Writin' - Can this character be saved

A couple of months ago, during a discussion about judging writing contests, one of the women in the audience commented that she once received a critique from a contest judge that stated, "Your hero is TSTL."

First of all, bad judging form. To say something so simplistic without giving the author any means to address whatever elements caused such a response is just this side of useless. Not to mention using only an acronym to describe whatever feature of the character you found disturbing. Never assume that everyone knows what a bunch of letters means. TSTL? Trim Scene, Too Long? Too Sexy To Love? Twarted Scum...

At the time I could not recall ever encountering a character in a novel that I would deem too stupid to live. Sure, good characterization includes credible flaws and those flaws may insinuate themselves into a plot or two. At times I may get irritated at the way a particular character handles a situation just as I may be frustrated by decisions made by my friends and family, that doesn't make them a candidate for the Darwin Awards.

Unfortunately that record of tolerance has been broken. And as mad as I am at one of my favorite authors, it has made me a better writer.

Recently I picked up the latest book in a series I enjoyed reading. I was so excited to have the latest installment in my hands and was reading well into the night when I found myself increasingly irritated by one of the characters in the book. All the character seems fit for was to whine, wince, complain and drop and/or lose and/or break and/or forget important objects and equipment at key times.

I was so disappointed.

I finished the book, teeth clenched at times and vowing never to read another book in the series. Even after finishing the novel I couldn't sleep as my brain was busy dissecting exactly what was so crazy making about the experience.

First of all, and my largest issue, barriers to solving a mystery should never be based entirely on stupid moves by one character. Time after time the character's thoughtlessness impeded solving the case, while all the villain had to do was stay out of sight. No need to interfere when the crime solving team is messing it up without any help from a nemesis.

Second, the writer allowed the incompetent character's actions to dominate the story and control the action to the point that the other characters couldn't even get an idiomatic word in edgewise. All reaction, little action.

Third the character's behavior lead to scenes that not only didn't move the plot along, they confused me as a reader. For example, at one point the lead detective figure has a quite silly fight with the character in question. As a result they are kicked out of a hotel. At this point I thought, "Oh, there must be a clue of some sort at the only other hotel in town." There wasn't.

And finally, yes, I kept hoping the character would get killed off so that the book could return to the series I once loved. I guess that makes him officially TSTL.