How far would you go...

One of the trickiest aspects of writing a good story is finding ways for it to be relate-able to the people reading it. This is especially true when writing about things that don't exist in the real world, as is the case in most aspects of fantasy and science fiction. Obviously, in my case, it's not realistic for me to expect readers to be able to relate with a genetically-evolved superhuman (unless, of course, they're one of them....out there...watching us... O.O), so the onus falls on the more human, real world elements of the story to provide depth and provoke empathy. This means conveying real pain, real conflict, real emotion. This means getting into the minds of the characters and learning what makes them the way they are. In the case of this particular story, that meant trying to imagine what would drive a man with limitless power to his breaking point. What better catalyst than love?

How far would you go for someone you loved? Ask yourself that honestly. Now imagine if you had the power to keep them forever, to protect them, to heal their every wound. Wouldn't that change things a little bit? We as humans are infinitely in tune with our limitations. When we lose people we love, we find comfort in knowing there was nothing we could do. Even in cases where we are partially responsible, we eventually come to grips with the fact that we can't take it back, no matter how much we wish we could. Now imagine if there was something you could do. Imagine you could take it back. And imagine you still lost them. I'd think that'd be enough to break any man.

Trying to convey what this would be like wasn't easy, and I hope I was able to get it across in some form or another. Growing up the way I did didn't exactly lend itself to a whole lot of real loss. I mean, I had a guinea pig that died, and my dog killed a couple turtles I had brought home from a lake once (accidentally though, she was just trying to play with them!), but nothing that would ever make me understand what it was like to lose someone I loved more than life itself. I had to find my inspiration elsewhere, to really try and put myself in the mindset of someone who'd lost it all. Music helped in a lot of cases (more on that later), and reading was useful as well. But I think more than anything it was using my imagination to conjure up the worst possible thing that could ever happen to me: losing my friends and family. A blow to my psyche, I'm sure, and not the most healthy practice, but necessary to try and make this story as human and empathetic as possible. I honestly hope you're all able to enjoy it.