Margo Sorenson provided Thursday's Quick Write
Before I started writing, I thought a lot about characters. Can characters be made in a vacuum? I mean, how does an author find or create a character without being influenced by the personalities of people they know? I don't know the answers to these questions. I also don't know if I am puzzling over this to avoid getting to work.
I started this last week and wrote it in my pencil/paper journal, but forgot to post it here so my Thursday post is just the teensiest bit late.
The Library
Lisa reluctantly pushed open the heavy library door. It was crunch time. If she didn't get this ridiculous assignment done today, her grade would completely tank. That wouldn't be anything new really, but she had hoped that somehow this year would be different. Her older sister Sarah practically lived in the library when she was in school, but not Lisa. She avoided this place like the plague. Rows and rows of books stood ready to drag her into the dungeon for another agonizing round of torture. She could almost hear them cackling in glee as she stepped into the room. She imagined that they were rubbing their pages together in anticipation as they eyed her.
If only the words didn't seem like a puzzle every single time. If only she didn't feel like her brain melted each time she turned a page. When would it ever get easier? Years of "special" reading classes hadn't fixed whatever was wrong with her. Sarah even tried to help, but couldn't really understand what was holding Lisa back. Most mornings when Lisa got up and looked in the mirror, Stupid stared back. Slow, Stupid, or Loser all took their turns visiting her in the mirror.
Fortunately, she could escape them, at least for a little while, when she ran. Because when Lisa ran, she was someone else entirely. She wasn't the loser that couldn't even read the easy books. She was fast and she imagined she could do or be anything. She felt strong when her feet were hitting the ground. She could scare the demons away or at least avoid them for a little while. If only reading could be like that. If only....
Before I started writing, I thought a lot about characters. Can characters be made in a vacuum? I mean, how does an author find or create a character without being influenced by the personalities of people they know? I don't know the answers to these questions. I also don't know if I am puzzling over this to avoid getting to work.
I started this last week and wrote it in my pencil/paper journal, but forgot to post it here so my Thursday post is just the teensiest bit late.
The Library
Lisa reluctantly pushed open the heavy library door. It was crunch time. If she didn't get this ridiculous assignment done today, her grade would completely tank. That wouldn't be anything new really, but she had hoped that somehow this year would be different. Her older sister Sarah practically lived in the library when she was in school, but not Lisa. She avoided this place like the plague. Rows and rows of books stood ready to drag her into the dungeon for another agonizing round of torture. She could almost hear them cackling in glee as she stepped into the room. She imagined that they were rubbing their pages together in anticipation as they eyed her.
If only the words didn't seem like a puzzle every single time. If only she didn't feel like her brain melted each time she turned a page. When would it ever get easier? Years of "special" reading classes hadn't fixed whatever was wrong with her. Sarah even tried to help, but couldn't really understand what was holding Lisa back. Most mornings when Lisa got up and looked in the mirror, Stupid stared back. Slow, Stupid, or Loser all took their turns visiting her in the mirror.
Fortunately, she could escape them, at least for a little while, when she ran. Because when Lisa ran, she was someone else entirely. She wasn't the loser that couldn't even read the easy books. She was fast and she imagined she could do or be anything. She felt strong when her feet were hitting the ground. She could scare the demons away or at least avoid them for a little while. If only reading could be like that. If only....
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