1. What is it?
An author surrogate is a character inserted into a story to represent the author’s ideas and feelings.
Author surrogates are most often seen in stories that comment on social issues. This allows authors to share their views on science, politics, organisations, and controversial theories within a story.
2. How is it made?
| Create a character that has a similar personality to the author and will express the author’s views. | This character can be a minor character. |
| Place the character in a situation or conversation in which the author wants comment. | Have the author surrogate make a reasonable argument. Other characters may comment or ask questions in order to give details. |
| Move the story back to its main action. |
3. Examples
The land sale began in early June, and by mid-July the townspeople were already beginning to experience the change. Excited entrepreneurs, sensing an opportunity, rushed to buy and develop, and the push by investors to catch this wave of opportunity swelled the local economy and jobs. Everyone seemed enthralled with how the town was moving, except for Eugene Lewis.
“You are all blind,” the postman would say. “This is short-term gain leading to long-term pain. When the community land becomes privately owned, we will never get it back.”
But they would shake their head at this bitter mail carrier who was missing the gold rush, and then think about what car their investments would afford.
Arthur had been raised in the countryside but knew little about farming or nature. School had been more interested in forming a common national identity – based around history, English, mathematics and science – than students interacting with the immediate world. And so Arthur grew up, went to university, and became a person who blended into the mass.
It was that lack of variety which led to him find writing such a chore. He evidently liked the idea of writing, but his background ensured he lacked both imagination and niche knowledge. Instead, Arthur was just another graduate taking stories from the news or better authors and trying to squeeze his own interpretation from them. The result was a career of mediocrity.
4. Task
Write a scene in which a minor character serves as your author surrogate.