18+ General Discussion Forum

You know, I've been getting a lot of e-mails that say my stories and characters are lacking in emotion and character development. But I don't like writing stories about juveniles or immature adults who don't have control of their feelings. I prefer the characters that are calm on the surface, yet deep. Not the ones who flaunt their emotions and wear them like a mask. I like writing about people who hide their feelings, instead of hiding behind them. Unemotional and passive aggressive. 'Cause that is what human emotion is. Unless you're in an extreme condition, your emotions don't just burst out. They linger inside of you and haunt you like ghosts. Of course, not all of my characters are like that. Mostly the main characters. Only 'cause of the fact that the heart-warming story about an immature boy on a quest to find himself has been done to death. If it wasn't a cliche, I'd work it into my stories 'cause its an easy way to end the story, develop the character into a mature adult, and teach a lesson about life, but now it just seems unoriginal. Nah, I wanna see the man who knows exactly what he wants and who he is. Confident and intelligent. Yet, plagued by some sort of dilemna. Sort of like the characters found in epics, like Homer's Odyssey. If you're reading this, what I'm asking you is, which characters do you prefer? The childish ones that cry at every sad moment, over-aggressive and easily provoked? Or the mature characters, who stay cool and calm on the surface? I think I already know how this is going to turn out, though. After all, don't we all stop to watch the spoiled, angry child cry and rave and rant at his mom while squirming about on the floor of the grocery store?