What a tender world that would be.

In the BBC’s Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes does have a heart to burn. Though you couldn’t blame most people from thinking otherwise.

But the episode A Scandal in Belgravia has a moment–a slight moment–of tenderness.

Sherlock

Sherlock comes home to 221B Baker Street to find Mrs. Hudson held by hired thugs. It’s obvious she’s been dragged and hit. Sherlock looks at her bruise wrist, the tear in her sweater, and cut on her cheek. He quickly outsmarts the bad guys and gets his revenge, but the scene is beautifully played. It isn’t a wild fist fight. That Sherlock is upset over the treatment of Mrs. Hudson is obvious but not mentioned.

I thought it a moment of perfect storytelling.

You should watch it if you haven’t yet.

Kill the Ones They Love

a different end for the 9th Doctor

Fans are a mixed blessing. I’ve been reading about True Fans and I’ve been reading commentary by the fans of Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and Torchwood. And it seems there’s a lesson in there about Fan Rage.

Fan Rage may be more prevalent in sci-fi and fantasy genres sicne they’re the genres in which fans dress up as characters–truly inhabiting that character and walking public streets in the character’s clothes and attitude. So the writer who kills off that character may never be forgiven.

Now, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got sick of Holmes and killed him off–only to have to bring him back to life to satisfy Fan Demand. But I’m not really talking about writers who come to hate their creation and commit murder to liberate themselves. That’s another issue.

No. I mean writers who create a story, see what has to happen to follow their vision of the story, and killing characters accordingly. J.K. Rowling kills off loved characters. Russell T. Davies killed off more than one beloved Torchwood character–and he is still getting grief for it.

Some fans refuse to watch Doctor Who because Rose Tyler was no longer the companion or because David Tennant regenerated into Matt Smith or because Russell T Davies left the show to Steven Moffat. For some fans it isn’t a matter of they just don’t like the show anymore. The vitriol spewed at Davies for killing certain Torchwood characters is amazing. They talk about Davies as if he roams cities to suck the blood of pretty children. They haven’t even seen anything past the death of “their” character because they are so angry.

And Davies wasn’t trying to get rid of anyone. He believed that the death of this or that character made for a stronger story. Fan Rage seems to prove him right, doesn’t it? Who wants to kill off a character and get a big blah, “meh.”

But these fans won’t watch his show anymore.

Are they True Fans? Do True Fans stick by you no matter what? Or do they kidnap your imagination? How beholden are you to fans who love, LOVE, a character?

Or forget characters. Think of stories. How many writers (singers, actors, artists) begin in one genre, change genre, and then must suffer the outrage? How dare you?

Oh well.

Over at The Imaginary Lake I’ve posted a few first chapters of the different novels I’ve written over the years. Some stories I’ve written have magic–I’ll call it magic though I’m not sure that is the word I really want–and some a straightforward stories without one drop of hocus-pocus. One story is a dragon and quest adventure. Another is a dark emotional magical tangle.

Not sure what fans–should I have some expect–but all readers are most appreciated.

Have you ever been angry at a writer for changing their style or killing a favorite character? Did you ever get over it?

It elementary–character.

I’ve watched this new Sherlock series–and enjoyed greatly. Since childhood I’ve loved mysteries: Sherlock Holmes, Perry Mason, Agatha Christie,… Scooby-Doo. But anyway, Sherlock is possibly the most filmed literary character ever. What makes this character fascinating? And when I watch the new Sherlock dash across the screen, I wonder about the ability of Sir Authur Conan Doyle to create a character that would last.

Few characters capture imaginations generation after generation. But those few characters people write more stories about, dress as for Halloween, retell again and again. And winning an award doesn’t make your characters loved. Why do we still follow Sherlock Holmes and John Watson? What characters last for you?