Monday afternoon seemed specially engineered to make me crazy.
It started early in the afternoon. And we’ll substitute “snap” for all the bad words that I thought during those six hours.
I was in the kitchen when I looked at the clock. What?? That couldn’t be the time! I was supposed to be volunteering for the Girl Scouts at the festival booth…now. Snap!
Daughter was still in pajamas. Snap! And she hadn’t eaten anything. I was wandering around in glasses and no makeup. I put my contacts in, grabbed water bottles, gave up on makeup, and made some food for my daughter—for the car.
We ran out the door and headed to the festival (which is huge for Matthews—over 200,000 people go.) There was no place to park. Snap! I parked illegally and said a quick prayer.
We ran the blocks to the festival. It was very humid.
We started supervising the go-fish/plinko booth, taking tickets, handing out small prizes, and explaining to small children how the games work. I saw the other Girl Scout mom that I was volunteering with. “Hi,” I say, holding out my hand, “I’m Elizabeth Craig.” “Oh,” she said, smiling, “we actually know each other, don’t we? Through our sons?” Snap! My rotten memory strikes again.
It was VERY hot and there’s no air circulation under the tent. “Mama,” said my daughter, “where are our waters?”
Snap! Left them at home after I pulled them out.
I felt, of course, horrible. And a couple of hours later, my daughter was very sweaty and thirsty. As a reward, as we finished our volunteer shift, I told her we could buy drinks, ice cream, whatever.
The merchants at the fair only took cash. I’d only brought a debit card. Snap! I found an ATM. $4 fee for withdrawal, then the bank would assess a $3 fee. I was really starting to mutter under my breath.
We got the (now very expensive) ice cream and found a tent to sit under and a couple of chairs together.) Unfortunately, we were sitting right next to a woman who was talking on her cell phone very loudly about gross medical stuff involving staples. While we were eating the very expensive, high-fee ice cream. I leveled a baleful look at her and she seemed to think I was sympathizing with her about the medical stuff, so she smiled at me.
I was starting to feel like a character in my own book. My stories have conflicts on different levels—the big conflicts (including murder, medium-sized conflicts (between characters or between my sleuth and characters)…and, also, some small conflicts. These mini-conflicts are designed to raise my protagonist’s blood pressure and possibly make her do things she wouldn’t ordinarily do, and move the plot in a different direction.
Do you push your characters’ buttons?
Elizabeth – Oh, I feel for you! What a day you must have had! What a good mama you are to be willing to volunteer at that festival and look what happened to you!
As I think about it, yes, I do put some pressure on my characters at times. I’ve recently written a scene, for instance, where my protag is on the ‘phone with another major character and realizes he’s late for a meeting. He grabs his jacket from the hook, tearing the loop, runs out the door, still late for the meeting, and – well, you get the idea. I think writing in things like that makes characters more real. It gives readers a way to identify with them.
Yes, but I don’t believe I’ve ever given my characters such a crappy day!
Excellent point. Yep, I rachet it up and turn up that heat. Bit by bit. Tension by tension. What a great real life example of this.
Motherhood, I tell ya!
~ Wendy
I’m sorry you had a horrible day. But, yes, I do love to push my characters buttons. I think that’s what makes literature great, take extremes and teach people there’s always a good way out. Well, most of the time there is…
CD
oh yah, I do. I had my protagonist go completely mad when some dude cuts her off in traffic – she follows him for blocks and blocks hoisting the sign of the tiny finger and muttering under her breath. Probably muttering ‘snap’ now that I think of it. If I’ve felt it I want them to feel it because I don’t like books where the main characters lead charmed lives. Even Anne (of Green Gables) has a ‘Jonah Day’ as she calls it.
Jan Morrison
Elizabeth, I understand your pain and am glad you made it out the other side relatively unscathed. I just went through a summer with an almost 6-year old and 4-7 month old. The differences in ages/development seemed to breed these sorts of days; when I’d remember everything to occupy my older daughter, I’d end up forgetting the nipple’s for the baby’s bottle. Lot’s of… fun.
