Bizarre Revelations

If you've ever written a story, you may understand how deeply your own characters can hit you.

So, when I set down to write a full story, I've generally got an overview of events. For instance, the novel I'm currently writing - Book One of the "Mikal's Child" series - has been in my head since I was 14. I already know its layout, and I've jotted down bits and pieces of it over the years as I see the scenes in my head. It even has its own "fairy tale" version that is spread around the world of Rhíad, and I've written that out many years ago. But its layout and fairy tale versions do not depict the depth of these individual characters, and I've become increasingly more aware of them as I write it.

Have you ever hated the entire guts of a character you read about before?

My personal most-hated would be Shou Tucker from Fullmetal Alchemist. I wanted him dead the ENTIRE series and would love to see him dismembered. :)

This same visceral response can also happen to the authors of such characters. It isn't often for me, since I admittedly find villains to be rather liberating to both write and act (interpret that however you wish. FEAR ME! Mwahaha!). But there are some antagonists that I just cannot stand on a core level and want to exact vengeance on them at every word I'm forced to write for their scenes.

In my case, these characters tend to be fathers.

For instance, my favorite character is the father in "La Vita è Bella" - "Life is Beautiful" - named Guido. He helped his son through the Holocaust by giving him reasons to dream, wonder, and laugh. The entire movie was made as a tribute to him, and no movie has moved me to the extent of this one.

Inversely, absentee fathers get an eye-roll from me, and abusive fathers make me want to jump into the story and wring their necks.

So imagine my surprise when I finally started writing all the details of this piece - about the birth of Mikal and all the events that led up to it - and found I could actually connect with his father!

I won't go into too much detail since I don't wish to spoil the story for my readers, but if you look at my site you can see bits about Mikal everywhere and piece the basics together. Without spoiling it though, Mikal's father - for all these years that I've had this story waiting inside me - has always been an object of disgust for me. He was arrogant, negligent, controlling, narcissistic, and Mikal even made sure to remove his father's name from his own for the way he'd treated Mikal's mom.

I went into his scenes just ready to rip into him, and make everyone hate him as much as I did!

... but then i connected with him.

........

Oh my gosh I connected with him!! O-O It's SO bizarre!!!

Don't get me wrong, I still hate the guy's actions and definitely want to see some punishment dished out or a great flood of karmic retribution.

But I get him.

I'm writing him, and seeing him for the first time as he really is. And now I'm genuinely torn.

Well... since I don't want to give away everything in the book, I suppose this blog will just be a short entry. But I wrote it out to state this:

Stories bring perspective.

Not just for the audience, but so much for the writer as well.

I've somehow fallen in love with this man, even if I'm still ready to lay him out on some asphalt. I can see all the potential of who he could have been. I'm able to be disappointed in him for the moments he refused to reach it. And I'm able to adore him in those flickers of moments where he's just so beautiful.

There is much more to a person than what's on the surface.

Stories are incredible.

Never lose your wonder.