Black Foil
In light of my previous post, I wanted to be clear about something: Black is a terrible person. He's mean, he uses people, he has no sense of loyalty and only the crudest sense of justice and right-ness. He is, in short, exactly the type of person you don't want babysitting your kids, or in fact adults. In further fact, you don't want him near you at all, not because he'll kill you -- that was a one-time thing, do note -- but because he's the type of corrosive personality that annihilates not just your relationship with him, but your relationship with everyone around you.
So, given the type of person I am, you might ask me why exactly I would choose to write about such a person. Why choose to write about such a villain?
I had two reasons. The first is actually pretty simple; I'm fascinated by the formative moments in people's lives, those cusp-moments that change who they are and how they see themselves for ever after. This was one of them for Black. He knows he's changed, and though the reader can't quite see it yet, he's actually moving from villain to hero.
The second is just as simple, but perhaps a little more hand-wavey, if only because it involves plot that hasn't been set to words yet. I created Black as a foil for two of my other main characters, Faris and Sarah. Both of these guys go through trauma in their lives (I've only hinted at Faris' problems, but Sarah's should be quite clear), and Faris in particular has to face some really ugly truths about himself and his family. But while Black takes it out on the world around him, and eventually reaps what he sows, Faris turns his flagellation inwards and damn near tears himself apart. Whoops. Can't give that away just yet.
In any case, any interested party can rest easy; I'm writing about heroes, not villains, for the foreseeable future.
So, given the type of person I am, you might ask me why exactly I would choose to write about such a person. Why choose to write about such a villain?
I had two reasons. The first is actually pretty simple; I'm fascinated by the formative moments in people's lives, those cusp-moments that change who they are and how they see themselves for ever after. This was one of them for Black. He knows he's changed, and though the reader can't quite see it yet, he's actually moving from villain to hero.
The second is just as simple, but perhaps a little more hand-wavey, if only because it involves plot that hasn't been set to words yet. I created Black as a foil for two of my other main characters, Faris and Sarah. Both of these guys go through trauma in their lives (I've only hinted at Faris' problems, but Sarah's should be quite clear), and Faris in particular has to face some really ugly truths about himself and his family. But while Black takes it out on the world around him, and eventually reaps what he sows, Faris turns his flagellation inwards and damn near tears himself apart. Whoops. Can't give that away just yet.
In any case, any interested party can rest easy; I'm writing about heroes, not villains, for the foreseeable future.