Yes, that’s the word I’ll use.
Of course, if you wrote a day like yours for your character people might say it was just too over the top. It’s that fun balancing act we have to play.
Also, I wanted to let you know I finished finished Delicious and Suspicious. Quite a fun read and the characters were great. I even used the Pulled Pork recipe for my daughter’s birthday party. Can’t wait for Lulu’s further adventures.
OMGosh, Elizabeth! I’m certain you are SO relieved that that day is over!
I love “snap”. It’s a GREAT word for substituting ‘bad words.’ Mind if I borrow it? :)
Well, at least you got something out of that awful day: a terrific blog post and ideas for your characters!
I hope so! I have to remember that the small stuff adds up!
Currently, the MC of a mystery is trying to help solve a string of “holiday” murders, run her business while her uncle tries to bankrupt her, deal with extended family, a pushy mom and her sudden attraction to the detective assigned to the murder.
Pressure is great. Build up the steam and wait to see what blows!
And yet, Elizabeth, in the end there is no harder job on earth than being a mom :)
I had a scene in which George, uh, snaps. (And I don’t mean uses bad language.) I decided not to use it because it kinda derails the direction of the story….
But after you wrote this, I think maybe I’m just taking the lazy way out. It may go back in.
Your Monday sounds like it could be a scene from a book. I hope the day got better.
I sometimes think it’s the opposite – that the characters push my buttons – as they tend to lead me in directions I hadn’t planned on going.
I’m not sure I have the Cajones to torture a character quite that much! And frankly, I’m sure the editor would say “this really isn’t believable”–Oi! One of those truth worse than fiction days. Sorry about that!
Alex–And when we *make up* days like that, we’re told they’re not realistic!
Wendy–Motherhood might be a good way to push some of my characters over the edge, I’m thinking!
Margot–I would definitely identify with him! :)
Clarissa–Most of the time there IS a good way out. Except you and I write murder mysteries…so luckily for us there are some fictional characters we’re acquainted with who don’t have any self-control.
Jan–Traffic stress! That’s a good one to push people over the edge. I’d forgotten about Anne’s “Jonah Days!” Thanks for the reminder. Of course, nothing beats getting swallowed by a great fish, I guess.
Ike–Ha! Yes, I remember those days. My kids have 4 1/2 years between them so I’d do the same kind of stuff. And somehow it was always the little one that got shortchanged.
My editor would NEVER let me write a day like that one! Too unbelievable. :) And thanks so much for your kind words! Wow. That makes my day. Lulu’s next adventure should be in March/April. Glad the pulled pork worked out!
Crystal–Absolutely! I stole it from my son…so maybe it’s a middle school thing. At least, “snap” is what they say when the parents are around. :)
Laura–I felt quite vengeful after my day and ready to inflict my wrath on my characters. :)
Laura–Well, that’s true, too…if you have a bunch of small stuff it can really add up to a big problem.
Florence–Now that sounds like a recipe for a successful book to me!
And you’re so right about the mom job. And when I’m distracted…it’s an even HARDER job. And I’ve definitely been distracted lately.
Jane–They do, don’t they? But then sometimes, they seem to know best!
Hart–That’s *exactly* what they’d say!
The Daring Novelist–Might provide the reader with a little insight into George’s character? And could be fun to write. :)
Hahaha! I think you have described every day of my life! Oh my word, you poor thing. Love how you connected it to writing. I think the big conflicts are really important, but so are the series of mini conflicts as they help the big conflicts feel more explosive.
My characters’ buttons are usually half-pushed already. They’re born cranky. :)
Simon–Cranky can be fun, though. :) Most of us can relate…
You made me laugh when you said you were starting to feel like one of your characters. Sort of a literary “what goes around comes around.”
Laughter aside, I’m sorry that the day did not go all that well for you!
Sounds like a very bad day. I think we have to push our characters buttongs because they aren’t that interesting unless they are under stress.