Instant Character- Just Add Water

When writing a story, characters find their way into the plot in different ways.

For example, you need a character to help your protagonist out of the predicament they got themselves into. So you craft a character, decide their appearance, choose personality traits, and whatever else seems important. Then you decide when you're going to put them into the story.

Then there's the instant characters. You need to have an interesting character, perhaps you should create one—

VCR

While house-sitting for someone, I decided I would watch a movie. I took out the video tape, put it into the VCR/DVD combo, then set it to VCR mode. To my annoyance, nothing was happening. I pressed 'play', the TV was in the right mode, but I was having no luck.

At one point, I took out the video tape again. I then noticed that all of the tape was on the right reel. Hmm, maybe that means something. I thought sarcastically. I put it onto the machine again, then pressed 'rewind'. I then headed to the stove to continue making dinner.

After a few minutes, I began thinking that it was taking a long time to rewind. I glanced over at the television and saw the credits slowly going by in reverse. Exasperated, I went over to the VCR, pressed 'stop', then hit 'rewind' again.

So, five days after deciding to watch the video, I actually sat down and enjoyed it. If anybody has seen my brain, please contact me at 1-800-VCR-DUHH.

Waiting

In life, we often find ourselves waiting for things. Sometimes it's things like waiting for dinner to cook (it smells so good, and you're so hungry, you just want to eat it NOW), waiting for the tap water to heat up, or waiting for that boring commercial break to finally end. Other times it's waiting for things you're looking forward to but seem so far away, like Christmas. Then there's the sort of waiting we absolutely hate. And if you're in a hurry, or so ill you could just expire right there in front of the vitamin aisle, it takes longer.

I remember when I was sick with bronchitis as a child. It was taking forever for the pharmacy to fill the prescription, and we had been waiting for a while. Feeling tired, sick, unhappy, and impatient, I started complaining about how long it was taking, and how ridiculous it was that we had to wait so long. One of the adults in line commented that I was saying what everyone else was thinking.

More recently, we went to get a tire replaced. The left front tire wasn't holding air very well, and we were tired of constantly having to pump air into it. So we waited while they changed and rotated the tires. And we waited. And we waited. I hadn't slept well, and was really tired that day. I eventually gave up on reading, as my mind would not focus. People came and went, and we were still there.
After a couple of hours, they finished, and we left. Later on, though, we discovered that we still had the bad tire; they replaced the wrong one. So we had to go back. Luckily, they still had the good tire they'd taken off previously. They put it back on and got rid of the bad one, no charge for their mistake. Even so, my mother isn't planning to return to that place.

Luckily, we generally aren't left waiting forever for something to happen. The wondrous-smelling dinner eventually is ready to eat, the tap water heats up, commercial breaks don't last forever, and Christmas Day finally comes. Although we'd love to get rid of the entire concept of having to wait for things, waiting is a part of life, and we must accept it despite the frustration that sometimes comes with it.

No One Can Please Everyone

You can't please everybody. No matter how hard you try, no matter how great you try to be, there will always be someone who isn't impressed. Even perfection doesn't please everyone. If you don't believe that statement, consider that an innocent man who had never done anything wrong was arrested for a crime he did not commit. He was beaten, flogged, spat on, insulted, mocked, and finally nailed to a wooden crucifix by his hands and feet.

If Characters Became Real, Vol. I

In books, plays, movies, TV shows, our imaginations, and many other places, there are fictional characters. These characters live out fascinating lives, sometimes in alternate realities, different time periods, or in fictional worlds.

But what if these fictional characters were to end up in the real world? How might they handle this sudden change, especially if the real world is entirely different from the reality they live in? It's a rather interesting thing to ponder, and could lead to all sorts of crazy things if it were to occur. In this series of posts, we will begin to explore the many 'what if' scenarios associated with fictional characters becoming real.

If anyone has suggestions for future disasters scenarios, please let me know in the comment section below.