Going Bad

I struggled with finding a villain for SPOTD.

I didn't want a murderer, alien, monster, or catastrophic weather event. I wanted the type of subtle, real world villain that a kid might actually face. And I didn't want a stereotypical bully, because that's been done.

Despite what you might believe from watching television shows like Glee, the type of bullies that toss Slushies into the faces of perceived geeks in the middle of a school hallway (outright bullying) are rare and would get caught and punished. Real bullies are much more subtle than that.

Also contrary to television, cinematic, and literary trope, most popular kids and jocks ARE NOT BULLIES. Most popular kids are popular because they are nice. A lot of smart kids ARE popular. Being athletic DOESN'T make you mean (unless you are doing 'roids). Being smart doesn't make you a target. And those are points I wanted the story to make.

One of the lessons I wanted Chase to learn was that he needed to be on the same team as his sister. So I had my villain bully Addy. It's right there, from the start. And Chase is so wrapped up in his own world, he doesn't see that she needs his help.

That's what happens as we grow up; we turn our view outward and our perception of the world expands. This is, at its heart, a story about growing up. A coming of age story, just as Sandra's original workshop asked me to write.

Of course the superpowers help Chase become more confident so he CAN face the bad guys. (Spoiler: There is more than one.) But when he does, he uses his smarts and heart to save the day.