One of the joys of writing is when your characters begin to argue with you. I thought I had the image to use in my head for Adam -- a Balkan model named Teofil Brank. He's got the right look and mix of beauty and wariness...but he's currently serving time at Vacaville for extortion. The whole thing sounded weird...more like a poor understanding of English and how people in foreign countries act...but he's had his appeals turned down so I decided I needed to back away from him.
Then I thought of a French model named Arnaud Dehaynin, who's older than Adam would have been but is off-beat enough to be right. He's more vulnerable and already has the proper lineage...and I knew I could make him look younger with a bit of touching up in Photoshop.
Well...Adam didn't like that. He didn't flat out say no, but I couldn't get Arnaud to look right when I put him through CS's rather limited stained glass filter. Then when I had it close enough to work, he came snarking in to say he's better-looking than that and doesn't care about Teofil's history. He also reminded me that Dair catches him sneaking money out of his wallet and misusing a store charge...so a hint of criminality works for his character.
We had a nice little back and forth before I finally gave in and will use this photo as him...and that is something I need in order for my characters to function in my head -- an image. I have the music -- Enigma -- and I know what Dair, Jacob, Setsuko and Wallace look like; but Adam is the most important one to get right. I think my first instinct should have been my final one.
I also wasn't crazy about his last name so went seeking another...and it took a bit but we settled on LÉCUYER, which means a shield-bearer...which is what Adam becomes. Ferrier is too bland a name and doesn't really mean anything. He let me have that...but only because he liked it, too.
Sometimes the characters I meet in my head can be little shits.
Well...Adam didn't like that. He didn't flat out say no, but I couldn't get Arnaud to look right when I put him through CS's rather limited stained glass filter. Then when I had it close enough to work, he came snarking in to say he's better-looking than that and doesn't care about Teofil's history. He also reminded me that Dair catches him sneaking money out of his wallet and misusing a store charge...so a hint of criminality works for his character.
I also wasn't crazy about his last name so went seeking another...and it took a bit but we settled on LÉCUYER, which means a shield-bearer...which is what Adam becomes. Ferrier is too bland a name and doesn't really mean anything. He let me have that...but only because he liked it, too.
Sometimes the characters I meet in my head can be little shits.
No comments:
Post a Comment