Colm Holland-Blog
In my new novel I let the characters drive the plot
The writing journey for ‘By Accident Most Strange’.
Choosing the characters to drive the plot.
I had a basic plot brewing in my mind: a handsome, Irish-born Brit and a younger woman from the USA defraud an old-money American millionairess out of her fortune using subtle psychological manipulation. What makes the story intriguing is the way they did it — not only with a good measure of deceit but also by stealth and the gentle force of personality. (Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey!)
One of my challenges was to determine the dominant traits of the main characters, and once they were formed, let them drive the pace and direction of the plot. I started with Carmen. The picture I had in my mind was of a young Elizabeth Taylor.
It was her looks and voice that made her a fit in my imagination and her Anglo/American accent — not to mention that fiery personality that could stand up to anyone. My Carmen was in her mid-twenties in 1949, so she’s a post-war woman looking for an identity.
Her driving need is to be wealthy without having to work too hard or having to wait until she’s middle aged to enjoy it. She’s fiercely independent, so marrying a sugar daddy is out of the question. Wealth is a substitute for not having known love from her parents, both of whom let her down badly and who are the repressed ghosts in her unconscious. Elizabeth Taylor also carried in her eyes that sense of insecurity that comes from a troubled childhood.
Carmen is also highly intelligent (she may have started a law degree at some point in her teens) and an opportunist. Her weakness is handsome charming men and her passion for wealth is like a radar scanning the world around her — this is what JP (Jean-Patrique) can sense from a distance and the two become the perfect couple to carry out a major financial fraud.
JP is ten years older than Carmen and despite his debonair appearance, he is a dirt-poor Irish boy in an adult’s body. He is also mentally disturbed. He hears an inner voice that gives him instructions when an impediment to getting his own way appears. In my mind there could only be one actor from that era to portray JP — yes, you guessed it, a young Richard Burton — (I know he’s Welsh not Irish, but it was that smile that could turn in a millisecond to a scary scowl that brought him to mind and his marriage and on-screen relationship with Taylor.)
He’s troubled by a demon and finds he has two unusual abilities: he’s a reluctant clairvoyant and he can will the death of an opponent without actually committing murder. At heart, he’s a coward and simply wants an easy life where he can either sponge off a rich widow or be the figurehead of a fake charitable organisation. He has two passions — fine art and attractive young men. He has no idea what love looks like and in the spirit of a true sociopath feels nothing when he cheats on his so-called friends and sees the bloody demise of his enemies.
Next week I’ll explain how these two central characters shaped the plot.