The Reader.

The reader is the client. This may seem like a no-brainer for a writer, but sometimes I get the feeling that writers in general have ulterior motives. We all want to be successful, sure. I think it's common for the author world to fantasize about book signings with lines of people out the door, standing behind a podium at a writing conference with dozens of eyes fixed unblinkingly, and the sweet weight of a real book with our name inscribed in our hands.

It's a good thing to envision success.

However, with any successful job, the consumer should be at the forefront of the mind. It isn't necessarily about the ego of the deliverer as much as it is about the appetite of the recipient. In writing YA Steampunk, I try to keep my audience in mind. Who are they, these people? Who goes to Barnes & Noble and peruses the fantasy aisle in search of Steampunk? Or do they seek Steampunk out at all? Is it the cover or the title that entrances the roving eyes of a reader? In the fantasy world, it's important to consider the fan. The trekkie, the Star Wars guru, the comic book store guy, the basement dweller, the Mac enthusiast, the PC devotee, the gamer, the Anime freak, the D&D overlord, etc, etc. The reason people read fantasy is to get away from this world. This is why, when Hollywood makes the ambitious decision to make a movie based on a book, the fans are going to come after them with torches if they don't make it the way people pictured in their minds. It's more than just a "stupid book". It becomes a whole other world that people make their own.

This is why the writer's job can't be taken lightly. This is also why character development is so important. If our desires and motives start to dominate those that are natural to our character, then the fans WILL notice. You'll get that one guy who raises his hand. "Excuse me. Yes. Um, why would Captain Bartholomew Vortex make plans to travel to the Cropton Nebulae when he has a pathological fear of Gortangus Squid, which are common to that particular region of the galaxy?"

If the author stammers out, "Well I uh...needed him to go there to move the plot along..."

Then we clearly have a problem.

This character is so important to the reader. Writers are readers too, so we know this. It's the same with any business trying to reach out to the consumer. The grocery stores have to sell things they want to buy and they're supposed to sell the freshest stuff to make us happy. Restaurants serve with a smile even on their worst days. Custodians clean up after us, keeping our sanitation, health and well being in mind. Chefs cook things that taste good. Politicians rule and delegate with the best interests of the public at heart. (Ha. Ha. Haaaa.)

The writer's task is to create a world into which any person can dive when they need release from this one, ESPECIALLY fantasy and ESPECIALLY YA. Do we all remember how hard it is to be a teenager? Angst, hormones, awkwardness, budding puppy love, enslavement in the establishment and the rents' house, and so full of dreams that they spill out. Of course, one of the most rewarding audiences is YA, who are so hungry for hope, stimulation and intellectual inspiration that it hurts. The reader is also sensitive to patronization, uninterested in inflated moral platforms and eager to read about sexual tension. They want strong characters with clear objectives, and they're crazy about good versus evil and overcoming "the man". A rebellious, rule-breaking hero is right up their alley, I've noticed. And I remember being that age! I think we all could if we thought about it.

Hail to the reader. Without you, the writer would be nothing.

Ode to Severus Snape

Spoiler Alert: If you do live under a rock and are just now re-emerging to experience the fantasy masterpiece that is Harry Potter, then don't read this because it's a hell of a spoiler to one of the deepest parts of the whole series. You know...just covering my bases here.

It had been my theory for a long time that Snape was a good guy. I think it was obvious to a lot of people who counted themselves in with the Harry Potter following. He was too easily disliked to be a bad guy.

He emerged as one of the best righthand men ever. Also one of the most devoted lovers. The root of his love for Lily Potter was deep and impossible to destroy, even when he failed romantically and was forced to surrender her to somebody he despised. One of the most tragic parts of his whole persona was the fact that he led to his own downfall when he elected to join the Death Eaters. And yet, every human being on the planet can be accused of following the wrong crowd at a certain point in his or her life. Snape was only of these, who would end up turning back to Albus Dumbledore and becoming one of the most invaluable allies Harry Potter had.

My biggest fear in watching this final movie was that it would cheapen Severus' death and value. Sometimes when book movies are trying to cover all of their bases, they skip over the parts we personally hold on a pedestal.

I was not disappointed, however, and I am one of the harshest cinematic critics I know, especially when it comes to literary movies. The theater was silent as we were given a touching flashback to Severus' painful history. How much he suffered, how little he was rewarded and the intensity of his loyalty to Dumbledore even after the failure in protecting Lily Potter. Also, how he had to begrudgingly protect Harry, who resembled James even more than Lily. Harry, who represented Severus' painful shortcomings and served as a reminder that Servus A.) Did NOT get the girl B.) Chose the wrong side and C.) Will have to act as a malicious, dark, oily worm when he's really one of the bravest allies Harry has had.

So complete was Severus' painful act of protection and allegiance that he was forced to destroy the very man who was his leader. More so, he had to act as an ally to the villain who murdered his purest love.

J.K. Rowling weaved a beautiful character in Severus Snape. I could only someday hope to mimic that perfection the slightest bit in my own work. He's my favorite character in the Harry Potter series because of his complexity and how fiercely JK herself knew him inside and out. He is more proof that characters make good fiction.

RIP Severus. You did not die in vain, my friend. And kudos to Alan Rickman for doing a brilliant job. I wept more during his movie moments than any of the others.