The Sleeper Must Awaken!

Regardless of whether you choose to publish your work, or even complete it, writing can be its own reward. There is a great line from the novel, Dune, by Frank Herbert. "The sleeper must awaken."

This is what writing does for me. It awakens the senses and encourages me to pay more attention to what is going on around me. I find myself continually looking for bits and pieces of life that can add spice and realism to my fictional characters.

Example: I was recently at a ho-hum cocktail party with a friend who hails from Alabama. Dan speaks with a lovely, sing-song Southern drawl and peppers his speech with all sorts of colorful Southern sayings.

We were standing behind a tall and attractive red-head. We could not help but overhear her tell her companion for the evening that she was 'twenty-eight'. (She looked much younger.) Her comment caused Dan to spin about and say to her, "You ain't done it!"

Now, for you non-Southerners, Dan's statement roughly translates to, "I can't believe you're twenty-eight." But I digress.

The young woman turned around, regarded Dan for a few, quiet seconds, and then replied, "I've done it lot's of times." She then dismissed the interruption by turning around, having completely destroyed my friend, and resuming her conversation with her companion. It was a classic jaw-drop moment. Dan was literally speechless. For almost an entire week, I would often find Dan staring off into space and muttering, "I shoulda had a comeback." Indeed he should have.

The moment was comedic, memorable and excellent example of verbal swordplay. Think about the possible responses the woman could have made:

"Excuse me, but I wasn't speaking with you." (True, but boring.)
"Oh, yes. I am, too, twenty-eight." (Also boring.)
"Hi, I don't believe we've met. My name is ___." (I'm sure Dan would have much preferred this response.)

What I remember most about the woman was her serene confidence, her wicked humor and her quick intellect. If reduced to film, most of us in the room would have been captured in 'forgettable' grey scale, black and white. This woman, however, came across in memorable, full, 3-D color. I want my major characters to be like her. Commanding. Interesting. Bold.

Happy Writing!

Bob