Finding Empathy for the Unlikable: The Evolution of Bianca in 'Under the Flamboyant Tree'

How do you find empathy for someone who seems utterly unlikable? In this season opener of "Have a Cup of Johanny," I promise you’ll gain insights into the intricate process of character development by exploring the journey of Bianca, the protagonist in my upcoming novel, "Under the Flamboyant Tree." Bianca's path from a lost, misunderstood individual to someone relatable and inspiring is a raw and honest portrayal that mirrors the struggles many of us face in life. Through personal stories and reflections, I share how my sessions with a therapist helped me understand Bianca's flawed yet resilient nature, revealing the deeper layers of her character.

Join me, Johanny Ortega, as we navigate the emotional and psychological complexities that make Bianca such a compelling figure. From the frustration of writing and rewriting her story to the breakthrough moments of empathy and understanding, you'll get an inside look at how Bianca's character evolved. Stick with us through the month of September and beyond to uncover how this difficult-to-love character transforms into someone you can root for. And don’t forget, my other works also feature strong Dominican characters facing unique challenges you'll find equally gripping.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Oh, we could, we could fly. Welcome to this new season of the have a Cup of Johani podcast. So I want to title this new season that I'm embarking on with I'm growing, so this is going to be the season of growth and that's what I'm going to share with you throughout the season. So I thank you for coming over here and sitting with me, and I hope you enjoy.

Speaker 2: 0:26

Welcome to another episode of have a Cup of Johnny podcast. I am your host, joannie Ortega, and we are talking all about Under the Flamboyant Tree for the month of September. Month of September that's my upcoming novel, by the way, and today we are going through the crux of it all the genesis, the nucleus. There you go, bianca's journey. Are you ready? Are you ready? Of course you are, of course, because why else would you be listening to me right now? Let's go.

Speaker 2: 1:17

If you heard the last episode, you kind of know that Bianca is a complex character. You kind of know where I got that name from. If you don't and you want to listen to that, first, go ahead and come back to this one. You don't have to listen to these episodes in sequence. I just think it gives you an insight a little bit better into the book and the main character.

Speaker 2: 1:46

But nevertheless, bianca, she is strong. But that is nothing new to my main characters. If you go through the books, short stories and novellas that I've written. My main characters are strong and resilient, yet vulnerable, and some of them just make mistakes after mistakes, but the resiliency keeps them going. And all of them are Dominican. So there you go. That's the commonality in all my main characters. So check those out. But for Bianca, she is lost. So this is something new that is very much a part of this character, because this is a story that stems from someone being lost and finding themselves. And she is very lost and you will see that when you start reading the book and then you may.

Speaker 2: 2:45

I know, for me like I kind of like hated her at the beginning because I'm like, wow, she's so horrible, what kind of mom is this? But then as I was creating this character and as I was writing because I'm a discovery writer so I wrote this story several times. I drafted this story several times before I finally got the draft that I wanted. But in each draft Bianca was a tough character to love at first. But then I started thinking and if you have heard me talk about having empathy and communications, right, that was my theme for the month prior to this one.

Speaker 2: 3:30

For the month of August, I had to do something similar with this character. I had to kind of like ask myself where is she coming from? You know that she's having these reactions and I remember when I was talking to my therapist about some of the things that happened to me and and she was like well, I think you're, the adults around you in a way were trying to keep you safe. They probably didn't go about it the right way, but they were trying to keep you safe. And it clicked on me to hear that from someone else.

Speaker 2: 4:27

And I remember being on the third draft and having that introspection, that talk with myself as I'm looking at this scene where Bianca is just being terrible and I'm like why is she like this? And I asked myself that why is she like this? And the answer that comes is like she's just going off of what she knows. The answer that comes is like she's just going off of what she knows, like she thinks this is the best thing for her, for her daughter, you know, and she's, she's making decisions with the knowledge that she has at the time, the resources that she has at the time. So it's very easy for an outsider, me as the writer to look at it and be like that's so dumb. But then when I look at all the decisions I have made with little knowledge, little experience, little resources, they look kind of like Bianca's. So, even approaching my character, I had to have some empathy for her, because at the beginning she is. She's not the most likable.

