Hero or Villain?
Am I a bad man? I ask this question in conjunction with, as all things in this blog, my writing. Why would I question such a thing you may ask yourself? I’m polite to others, I respect my parents, I pay my taxes and I brush my teeth three times a day. What possible reason could I give for being a bad man?
Well, I recently looked into my dark soul and asked the question, am I nice to my characters. Oh, sure some of them, one comes to mind particularly, plainly deserve such treatment. Bad things happening to bad people occur often in my stories. But what about the others? Some of them have likeable natures, caring for one another, fighting for what is right. What does it say about me if I’m nasty to those characters? Does it mean I have a dark heart? And in doing so, if I don’t immediately remedy the situation, doesn’t that brand me a sadist? I hope not.
Case in point - Currently, I meet on the battleground of my second novel, Blast, on a daily basis. Working toward a conclusion that is still someway off. In it, things happen, people talk and the sky changes colour. (No, I’m not going to give the plot away). And in it, one character ends up pinned under another. I’ve been writing that scene today. Apart from the joy I feel in the writing process, I rather enjoyed writing part of this scene. But, and here’s the rub (*you have to quote the Bard if you’re a writer - it’s the law), I didn’t finish the scene. I left my character in a situation, dread filling his bones, whilst I stepped away from the keyboard and made myself a cuppa of tea. What’s more, after that I played a little bit of Playstation, then came up here to my study and wrote this blog entry, all the time leaving the poor chap stuck in a frightful situation.
What does that say about a man? Oh sure, you might point out that he’s just an imaginary character in a made up situation. But deep down, what does it say about a person’s character. Should a cup of tea ever rank above the life of a fictional character? Don’t fictional characters have rights too? And what type of punishment should be wielded at those who brandish such power? “With great power, comes great responsibility” - Voltaire said that…or was it the philosopher Ben Parker, I forget. Anyway, here I sit, cup of tea in hand, my mind full of deep thoughts and dark intentions, spidey senses all a tingle.
RIP Stan Lee