Friday, March 27, 2009

In which I have too much time on my hands

Tonight my flatmates have much more glamorous things to do, so I'm holding up the watching-tv-alone fort on my own. It's ok, actually; I've got a nice view over the city of Point B, the air is flowing nicely through the flat, and salt and pepper squid in the oven....which I should probably check on.

And now that I've spent fifteen minutes trying to cleanse my eye of the oil/garlic/chilli that spattered with alarming specificity into my eye, I've decided that experimentation in the kitchen is not for me. I wonder if your eyeball can blister...

Anyway. Today I dipped back into some old writing work, and currently am toying with a particular character who seems to be lacking in, well, character. I tend to insert pieces of my own personality into my character, and it seems poor old Lucy displays my boring and safe side. She needs to shake it up a little.

Me: Hey, Lucy. I've been rethinking your character. I don't want you to revert to the stereotypical action girl, but do you think we could try something a little more rounded?

Lucy: You mean, sarcastic and sparkling?

Me: Too 'Elizabeth Bennett'.

Lucy: What about giggly and self-absorbed?

Me: I'm pretty sure that's taken.

Lucy: Can't you try developing a completely ordinary character?

Me: Well, yes, but even ordinary people are more than spectators in their own stories.

Lucy: Rude!

Me: I tell it like it is, babycakes.

Lucy: I hope you're just trying to shock me into new characteristics.

Me: I'll let you know if you start displaying any.

See, now I'm just beating up on a fictional character. This, my friends, is what comes of having too much time on your hands.

Meanwhile, I'm looking for work, in the sense that I spend a lot of time looking at jobs and thinking that I'm never going to get hired to do anything because I'm trained for nothing. Stupid lack of interest in law. So if anyone out there hears of a fabulous position that pays well and comes with compulsory puppy-cuddling, let me know. Maybe I should just go and play with the worms in the garden.

Time for dessert.

2 comments:

bethini said...

You can't leave us hanging: what was for dessert after the S&P squid?

I think the problem with characters is that they tend to take on their own personalities, as you discovered in your conversation with Lucy. She strikes me as a raised-eyebrow kinda gal. And then when you try and get them to do what you tell them, you get sassback and arguments. Like teenagers.

Odyssey said...

I had a triple fudge cookie, which also said it was gluten free. And while I'm not sure what gluten is, it made me feel better about eating it.

Also it didn't spit at me.

Yeah, characters can be tricky. I think Lucy's good people, but she needs to stop mimicking other characters.