Speaker 2: 5:42

And you may ask yourself what is redeemable about this person in the first two chapters and I would just say just stick around, you will find out. And she's struggling. She's struggling Right from the beginning. She is struggling. She is struggling with who she is. Who will she be? What will she do now? And if you're a mom and you know that your identity just revolves around that imagining the loss of your child, that's a big loss, not just of that person that you love dearly, but of a piece of yourself that will go with that person because that was part of your identity. So this is, this is kind of like her, not her turning point, but this is what pushes her to go to San Francisco, de Macorin and La Republica Dominicana, because she needs to start from the beginning per se.

Speaker 2: 6:55

Because when one loses something so big right, when one loses kind of like half of oneself, it's almost like that subtraction, it's like an error in the calculation and you're like I gotta, I gotta backtrack this, I gotta bring it back to the basic equation, to where I started, and it's kind of like that with Bianca. When that happens, she understands that something went terribly wrong and she kind of knows, but she doesn't want to face it. So she does what one would normally do. We go back to where it all started, and this journey forces her to confront those truths about herself, about her family and the life she thought she knew and the life she thought she knew. And through her story I learned that sometimes the only way to heal is by facing those things that I'm avoiding. And this is coming from a recovering procrastinator, because and you heard me on the last episode talk about how I had an inkling that I had suffered something in the past but because I have these gaps in my memory, I really didn't know. And I read this short story and some things kind of like tugged at me. Some things just came back and I was like, ah, something is there, but I'm going to shut it off for now. I was like, ah, something is there, but I'm going to shut it off for now. But I made it a point to go back to that For Bianca, the whole going back, it's almost like a spur of the moment.

Speaker 2: 8:53

But then when she's finally back, she second guesses herself. She's like, what did I do? Could I have just maintained the status quo? And that would have been easier on me. You see, and sometimes I know, we have those moments where it's like we make a potential choice that is going to be painful, is going to be painful, it's going to be hard, but it's a choice that we make knowing that it may free us from something, from the demons that we've been holding on to. But then it's always that bit of a second doubt voice that comes in because we want comfort. As human beings, we want comfort and and unearthing truths that we have pretended as if they were not there. It's not comfortable, it's not going to feel right, it's not going to feel comfortable at all, and sometimes that's how it goes. But you know what? I'm not going to wait till the end. I'm going to ask you if you have had these moments. I would love to hear from you Because this has happened to me. This happened to me when I was in the midst of like, should I see a therapist or should I not? Because I knew something was there. But then I was like, do I really want to know? You see, I'm doing just fine right now. Quote, unquote just fine, I'm laughing now because it's like yeah, I was not doing fine.

Speaker 2: 10:29

How can I put this? That's Bianca's story, and the thing with me is that I write these characters and it's like I'm healing myself through them, because I'm putting myself in their shoes and I'm putting myself in things that I either have done or I'm fixing to do to better myself. To heal helps me to not just to uncover certain things about myself, but to find a bit of courage, that courage that it will take for me to make those steps. And sometimes, by seeing a character such as Bianca very flawed character such as Bianca doing all these things, it makes me feel as if I'm also capable of doing it. And in a way, that's why I love to write these fictional yet realistic stories, because, in a way, if I'm finding courage through it, I am hoping that the reader that reads this will find courage themselves. And I say this because Bianca's struggle is a universal one. I don't think that's just a me problem, it's not a Bianca problem.

Speaker 2: 11:54

Think about how many times have you felt lost or disconnected from your roots, how often have you been afraid to dig deeper into your own stories? Because that's Bianca's journey. It's a reminder to me as I'm writing it and to you when you read it, that it is okay to feel lost and that seeking answers is not a sign of weakness, but it's a sign of strength. And I'm going to ask you again. I want to hear from you have you had to confront those difficult truths about your past? Did it change you? How did it change you?

Speaker 2: 12:38

If you feel comfortable enough, I would love to hear from you, share your stories with me, either on social media, on the comments, or send me a message, and let's create a space where we can support each other through these tough journeys. Thank you so much for listening today. Next week, we're going to go into the rich cultural backdrop of the Dominican Republic and how it plays a crucial role in Bianca's story, and I can't wait to share more with you about this book. Until then, embrace your story one page at a time. Bye. Thank you so much for listening. I want to hear from you.

Speaker 1: 13:25

Leave me a comment do a rating, if you can on the podcast, share it with somebody you love, but, most importantly, come back. See you next time. Bye.