Wednesday Writing — the Unlikely Path to a Character: Enoch Metatron

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

CGI by Teagan via Imagine

Welcome, all and happy hump day.  It’s been a while since I did a “writing” post.  I hope you’re in the mood for a ramble. 

Did you ever have to find your way to a rural or remote place?  I mean the kind of destination where you have about 30 turns down backroads, and only a brief moment on a highway?  Also, did you do it without a GPS?  I did that several times, although long ago (before I fully became the housebound way I am now).

The path that took me to finding one of my characters feels a lot like that.  If you’ve been reading my blog serial, you’ve probably guessed that I mean Enoch Metatron.  He was first mentioned in a 2015 short story set in Atonement, TN.  From that moment, I knew his mythology and basic backstory.  However, I didn’t have a reason to delve into his character and who he was.

That was where the path began — in that short story.  Several years later, in 2019, the journey took an unlikely turn.  I started writing a novel that is still unfinished.  (Dan Antion was generous with his time in being my in-progress alpha reader for the story, and I greatly appreciate that he remembers those characters.)  It is a quirky urban fantasy set in the early 1960s. 

1962 Ford Thunderbird, Wikimedia

You might as well get in the car. This ramble goes across the country.

Unfortunately, that story didn’t feel whimsical to me, because from the beginning, wanted it to be a way for me to write a happier ending to my childhood.  I was doing that through giving the young adult heroine some loving, wonderful foster parents she met when she ran away from home.  I say “unfortunately” because that made it so personal that it triggers a lot of pain that has kept me from finishing it — despite the personal aspect being a small part of the story…  The things I get myself into… (shakes head)  That isn’t the point of this post, but I’m explaining its relevance to how Enoch’s character developed.  I warned you it was a ramble.

Anyway, early on, that plot sends the heroine’s foster parents elsewhere.  I needed someone to fill that “parental-type” gap, but it had to be someone who was more than ordinary.  I have absolutely no idea why, but I thought of Enoch from the short story.  His character started to develop.  He could terrify a foe and, in a heartbeat, shift to being loving and gentle to someone in need.  Yet, even then the path had more turns.

My mind suddenly went to a short-lived TV show, that few people knew or remember.  It was called The Finder, and only had one season.  That was because one of the most important actors died, Michael Clarke Duncan.  Most people remember him for his role in The Green Mile, but I love him for his part as Leo Knox.

The instant that show popped into my mind was the moment when Enoch’s character started fleshing out, his deep voice, his grin, his fierce protectiveness, and the fact that intellectually and spiritually he was so much more than the surface suggested… At that turn in the road, Enoch became real to me.

With his first scene in my unfinished novel — another bend in the path, Enoch’s preferred wardrobe became part of his character.  In addition to being a lawyer, he tinkers with cars, and is an expert in artificial intelligence, all of which are part of my novel. 

Here’s my young heroine’s reaction to the first time she saw Enoch Metatron.  Already frightened from the abrupt departure of her foster parents, she was shocked to be assailed by government agents of the “UIA.”  Remember it’s the 1960s.

Snippet illustrating a first reaction to Enoch

Then a shadow fell beside me, stretching from the sidewalk and into the parking lot.  The agent’s hand went into his jacket and he produced a gun.

The young man beside him unholstered his weapon and moved to stand partly in front of the first man, who appeared to be in charge.  All the other men, who were standing behind the open doors of their cars, pulled weapons.  The clicks of a dozen cocking handguns filled the air.

I cut my eyes over as far to the side as they would go, because I couldn’t make my head turn.  The owner of that shadow, the next thing to a giant, walked out from the door that was marked “Maintenance Office.”

The man was broad as a bull and stood bald-head and shoulders taller than any of the others.  He wore old coveralls.  In contrast, sunlight glinted off a gold zodiac medallion at his throat.  It bore the sign of Taurus.  As he walked, he put on a white baseball cap emblazoned with a bright orange “T.”  He stopped one step in front of me.  His posture was relaxed.

“Do you have some reason for being here, Riley?” the man began in a deep resonant voice.  “All these vehicles are kicking up a lot of dust.  It isn’t,” he paused ever so slightly.  “…Healthy,” the big newcomer finished with a slight southern drawl in his voice and a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

“That’s Station Chief Riley Hangman to you,” the agent replied, although his voice didn’t match the bravado of his words.

Nobody else spoke in reply.  The Unexplained Incidents Agency (UIA) chief licked his lips.  He didn’t look as confidant as he had when he and his men were only facing a blonde girl in go-go boots.

♦ ♦ ♦

Enoch, by Teagan

So, from that fictional town in Nevada, the path to finding Enoch has now gone back to Atonement, Tennessee, where his family is in danger.  Maybe there are more bends in the road… Maybe the path will take me back to that Nevada town and the completion of that novel.  I hope so.

Thanks for taking this ramble with me — and with Enoch Metatron.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Wishing you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump.  Hugs!

