When conflict calls

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

 

Do not be kind to your characters.

That is one of the ten commandments of writing. As an author the more…bad stuff I can throw at my characters the better the story. Are they in the mountains? Have one of them fall off a cliff. At the bank? Bring in the outlaws, complete with six shooters and intent on kidnapping the heroine. Oh the problems I can write into their lives with the click of a few keys. It’s the name of the game, the rule of writing.

Thankfully real life doesn’t work that way.

Or does it?

I’ve read many times that writers should never base a manuscript on their lives and they shouldn’t wish for a life like the heroines get. We don’t want the issues that the characters have to face. A nice steady normal is preferred. But when is normal ever really normal?

Today I got up with the intention of writing. My word count was my goal for the day. I was thinking only of how high I could make that number soar. And soar it did. In only a few hours I was pushing 5,000 words. My scene was flowing, my heroine was fuming and my hero was confused. Life was good in my alternate world.

Then reality intruded.

My phone rang.

It never occurred to me to ignore it. I just picked it up and answered my mind still on what was going on in my work in progress. Do not be kind to your characters left my writing world and became part of real life.

My mother had just received a call from my aunt. My grandmother is in the hospital facing major emergency surgery. In a panicked tone my sister informed us from the background that this surgery has a 20% survival rate, either that or the condition does. It was a bit hard to tell which was the most dangerous because my sister was muffled and my mother was talking over the top of her.

As the unofficial family medical research assistant I was told to gather information and call them back right away. I was unable to confirm the numbers but what I did find didn’t look promising. I set the computer aside and called my mother to inform her they’d be well served to make the two hour drive, only to be told they were about to leave.

I do not like being able to understand how my heroines feel when everything goes bad.