So I keep promising a guest post from Kara Thrace (of BSG stardom) in my Character Post series but I just can't get anything out in her voice. Then I was in the shower and 6 and Baltar spoke to me. And I was all 'holy shiz! YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT! IN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAYS!!!'
For those of you that don't know (and shame on you!) 6 and Baltar are two very central characters in the Battlestar Galactica series (remake). 6 is a believer in the Divine Hand in all events. Baltar is a scientist, very logical and through out most of the series believes that this God (or Gods) business is absolute rubbish. How are they at all related to you guys?
Well, I will tell you.They mirror the writer psyche.
There are some writers who are very seat of their pants. They wait for their muse to come down from on high and guide their writerly hand and thoughts to produce fantastic, amazing and mesmerizing works of art. And there are others who are very much logicians. They need a plan. They need outlines and notes and structure and a very clearly stated and proven path that works before they can write.
The thing is, you can't work with just 6 or just Baltar. You need both to save the baby (your story) and to make the prophecy* (again, your story) come true. Balance in writing, like in all things in life, is necessary. You need (as my creative writing professor would say) both the madman (and 6 is definitely a little crazy) and the architect (or scientist, in this case) to bring forth and save the baby that is the key to saving humanity.
*6 is a divine messenger from God, sent to Baltar to fulfill a prophecy - part of which is bringing about the birth of a baby that is the answer to pretty much everything. To know more, get thee to SyFy and watch Battlestar Galactica.
