Memory or Dream?

When I write a story, which isn't as often as I would like, I try to make my characters as real as I possibly can. To do this I find it helpful to give them hopes and dreams, feelings, doubts, and sometimes even significant memories that have shaped them into the people they have become. I don't write down character fact sheets or bios, though that may help for the stories that I put down and come back to after a significant amount of time. Instead, I have made a habit of keeping these things in my mind as I write.

I suppose another way of saying it is that while back story can be good, there are a lot of details that should be known by the writer but left out of the writing. Think of it as a way to maintain continuity without overburdening the reader with details that may dampen the impact or flow of your writing.

Have you ever had a memory that seems so unreal that it could only be chalked up as a dream, yet so vivid that it remains almost impossible to believe it could have been anything other than reality? I remember being quite certain when I was around five years old that my older sister, younger brother, and I had sat down with our dad as he unwrapped the outer layer of  a few double A batteries and smeared the uncovered "cheese" onto crackers for us to eat. Of course I realized a few years later that there was no possible way that we could have eaten battery cheese as we would have gotten a nasty taste of acid instead... but somehow the dream must have gotten miscategorized somehow in the ol' thinkbox.

Are there certain perceptions in our stories that can be altered slightly without lying to the reader and would this be of any real benefit to the tale? Trickery is a weak hand to play in most cases and it takes a real master to pull it off well. Make no mistake, I am not suggesting that we pursue such a ruse. What I'm talking about is the natural evolution of understanding. Seeing a situation in a predetermined light and then developing into a higher understanding is a demonstration of growth. It's a journey that starts out with our characters interpreting a set of variables based upon preconceived notions that may or may not have a basis of truth, and ends with a form of enlightenment, shedding light on the origin of those same notions. The hard part to that path is allowing your character to come to the realization without forcing them down the road, trust me -- your reader will notice.

Speaking of memories that seem a little unreal... I could swear I remember watching to very vivid movies as a child that I have never been able to find in my many hours of searching since. There is a chance that I just don't know what to search for, which is quite likely, but there is also the chance that perhaps they were only as real as the battery cheese spread across the saltine crackers.

The first movie was a lot like Willow in some regards. There is a perilous quest and members of the quest are given certain items to help them along the way. The ragtag group of adventurers set out and at some point they must cross a vast dessert wherein they find themselves hopelessly lost. After reaching the point of despair one of them (I think it was a boy) discovers that his gift might help them. He tosses the item into the sand and it zooms off into the distance, leaving them struggling to catch up as they follow in its wake. All I remember after that is them reaching some kind of cave and that they are able to move on with their adventure.

The next movie was actually quite entrancing -- so much so that I can't believe I could have possibly made it up. It involves a girl who walks through a mirror into a mystical world. The memory is foggy so I can't quite remember what happened afterward except that she discovered it wasn't what it had appeared to be at first. The only way to make it back into the real world was to eat a glowing fruit (a tomato I believe) from a magical plant that grew in a container not unlike the one that is depicted holding the rose in Beauty and the Beast.

So, if I were the character of a story, what could these memories, or faux memories as the case may be, lend to the story? In this case, perhaps our main character has a problem distinguishing reality from the mechanisms of his active imagination? Taking it a step further, what if our main character embarks upon a fantastical adventure where nothing is quite as it seems, only to slowly discover through each new twist a reoccurring self doubt stemming from an obviously false memory of eating cheese from a battery? If the center of these delusions is based in a mental hospital, it would not be unreasonable to be reminded of the memory by another patient explaining that they had heard once that batteries contained within them the most delectable of cheeses. This could further our main character's confusion, causing him to wonder if he had created the interaction with the other patient or if the encounter had been nothing more than another dream, a waking dream from which he could not escape. To adjust the flow of this story we could mix in sessions with the main character's therapist.

This has been an exaggeration of the concept, of course, but the premise remains. Our stories are about the interactions and growth of our characters. This journey generally alters the way our characters interact with or understand their surroundings. In this they are human, in this they are believable.

You've been robbed!

It seems like it wasn't too long ago that I was posting about having my gas siphoned out of my Jeep at night while it was parked in my driveway. Well, bandits have struck again. This time they took advantage of the fact that my kids didn't shut the garage door after playing like I had told them to. They got into my wife's van and took about 50 dollars in change that was headed for the bank and her wallet.

I try to imaging what this person (or persons) needed the money for. Was it kids from one of the local schools? Someone that I may have offended at some point? Was it a professional that cases subdivision after subdivision, taking the change from unlocked cars? Was our car the golden goose? Furthermore, does that good luck cement my house as a potential repeat target? I suppose the thrill of the find would associate "good feelings" about the deed on a psychological level.

Whoever they are, it wasn't very nice. It just wasn't my week. Things were rough at the new job. The folks back East that I have to coordinate fix actions with seem very adverse to change. The impermeable attitude that security lacks urgency seems daunting, to say the least. I had to bite my tongue and take the high road during a meeting because I realize that the prize of being right is too high, I've still got to work with these people in the future. But my lack of defiance only seemed to bolster their mistaken premise that they had been correct in the matter. Oh well, you can't control everything, you've just got to do your best and move on. I did my part, I pointed out the deficiency and when it fell on deaf ears I took another route and got the answer I needed on my own. Sure, let me do your job for you! Oh, there I go again. I'd better stop that.

I worked on Ethereal Wings a bit more the other night. I am in a bit of a stalled state as I try to adjust to this new job and the demands it requires. Do I push myself to study for Certification tests one after the other, or do I try to balance writing and studying on top of working full time? The answer is actually a simple one... I should try to write each day, even if it is only for a short while. To avoid doing it because I'm "too busy" is nothing short of an excuse -- a bad one at that.

I came up with another idea for a short story compilation. Ideas are a dime a dozen when you aren't sitting down to get them into print. I wrote it down to add to my list for when times are tough inspiration-wise. As it stands I've still got two unfinished short stories and a novel that needs attention. The funny thing is that I know I'm not alone on this one. I've heard from several other writers who find themselves in the exact same place. We all face these roadblocks but we've just got to keep pressing on, keep moving forward.

Unexpected things will pop up in our lives. We'll be wrongly chastised in meetings when we're right, we'll be called liars when we tell the truth, our trust will be violated, people will lie to us, our pets will eventually die, our friends will betray us... in the end it isn't what happened to you that is important, it's how you reacted. The same is true for our characters. We give them the worst of it but we also give them the courage to find a way to keep on going. If we have such a gift to give, how can we not see that same courage within ourselves? Just keep writing. You can do it.