Said This Before

Over the course of this blog, I've spoken of my writing and of some of the techniques I use to really dig into my characters. I've even talked about my reason for starting the Stone Vengeance series based on the character Jeremiah Stone and the demon Hades. Once, I even touched on the real reason why I started writing in the first place. Though I've stated that its because I have an active imagination and this was a way for me to convey some of my thoughts, it's not the entire reason why I began down this path. The real reason is I don't believe characters, as they are portrayed in books, are strictly black or white. Their personalities should color the spectrum. They should be indicative of real life. Yet the sci-fi/fantasy trilogies I read as a youth followed the belief of good people were beyond fault and bad people were always ruthless and uncaring. For me, this created a false image of the world I was being thrust into as an adult. It's also why I believe that people are inherently good and why I always give them the benefit of the doubt. I have since learned not to be so naive.

I bring this up because of where I am within the editing of book three, Warrior of Chaos. It's a section where the ruthless Lord Storem and the honorable warrior Trais Greywind meet for the first time. Needless to say, it's an encounter neither character forgets, but I see it as more than that. In that brief scene, Trais realizes that Lord Storem is an honorable man despite his otherwise despicable behavior. In turn, Lord Storem sees that Trais is a warrior who is much like himself in the fact that he'll do anything to win. What this seems, to these characters and to me in real life, is that we are not perceived as we truly are, but as society deems us. That's until we are willing to step out of our comfort zones and meet the other half (as they say). For all of us, passing judgement is an easy thing to do, but its also the wrong thing to do. We don't really and truly understand a person's past or how the most minor of things could affect their life. We didn't walk in their shoes and they have not walked in ours. So until you really meet someone, sit down and talk to them for a length of time, you should never say you understand them, nor should you judge them. And you should never speak poorly of them because that says more about you than it does about them.