Change is defined as – to become different, or make something or somebody different also to pass or make something pass from one state or stage to another
I’ve often heard the statement that ‘People don’t change.’ And while there are some aspects about a person that might not change greatly, I believe there are many others that can and will change if the circumstances are there. Not always for the good either.
Can a leather deck shoe and petticoat wearing hardened criminal change and become a better person? I don’t know. Some people can only get better by being dead. Some acts are so heinous that only a slow and torturous death involving dull butter knives and the overzealous use of waffle irons is appropriate. And let me be one of the first to volunteer to carry out such acts of punishment. There just isn’t enough vigilante justice being meted out these days. Of course, that’s just my opinion.
So change has been my nemesis lately. It's been the 'Tribble' to my Star Trek adventure. Waiting around every corner, jumping out from behind doors at my family and me. In the last six weeks there’s been a tornado, a death, a funeral, a divorce, a killer snake, a suicidal squirrel, and garden gnomes with an evil glint in their beady black eyes.
Not to mention my BFF took off for parts unknown. (If ‘parts unknown’ were located in Austin.)
So have these changes changed me? You may think the butter knives and waffle irons are a manifestation of my current less than smiley face mood, but fortunately, I’ve always harbored a few constructive homicidal tendencies. My motto has always been ‘Homicide is only acceptable if it’s for a good cause,’ and if it’s kept mostly between the pages of a book. So I’ll be killing off a few unsavory characters in a few chapters.
But this has me thinking about what sort of changes (tortures) to throw at my characters. I don’t want to use anything as blasé as I’ve been dealing with. After all, I'm writing a book, not scripting the next episode of Dr. Phil.
No, the situations need to be exciting, scary, shocking, and life altering not to mention worthy of a Lifetime Movie of the week. Although I do think I could use the killer gnomes. Those are appropriate in any situation. Just take ‘There Will Be Blood’ for instance. If there’d been some killer gnomes in that movie I think it would have made more sense and it would have totally explained Daniel Day Lewis’ nasty behavior. We could forgive him for being a jerk if he was being chased around the oil rigs by potato faced gnomes wielding butter knives and waffle irons.
So how will you torture your characters, and better yet, how will they take it? Will they be curled up in a ball sucking their thumbs? Hiding in the closet with a bottle of sparkling water and some nutritional power bars? Or will they come out swinging ala Rambo or one of the Gabor sisters?
Disclaimer: Opinions and thoughts expressed are not necessarily shared by the members of this blog.
4 comments:
Glad to know you haven't lost your sense of humor in dealing with all the changes in your personal life.
Change in characters is essential in a story. If the characters don't change or grow in a relationship, the story becomes stagnant.
So go ahead and have your deck shoe wearing, waffle iron branishing characters don petticoats and take up tap dancing.
Change is good...or at least interesting.
From the BFF in Austin-I found a great supplier of killer gnomes down here. They even have a model that can use power tools! And they ship overnight. And gift wrap. Would you like a gift card?
I always thought it would be good to kill off a character with dental floss. But if you use that idea in a book, can I have the credit? And part of the royalties? And can I play the heroine in the Lifetime adaptation?
Some things don't change, and shouldn't change in your character's lives-like a strong friendship. Those who are lucky, like me, have that as an anchor.
So...bring on the tornadoes. And the gnomes.
That last session at DID where Jane Graves said something about taking your characters down so low then bringing them back up (not those exact words) really made me think. And Angie when you mentioned Kresley having conflict on every page made me think too.
I should probably get the phone number to the gnome supplier. The last one crawled up in the gutter and died there. Ick. Had to get animal control out for that.
Thanks for reminding me about the J. Graves session. That was really good!
I'm off to Home Depot. Have to get more lumber. I'm trying to shore up the hole where the Gates of Hell have opened up under my house. It's tricky work.
Post a Comment