Wednesday, June 9, 2010

So much for being bored . . .

Figures that right after I wrote my last post, all heck broke loose in my life and I had NO time to breathe much less write so . . .

Hello again!

I have always subscribed to the belief that everything happens for a reason. That means EVERYTHING, good and bad. Over the past couple of weeks I've been dealing with a whole lot of good and bad stuff, and even though I haven't been doing the physical act of typing on my laptop, it's amazing how stuff still affects what I write.

I've had a number of people in the past ask me why I write for teenagers. The truth is, I don't write for teenagers, I write about the teenage experience. Now given that I'm turning 40 this year, you'd think that was a pretty difficult task . . . I mean, you know, the brain's getting older . . . and I've had 3 kids (that right there has killed off God knows how many brain cells). But it's the feelings, the friendships, and yes, the drama.

Despite what a lot of kids think, drama happens just as much with adults as it does with kids. But we either hide it better or it's about 'adult' stuff.

Now my question of the hour is, how does drama help me?

Well usually it doesn't, at least not me personally. I am my father's daughter in that I avoid conflict like the plague. And because I'm a people pleaser, I feel bad when it does happen (think Betty White in the Golden Girls when her character, Rose, finds out a co-worker doesn't like her and she spends the entire episode trying to get him to change his mind).

This past week I've been dealing with some 'adult' drama. I won't go into it here, because I learn my lessons well. However as I was trying to NOT think about it today, a brilliant idea hit me.

My wonderful and supportive writing group has been helping me with my current novel that I'm getting ready to send off to an editor, but one of their sticking points was that my main character and her best friend seem to have this non-existent friendship. It's there, but there's no basis for it. With Cat, it all had to do with her bonding with Heather over the loss of their mothers. But Sophia's relationship with Alison just doesn't have that.

Until now.

I've figured out what these girls have bonded over. Drama. What kind of drama? I'm not sure yet . . . I still have to figure that out. But now I'm pointed in the write direction (ha ha).

So as you can see, everything does happen for a reason.

Even the yucky stuff. :)

2 comments:

  1. Hmmmm. The drama that they create themselves in life because that's the only time they feel truly engaged. When there's drama, there is movement, energy, excitement. When they stir up drama and unhappiness or tension, stress/confusion...well, they feel alive. To just sit and be serene and drama-free, well, that's just plain boring!

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  2. That's absolutely true - fortunately for my writing realm and unfortunately since I have a teen and pre-teen!

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