Ya Can’t Get There from Here; The Progression and Evolution of Characters
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Ya Can’t Get There from Here; The Progression and Evolution of Characters
In writing a story such as ‘A Lion in Waiting,’ or ‘Dance of the Baccha’ I believe it is important to provide the reader with a clear and logical sequence and progression that explains how a person goes from being another ordinary, faceless part of the crowd to someone who is willing to do extraordinary things while risking all.
Unlike the Pevensie children in ‘The Cronicals of Narnia; the Witch, the Lion and the Wardrobe,’ none of my characters do not have a wardrobe they can pass through that magically transports them to a different time and place. Yet even Peter, Susan, Edward and Lucy did not ‘presto-chango’ become the Kings and Queens of Narnia, endowed with the knowledge and wisdom that made them a legend in that mythical land. Like Frodo Baggins, each of the characters in those adventures had to take what Joseph Campbell called ‘A Hero Quest.’
In mythology a hero quest is the journey that takes an average person, or someone who thinks they are nothing more than an average person through a series of events and challenges that transform them, over time, into someone entirely different. Two recent examples of characters undergoing protracted hero quests are Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame and Harry Potter. The true hero quest is one in which the character discovers qualities that he or she already possessed, character traits that were brought forth by the challenges they faced and not instilled upon them by the waving of a magical wand or other such device.
In ‘A Lion in Waiting,’ Ian Wylie’s hero quest was one he did not ask for. Like many who set out on a hero quest, he is often afforded the opportunity to turn away from his destiny. Eventually, he comes to realize that he is unable to do so, not because someone is forcing him to do so, but because, as he tells himself, ‘it’s in his nature. I believe were I to truncate the process that took 2nd Lieutenant Ian Wylie, Royal Artillery and catapulted him straight off into a savvy resistance leader. It has taken me over 51,000 words to reach a point most readers expected the story to go almost from the beginning. Excessive? Perhaps. But I believe the long journey from there to here has resulted in a character that is ready and able to carry on the task that lay ahead for him.
Besides, as in life, it’s often not the goal that matters but rather the journey.
Nancy Cole
11 June 2009