Friday, April 15, 2011

How the Winklevoss Twins Can Help Your Novel

Last year the based-on-true-events (ahem, fictional) movie, "The Social Network," about Facebook made a huge splash. Two of the main players in the film and in real-life were the Winklevoss twins who claimed Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, stole their idea and code after agreeing to work on a similar website for their company ConnectU. The twins then sued Facebook and eventually settled in 2008 with $20 million in cash and $45 million in Facebook stock.

Well, the twins are at it again. According to "Winklevoss Twins Can't Back Out of Deal on Facebook, Judge Says," by Scott Morrison in the Wall Street Journal (article is linked), the duo feel duped out of money based on the valuations of the company. Since they agreed to the settlement in which they signed a release of all claims against Facebook, they will not be entitled to more cash. Naturally, their lawyer will seek a rehearing with the appeals court bench.

Forgive me for not feeling sorry for these two. Sure, the movie portrayed them as upstanding, moral citizens who trusted the wrong guy, but in my experience, real-life doesn't usually work that way. It's difficult for me to buy that a couple of brilliant Harvard guys really just slid their extensive plans for a social media site to some random computer programmer--without expecting him to sign any sort of legal agreement. I'm not saying Mr. Zuckerberg didn't maximize on their idea or that he has a clear conscience, but I'm also not saying anyone involved was blameless. Only the people involved know the truth.

What I do know is that some people don't know when it's time to let go, and that's how the Winklevoss twins can help your novel.

Does your character have an unreasonable hold on a past event? Something she just can't let go of but should?

The W twins have gotten their piece of the Facebook pie. From what I understand, they sued over the loss of their concept and possibly computer code. They did not put any time into actually creating and running Facebook as it exists today. Without a brilliant founder, Facebook would have crashed and burned long ago. There's no question Zuckerberg and the other leaders of Facebook constantly work on improving and expanding the site. So do the twins really deserve more money? More stock?

Why can't they let this go?

We've all been betrayed. But at some point we must move on. We can't keep returning to a past event with the hopes of it turning out differently. It won't. It's over.

But that's the great part about fiction--we get to watch someone else stew over past events. We can feel the bitterness, the rage, and even the petty self-involvement as they focus on what went wrong. And hopefully, we get to watch them let go, move on, and hope for a better future.

I hope the Winklevoss twins can move on. They aren't ever going to get from Facebook what they really want--to be the founders, creators, and managers of their social network dream.

If you're a writer, do your characters ever hold on to something for too long? If you're a reader, do you enjoy books where a character refuses to let go of something from his past?

Enjoy your Friday!

34 comments:

  1. Reminds me of a story about this dog and it's bone...
    I think a character that can't let go (until the end) provides a good character arc, but boy, they better have something else going for them, or the reader will no longer care if they triumph and stop reading.
    Wagging Tales - Blog for Writers

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  2. I have a character who is doing exactly that in my current WIP. I've yet to see that movie. Heard it was really good.

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  3. What a neat post. I hadn't watched the movie. Just like a running gag - if what they can't let go of goes on to long, it will grow old for me.

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  4. Been there. I mean my characters have. Yeah, yeah, that's what I mean. :) Yes, my characters truly have issues with letting things go, and it gets them both in serious trouble. Serious. Trouble. And my kids love it. They love reading about it and all the complexities. Not living it though. They like the past right where it is. Makes the twins a little more petty than teenagers me thinks. But smart Havard pettiness, so I guess that makes it okay. Not. Thanks for the great post!

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  5. very eye catching post!! I was like...ooooo....now what did she write about on this..cuz i thought that movie was great. You are so right! and I LOVE how you tied into writing!

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  6. This is the heart of what I'm working with in my WIP--a lingering event from the past that changed lives and etched a divide between close siblings.

    I struggled to let go sometimes, too. A very human thing.
    ~ Wendy

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  7. Charmaine: Welcome! And I agree--as authors we have to be careful to make the characters extremely believable and likable or the reader will get tired very quickly. Great point!

