Characters in Remember When, 3. It's what he does.

I've already mentioned that characters in RW have increasing detail of description based on need and proximity of their role to the main story. Did you notice there is one character who is very close to the MC and a key to all the action, who has -no- physical description at all? And yet he was the character most cited in the feedback from Critical Reads as memorable, and almost always in a way good for the story. (Caution: The good way matters. If your readers ask "why was So-and-so even in this scene?", they are remembering your characters for the wrong reason.)

Why would you want a character who conveys his entire personality in his lines of dialogue and his mannerisms? Well, think about who we are talking about: the Operational Controller on this job, "Barry". The role furthest concealed behind the curtains on any mission that is still part of the deployment itself. He's out there with the assets doing the job, but not out where he can be seen. At least not if everything goes right.

Readers also really seemed to connect easily with Barry. I guess sleazy, self-interested. mid-career. devious bastards have a certain charm. If I did my job as a writer correctly, you got all four of those defining traits he has just from how he went about his business. The bastard part is a value judgment.

He was very high on the "Have a drink with" choice list by readers during the Critical Read interview, too. Folks just seemed to want to sit down and hear him growl out one of the stories he seemed prone to tell while relaxing. The people composited into that character were capable of doing that, and one in particular real-life contribution to the composite was downright foolish about what he'd say when slacking in a bar sometimes, but only with people on the inside. But yeah, he'd certainly be the life of the storytelling party when in appropriate company.

There were some questions asked about him, and about his relationship with The Roomie / David. Those varied from "did he smoke cigarettes?" (easy answer: Yeah, a few. Such was still common then.) to "His past encounters with David have left some bad blood there, yeah?" (harder answer, but one addressed in the story; the two of them mutually dislike having to work together, and yes they feel that way for a reason.)

He's generally competent at his job, excellent at the logistics side of an operation, and a moderately good operational planner when pressed to make up something on the fly. He does suffer from having lost respect for any but the most competent of opponents, and isn't anywhere near as careful protecting his team mates as he should be, at least not any more. That, and a wide streak of amorality, can come back and bite him some times.

But any image you have of what he looks like? That was all your doing, my friends and readers.

How did he work for you as a character? I'd be curious to hear your comments, and will reply to questions about him as I can.