Tag Archives: characters

FACING YOUR FEARS

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Facing Your Fears

As the giant spider crawled across the floor, my legs involuntarily drew up under me on the bed while my arms crossed themselves to protect my vital organs from the monster. As much as I hated looking at the hairy thing, I couldn’t take my eyes away. My lungs pulled in a gulp of air and pushed out a piercing scream.

Is that fear? How about this . . .

I watched him open the door of the car and toss his bags into the backseat. His last words stung my face as if they had needles and stuck in the air. I couldn’t believe he would leave me like this, that the years we spent together were over and he now hated me. I had no idea what I would do without him. My tears ran openly as I screamed for him to come back.

Fear is a huge part of every plot, whether it’s very obvious, as in the case of a character running for their life from a monster, or whether it’s disguised with another emotion, such as anger. Even a romance story has an element of fear: fear of commitment, fear of intimacy, fear of losing someone.

If you take the fear and amplify it to a phobia, you have a nice big glowering obstacle for your character to overcome. There are hundreds of well-known phobias; it’s the unusual phobias that make a story interesting.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

ON BECOMING A SENIOR CITIZEN

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On Becoming a Senior Citizen

I dreaded turning fifty, but three weeks prior to my birthday, I met a talented writer whose praise for my writing erased all my depression. As my sixtieth birthday approached, I realized I looked forward to the day. No depression this time, no doubts about aging. Instead I looked forward to another decade. You see the older I get, the less I fear. I have my successes and my failures and celebrate both. I care less about what others think and put more emphasis on what I’ve come to know to be right and honorable. There’s less drama in my life. And I get senior citizens’ discounts.

I remember the first time I saw snow and my first snow storm. I met an English gentleman, had my first and only high tea. I experienced a stormy ferry ride from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland, and I sailed a windjammer, hauling canvas and taking the wheel. I recall my father taking us to a regatta, seeing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in their bright red uniforms patrolling the grounds. I’ve felt the mists of Niagara Falls on my face, gone snorkeling, watched dolphins play. I was privileged to be elected as a delegate to the state convention and assist in the election process. I was the first female video tape operator in Amarillo, Texas. I saw the development of an industry from back and white television to color to digital to high definition. Alan Shepherd blasted into space, John Glen orbited the earth, and man walked on the moon. I saw John Kennedy six weeks before his death. I remember the Civil Rights Movement and the tension following the shooting of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Secret Service finger printed me so that I could join the local press corps for President Gerald Ford’s visit to Amarillo. Computers were huge main frames with data was printed on punch cards. Now home computers, internet, and wireless printers are the norm. I stood in line at the bank while the man at the window robbed the teller. I am a member of Delta Psi Omega, a national honorary acting fraternity.

I have loved and lost, and lived to love again. I stood at my mother’s and my husband’s bedsides and watched them lose their battles against disease. Friends have died. Children were born. My faith waivered and was restored.

I don’t mean to sound like a braggart. The truth is we all have experiences that are unique as well as universal. Our experiences shape our lives and add richness to them. And it’s these experiences that can lend depth and color to our characters and stories. As writers, we should never fear to draw on our own experiences to bring added dimension to our work. It’s easier to write about standing at a gravesite when you’ve been there. How can you write about love if you’ve never experienced it? It can be done, but authentic emotions tell the story best. Use what you have witnessed, experienced and felt as you craft your stories. Your work will be better for it.

Cait Collins

Rest in Peace Harry Potter

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Rest in Peace Harry Potter

 An era has ended. The final installment of the Harry Potter series hit the theaters making even bigger mega bucks for the franchise. That’s fine as I enjoyed every movie. With HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, a ten year journey began for my nephews and me. One was seven and the other twelve when the movie came out. I bought the tickets and the boys bought the snacks. This was our tradition for each movie.

My eyes misted as we left the theater following the DEATHLY HALLOWS Part II.  My nephews are now college students and fine young men. Watching the guys grow up fascinated me. One year they were kids with wide-eyed wonder and dreams.  Now they are fine, talented young men setting goals and focusing on the future. I’m honored to have had these special moments with them.

Just as my nephews grew up, so must our characters grow and change. When the story opens, the protagonist faces a problem. As the tale progresses we learn what he is willing to do to solve the issue. How disappointing it would be to finish a novel or leave the theater knowing the protagonist never learned anything from his hardships and life journey. In the end he is the same self-centered, weak individual we met at the beginning. What a waste of time, money and effort. Chances are you would never again invest in that author or screenwriter’s work.

Writers also face growing pains. The first short story or manuscript may be rough, but we send it out hoping our efforts will attract the attention of an agent or editor. Too often we are met with scathing rejections or at the very least polite form letters. The true writer does not quit. He keeps on producing work, honing the skills necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of publication. Then there are the writers who refuse to listen to critiques and continue making the same mistakes. They stagnate and die without ever realizing the goal.

My advice to all writers is simple; take advantage of opportunities to learn more about the craft of writing. Enroll in writing courses at a local college. Find a writers group and get involved in the meetings and activities. Attend writers’ conferences. Practice the art of networking. Accept one very hard fact; you may never have your work on the shelves in a bookstore or see your name on a movie screen. Even if this is your reality, the journey is worth the effort.

Cait Collins