    Katie: I like the movie, but after a bit of digging, it's obvious reality and the movie don't exactly mesh! Still--worth the watch!

    Laura: Same here. If I want to slap the character, "Get over it!" something is wrong!

    Carrie: I think that's the key--we want to watch them MOVE ON! :)

    Amber J: Well thank you!

    Wendy: I've hung on to bitterness for too long in the past. It's hard to let go when we've been betrayed, but we must. Your WIP sounds good!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  8. Characters that just keep holding on do make for good reading - if they have more in life than that past grievance...just like it's hard to root for someone in real life who is so wrapped up in the past they can't see anything in the present (or future)!

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  9. Excellent post! Loved it and the movie. I think it depends on the story. Sometimes I like for a character to let go, but there are others I tend to leave wallowing in bitterness and unrest. Why? Because that's life. Not everyone chooses to let go. I just finished Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers. A couple of her characters finally moved on, but she left a couple still bitter and resentful. I was satisfied with both storylines. A great book. :) Have a great weekend

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  10. The characters I read that stay with me for a long time are the ones whose actions are motivated by a wrong-doing in the past, and they find a way to move on, let go and grow. Realistically many people today do hold onto bitterness (like the twins you mentioned) but it is the hope gained from characters that learn to find peace again that I enjoy reading the most.

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  11. I think wounded characters are very interesting, those lost souls with an injury in their past, who, when they meet the right person and set of circs, are forced to choose between the past and the future, the burden or the freedom. :)

    But then again, I write romances, so that totally works for me.

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  12. The MC in my current manuscript is definitely holding on to something too long. lol Thanks for the great post.

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  13. Jill,

    When I read the title of your post, I thought you were going to say, "Ideas are cheap. Anyone can have an idea, but it takes hard work to make it succeed." Of course, with a settlement like theirs, one could argue that ideas aren't cheap at all. Those W twins wouldn't have gotten richer if they weren't rich in the first place. But I digress.

    Your points are spot on. I like the idea of my characters' objectives to be obsessions, but I really like playing around with mental illness. ; )

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  14. Hmmmm, interesting concept. Yes, my MC holds onto things, as does his antagonist. One of them lets go...the other doesn't.

    Great post!

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  15. Jill, I've seen the movie, so I appreciate your analogy!

    I agree that the Winkelvoss twins need to let go.

    However, I also believe that they told the FB founder about their plans without making him sign a contract, and then he royally ripped them off. I attended an Ivy League school as an undergrad. Lots of people worked on creative projects together without making up contracts. We were all involved in our studies, so the projects were "extracurricular." And most of us trusted, I think, that our associates respected intellectual property and would not "steal" from us. Perhaps that trust was naive, but I can't blame the Winkelvosses for it. Honorable people often don't suspect others of dishonesty until they get burned.

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  16. Kristi: It IS hard to root for real-life people who won't let go!

    Jessica P: Good point. I like to see the main character overcome something. If she doesn't move on, I have a hard time enjoying the book. But secondary characters? They can wallow all day long!

    Lynn: I like the way you put that--that they'll find peace. Yes!

    Erica: Same here, and you know I love romances. I LOVE wounded heroes!!

    C.E.: Ooo, sounds like a goody!

    Katharine: I could write that too! Give 10 people an idea and all 10 will expand on it in a different way. To me, the work involved in making something out of the idea is worth so much more than the original. :)

    LBDiamond: Yummy...sounds intriguing!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  17. In the historical I'm working on now, the hero is holding a grudge against the heroine for an immature decision she made years ago. Even though she's changed since then, he has a hard time letting go of the past and forgiving her. I wanted to write this because bitterness was something that I struggled with before God taught me to forgive those who intentionally or unintentionally wronged me.

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  18. The two main characters in my WIP have been unable to let go of something that happened in their past. Their struggle is mirrored in one two other characters are facing. As they work together to resolve the others' issue, they end up working through their own.

