When the World (R)evolves Around a Character

In the fall semester of 2006, I drafted the first 200 pages of the first book of XIII. While I've worked steadily on this series for most of my adult life, this book always made me skittish. The middle and the end of the series were not difficult to write, but the beginning was always the bane of my existence. The reason?

My protagonist was like a rock star. A celebrity. Unlike celebrities in the real world, the entirety of the fictional world I created revolved around this guy and his choices. I had to write him exactly as I imagined him, because he was so utterly important to the plot and development of the other characters. He. had. to. be. awesome. All the time. But writing like that was exhausting and intimidating.

So, I solved his ego problem today: the revisions have gone smoothly since. I just had to force myself to realize my hero didn't - couldn't - know his own destiny. As such, I shouldn't write him as though he already carried that weight. He can be reckless. He can be young. He has no idea that at some point, everything will depend on him. So that's that.

Keep your ears open: there's something secret a few of us are creating in the blog-iverse. It has a little something to do with revolutions and evolution...and maybe a little writing. I'll be sure to keep you posted, because I'm sure you'll enjoy.

So say we all.
Bri