Sunday 1 May 2011

The subtle art of ‘Facing’


 I haven’t been especially diligent in updating here, but I promise that I have actually been writing. Or, well, thinking about writing. It turns out that it is exceptionally hard to avoid cliché starts to your novel when the first scene takes place on a stormy night. Still, I’ve managed to nail down a few more things; background and names for the benevolent couple, a bit of lore for the world and I’ve given the protagonist a dog.

I know what you’re thinking; reaction from too much Game of Thrones? Probably, subconsciously at least. That said, it’s really helped me solidify him in my mind. There are some great scenes to be had with a dog; naming him, being guarded by him, using him to woo the love interest, stuff like that. Plus, a lone kid in the big city is a lot safer with a massive hound protecting him. Most importantly it’s given me an alias for the character; Wolf. Simple, memorable and has that punchy feel to it like the dossiers in Mass Effect 2, ideal for a notorious kind of character.

As I mentioned before, foreigners are viewed with extreme distrust in the city (it’s not so bad in the countryside, which is ultimately why the couple set up shop there). Often to get things done they need to act through an intermediary, but the legitimate types charge exorbitant fees that most can’t afford so instead they turn to the underworld, looking for a ‘Face’. These characters tend to be people of mixed blood, like-skinned foreigners or even genuine locals fallen on hard times.

That’s just one aspect of a Face, of course. Just like a person can have different expressions, Faces can fulfil different roles. Obtaining loans, leasing property, delivering messages, infiltrating rival companies... there’s a lot of room for specification there. Wolf tends towards more altruistic ventures like helping people open accounts and obtain loans, but only after initially falling in with a bad crowd who exploit him. I’ll be fleshing out an experienced Face who, while not quite taking him under his wing, is impressed by his intelligence and shows him the possibilities of his position. One thing I like about this is that while Wolf’s a talented Face, a great part of it is just due to his circumstances; being a nameless local is absolutely ideal for this line of work.

Part of the trick to being a great Face is balancing notoriety with secrecy. The more well known you are, the more willing people are to go out of their way for you; after all, when you’ve got an account open in someone’s name it’s in your best interests to keep them safe. At the same time, infamy draws attention; from the legitimate intermediaries who don’t like you undercutting their business, and from the Archive Enforcers. There’s also the chance you’ll be found out, upsetting your clients and getting both them and the authorities after you. Walking that tightrope is a tough act to pull off, and I expect it’ll be a fun challenge to write.

Again, ‘Face’ is really simple (I actually used it the first time I thought of the idea) but punchy; credit to the book ‘Among Thieves’ for cementing the idea in my mind. (I’ll post up a review once I finish it if it’s sufficiently entertaining.)

Bit of brainstorming here, excuse the incoherency. Ideas for contacts; a shady banker where Wolf keeps some of his money, fully aware that his high interest paying account in the city could be shut down at any time, a long time customer who provides him with rooms when he needs residence in better areas town.

His first interaction with the more experienced Face is him feeling as if he’s been a little short-changed relative to the effort he’s put in after some heist. Archive clerics need to be present at birth to record the baby’s name, so perhaps they’re trained in midwifery? Not too sure about this, seems a bit trite and sexist considering that’s the role I’m ascribing to the love interest. It lends more mystery to Wolf’s origins though.

Wolf’s dog is part of a breed that ages slowly - more in line with humans – but continues growing and lives for longer as well. Half-grown at five years, so big enough to protect by the time he hits the city.

Think that about wraps this up, save for the fact that I’ve set myself a target of 10,000 words by the start of November. I want to get this well underway so that I can really buckle down and kick ass when NaNoWriMo starts (I think continuing something you’ve already started is against their rules? Whatever). Pretty generous I hope; this entry is over 800 words long after all. I probably won’t be posting any actual chapters as my friends have got me all paranoid, but I’ll keep you posted.

(Alternative title to this entry: Semi-colons everywhere)