Conundrums

Every have one of those mornings when you are trying to think up a blog topic, but life's pesky problems keep interfering and you got NOTHIN'? But THEN, when you finally get NAKED, it comes to you—life's pesky problem has a WRITING lesson! Your PROBLEM is your SOLUTION! So now you know where I'm coming from.

I requested a problem-free life, sponsored by a sugar daddy who danced like I like and is happiest when I'm happy, and so indulged me by just letting me write all day (except of course when I ring that little bell, then I'm attended by Cabana Boys). I keep waiting, but it hasn't happened yet.

Instead, I got a real life:

The Problem

I have a teenage daughter. And that is enough of a problem all on its own, but she will turn 15 in April, which means she is now old enough for driver's ed (14 and 9 months in Michigan, then you are done for the 'permit' at 15—this graduated license thing... all well and good except for the 57,000 hours driving time that is required to be supervised by parents). So LAST MONTH after much begging and negotiating (yada yada responsibility, yada yada grades) I signed her up for driver's ed.

I signed her up for the 4-6 class because she has synchronized swim practice from 5:30-8 (the other driver's ed is 6-8), so we figured the coach would just have to be content that she was a little late for the last couple weeks... What we did NOT know was that when she switched to WATER POLO (again, sadly not taught by the US water polo team)–with no break from synchro, in fact actually there is OVERLAP in practices—water polo has already STARTED, that THOSE practices would be from 3-5:30...

There was no way to win. Either class interfered with ONE of the sports. Were she to wait until NEXT month and do a late one, then it would interfere with GAMES. Same with the month after. June school gets out and she has thousands of plans... There isn't a good time.

Not that it does any good to worry; I don't even know if I CAN change her time—it's paid for, and she may just be stuck.


What's the Writing Lesson?

Books where the hero is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't—where the options are CLEAR and the outcomes are either bad or worse... where he is forced into some sacrificial situation or something is the BEST kind of dilemma... My writing lessons often come back to JK Rowling—this time it is the emphasis on CHOICES. The reader should see the hero has choices, see that NONE of them is easy, and see that the hero is only doing what he feels he HAS to do.

It is compelling story telling when the reader is put in the position of making the choice along with hero, and we have been led so clearly, put in the same situation, that WE ALSO make the same choice. I by far prefer that to watching a character make a stupid decision for some reason we don't quite grasp (though I can live with the latter if the consequences lead to a life lesson... I love character life lessons so that I can live vicariously, rather than having to learn those things the hard way).