(I know, "The Tale of Doggy Poggy" is so much more clever. (Cleverer?) I'm saving that for the real story, and that comes later.)
This has been hanging around, taking up space on the mental to-do list for over a week now, so I figured I'd better just catch it on the page already. If your life was written into a book, would you read it?
Not an original thought, by any means. (Mary Oliver alone has said it better a hundred times.) It's one that's taken on new meaning, though, greater weight for me these last couple of weeks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I need to make the most of my life. Yes, it's the only shot I've got. Do I want to be interesting? Of course. But lately... well, what am I waiting for?
Would your life make it as a bestseller? Would it be a novel or a biography? Beach read or literary success? Thriller, romance, coming-of-age story? I fear that mine would be a textbook, dry and matter-of-fact, collecting dust on a shelf in the back corner of the fifth floor of the public library. The part where all of the books have the same color spine, and plain gold lettering. "DOGGY POGGY: 1977-2059".
I'm not talking about self-esteem here, or worrying about what other people think (I suppose the bestseller part may have been a bit misleading). I mean: would I want to read this book? And the answer (would I be thinking about this otherwise?) is no. This book is boring! And I'm not just talking about the last couple of pages here, we're at least a chapter into the boring stuff, and I'm pretty sure I would have put it down by now in favor of another one on the night stand.
So what am I waiting for? I'm a writer - write something interesting! Put something good on the page. Because a plot twist is long overdue...
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Fantastic post, C. It sounds like a kick-off, a launch, the start of something great. Besides that, it's a great metaphor. I can tell I'm going to be stewing on the question for awhile. All I can say right now is that stories where nothing happens to the protagonist are a snooze. And that the bad stuff that happens to a beloved character is generally more interesting than the straightforward successes. And that if a character doesn't change, then what's the point of reading about her. Actually... I think I'm having a lightbulb moment: this line of reasoning is helping me to see the "bad stuff" in an entirely new way. All that pain and discomfort that forces change -- in a novel (and maybe even in life) that's the GOOD stuff.
ReplyDeleteOooohh, comments! I'm positively gleeful, Kate! Thanks so much for your thoughtful response. You got it - exactly the message I was trying to convey, and glad you could take it a bit further. Thanks again!
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