![Girl on a red carpet--Felice Casorati (1883-1963)[2]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_v68WnMKHlKQ/TUr_72XUX3I/AAAAAAAACS4/fCNFXYj_yqE/s1600-h/Girl%20on%20a%20red%20carpet--Felice%20Casorati%20%281883-1963%29%5B2%5D%5B2%5D.jpg "Girl on a red carpet--Felice Casorati (1883-1963)[2]")
I was talking to another parent the other day and thinking about how even small goals and priorities change with time.
When my daughter was a brand-new baby, my number one goal was just to keep her in clean bibs (spitty baby.) I’d go buy bibs in bulk and find the right size—big enough to keep her from ruining her smoked dresses, but not so big that you couldn’t see the smocking (this was also around the time that I started writing my first book. I think the bibs started boring me. :) )
Shortly afterward, my number one goal was to keep my toddling daughter from losing her lovey, Dirty Baby. Losing Dirty Baby was a complete and utter nightmare. I would do anything to keep from losing that dolly. The child couldn’t sleep, eat, or do anything but wail unless Dirty Baby was in her arms. I ended up buying another baby doll just like that one and dirtying it up myself just in case we had a catastrophe and needed a substitute. I tell you, I was obsessed with Dirty Baby’s well-being.
Then there was my ongoing attempt to get rid of my daughter’s pacifier. She and I ended up sending the pacifiers up to the Guh-guh fairy up in the sky. (Yes. I tied several pacifiers onto a huge bunch of balloons and sent them up into space so that the Guh-guh fairy could redistribute them to babies who still needed binkies.
As my daughter grew older and went to elementary school, obviously, my goals and priorities changed and became broader and less focused on the day-to-day. And I became a bit more focused on me and what I wanted to do since I had a little extra time. That’s when I started pouring more focused energy into my writing.
As I look at the last nine years, I can see tremendous change in my personal priorities.
What about our characters? It’s important to know what our characters want…we hear a lot about that. But what about character growth that causes changes in characters’ goals? As we get older, we experience change (jobs, finances, marriage, divorce, children, empty nests, etc.), and our wants, needs, priorities, and goals change.
Sometimes our goals and priorities can change rapidly in response to an abrupt change of circumstances; a catastrophic financial burden like a family member’s expensive medical problem, a grown child who moves back home, an aging parent, etc.
Obviously, this can also bring conflict or even changes in a character’s outlook on life. Think about the main character in the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life. His priority was always to go off and see the world—until reality in the form of various family and community responsibilities forced him on a different track. So you could even have the character’s dream and the character’s reality be in conflict with each other.
Do you know what your character wants? Has what your character wants changed at all, or could it?
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Also—I have an announcement to make. :) I just signed a contract for a new, three-book mystery series with Penguin’s NAL imprint under my own name. The series is set in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina and the first book (which I’m currently writing) involves a murder that affects members of a quilting guild in the small town of Dappled Hills. Thanks to Penguin and to my agent, Ellen Pepus, for the opportunity!
Elizabeth – How exciting about your new contract!! Wonderful! And about characters changing priorities? I think that’s important to think about, especially if something happens that would normally make people change their priorities. In my WIP, my protag’s priorities change, mostly because of that he finds out in a study he helps conduct, and then again when one of the researchers is killed.
CONGRATS on the book deal! That’s tremendous news!!!!
That is so wonderful, Elizabeth. You so deserve your writing success. I loved this post. It really made me think. Thank you.
Karen
Congratulations on the new contract – can’t wait to read it, though onviously will have to… :)
Wow, what a great step for you!
Congratulations – before you know it you´ll be all over the place, and I will tell my friends I knew you when you were ´only´ famous in the states :D
Wow – kudos on that contract! I agree it is important to adjust goals and aspirations in our characters as they and their situations/worlds develop. Especially if a story evolves over a substantial length of time.
Woohoo! Congratulations, Elizabeth!!! I’m looking forward to this new murder mystery series from you!
Congratulations, Elizabeth! I don’t know how you do it! I’m looking forward to your new series.
I think priorities for our characters must change throughout the story in order to keep the pace moving along and to add a bit of realism.
Congratulations! You are such an inspiration to me. And I always learn something when I visit, too.
Juliette–Thanks so much! I hope you’ll enjoy it. :)
Margot–Thanks! And…the death of a friend would definitely reorder someone’s priorities. Good point that in a murder mystery, priorities are always evolving.
The Old Silly–Good point…or over the course of a series. And, thank you!
Laura–Thanks! I really appreciate it. :)
Alan–Thanks so much! :)
Jane–It does help to make it more realistic, doesn’t it? And thanks!
Karen–Thanks so much, Karen! Hope you’ll have a happy weekend.
CONGRATULATIONS on the newly signed contract! YAY!
And man, you are SO RIGHT about the changing priorities! I LOVE your Guh Guh fairy gift of binkies for other babies! That is too cute! (my son used to say Guh Guh for almost everything, though it stuck the longest for his sister, who eventually was Gunka, until he actually talked). I’m excited about some of the growth I have planned in my next cozy…
Congratulations on the new contract! Look forward to reading them. :D
Well done re the new contract – I’m liking the sound of these new books already.
One of my projects is a series with many of the same characters in each novel, and one thing that’s really interesting is to see them develop – in fact the latest one’s underlying theme is to do with the extent to which people change. It’s still very much a work in progress so I found your post about changing priorities really useful.
Hart–Thank you! I’m excited about it. :)
Maybe guh-guh is easy to say? I wouldn’t have thought so! Man, we had to shell out for major orthodontia equipment to correct the Guh-guh’s damage, too!
A Certain Book–Thank you!
Dorte–I’m always happy to have more imaginary friends to play with! Pretty soon I won’t have time for reality at all. :)
Sheila–Thanks so much!
I think the possibilities for character growth in a series is really exciting–that’s one of the reasons I love reading series as well as writing them. Good luck with yours!
Carol–Thanks so much! And y’all are all an inspiration to me with your support and encouragement. :)
Congratulations on your contract and writing! I have to echo that you are an inspiration and I love all the writing links that you share with us!! Good luck–and thank you!
Dee–Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. :)
As soon as it is ready I am ready to read it.
Congratulatiosn on the new contract.
That new series sounds great.
And isn’t it strange how soon we gigve up on the keep baby clean priority.