Those are
words that can sometimes make your skin crawl.
Some of us
deflate a little on payday when we have to sit down with a stack of bills and
pay them – especially when there are unexpected expenses. That money seems to
dwindle faster than we can pay the piper.
Reality is
something we sometimes forget when writing a book. I mean the kind of reality
we each have to deal with on a daily basis.
Sandi lives
the romantic life of a private investigator. It sounds good, doesn’t it? Of
course, that life includes murder, hard work, dealing with difficult people and
figuring out who the bad guy is. Unfortunately, it also includes paying the
bills for both home and business, grocery shopping, cooking, feeding the dog
and running all kinds of errands. I often forget those essential parts of her
life.
She and Pete
don’t have a perfect marriage, but that’s reality, too. They fuss over things
sometimes which is normal for any married couple. Often the issues are small
ones.
I remember a
woman in a restaurant telling a story about going out to dinner with her
husband. When she got to the part about what they had for dessert, things got
out of control. She said they had rhubarb pie. He said, no, that they’d had
apple pie. She corrected him and insisted it had been rhubarb. He, in turn,
corrected her. Uh oh. Before long things got out of control. She stomped out of
the restaurant. He whipped out his wallet, threw money on the table, and
stomped out after her.
They could
have argued about something of substance, but no, it was about pie.
I suspect
Pete and Sandi would be more likely to argue about spending money and paying
bills, or one of them taking too many chances when dealing with a client or a
crime. Of course, the pie issue could lead to some humor.
In most cases
I enjoy a book that breaks away from the drama for a moment and lets the
character do something normal, like feed the baby or take out the trash. It
makes them feel more real to me.
The same
applies to pets. If a dog starts barking, it doesn’t always mean there’s a
stranger nearby. Earlier today one of my dogs started barking and wouldn’t
stop. I went to the door to hush her up, and found her lying on the patio,
casually barking at nothing. I guess she just wanted to hear her own voice. She
also always manages to get the last “word” in, too. I tell her to be quiet and
she barks one last time before moving on to something else. It’s like she’s
saying, “I’ll stop barking when I’m good and ready. Okay, I’m ready.”
Reality can
be anything – a kid coming to the door to sell cookies or the one whose ball
landed in your backyard and he wants it back, a delivery man, someone who
mistakenly received your mail along with his own, or a neighbor complaining
about your dog barking. Thankfully, none of my neighbors have complained – yet.
Your
protagonist might be on the phone listening to a bad guy threaten her life, and
suddenly the voice of reality comes from outside the front door. “Yoohoo. I need your help.” It’s the
little old lady from across the street whose toilet is running over and she
can’t turn off the water.
Reality is
what it is, things that happen in everyday life. I think a dose of the little
old lady or the kid with an armful of cookies can help the reader relate to the
story and your characters.
I guess you’d
have to call this a Reality Check. There’s more to a mystery than the mystery.
Life happens, and your characters have to be ready to juggle events.
Just thought
I’d mention it.
Until next
time, treat yourself to a piece of pie and enjoy every morsel. Just don’t try
to tell anyone what kind you had.
CLICK HERE to
visit Marja McGraw’s website
CLICK HERE
for a quick trip to Amazon.com
My new book,
Black Butterfly – A Bogey Man Mystery, is nearing completion. In the meantime,
if you haven’t read Bogey’s Ace in the Hole, you might give it a try. And
remember, this is fiction. No child, or Church Lady, or mother-in-law was
harmed in the writing of this book. They simply make good characters.
