Category Archives: characters

judy and frank (i’ve named him just now) don’t have much of a marriage.  she’s always afraid she’s going to do something to piss him off and he’ll want a divorce, but this is just her anxiety.  he’s actually devoted … Continue reading →

i’ve been thinking about the first conversation, the first chapter.  i had to get jim to help me figure out what it was about mom that drives each of them crazy.  mom’ll start in on each of them in turn, … Continue reading →

i feel like changing around my characters.  judy is still the oldest and gordon is the youngest, but rick is the second child and cindy is the third, changing places.  girl boy girl boy.  rick acts like the eldest anyway, … Continue reading →

a friend of mine was telling me the story of her fucked up family.  she’s got a sister who under the guise of concern stalks my friend and goes out of her way to make up family secrets to tell … Continue reading →

i’ve been doing some thinking.  i’ve been ruminating on the characters for a couple of weeks now, because without knowing the characters, i can’t finish weaving the plot. so, here’s what i came up with last night and this morning. … Continue reading →

i’ve been agonizing over how to get into my characters’ heads.  after all, they’re all me, different projections of me, and most of these have been externalized over the years so i don’t have to feel the ugly emotions they’re … Continue reading →

i’ve been thinking about my family members. judy doesn’t much like her husband and puts barriers in the way of loving him.  she picks on him about his forgetfulness and tells him what to do.  she keeps a diary, or … Continue reading →

alright.  i’ve figured out how to write judy’s character convincingly.  as a faint shadow of myself as the eldest in my family, i find that i can’t really get back into the horrible feelings of hatred i harbored 30 years … Continue reading →