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To write a character well, I believe
the writer must be empathetic to him or her. That applies to the
unsympathetic characters as well. I never think of any character as
evil. They each have reasons that are internally valid for their
actions. It's just that their goals are diametrically opposed to the
protagonists. That said, in my writing, protagonists are good guys
and the antagonists are bad guys and never the twains shall meet. I
have never had an occasion to turn a protagonist into an antagonist
until now.
In
A Soldiers Destiny, my enigmatic
vampire, Simon Molinar from
Demon Under Glass, is a less than sympathetic character. He is
not quite an antagonist, but he is highly problematic for Rik and
Vincent. Simon remains one of the most complicated characters I have
ever written. I never write him from his point of view, so those who
interact with him – mostly Joe McKay – have to sift through the
words and motives and hope they can figure out the truth. Simon has
centuries of experience in manipulating humans. Thus, aside from
being innately funny and charming, He knows how to read people
quickly and completely from his experience. He can be all things to
all people. This works in the
Demon Under Glass books, because
Simon's goals are the same as Joe's for the most part. And those
goals keep Joe by his side without any manipulating. Their pursuers'
motivations and goals are horrific, thus it is easy to portray Simon
as a protagonist.
The Foundation for Alterds is not like
the Delphi Project. They have no sinister ulterior motives. The
organization exists to better the lives of those with the genetic
mutation whether they become soldiers or not. There are gaps in their
knowledge about Delphi that Simon can fill. Also, he knows a great
deal about where Delphi technology traveled beyond US borders and
what has been and is being done with it. For that more than anything
else, the Foundation is willing to extend him their considerable
resources and protect him in great comfort indefinitely. Simon's
situation is dire because the word has become much smaller than it is
now. It is virtually impossible for anyone to exist without detection
of a government. And there are organizations as powerful as some
governments who know what Simon is.
The match appears to be perfect. But it
is very difficult for a being as ancient as Simon to turn off his
instincts
or curb his desires. They have ruled his life for longer
than anyone can imagine. Times have changed for Simon in many ways.
He does not understand how the political climate affects his
position. He believes that what he has is valuable enough to give him
leeway in his life at the Foundation. Simon cannot help manipulating
his surroundings to his advantage in order to feel as safe as
possible. Rik and the rest of the staff expect that and are prepared
to counter that tendency and make him feel safe. The bigger issue for
Rik and Vincent is Simon's tendency to misbehave and believe that
there will be little in the way of consequences because of the vital
nature of the information he holds. There Simon is potentially
gravely mistaken. The military brass is not happy that Simon actually
exists and they are very afraid that the real origins of the Altered
program will become public. Their stance is to destroy him
immediately – no matter what he may know. Most of the Foundation's
Benefactors are uneasy about his presence in the facility. Vincent
gleefully informs Simon that an Altered soldier can be destroyed on
the whim of the military despite the millions spent in creating them,
so what chance does he think he has if he crosses the line? Simon is
in an unprecedented situation. Though mortal, Rik and Vincent are
stronger and faster than he his. They can also be as remorseless
killers as he is despite their warm and fuzzy reputation in the
media.
Rik and Vincent's motivation is simple.
They want to find ways to protect mutants like them from exploitation
and death. They also are very protective of the family they have
cobbled together at the Foundation. They have found a happiness and
contentment with this odd collection of people that neither had known
since entering the Altered Program. For Rik, it's the only family he
has ever known. They view anything that might threaten their goals or
their family with great suspicion and, in Vincent's case, hostility.
Readers who have taken the journey with them through the previous
books understand how hard they fought for the lives they lead. They
understand the kind of friendship and support Simon could have if he
can resist his impulses. So, I suggest to the
Demon Under Glass fans
who have not read the Soldier's books to go through and read the
excerpts from both books at
http://soldierschoice.com
or by the books at
Smashwords (scroll down to the middle of the page). The ebooks are really cheap and you
can read 20 percent of the book free on that site.
Simon is in a position with these men
that he has never known. Charm will not work on them. They are
soldiers. Actions are what impresses them. Simon is thus faced with
the notion of going through both basic and advanced military training
with these men before he can hope to cut any ice with them. That
gives me an opportunity for a lot of humor. Which is a relief,
because I find writing these scenes very awkward. It's like having an
intimate dinner party with groups of friends who don't like each
other and who each wonders why I bother with the other. Since I enjoy
writing all of them – or I wouldn't write them – it's been a
conundrum. Still, I think the story is coming together well and will
be something both factions of my readers will enjoy.
