Thinking of writing a book / TV series featuring...

... a pedophile as the protagonist.

I've been inspired by shows like Weeds, Breaking Bad, Dexter and Six Feet Under. I also wanted to base it partly on events in my own life, in particular the minor cult I joined, the struggle with paraphilias and secrets, and psychadelics. The book and / or TV series would be philosophical and avante-garde, something that would really make people think and re-assess their views. Grandiose in theme yet realistic in setting, and an intruiging evolving sorta thing.

Apart from the main guy being attracted to children, I'm not sure what the book / series would be about.

But I've been writing stories since I was six and I'm quite good at it. As long as I find the commitment, I can get it finished and published.

What do you guys think?

I think having a story would be good.

You know, like how Pirates of the Caribbean isn't really about how Jack Sparrow is a muslim?

Sounds great!

I've often thought that there needs to be more stories about people with paraphilias in the mainstream media. I can't think of any book or movie I have seen with a paedophile as the protagonist.

Literature is my subject (Masters in Literary Theory), so if you need any help let me know. For now I'd say look for some way of unifying (or contrasting) the various subjects you want to treat. For example, you mention paedophilia and cults. Is there any way in which the notion of the cult can be used as a literary motif? 'Cult' is a broad term (cf. cult of the Virgin Mary, cult of Elizabeth I, and then the modern sense of dangerous profit-seeking groups like scientology). When I read literature I'm often baffled that people assume that the most purple of prose is the best, without any consideration for the conceptual framework underlying a work. I would recommend David Lodge's The Art of Fiction as a great place to get some ideas if you're not a theoretician.

GinaSmith wrote:Literature is my subject (Masters in Literary Theory), so if you need any help let me know. For now I'd say look for some way of unifying (or contrasting) the various subjects you want to treat. For example, you mention paedophilia and cults. Is there any way in which the notion of the cult can be used as a literary motif? 'Cult' is a broad term (cf. cult of the Virgin Mary, cult of Elizabeth I, and then the modern sense of dangerous profit-seeking groups like scientology). When I read literature I'm often baffled that people assume that the most purple of prose is the best, without any consideration for the conceptual framework underlying a work. I would recommend David Lodge's The Art of Fiction as a great place to get some ideas if you're not a theoretician.

Well there is Mysterious Skin. The protagonist was abused as a child and kind of sort of has some pedophilic tendencies. There's also of course the classic, Lolita,


For the OP:
I'm just wondering if a pedophile character could be sympathetic as someone readers could identify with. In the case of Dexter for example, while we don't identify (I hope) with his desire to commit murder, we can identify with his code and his desire to only kill killers. Other series are similar to this in that there is a hook which the broader world can identify with. You would need to find a way to make your character sympathetic to a broad audience without making him into a monster (unless that''s what you want to do, ala things like Red Dragon/Hannibal/Silence of the Lambs. I also recall seeing a title from some little publishing house that had something with a pedophile as the main character, but I don't remember the name off hand of the book...

I like the idea, and think that if it was done well, you'd have an original and potentially very moving story.

The problem with having a paedophile as the protagonist is that very few people (present company excluded of course) would be able to identify with the problems and emotions they would be going through. As others mentioned, the character would need relatable problems.

Think about how the world views paedophiles, and how your character would be above them. Such as in Dexter where every other killer is a cold hearted and single-minded, where as Dexter is complex and likeable, your protagonist would need some very powerful redeeming factors.

Good luck with it though, I look forward to seeing it pan out

Hi
I like the idea. Should the main character be the person or the subject? What if the the main actor had to help children at risk? Just a couple of thoughts.

In terms of winning readership's sympathy for the character, it would be hard to top Nabokov. Lolita is a continuous attempt by the protagonist to seduce the reader and win his/her sympathy. The careful reader, however, will note the sadistic and heartless undertones and the persistent solipsism inherent in his (the protagonist's) account.

I think I've heard of Lolita, and of another one about two pedophiles, one a woman trying to seduce a neighbourhood boy, and another, a man serving time. There's also a film called The Woodsman that I want to see, about a child sex offender out of jail from a twelve-year sentence. From the director of Monster's Ball, which I also want to see.

My story's protagonist will not be an offender in any sense, but it will nonetheless be a challenge getting the audience to relate to him. Especially because, in line with the sort of stories I work with and find meaning in, he will not be a thoroughly virtuous person either. I don't believe anyone really is. But I think it's a good challenge. Helps make audiences aware about what pedophilia actually is, and what it would be like to be one. If it works.

You know, one of my friends who's into AR like me gave his opinion about pedophilia one time... said he wouldn't want to know one, didn't matter whether the person had done anything wrong. Considering we both have the same paraphilia that most of the world would not tolerate, I found his attitude a compelling example of how hatred towards pedophilia is ingrained into our minds. I also want to explore that.

The show won't be 100% about this guy's struggle with his sexuality, but it will certainly be an underpinning character trait that comes up a lot.

noprimenumbers wrote:What if the the main actor had to help children at risk?

I like that idea. He might, in a bid to 'redeem' himself, counter the fantasies by doing something behind the scenes to help kids who are in trouble. I will give this one some thought. Thanks.

Thanks too Gina. I don't have any credentials but I do have a lot of experience with writing, but if this idea goes anywhere, I'll bounce some thoughts off you in PM if that's okay. For now it's all germinating... we'll see if it dies like 99.5% of my other projects...

Sure thing. In my experience, the best ideas develop themselves. Inferior ideas tend to develop cracks and eventually the whole thing falls to pieces.

You're using the word show a lot - are you primarily focussing on a script for television? If this is the case, there are other considerations to take into account. Producers look for scripts that will be relatively easy/inexpensive to produce (i.e. consider location for each scene, how much can be filmed in a studio, etc.).