Character Growth

Currently reading - Poison Kisses by Stephanie Draven

I have the house to myself for the month of December.  Well, except for Wonder Dog, the only male member who did not head to Nana and Papa's for the holidays.  Since I don't have either a ten-year-old or a husband's uncomfortable laughter to deal with, I've been enjoying a Sex and the City marathon.

Viewing all six seasons back-to-back, I can revel in the memories and the humor.  But what I loved most about these stories was never the dating fiascos or sex-capades.  It was watching the girls grow, and grow up, leaving behind their preconceived notions of Mr. Right.

Instead of the perfect WASP marriage with children, Charlotte found her bald Jewish attorney with puppies.  Miranda finally admitted she was passionately in love, not with a high-powered business man or a celebrity doctor, but with Steve, the nerdy, sweet bartender.  Samantha discovered her soul mate in Smith, her waiter/model/actor boytfriend who taught the really sick pleasure of. . .just holding hands.

And then there was Carrie and Big.

Maybe that's why I wasn't as pleased by the girls' first theatrical movie and haven't bothered to watch the second one.  It seemed like all four took major steps backwards in their character growth.

And that's the important thing in your stories as well.  Your characters need to be moving forward.  Without progress, all you have left is rehash after rehash of scenes.

My Heroines Have Always Been Tomboys

My heroines are not girly, and my crit partners are never sure how to handle that fact.

Take Bebe for example. She's a doctor born to wealth and privilege but has a tendency to self-medicate after a stint with Doctors Without Borders in Africa. Her drug of choice - Jack Daniels.

Samantha can name all thirty-two starting NFL quarterbacks and still cheers for her beloved Rams despite their move to St. Louis.

An Amazon-trained warrior, Phillippa bakes a mean apple pie and decorates her kitchen in blue-check gingham.

I've had to fit into the male-dominated farming, computer and legal professions all my life. I learned to speak sports and cars at an early age. In the late '80's, I roomed with a female cousin, a cop in D.C. when the city was the murder capital of the U.S. My first martial arts instructor was a female fifth-degree black belt.

Think my past leaks into my writing? Makes me wonder what my crit partners really think of me.