1. Anyone out there a super achiever? Or know one?

I need to make my leading man sympathetic while still painting him as a potential villain.

2. What was your favorite teacher like? What qualities did you admire most?

3. When you watch a love story in a movie, what draws you in and connects you to the relationship emotionally?

4. Do you know someone who is gifted, but an underachiever? Someone who is insecure about their abilities and afraid to reach out? How would you like to see them change?

1. The valedictorian of my class was in a bunch of classes with me. She always copied down everything the teacher said. When it was time for a test, she would make hundreds of index cards to study. She always had to be the first one to answer a question, and she asked a bunch of questions that she pretty much knew the answer to already just so that she could prove how much she already knew.

As long as someone has at least one good quality, (s)he can still be sympathetic no matter what else (s)he does, even if the bad outweighs the good.

2. My favorite teachers were the ones who really knew the subject and tried to make it as entertaining as possible. They were also the ones who talked to you outside of class and really took an interest in your life (but not in a stalker sort of way). One teacher knew how much I hated his class (because of the people in it, not him or the subject), so he kept trying to get me to take another class instead (which I only took because of him and am now majoring in).

3-4. These two are sort of related because the person described in number 4 describes me perfectly. I know that I'm smart (which I say because I maintained a 4.0 all through high school and in college so far, not because I think I'm great), but I'm not very good about connecting with people. I would like to change, so I know how I think your character should change: your character should learn to take chances and reach out. For myself, I would like to get out there and meet more people. I always assume that people won't like me, so I don't talk to many people or take chances. I also tend to pick jobs that are extremely easy and require very little face-to-face contact. So I'd like to be confident enough in myself to get a job that actually meets my skill level.

That said, I tend to like romances where the characters involved are insecure and don't feel they're good enough for the other. I like stories that involve a bunch of miscommunications and eventual making up. However, the dialogue has to be realistic. Having someone simply confess their insecurities outright doesn't make any sense (except for this post, which is meant to help you).

I hope some of that helped. =)

Yes, it was very helpful.Thank you.
Fanci
think it, believe it, let it happen.