Pinky and the Brain and Blue Skies

I'll admit it. I'm a "blue skies" person. I don't like to look at the seamier side of life. It's depressing. Horrifying. Frightening. I grew up watching monster movies, but back then I didn't know about the real evils of the world. Sheltered and blind to the bad things around me, I lived oblivious to the true vampires and monsters and demons around me.

At some point in time, we grow up. We are exposed to real horror and loss and dangers. No, I don't stick my head in the ground and ignore it, but when given a choice, I choose to observe the good around me.

And that makes it hard to write villains. As an author, you get to kill people off. Explore the "dark side." I'll admit, I had someone in mind when I wrote the bad guy in Intimate Distance. Each and every story I've written, I struggle with the antagonist. I don't want to look him (or her) in the face.

I'm in the middle of Kundigerin 3 now, and it's time to face my demons. I've presented them, exposed them, and now I need to give them their raison d'etre. It's time for the characters I have so lovingly presented to face their demons - literally. I want to close my eyes. Tell me when it's over. Except I can't.

I sit here plotting, trying to figure out what the demons truly want. I get it at an superficial level, but deeper? Once they move the obstacles out of their way (which is the first motivation, but not the end game), what do they do then? What are they hoping to achieve? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is Pinky and the Brain. "What are we going to do today, Brain." "Same thing we do every day, Pinky. Try and take over the world."

Is it enough for my demons to want to remove their obstacles to world domination, figuring once they've done that, "the world's their oyster?" Or do they have an end game? One where removing the obstacles is step one in a grander plan?

I've set the framework to revisit (which seems to be the M.O. for this novel), and I'm moving past in an effort to finish. I have other scenes that want to be written, a romance to unravel (that part is coming along beautifully, by the way - at least I think so).

And so I must bravely look into the face of gloom and doom and evil and demons. Anyone want to paint a picture for me? Give my demons an end goal? If you can give me a reason for them to want the "demon police" out of the way, I'll commemorate you in the author notes and send you a complimentary paperback version of the finished product. (Does anyone else think of that silly "nuts on the bar" joke whenever you hear the word complimentary?)

Back to work!