August 24, 2008
The Sunday Scribblings Prompt this week is How I Met My…. I immediately thought of one of the most important instances in my fictional world: when Mitchell and Kerri met.
BUT, I’ve got a life. And that life demanded that I join the Cub Scouts and the rest of my family (still-infected finger and all) for a weekend up in Cook Forest State Park. Camping. Which means the only writing I did was in my head. I did a lot of writing last night; every time I closed my eyes, I was back on that damn canoe.
Mitchell and Kerri will have to wait until later in the week. For now, it’s all about the old stuff.
I have posted two great stories in this vein here on the blog. Both have their great qualities and it’s hard to choose one to talk about first.
Check out Chelle LaFleur‘s post that started out to be about a local musician named Jock LaFeet and became, instead, about Chelle’s introduction to four guys driving around the country in Dad’s Ford Bronco. Four guys who call themselves ShapeShifter.
Read it here — and laugh with me about how Chelle’s voice has evolved into something I now adore. Hope you do, too.
Whoops. A third introduction crept into my awareness. (Read on for the second; I’m out of order for the moment.) The first time ShapeShifter runs into Deadly Metal Hatchet. I miss DMH. Do you? If you’re not sure, here it is: Trevor and Mitchell first meet. Read it here, if you haven’t seen it yet. Or in a cleaned up form, as a downloadable .pdf, go here.
“How I met…” stories are important in writing fiction. Without them, your characters have no history. That makes it harder to create the all-important backstory that makes them come alive.
Now, if someone can explain why the river came alive behind my closed eyes last night, I’d appreciate it. That’s one “How I met” experience that I could live without. It better think twice if it thinks it’s welcome to return tonight…
Winter
August 24, 2008 11:23 pm
Gah! You are an amazing woman to do that camping thing. Really. I don’t that I could handle being far from a repeater tower. LOL
bunnygirl
August 24, 2008 11:51 pm
Wow, synchronicity! I wrote and posted a flash piece this morning about how two of my Steal Tomorrow characters met. The universe is a funny place! :-)BR/BR/As for the canoe thing, that sounds like the time Dan and I went whale-watching and later that night at dinner, and even after we got back to our Bamp;B, every time I closed my eyes, I felt like I was back on that boat.BR/BR/I think it has something to do with being a landlubber. Camping and canoing sounds like a blast, though!
anthonynorth
August 25, 2008 6:16 am
I suppose nearly every novel ever written tells the story of meetings. No interaction without it.
Anonymous
August 25, 2008 8:33 am
That’s great about the water returning when you close your eyes! I haven’t had the same experience yet, I felt it before we went canoeing. 😉
FRIGGA
August 25, 2008 11:01 am
Okay, I think I’ve read at least one of those already, but I’ll have to go back to those posts and reread them 🙂 (I have a really really bad memory!)BR/BR/Happy Monday! 🙂
Petra
August 25, 2008 10:18 pm
I am new to your blog, so I don’t know exactly what you are talking about, but I have the same problem with things coming alive in my head at night. I spend a lot of time laying awake at night reliving events and writing in my head. I’m tired.
Thomma Lyn
August 26, 2008 2:16 am
I love reading how characters met. 🙂 BR/BR/And though I’m hiking up a storm (pun sorta intended — we’re supposed to get remnants of Tropical Depression Fay today), you’re making me wanna go camping!
Julia Smith
August 26, 2008 4:56 pm
I’d never caught the meeting of Mitchell and Trevor – thanks for the link! Your camping trip sounds amazing, even if you did have the river revisit you later.
Leah Braemel
August 26, 2008 5:16 pm
Last time we went camping, there was a huge thunderstorm that ripped the fly off the tent and we had to go racing out to catch it before it ended up on the other side of Lake Ontario. Then the danged tent nearly took off because only my youngest son who was about five years old at the time was in it. And the little rug rat slept through the entire thing. No one wanted to go camping again after that. (Plus this summer has been so cold and damp, it’s not exactly enticing.) You’ve got more courage and stamina than I do, Susan.
Amy Ruttan
August 27, 2008 9:25 am
I’ve never read teh Trevor Mitchell meeting.BR/BR/Thanks for sharing it again.
Toni
August 27, 2008 2:52 pm
Hey Susan, BR/BR/I have an award for you… BR/BR/http://www.itisnaptime.com/2008/08/award-for-me.html