Pirates

Pirates. They are compelling in fiction. We love them. We root for them. We want to see them succeed. We want to see them redeemed. What is it about pirates? Perhaps it is the swashbuckling, swaggering way they walk through their stories, with confidence and aplomb we perhaps wish we had. Maybe it is that dangerous feeling that we're not sure we can trust them. Maybe it's just because we like the idea of living on the raggedy edge of the law... but are also happy to keep them safely in the fiction-verse.Whatever it is, we cannot deny that stories containing pirates have a certain appeal.And what's not to love, really?They add an instant interesting element to any story:They follow their own code... which may not follow the law of the common man...They have no fear, no matter what the circumstances areThey never try to sugarcoat the truth...They are supremely confident in their own skills and abilitiesAnd all the best pirates have a human side, a tenderness you wouldn't expect... but love when it shows up, a side that makes you root for them, even if you don't agree with most of the things they do...They often have interesting back-stories...My favorite characters in fiction tend to be pirates... which is why pirates feature heavily in my next series: The Turrim Archive.What about you? Do you like pirates in fiction? Which ones are your favorites? Have a happy "Talk Like a Pirate Day!"