Hello, Readers! Clevenger here.

We got some work to do now. How to write archetypes that are challenging? And what are they? Why are the challenging? Well, let’s dig in.

I’ll begin by re-iterating what Graham said. These are not because they are bad characters, just that it’s harder for me to dig into them. And I’ll start right where Graham left off. The Abuser.

Abusers are VERY difficult for me to write because I struggle to turn off my empathy. As much as I sometimes joke about being an “A-Hole,” empathy is one of my greater weaknesses. It’s hard for me to not put myself in someone’s shoes and try to feel what they feel, or understand how that feeling would affect them. So for me to dig into a dark place where someone doesn’t have that empathetic ability, someone who just fundamentally doesn’t care about someone else… it’s quite challenging.

I do have no issue with writing the spoiled brat, selfish, bully. Like Olivar. But even he has a modicum of understanding of empathy and knows what his actions are doing. Sometimes he doesn’t care, but most of the time, if there is a way to do it without harm, he will choose it. Just not if it’s harder.

On the other side of that coin, it’s hard for me to write the victims in that scenario. When I was younger, I watched my mother suffer a lot of mental abuse and anguish at the hands of a company. While there was no single person who was responsible for it, the harm was very real. The constant stress, the anxiety, and depression had long term affects on my mother’s health. When it finally got to a tipping point, I remember her telling me and my sister that she was going to have to quit her job, and that we may have to cut back on our already moderate budget.

Her tearful speech made me realize, right then and there, that I would NEVER allow that to happen to me. It gave me a bolstered self-worth that meant that no one else could tell me if I was “worthy.” Now, I have my own internal demons that make me feel like I’m not, but those guys have been in the fight for a long time. Trust me, they’re enough. But be damned, no one outside of me makes me feel that way.

Because of this, it is a challenge for me to get into the mind of someone who has relinquished that control. While I empathize with them, and I understand that feeling of dread, hopelessness, and despair, I cannot help but see how they could get out of it. I want them to. But it’s obviously not that easy. Abusers count on that, that’s why it still happens today.

My final archetype that I struggle with is actually one of Graham’s strengths. The devious brainiac. The mastermind. It’s an imposter syndrome thing as well. (I give Graham a lot of hell for getting into his head, but I have my moments as well). With devious brainiacs, the chess match against the world is the thing. I play this game at real life far too often. I’ve built my career off of carefully planned moves, calculated risks, and constant preparation to take opportunities. I know that I have this trait. But when it comes to writing, the only opponent is me.

How do I outsmart me? If I can see the flaw in my plan, then surely EVERYONE else can! Right?!

And this is amplified by the fact that I will lay my plans out for Graham and he’ll definitely see the same flaw. You see, this has been a struggle with Graham and I for nearly two and a half decades. Strategy. We will play war based games such as Warhammer, or Risk, or Axis and Allies, etc. I’ll make a move, he has the perfect counter to it. I counter his move; he reveals it to be a feint and strikes in a surprise fashion. No matter what I do, I cannot beat him. So I get into my head that I SUCK at strategy.

I remember it got so bad that I vowed to NEVER play Warhammer again. Graham took me to the local game store, and we did some pickup games with the other players there. I played two games with random opponents and systematically dismantled them. I realized that I didn’t suck at strategy. I was just a chess master who was always playing against grand masters. But this struggle does continue to affect me, and it makes writing this archetype hard. (Which sucks because they are often SO necessary as my bad guy!).

Well, that should do for this week…

See you next time, and until then…

Be Kind.

-Clevenger