Chasing Shadows : Robyne Sheridan
Robyne Sheridan is one of those characters that I have written that will continue to grow and be nurtured, much like how Amy Cavanaugh has grown and been nurtured. Robyne is many things to many people in the town of East River, but to me, as her author and creator, she is in many ways a reflection of every girl I've known and also a very vivid reflection of me and how I was growing up in elementary school.
I drew directly from the isolation I felt as a kid. I drew directly from my experiences with bullies and self-destructive thoughts and low self-esteem and all that childhood trauma and drama. But the difference is, I gave Robyne the guts and strength and attitude I never had in myself at the time. Robyne represented to me, everything I wanted to be growing up. I wanted to have the courage and the guts to stand up for myself. I wanted the inner strength and the spitfire attitude.
It wasn't until much later, as I got involved with my volunteer work and moved on to middle school and high school that I started to grow my proverbial spine so to speak. And I think I threw much of my own personal development and insights into Robyne's thinking as well.
Now as for her own identity- what she knows or feels connected to anyway- Robyne to me represents someone in constant search of her true self. She is constantly searching for ways to catergorize herself or define her personality. She hates labels, yet she uses them constantly in defining who she is. She is lost and confused and in a constant state of change and re-evaluation. She is a teenager... she is a tomboy... she is a lesbian... she's a Christian... she's someone's bully, a friend, an older secret sister, she's a gymnast, an aloof spoiled brat, a victim, a survivor... she's lots of different things. In the end though, she keeps asking herself if what she is remains fixed. Is she sure she knows who she is?
A good portion of this book follows Robyne's inner journey towards self-acceptance. I explore the demons this girl faces- so in a sense the book is a different shade of horror. It is more of a human story- a drama really exploring the darkness that keeps someone like Robyne from being at peace with herself.
But Robyne comes with a huge brightness- much like Amy's inner light. Robyne does eventually find her inner strength... and she learns how to draw upon it to help her friend Amy. How she goes about finding something she never knew she had though... well that's the story isn't? I can't spoil it. You really need to sit and enjoy the book.
I drew directly from the isolation I felt as a kid. I drew directly from my experiences with bullies and self-destructive thoughts and low self-esteem and all that childhood trauma and drama. But the difference is, I gave Robyne the guts and strength and attitude I never had in myself at the time. Robyne represented to me, everything I wanted to be growing up. I wanted to have the courage and the guts to stand up for myself. I wanted the inner strength and the spitfire attitude.
It wasn't until much later, as I got involved with my volunteer work and moved on to middle school and high school that I started to grow my proverbial spine so to speak. And I think I threw much of my own personal development and insights into Robyne's thinking as well.
Now as for her own identity- what she knows or feels connected to anyway- Robyne to me represents someone in constant search of her true self. She is constantly searching for ways to catergorize herself or define her personality. She hates labels, yet she uses them constantly in defining who she is. She is lost and confused and in a constant state of change and re-evaluation. She is a teenager... she is a tomboy... she is a lesbian... she's a Christian... she's someone's bully, a friend, an older secret sister, she's a gymnast, an aloof spoiled brat, a victim, a survivor... she's lots of different things. In the end though, she keeps asking herself if what she is remains fixed. Is she sure she knows who she is?
A good portion of this book follows Robyne's inner journey towards self-acceptance. I explore the demons this girl faces- so in a sense the book is a different shade of horror. It is more of a human story- a drama really exploring the darkness that keeps someone like Robyne from being at peace with herself.
But Robyne comes with a huge brightness- much like Amy's inner light. Robyne does eventually find her inner strength... and she learns how to draw upon it to help her friend Amy. How she goes about finding something she never knew she had though... well that's the story isn't? I can't spoil it. You really need to sit and enjoy the book.
posted by The Vampire, David at 9:33 AM
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