Faye McCray

“Michael Beach” will forever solicit my innate black woman “run, girl, run” reflex.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am sure the man is a decent human being in real life.  However, the minute he steps onto my television or movie screen, I know no good will come of it. 

But what if the Michael Beach character had a story? 

I recently asked my Facebook friends whether they would read a novel about a character they didn’t like.  I asked the question after thinking about my own journey as an author.  I find a great deal of joy in writing from the perspective of protagonists I don’t initially understand: The liar.  The cheater.  The abuser.  The killer. 

As a writer, I find the challenge both complex and rewarding.  As a person, the experience is empathy building and cathartic.  Finding freckles of humanity in a villain is no easy task.  Although it doesn’t always translate to likability, if I can understand my protagonist and make them deserving of love… or at least want for them a happy ending, it’s deeply satisfying. 

So I pose the question to you, would you care about the story of a Michael Beach character?  Would you read a novel about a character you don’t like?  A character you may even despise?

And special shout out to Michael Beach who is a wonderfully talented ACTOR.  But for his talent, we probably wouldn’t have any reaction to seeing him at all :-).

Love and Light,

Faye