I have found a nice place in my garden where I can sit and read – after, I come back in and write what I can recall. I plan to turn this spot into a ‘memorial’. But none of this has anything to do with the chapter – here is what I remembered.
The moment I began reading this chapter, I remembered the fun I’d had writing about Evylin’s newly discovered ‘war game’ pleasure. By this point, I had accepted the fact that the story had chosen the city of Philadelphia. So I began to Google it and learn as much about it as I could, from its landmarks to its history. At the time, I didn’t think much about it, allowing the story to lead the way, so to say; but today, looking back, it is kind of weird finding out how well the city fits, historically as well as geographically. If I were an American, I could argue that it was my subconscious, and somewhere in my past I had learnt all these things, but being born into an Irish immigrant family in the Midlands (England)… totally impossible. Fortunately, at the time of writing, I didn’t question this odd fact and simply let the story tell itself.
As for character development – I must admit, I think I might have deliberately developed George’s character into being more of the Judas Iscariot type rather than a comfortable hero, because of his avatar name GoD. The story would be so clichéd if GoD were such a nice guy. His mannerisms needed to contradict his name. Part of the whole idea about writing this book is embedded contradiction, revealing things that the reader might feel uncomfortable with. Hating a character means the character is well-presented, and with George, I wanted to create the kind of protagonist that was far from the normal ‘kitschy’ superhero. I also think this works because maybe, in a way, he reflects me at times. Naturally, I hope I am not so cowardly or ‘price-tagged,’ but the feeling that he wants to be nice – but hey! It’s a game, right? – fits somehow.
As for Evylin – well, her pleasure at shooting all the police officers (with George present) comes from my childhood memories of Bonnie and Clyde, a couple of gangsters who had somehow become legends rather than the criminals they were. I remember wanting to show this vibe through Evylin’s fun and enthusiasm. It was definitely fun to write. I also don’t think I broke her character but actually deepened it through this action. Just because she is the daughter of Professor Lee, it doesn’t mean she can’t behave like a normal kid who has just discovered the fun of combat games.
Towards the end of the chapter, I felt sorry for her because, although she had been behaving childishly and enjoying the moment, her partner, George, was about to turn Judas on her. In a way, I think I tried to capture a little bit of the real Judas and Jesus betrayal moment, not only because of George’s avatar name but because of the idea of loyalty, blind trust, and friendship. The book is called Ei8ht (representing the seven deadly sins plus an eighth: racism), and I used Greed to reveal the driving force behind George’s plan to eliminate Evylin—all for his own success.
I think, at the time, I realized that I had made my protagonist the least likeable character in the book (Jessie is probably my favourite), but I had to. This is his character. He is young, and he should grow throughout the book. There is the saying, “Cause and effect,” and this is how his character should grow.
A few other things that I remember about writing this chapter are the visual side of things. I enjoyed the research. Philadelphia is a culturally rich city, and I was happy to discover and be able to integrate so many of the city’s landmarks, known and not so well known, into the chapter. But what I think I enjoyed most of all, re-reading it just now, was the image of Evylin: all messed up and looking like a hippy-bum, unaware of this, and so surprised when no one asks her for her ticket as she gets on the streetcar.
