then, when they are almost there, a stock footage volcano suddenly erupts, destroying the creatures so the heroes don't have to, rendering the entire journey meaningless.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07450784902644202694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-3685153208964441772011-12-06T11:31:48.655-07:002011-12-06T11:31:48.655-07:00Oh my...Yes we all wonder why the Eagles just didn...Oh my...Yes we all wonder why the Eagles just didn't take Frodo to Mount Doom. OH well...Tolkien's tale is all the funner when people can't fly.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-69672848222962729242011-12-06T10:58:00.466-07:002011-12-06T10:58:00.466-07:00@Yamile, I agree with you. The Lovely Bones is one...@Yamile, I agree with you. The Lovely Bones is one book I wish I could unread. <br /><br />And for the record, I also loved The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter!Julie Daineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225588878619457421.post-47012907228784632672011-12-06T09:23:09.205-07:002011-12-06T09:23:09.205-07:00I think that when it's done right, the reader ...I think that when it's done right, the reader doesn't feel cheated. In the examples you mentioned, I think it worked perfectly for the story. In fact, at the time I was reading the Chamber of Secrets, I didn't feel like the Phoenix was saving the day, I thought Harry had done everything that was in his power already.<br />And I love the scene in which the eagles rescue Frodo and Sam. <br /><br />On the other hand, when I read the Lovely Bones (why? Why!!!), I hated the end because the resolution comes from a coincidence (sorry about the spoiler). No, more than a coincidence, it was a random event. I felt like I had read the book for nothing. Completely cheated. <br /><br />How to avoid it? Make your main character the hero/ine of your story. Make them sacrifice something, or everything. I know it's easier said than done (or written).Yamilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08769312615756253197noreply@blogger.com