Who is on my A Team? Nowadays, this is the metaphor that bounces through my head as I write my detective novel. This is a good question; it means I’m at the critical point where characters will have specific roles in the narrative, befitting their expertise. The characters, whether they know it or not, will have to work together as a team.
The A Team was a hit television show of my youth, featuring John “Hannibal” Smith (George Peppard), Templeton “The Faceman” Peck (Dirk Benedict), B.A. Baracus (Mr. T), H.M. “Howling Mad Murdock” (Dwight Schultz). They were a special ops team, now on the run from the army for a “crime they didn’t commit.” And every episode, they solved problems and got themselves out of a jam. “I love it when a plan comes together” is George Peppard’s stock line. And he says it with a big, fat cigar clenched between his glistening teeth, so white that his dentifrice is silver, like his hair. This is the phrase, nowadays, that visits my cranium. It’s a self-reflexive phrase: Peppard is both a character, instigating a plan but he is also the stand-in for the invisible author who is truly pulling the strings.
The A Team was originally conceived as a vehicle for Mr.T but I didn’t know this growing up. I was mesmerized by the boob tube. My parents were strict, so I had an allowance of 3 hours a week to spend on television time and I gladly spent it on the A Team. And this was not because Mr. T was the only draw. I loved him, too. But I also loved Howling Mad Murdock and Templeton Peck and Hannibal Smith. Just as the plans come together in each episode, the characters did too. And they make each other bigger, more memorable. This is the gift I want to give my readers and my characters—the gift, coincidentally, I want to give myself.
Khanh – A strong group of characters really does enhance each individual character. None of the members of the A-Team would have been nearly as effective as the lone main character. They were best as part of a whole and I think that’s true of most fictional characters. They are best understood in the context of, say, the people they work with, their families and so on. That’s an important lesson to remember.
Too true. Every character would have been un-interesting alone. It’s all in the synergy. I guess that’s why I have my own pantheon of friends–those people who compensate for my weaknesses, who tell me what’s up, who lend their skills and passions and insights…
OK, now I’m *really* excited about your book.
Thanks, Isamu. I’m excited about it, too. Writing is the first thing I do in the morning and, often I don’t even eat breakfast: I just get down to it…with a French Press and a very warm computer on my lap. I’m glad that the stuff I’m putting out there is interesting enough to get you curious!