They’re often referred to as side characters. They just never think of themselves that way.
One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever received was to approach every character like they’re the protagonist. You have to reason through the entire story as if they’re in charge, so you know where they are—and what strings they’re pulling—at any particular moment.
Aren’t we all the main characters in our own stories?
Perhaps for this reason, I have fallen in love with at least one—and sometimes more—of the side characters in all of my novels.
The Flack, which releases today, is no different. And there’s no doubt about who stole my heart this time.
Gehrig Weiskopf acts like a man accustomed to being in charge. Because he is. “Rig,” as he’s known, is the publicity-shy billionaire owner of Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company, which employs the novel’s actual protagonist, Curt Hinton.
Rig founded Balco with a shoestring budget and a gambler’s heart. Thanks to a lot of hard work—and a few lucky breaks—he turned it into a powerhouse in the logistics industry, riding the ever-rising tide of Silicon Valley to great success.
That alone would have been interesting. But when I began to imagine Rig—and, mind you, this was my first novel set in California—I found myself wanting to explore a certain archetype: The aging California surf bum.
While perhaps more often associated with the southern portion of the state, this peculiar subspecies of California culture is still common in the Bay Area—in places like Stinson Beach, Ocean Beach, or Bolinas. They’re known for chasing waves, freedom, and a certain amount of trouble in equal measure.
Hence, Rig is described as “a rather odd-looking creature. He was in his seventies but still rail thin, with well-creased tawny skin, effervescent blue eyes, and ringlets of white hair. He wore a Hawaiian shirt with the top two buttons undone, board shorts, and flip-flops.”
Also: “His entire outfit looked like it could be purchased at a Salvation Army thrift store for ten bucks.”
(Incidentally: Yes, I have met guys like this. Several of them, actually.)
He’s definitely a memorable character. As Curt observes, “No one would believe that someone who looked like a roadie for the Beach Boys had created a $3.2 billion company.”
Now, I’m aware a lot of readers see “billionaire” and immediately think, Ahh, he must be the bad guy.
But wait a second. Is he? Rig insists that Balco treats employees like family. One of his proudest achievements is having never laid off a single worker.
Then there’s his main life philosophy, which is not to engage in what he calls “againstness.” As he admonishes Balco’s CEO, “We cannot be against things in this world. We have to find a way to be for things. Our universe abhors againstness.”
Later, in a private gathering with Curt, Rig expands on this belief:
(This is real, by the way. Cool, no?)
So, yeah, that’s Rig.
Some characters really do take on a life of their own, and Rig was one of those. I hadn’t planned on doing much with him, except he kept butting in and demanding a bigger piece of the stage. What choice did I have to give it to him?
Rig is complicated in other ways, and I don’t want to say too much more, lest I spoil anything. I’ll just leave it at this: Writing characters like Rig is one of the real pleasures of what I do. And he’s part of why The Flack is such a special book to me.
I hope you enjoy meeting him.