Funny how the deeper I dive into a fictional character, the more humanity he or she reveals. Take Marge Gooding, for example, the owner of a second-hand store in Eddy’s home town of Oak Creek. In my first draft of Trout Run, as perceived through the prejudices of Eddy’s personal history, Marge was considered and treated as an old, morally bankrupt crone. Eddy saw her as a link to the abuses he suffered as a child at the hands of his Uncle Silas. But at some point during subsequent drafts, Marge grew out of that role and into a quite different one: Eddy’s psychic mirror. Through the interplay with her as a character, he comes to more clearly accept her as an empathetic and caring woman, and thus begins to see himself in a similar light. On second thought, I guess this phenomena isn’t “funny” at all. It’s just human nature.