♦ ♦ ♦

Atonement in Zugzwang, Book 1

Universal Purchase Link
Kindle: relinks.me/B0CHNX2X6T

Paperback  relinks.me/B0CHL7DL6Q

♦ ♦ ♦

The rest of the Atonement Series

(with Ralda Lawton as heroine)

Atonement, Tennessee

Full series of e-books with one click:  relinks.me/B087JV25JT

Kindle:  rxe.me/HGSVA8A

Paperback: relinks.me/1481826948

Also in Spanish, translated by Olga Núñez Miret! The title for the Spanish-speaking market is Expiación y Magia

Atonement in Bloom

Kindle:  rxe.me/5RRBLH

Paperback:  relinks.me/1726882128

The Glowing Pigs, Snort Stories of Atonement, Tennessee

Kindle   rxe.me/LTBDNH

Paperback   relinks.me/1725891972

♦ ♦ ♦

 

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

 

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46 thoughts on “Wednesday Writing — the Unlikely Path to a Character: Enoch Metatron”

  3. HI Teagan, I really enjoyed learning about how Enoch’s character developed. Your mention of The Green Mile, which I recently read and reviewed is enough to interest me without any other words. John Coffey was such an amazing character in that book. He made that novel unforgettable. A snappy extract too.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks so much, Robbie. That means a lot to me.
      I haven’t read the book. It’s not the kind of story I can deal with these days. However, I did enjoy your review, and all the reviews you’ve done of Stephen King books. Thanks for using part of your break to visit. Hugs.

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  5. It is often amazing how we get led down certain pathways that lead us to our future roads Teagan.. And nothing is ever by chance..
    I send you much love and every success in finishing the path you started with that Novel.
    And a very Happy Holiday Season… Lots of love your way.. Sue xx ❤

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  6. I smiled when Enoch was mentioned again. I’d love to see him in that novel when it’s completed, but no pressure. I think it’s interesting how characters speak to us and stay with us. It’s almost like you’re channeling Enoch’s character. In any case, it’s always good to see a midweek post. I hope the rest of your week goes well.

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    1. It makes me smile that you smiled, Dan. 🙂 Many people have used the word “channeling” when talking to me about my stories or music. I begin to think they’re right.
      Yes, I’m trying to stick to my old blog schedule. I let it go for several months, but I realized that consistently doing a midweek and weekend post helps me. I hope you and yours are having a nice day. Hugs.

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    1. Haha! Thanks, Fraggle. That made me feel good. That novel is an even quirkier mashup than Atonement. It’s even packed with “Easter egg” (original) Star Trek references, and each of the main characters has an equivalent tarot card, just in case it wasn’t oddball enough. I was over 300 pages into the story. Between the multiple triggers for my stuff, and running out of “pantser” steam… I think I need to be able to really see the ending before I try to start it again. That’s the trouble with pantsering. I appreciate you visiting. Hugs.

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    1. Yes, a terrible loss. The beauty of blogging is being able to illustrate characters and scenes. But that can also be a trap for the writer. I have to remind myself to use words that make the characters as real as the images. It was easy in the novel (mentioned here) where he has a larger part. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

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  14. Neat to read about how one of your characters expanded from a short story into a larger one. And that you dipped from a story you’d written several years before. And that you’re working out some of your own feelings through writing. I hope that writing is helping you. Thanks for this glimpse behind the scenes of your creativity 🙂

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    1. Thank you kindly for this comment, Dave. I suppose it does help, although you’d think that the “helping” would counteract any difficulty with writing that story. I think maybe I need to figure out how to leave “me” behind so the story can reach its conclusion — to separate myself from that character. I hoped to use that book to help bring awareness to a specific issue, so that’s one more reason to want to finish it. Have a great rest of the week. Hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. You made such an interest remark about separating yourself from the character. It’s a question that’s given me difficulty: What would the character do? Not me, but the character. I’ve found that brainstorming can help, the idea is to loosen my brain’s path of “here’s what should be done” and ponder the possibilities of other solutions, based on the character. Best wishes on your writing 🙂

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    1. Hahaha! GP, you never know. My first reaction to that was “Don’t give me any ideas, because then I’ll have to do that.” I know you’re joking, but both stories are so strange and quirky that you’d think it could be a crossover (despite one in the 50s and the other in the present). But somehow they don’t mesh in my brain. Thanks for making me smile. Hugs.

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  17. Thanks for sharing the process, Teagan. I look forward to learning and seeing more of Enoch Metatron in the future. And I get the way some characters seem to make their own way to us, however tortuous it might be. Big hugs and love to Velma and Daphne.

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    1. Yikes! I just found your comment in my spam folder. You were in there by yourself, but the place probably smelled from some of the miscreants who’ve been there before. Sorry, Geoff.
      Most of my characters have a deeper backstory than ever makes it into the book/story/serial. Although I don’t think any of them are as wild as Enoch’s. Here of course, I didn’t include the hints from the last serial episode, but that part of his background is something I choose to leave vague. A little ambiguity helps keep characters interesting. 😉 Thanks for visiting. Hugs.

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