James Patterson, a favorite author of mine, once said people always ask him how he can write such a wonderful “black” character being a white man. Yet no one ever asked him how he could write such great serial killers, never having killed before. Funny.

Patterson writes such a great character because he lives inside that character vicariously. He doesn’t pull puppet strings to make Cross dance across the page, he sits at his computer and watches Cross do his thing. Vicariously.

I have always enjoyed placing myself into a character and letting that character speak. I love to see the world through their eyes, hear their views, taste their experiences. Live vicariously through a character if only for a few stolen moments. I have always enjoyed this glimpse into another world, and have always enjoyed stream of conscious writing through those eyes. Two of the following stories are written in this mode.

The Seige is a rant through the eyes of a female who is about to have a hell day. The story was inspired by an actual event where the crush from the crowd was so devastating that a store clerk was killed in the onslaught. I began to wonder what someone was thinking as those doors were about to open. Battle is a wonderful metaphor. Then again, maybe its more truth than metaphor.

The Itch came out of a challenge from my wife’s friend, a college creative writing instructor. She would challenge me to write stories using a word she would give me as the title. These exercises gave birth to a number of stories I have included here on the blog (most notably Forgiveness Tracks, and Orgasm).  On this particular evening, she gave me the word ITCH.

So I pondered the following… who was itchy, why were they still itchy, and why couldn’t they scratch the itch.  I put myself in their mind and started writing. I had no idea where the story was going to end up. But it was fun getting there.

I hope you enjoy THE SEIGE and ITCH. I welcome all comments.