The author commentary for The Bridge continues! This installment looks at the past/present split of Lincoln’s tale as well as the impact of the Engers family on the character. SPOILER WARNING starts now!
Past/Present Split
I am always looking for new ways to tell a story. There are a million of them, to be sure, but only a few tried and true methods are typically used to pull a reader into a tale. For the first two books of the series, I held to the inciting incident method. Something bad happens somewhere and then we head right to the main characters who eventually learn about this situation and head off to solve it.
This method works well. There are variations, of course, and you’ll see plenty of them when you read. For The Bridge, though, I wanted to focus directly on Lincoln MacKenzie. This is his book, so how best to showcase him as a character.
The past/present split offered the perfect device to provide this insight into Lincoln. The concept of the bridge itself immediately became apparent to me, and served as a way to connect past and present events. Everything we do matters in where we are headed and how we want to get there. There is always a bridge before and behind us. That’s what this book was to me.
Lost probably used this tool more effectively than most. Each episode offered a glimpse into a character’s past in the midst of them dealing with some present day crisis. (It was also the most frustrating at using this method, but that’s an argument for another day on another platform…)
Lincoln’s tale
You’ve probably heard this before, but I love characters. Not just main characters. Every bit player brings a smile to my face when I get the chance to put them in a situation. That was how Pratchett became such a huge player in Greystone. Those scenes in Signs of Portents where he shows up to throw a few jokes around offered enough of a foundation for me to build on throughout the series.
Lincoln, though, is not some bit player. He’s a member of the DSA Field Team, and as such, I felt deserved to take center stage as his role in the series takes a dark turn.
Star Trek: The Next Generation used this model to craft some of the best seasons ever written for television. Every week, the show focused on a specific character. Events spun out to impact more than this principal player, but all centered around a more personal tale by focusing on a specific character instead of the entire cast each and every episode.
That was the thought behind The Bridge, and Lincoln’s tale. He alluded to his past in The Clearing by telling Ben about the charge he failed to protect during his time in the Secret Service. The Bridge offered an opportunity to delve into that more, and really build some pathos for Lincoln.
The Engers Family
A hero’s tale is only made more compelling by the villain of the piece. In The Bridge, Marcus Engers takes on that role. The past scenes allowed for his introduction, and for readers to really see who this bastard was right from the start.
Those scenes also introduced Morrison Engers, and the impact of his relationship with Lincoln.
There is no climax to the book without the flashbacks. They don’t work unless you see what happened before to bring us to this moment in time. Marcus would have been one-dimensional, and Lincoln’s struggle to save him at the end would have felt emotionless compared to the heart-wrenching ordeal it truly was for the man.
Marcus Engers
The name stems from a former project of mine. I wrote the first three issues of a comic series called The Agency back in 2005. It was a West Wing approach to superheroes where a government agency was in charge of heroes. It dealt with the bureaucracy of such an organization and the people behind it, not the flashy fights.
Marcus Engers was the main character in the series, the newest recruit to the team who wanted nothing more than to show the world the wonder heroes offered. His name grew from his initials. M.E. Me. I was that kid, wanting to tell the world about the wonder of heroes and of comics and everything that went with it. (Yeah, I’m a nerd. Deal with it.)
I lost steam on the project, which I did quite a bit back then, but maybe one day I’ll dig it out to share the scripts completed.
Next time
A look at the Witness’ role in Lincoln’s tale and how the past impacted Lincoln’s decisions.
