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Fleshing Out Primary Characters in The Crosses
Writers often refer to their characters as real — because they are, at least in our minds. Characters embody traits of acquaintances, friends, relatives, and even ourselves that make them far more than a collection of words on a page.
An earlier post provided basic information about The Crosses’ main characters, including the deputy sheriff, Orren Stokes, son of a former slave, proficient in several indigenous languages, a former Pinkerton agent. From those background bullet points, a reader can surmise that Orren’s determined and dedicated, a man with the grit and will to accomplish what others would find impossible.
Orren’s a big man, but calm, patient, and occasionally looks at life’s situations with the knowing humor of one who’s lived through much worse. While he’ll make minor compromises to further his goals, he refuses to be abused by those who possess “entitled” power. He examines a situation and the facts thoroughly before taking action. He’s soft-spoken and always has in mind the best interests of all involved. He’s deductive, patient, and, most of all, loyal to those he calls friend. Although his basic persona’s inspired by real-life lawman, Bass Reeves, the qualities that make Orren human, that make him real are based on a dear friend, truly a brother to Bonnie and me, someone we’ve known, trusted, and loved since Bonnie and I met at age 15. But I won’t embarrass him by naming him here.
An important secondary character, Teri Johns, is loosely based on one of Bonnie’s former colleagues. Teri shuns many social norms of the past in favor of progress. She’s emotionally stronger than her brothers, publicly affable, extremely dependable, trustworthy, and determined, but occasionally timid. And like Bonnie’s colleague, Teri’s life proves tragic.
Our Baker Street Irregular (BSI), Ben Irwin, isn’t based on anyone in particular. Instead, he’s a combination of men and women Bon and I have known, with a smidgen of ourselves thrown in. He’s small but indomitable, certainly able to defend himself against physical threats as he readily demonstrates with one of the novel’s bullies. His personality, however — lurking cynicism, an undercurrent of suspicion and judgement, an observational alertness that is both subtle and laser-focused — is a blend of people we’ve known over the years as well as fictional characters we’ve admired, including his mentor Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.
Ben became the youngest BSI member in the 1890s gang, taken in after his abusive, drunken father kicked him out at age five. Developing an uncanny ability to pick locks to survive, he proved an invaluable asset to the BSIs. He ultimately leaves the gang when he loses the closest person he’s ever known due to the BSI leader’s greed and incompetence. Even so, Ben has developed a great capacity for compassion and devotion, increasingly evident as he’s drawn to Bess and Orren as both friend and protector, possessing a compassion that would prove devastating to those with less personal strength developed through a life of adversity.
And then there’s Bessie de la Paz, the story’s heroine. When Ben arrives in Las Cruces, Bess is intrigued by his sense of humor, courtesy, and acceptance of people different from him. They strike an immediate friendship that strengthens quickly, in part due to critical challenges Bess must face, not only in solving the murders, but also in her personal life. Although of mixed race, she’s able to pass as white and has used it to her advantage, attending teacher training in El Paso, but ultimately taking an undercover job with Pinkerton to monitor various El Paso businesses for shoplifters and other criminals. As an only child, she harbors a strong sense of devotion to her parents, reflecting the love and support they’ve given her. When her father dies, she returns to Las Cruces to oversee the family farm until her mother succumbs to cancer a few years later.
Developing a primary character poses certain challenges, but Bess came naturally. She’s a “half-breed” in a white society, a strong woman in a man’s world. She’s deductive, clever, moral, and determined, compassionate and optimistic, yet realistic and pragmatic. She focuses on, and refuses to stray from, her goals, whether the goal is to become a Pinkerton agent or an investigative reporter or be a good daughter. Although Bess is definitely her own person, she reflects the best qualities of her primary model, Bonnie, who addressed life’s challenges with humor and optimistic pragmatism, excelling both personally and professionally with certain grace, strength, and empathy.
Each character embodies qualities of people Bonnie and I have known, but the characters are definitely not those people. The borrowed qualities are only the seeds from which we grew the characters into their own being, developing, changing, evolving into someone real and unique in their own right. They became our friends and enemies, each loved or loathed as any flesh-and-bone person.
Upcoming posts will explore more about the crime that has brought the characters together and the literary easter eggs throughout the novel. Blog entries appear on https://windpoemcreative.blogspot.com, https://csfuqua.com/blog, Goodreads, and Facebook. Thank you much for reading. The Crosses will be available from Amazon, B&N, other booksellers, and directly from the publisher, MX Publishing.
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