Introduction to the Voices

There are three different voices that constantly yell out at me whenever I begin to write. These voices have followed me throughout the course of my life, injecting their unique personalities and tones into much of my work. Before now, I've never really attempted to separate these voices. Instead, I just tried to ignore them until their yapping became too unbearable to write.

Below is an in-depth explanation of each voice. Maybe this will help readers understand why I sometimes write the way I do.

MARLON le TERRANCE

The first voice is possibly the most talented one. It's the voice that usually speaks the most often. Whenever I read the newspaper and discover countless atrocities being suffered by innocent people in my country and abroad, this voice claims center stage and compels me to write about it. It's a voice filled with compassion and respect for human life, a voice committed to making a difference in the world, however small. It's the voice of Marlon leTerrance.

If I were to personify this voice and give it human characteristics, it would be the voice of a gentleman who is thoughtful and kind. It's the balanced voice of a young man who has traveled the world and experienced a variety of cultures, opinions and ideas. He's open-minded and fair, able to empathize with the human struggles of his fellow man. People gravitate to him naturally. He has a passion for life that's infectious. In a world that's often dark and lonely, he still daydreams with a poet's innocence; he still loves with a blind passion.

Marlon leTerrance is an avid chess player who approaches life in a strategic manner--always confident that virtually every problem has a solution. He's experimental and adventurous, almost to a fault. He is constantly daring himself to reach higher in life. His style is firm but flexible; the sort of man who finds a way to adjust to whatever situation that envelops him. He's open and optimistic--two traits that make him able to believe in people who haven't yet learned to believe in themselves.

When he walks into a room, he does so with a quiet air of confidence. He doesn't have to speak loudly to relay his message to the world; he has accomplished enough in his lifetime to be satisfied with himself. This makes him easy to relate to. He 's not afraid to let people see that he's vulnerable, a mere human attempting to find his way in an imperfect world.

He writes with a measured and composed and tolerant tone, like a General mapping out his next war strategy. Marlon leTerrance is the voice you want in your ear when you are seeking a rational solution to one of life's many problems.

INMATE20173

Inmate20173 is the prodigal son. He's the little cousin in everyone's family who runs away from home and comes back, years later, a shell of a man. He's seen stuff no kid should ever see and experienced things no man could ever forget. Like the bone that breaks and heals stronger at the broken place, like the string that is stronger where it broke and was knotted, Inmate20173 is a survivor, a ghetto cockroach.

Inmate20173 boxes in the gym as a hobby and plays poker on a professional level, which makes him both calculating and observant. He's extremely gifted when it comes to reading people, if only because he's dealt with practically every variation of hoodlum over the course of his life. It's hard to trick a man who has seen all the angles.

Inmate20173 is the voice of the streets.

He grew up in a world of misfortune and writes with a Donald Goines slant. He's the around-the-way-guy who wants something more out of life--he's just not quite sure what that is. He's secretive and quiet---he always maintains a deeply reserved composure. Like most great poker players, he has nerves of steal. He's unflappable and solid, with dark brown eyes that stare into the core of his opponents.

He's an immensely loyal individual who would never betray a friend. Still, Inmate20173 shies away from people and intimacy. He's seen the worst of mankind and this makes it hard for him to trust.

In wartimes, he's the peacemaker. He has survived several life threatening clashes over the years and realizes that no one wins when blood is shed. Inmate20173 is the voice you want arbitrating whenever a conflict is raging out of control. He has overcome enough hardships in his life to make people feel compelled to listen.

NIGHTSHADE

NightShade doesn't walk into a room; he sneaks in. He is always lurking in the shadows somewhere, a tormented soul ready to go to war over the slightest insult--real or imagined. His heart is cold and emotionless, and it pumps hatred and anger in greater quantities than blood.

NightShade is uncompromising, relentless, and lethal. If Marlon leTerrance is the General who can mastermind a war effort, NightShade is the mercenary who's overzealous about fighting in that war. Louis Farrakhan once said, "I have an army that they can see, and an even bigger army that they don't know nothing about." NightShade, if such an army actually existed, would be on the front lines.

NightShade is fearless and vicious. He's convinced that action speaks much louder than words; and he prefers action in its most aggressive, murderous form. He practices a no-holds-barred form of writing that lacks compassion or respect. When he attacks, it's done so devastatingly thorough, he leaves you suffocated and crushed. He's a vigilante spirit who fights with both the pen and the sword interchangeably.

When I have been hurt or wronged and feel myself screaming out for justice, NightShade is the voice in my ear whispering delicious thoughts of revenge.

THE THREE IN ONE

Sometimes, though not often, these voices come together when I write. This strange collection of voices makes each new word selection utterly unpredictable. Each new sentence becomes a journey into the unknown. I always enjoy the experience, no matter where it takes me. I can only hope you will as well.


---Marlon leTerrance