BON TEMPS aka LUTHER F. HUDSON by David Cranmer (Little d and I came up with this idea on November 24, 2010 as we drove between Maine and Westfield Mass. The inspiration is Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley (and a little of Max Allan Collins’s Quarry) but I wanted to present an absolute amoral killer with lower aspirations. I began writing it over the Thanksgiving holiday in New York. I finished the rough draft on December 2, 2010 in Maine at 4:30 ish in the morning. Working title was Lucky Hudson or Albany Hudson) 2,243 words.What is the most vile, bankrupt character you have created and take pride in. And why?
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Luther
I finished the rough draft on a little fart named Luther. This guy cracks me up because he is the most worthless piece of mierda I've ever had the joy of writing. This is what happens when you read back to back books about serial killers and assassins. From my Word document:
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10 comments:
Sounds a great story, David. Would love to read the finished product.
I started writing a long story (novel??) years ago about a copycat serial killer who was following an actual book written about serial killers. Then the film "Copycat" with Sigourny Weaver and Harry Connick Jnr came out. B******S!! That guy is still in my head and when I read back over a couple of the killings he committed and the graphic way I wrote it.....I've just got to love him!! Is that bad?? LOL!
Not bad at all. After spending so much time in the 19th century with good guy Cash Laramie, it has been fun to cut loose and hang with Luther.
Maybe you can save some of those passages and use elsewhere?
Vohanna from the Taleran novels is probably my favorite among my own villains. That's partly because she's all black, no shades of gray to taint the enjoyment of her villainy. Plus, beautifual evil women fascinate me. But only in theory.
".. no shades of gray to taint the enjoyment of her villainy." I like that, Charles. Same here with Luther. He is a complete waste with no redeeming qualities.
This sounds great, David. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Some of the most bankrupt characters I've ever written about appear in my story, "Get Teague!" in the new issue of Needle. Judd and Kurl are drug-addled messes, but I kinda like 'em....
I love writing just awful characters. And reading them. Like that Garnett Elliott story over at All Due Respect--all those evil, and mostly dumb people made that story great.
Matt, Judd and Kurl are some good names. I order my issue of NEEDLE first day and looking forward to the read.
Chris, All Due Respect certainly is delivering the goods with bankrupt characters.
Early on for Murderland 1 I did a character who kidnapped and imprisoned small girls. I will never write another story like that one. He got his just rewards but still....I feel guilty about it.
There's the fun evil like Luther, then there's the evil evil that is annoying as hell and you wish would leave you alone.
In Devil's Eye there is a juggling elf/clown with a seductive voice name Voval. He makes "deals" with both the protag and antg, only to short change them both. Sly devil. I absolutely can't stand him. AT ALL. Every time I would write on him and hear the bells on his hat jingle, I had this intense feeling of ... hate. Yes. Definitely hate.
Patti, I feel like you have to follow these characters where they go and jot their story down regardless. I wouldn't feel guilty about it.
Jodi, Voval sounds intense. Will he retun or was he a one story character?
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