The next several months will bring author commentaries on all six stories contained within the Tales from Portents collection. My hope is to offer insight into the decisions made in putting the project together and the challenges therein. It’s also fun to point out the little Easter eggs throughout. (I love that crap.) So, SPOILER WARNING is in effect for the duration.
Mentor’s Role
The initial thought when constructing The Great Divide was a buddy cop story between Ruiz and Mentor. Ruiz’s introduction to the world of Portents came during his first encounter with the enigmatic Mentor. The two would then, reluctantly, join forces to battle the big bad of the tale with resounding success.
Why did it fail to take off from the initial notes phase? Simple. Loren and Soriya already have that relationship. The similarities between the two dynamics cropped up early and often, which immediately turned me away from the concept. If I can’t show something new, some new wrinkle in the way Portents works, or how characters interact then there is no point in moving forward.
I did like the animosity between the two players. Think Lethal Weapon to the extreme. I didn’t want to lose that concept so I tucked it away for a rainy day, one that came sooner than I thought in the form of Gremlins. Using the angry buddy cop motif there fit much better with the story I wanted to tell and left The Great Divide open for something new.
How Mentor’s presence evolved
Once I knew I didn’t want Mentor to be the driving force of the narrative things progressed rapidly. Ruiz became the central figure of the story so it became about finding a way to add Mentor into the mix more than anything else.
That was the basis for how the story fleshed out. Mentor was the ghost in the machine, acting from the shadows.
Why it worked?
It ratcheted up the tension. Instead of getting bogged in exposition with Mentor explaining everything to Ruiz with each step, Ruiz is thrown in the deep end without help. His life is in jeopardy. There is a chance he won’t make it out, until Mentor steps in from the shadows.
There is also their actual meeting at the end. I wanted Ruiz scared, on edge, and unsure which way to turn. Putting the two at odds was always the goal but this added to the tension that would serve as the basis of not only their relationship but Ruiz’s time with Soriya as well.
Having the truth of the city thrust upon him in a dramatic display instead of calmly explained at the beginning added more to Ruiz’s anger at the truth than anything else. His decision to not only hate the truth but refuse to accept it or publicly acknowledge it lined up more smoothly with what we knew about the character.
The final reason, and I am so happy it came together this way, was that by not having Mentor as a central player in the story it opened the door for someone new to enter the stage. Julian Harvey filled that role, a default mentor to Ruiz. Harvey’s role allowed for a new dynamic to be introduced and showcased Ruiz’s immaturity with the city.
Harvey’s role has become critical to the overall story being told in Greystone and it almost never came about. That little shift with Mentor, turning him to almost a wraith in the background, ended up being one of the most important in the series.
Very glad it happened that way.
Next time
Introducing minor characters to the world of Portents and their importance to the series. Why Edgar Rusch, Julian Harvey, Michelle Ruiz and Hady Ronne are crucial to the success of Greystone.
Thanks for reading.
