When I signed up for today, it vaguely registered I would be writing on my dad's birthday. I was busy with other things, namely finishing the manuscript that was due September 1. Now it's time to write my blog entry and it is, indeed, my dad's birthday.
Birthdays were big in our house. We had a special family dinner, received presents -- usually books -- and had a cake. My sophomore year in high school, we had so many students, they divided us into two groups and we had to share the building. I went to school in the afternoons while a new building was being built. My dad was a minister and worked mostly evenings and weekends so we had time together in the morning when he was in town. He and I decided to bake a cake for my mom's birthday. All went well except that we forgot to wait long enough for the layers to cool before frosting. I can still see my dad trying to repair the damage as I left for my classes. He was patching the huge chunks that had come off the cake with bigger chunks of frosting. I don't remember the party that evening. I do remember his intent look as he tried to fix that cake.
So, how does that fit into writing? That image is so clear in my mind, I keep thinking I should use it in a story. A character will want to give a cake, perhaps a birthday cake, to someone who matters. The scene could be used for some comic relief during an intense story or it could be poignant, showing how much the character cares for the cake's recipient. I haven't used the actual scene yet, I do know I've used my dad's intent emotion and the expression on his face while he was working to add layers to at least one scene in a book.
My dad passed away before I published any of my books but he always encouraged me to use my writing abilities. He pushed all of us to think of possibilities and 'what if?' I'm often asked where my ideas come from. For me, they're everywhere and I know it's partly because of his prodding. I have hundreds of scenes like the one above tucked in my brain. I don't know if it's the chicken or the egg: "Do I see ideas everywhere because I write? or "Because I see ideas everywhere, that's why I write?" Possibilities, puzzles, and patterns intrigue me. For instance, since I'm still on the subject of birthdays, the last digit of the birth dates of my mom, my siblings, and myself is either a 4 or a 5. My dad's birth date is the 19th -- the 9. 4+5 = 9. Will I ever use something like that in my stories or an article? I don't know. But maybe. . . And I like the way the numbers/dates tie us all together.
Writing for Everlasting Love gives me a wonderful opportunity to look at families, life, and love. I can pull in all kinds of ideas and show how love and commitment can lead to a happily-ever-after ending. I don't want it to be an easy road, though, for my characters or my readers. So I'll keep pulling out those memories and have my characters fix crumbling birthday cakes or deal with family losses.
Happy Birthday, Dad!
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3 comments:
Tessa,
My dad's birthday is in five days. He passed away ten years ago (very unexpectedly at the age of 53)but I still miss him. When I got the cvall from ebverley that I sold, he was the first person I wanted to tell, because he's the one who always encouraged me. I credit him with my incredibly vivid imagination and with the believe that I would get a book published if I worked hard enough.
I guess it's a dad thing :)
Tracy, I often feel the same way. My dad was only 49 and didn't meet any of his grandkids. We've kept 'Grandpa Stan' alive through stories and it's fun to see the characteristics of his that the cousins all share. He gave me the gift of revising, revising, revising! I have pages of his sermons that were scribbled over to get the words just right.
My mom used to make or order these cakes where the cake was the flowing part of a ladies gown. Now carrot cakes are the tradition although the cake that started it was interesting for what came afterwards. It was the first birthday cake since my college days and my mom brought it special to where I was living. The next week, my entire apartment complex was flooded by a tropical storm and I lost half of my possessions, including my books.... I would give anything to be able to talk with my grandparents, great aunts and great grandmother today. They were all avid readers, much more so than my parents, and I would now love to talk to them about books. I've always been an avid reader but now we would have more boos in common.
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