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  19. Many, many people in life do hold on to their pasts, long after it proves helpful. That's why we like to read about characters who do the same thing in books. We can relate them to people we know. Maybe, dare I say, to ourselves?

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  20. I agree with a lot of other people who have already commented - if it goes on for too long, I lose interest.

    It is a good movie and made me look at facebook in a whole different way.

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  21. Rosslyn: Thanks for weighing in! Stealing code or expanding on an idea--I'm not sure if it was ever proven Zuckerberg used any of their code, but then was the idea their intellectual property? These are tough moral issues to think about. As a Christian, I don't believe it's right to take liberties with either. I do have to believe the W twins made much more money off of their FB litigation than they ever would have made from their ConnectU! But that's just my opinion. I guess we'll never know. :)

    Brandi: Sounds like you have some great growth arcs in your new book!

    Keli: I love it when more than one character has serious growth in a book--can't wait to read it!

    Patrice: Oh yeah! I feel the same. By watching them work through their issues, we're better able to understand our own.

    Cochrane: Welcome! Nothing worse than a whiny character, right? :)

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  22. This is great food for thought! Who knew FB and such could help us with our characters. :)

    I like to see characters who are real and struggle, but then they grow and move on too.

    Have a great weekend,
    Karen

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  23. You have hit a pet pieve for me. I do not like it when a character holds on to a past problem unnecessarily. Many good books have been spoiled for me because of this device.

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  24. Great post, Jill. It's got my brain churning, as well as do the comments. Finding the right balance is so crucial, but I hadn't thought about it before. We have to have a character our readers can't help but like. (The big challenge.) I'm picturing a person with her arms tight around a tree. No matter how much she wants to, she's not going anywhere. No one can move on until he or she lets go!

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  25. Great post, Jill.

    Now that I think about it, in two of my stories, it's the main male characters who can't let go of the past. I never really thought about it before. One of them does move on, but the other, well that remains to be seen.

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  26. Karen: I know, right? :) Yeah, I'm all about the happily-ever-after and moving on is essential!

    Nancy: I know what you mean. It's a hard line to balance without frustrating the reader.

    Patti: Yes! And I find it hard to like characters who never let go of that tree!

    Loree: I love it when main characters work through their problems and move on, but secondary characters can cling to their probs as much as they want!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  27. Jill:
    You have whetted my appetite. The concept of holding onto something in the past is something I have seen in real life. Usually, its considered a sign of immaturity. Hmmm!

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  28. That's not something I'd thought about. I guess it depends on the story, but I like to see characters change, at least a little bit. No character growth, while perhaps true to life in many cases, is depressing in a book, even when it's just the antagonist. I guess the real issue is making the character growth right for the person. A hermit is not likely to transform into a social butterfly, but might allow one person into his life, for example--or vice versa.

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  29. Great post Jill. I love characters who grow. They make mistakes, but learn something about themselves too.

    I didn't see that movie, but I'd say the twins were ripped off and they can't forget. They see just how much money they lost. :-)

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  30. Nasty example (just seems like greediness, to me) but a great example too - reminds me of Scarlett who could just not LET GO of poor Ashley in Gone With the Wind! I'll have to keep this tidbit in mind w/my characters...

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  31. Quiet Spirit: I think it's just very hard for some people to accept something they can't change. :)

    Jill: Good point--internal growth helps a story, but having a character turn into someone he's not hurts a story.

    Robyn: I like characters who grow, too. Perfect characters make me yawn!

    Margo: Oh, true! She refused to see reality when it came to him!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  32. Hi Jill -

    I haven't used this device and don't think I would for my MC. Now, it might be interesting for a secondary character or antagonist. The potential for conflict grows exponentially when someone is seeking revenge.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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  33. As I was reading your post, I was wondering how the heck you were going to bring it around to writing -- I love it! Fantastic.

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  34. Susan JR: Oh, yes! It's great to see antagonist's clutching to their pain!

    Talli: Thank you so much! I really appreciate the compliment!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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