Dear Protagonist: Camp NaNoWriMo Days 12-14

Camp NaNoWriMo Days 12-14!

Today I have decided to express some of my frustrations about character development in epistolary form…

Dear Protagonist,

I feel like I’ve met you before in real life, but that can’t be, because you are the person I always wanted to exist but doesn’t. I feel like I know you, but at the same time I can’t quite picture your face, and I’m no good at drawing so I can’t even approximate you with colored pencils.

Protagonist, I kind of want to be you, but I also don’t really, because I made you face all the things that terrify me. My job is to push situations at you that people don’t see how you could get out of and then wait for you to probably get out of them anyway. Each sharp word or punch thrown is a grain of sand that weighs you down a little more until the foaming wave rolls up and comes at you, crashing.

They say if you hold up a conch shell, you can hear the ocean in it, but I can hear you too. I have conversations with you sometimes, and I know you want to be more than you are. You want to be a one-woman show – heck, you want to write your own script. I’m not stopping you.

Protagonist, I think maybe I am you. All I want is a little control. Isn’t that what we all search for? We all want to be lifting the pen. We all want to be signing the page.

Sincerely,

Writer

Haiku of the day:

Dear protagonist:
Sometimes when I think out loud
I hear you talk back

The Masked Writer: Camp NaNoWriMo Day 11

Camp NaNoWriMo Day 11

Seven months ago, my thoughts on masks were mostly centered on wondering how, in fiction, a piece of fabric covering a fraction of the face could completely conceal an identity. Regular people can become superheroes by putting on a mask. You can be two people at once.

Now with the pandemic, it still catches me off guard sometimes when I see commercials or stock photos promoting an activity without any outright mention of COVID, and the people in them are casually wearing face masks. It’s strange to think how societal behaviors can change so quickly!

In my day job, I’m now wearing a face mask often for almost eight hours a day. I’m glad to do what I can to keep people safe. It’s also making me feel like a character in a book – somehow I don’t feel like quite the same person in a mask, or at least that my perspective is different. It’s like I’m looking through a car window, even though it’s not my eyes that the mask obstructs.

Here are some lighthearted observations I’ve had about wearing a mask and customer service:

  • My eyes aren’t as expressive as I thought! I have to really squint to show I’m smiling.
  • In fact, there’s a lot of emotions that don’t come across. I need to work on using my eyebrows more, I guess!
  • I’m not as frazzled by angry customers anymore. They can’t tell I’m on edge as easily, and for some reason…that keeps me calm?
  • Complimenting mask design is a fun conversation starter!

Here’s an interesting writing prompt: you know how writers are always told to show their characters’ emotions with their face and actions, rather than naming the emotion they’re experiencing? Write a scene where 2 characters are wearing masks, and see how much the emotional cues change.

Daily haiku:

Behind a face mask
I'm any protagonist
Of any tall tale

How a Poet Gets Things Done: Camp NaNoWriMo Day 10

Camp NaNoWriMo Day 10

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know that I have a thing for lists. And they’re even more fun if you approach them creatively.

So, for today, I’m merely sharing my to-do list, in the form of a haiku.

Today's to-do list:
Break a curse, solve a riddle
Build a world that grows