The Process: Ordinary People

I have been attempting to complete Chapter Two of my "Ordinary People" fictional piece. I am realizing that one of my weaknesses in writing my novels is that I do not map out the characters in my stories. I usually allow the story to unfold as I write. This approach has made me less effective, slow, and is totally subject to the whims of the events of my day in the real world.

For instance, I have been reading Ladder of Years: A Novel by Anne Tyler. It's a story about a 40-year old wife and mother who, out of the blue, walks out on her family. The story follows Delia, the main character, and her journey after walking away from her husband and family. I give this short summary of the novel because my main character in ORDINARY PEOPLE, who hasn't been named yet, was beginning to sound like Delia. Even though many married women can identify with Anne Tyler's portrayal of a woman who is tired of being a wife and mother, I don't want my character to be and sound the same as another character. Does that make sense? Delia is, however, an interesting character but very similar to many women across the world. Though I can't say that I can identify with the mother part, I can definitely follow Delia's dissatisfaction with being a wife. Being a wife is not as bad as I just made it sound. It's definitely tough though. Sometimes there are more bad days than good but the good is REALLLLLY good.

In the past I have tried writing stories that was everything that I thought would be interesting or "deep" to the audience. That is just NOT working for me nor do I think it would work for any true writer. I am beginning to trust my own voice. I don't want to ponder how an audience receives my writing - I want to write from my gut and from a position that is authentic to me.

A couple months ago I read The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis and saw the Oprah interview. If I remember correctly, Oprah asked Ayana if any of the characters were similar to her. Ayana said that none of it is pulled from experience. The characters were from her imagination. I find that hard to believe because many of the characters I develop have some kind of similarity to me. I thought that was an interesting statement. Forgive me if I am remembering that interview incorrectly. I read the entire book and I did a short summary back in March about it. I wasn't as excited as Oprah was about that book only because it left me wanting more from it. To introduce so many different characters and leave all their stories so open-ended was a real drag by the end of the book.

I hope to post Chapter 2 on Friday. If not, definitely by Monday.

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ORDINARY PEOPLE : CHAPTER 1 "SHOWER TO SHOWER"

ORDINARY PEOPLE | C01 | "Shower to Shower"

Shower to Shower.
I need a bottle of Shower to Shower.

I push my wagon through the health and beauty section looking for the Shower to Shower. I turn the corner of the hair products aisle when I first see him. A quick glance of instant attraction; the kind of chemistry that draws two people together is aflutter. He is not a "pretty boy" by any stretch of the imagination. In that moment, I realize that I have never seen such beautiful skin. Coffee brown. His shoulders, broad and wide. The way the sweater lay on his chest indicates the body underneath. I'd bet that he plays rugby.

I quickly move past him, looking for my Shower to Shower powder.  I love the smell of that powder. I'm not leaving the store until I find it. I am doing laps in the health and beauty section and am still unsuccessful in my attempt to find my powder. I pass 'coffee brown' again. He looks up at me and grins.

Is he grinning at me? I blush and move past him for the second time. I notice that his head is shaped like a football. Very oval. Not round. His legs are hidden beneath a comfortable pair of khaki pants, white low-cut tennis shoes, and a beige light-weight sweater with a thin blue stripe across his chest.

Was I looking that hard? He looked a little lost and quizzical, like he wanted to ask me a question. I keep walking down the aisle and giggle as I realize he's standing in front of the feminine products. Where is the darn Shower to Shower?

As I round the aisle again, my cart collides with another cart. 

"Sorry. Excuse me," Coffee Brown grins.

"It's okay. No harm done," I retort.

I suddenly feel self-conscious about the current condition of my hair. The humidity of the day has rendered my hair a birds nest of frizz. Couple that with the aroma of my drying sweat rising from my gym clothes and I am a total disaster.

I begin to maneuver past him but he's stopped still and unmoving.

"Whoops. Excuse me," I tell him.

"You're not excused. I'm not moving," says Coffee Brown with a faint accent.
"I have a question to ask you, if you don't mind."

"I don't work here. I'm a customer just like you are."

His arrogance makes me gag and just like that, I imagine stamping a big "ACCESS DENIED" across his forehead before filing him away in my mind. My 30-second  size-up of him was obviously just physical. His exposed conceit is not exactly my cup of tea.

"I know that," he says, with his chin up and his eyes staring down at me.

I attempt to shuffle past him. He moves his cart to block my progress. I look up at him dead in his eye, tilt my head to the left, and purse my lips. A wicked smile parts his lips, revealing a beautiful set of white teeth.

"So do you have time for a question, Miss _______," he trails off, waiting for me to fill in the blank.

"You can't pronounce it even if I tell you what it is," I tell him.

"Try me."

Even though my name is the simplest name you could imagine, I instantly try to think of the long Hawaiian names in my genealogy just so I can be right. Hmmm... I have the perfect name.

"Keli'ikuhalahala. Try that," I respond.

He repeats after me. My great, great, great, great grandfather's name rolls off his tongue. Surprised, I pull my cart back, shrug my shoulders, and step around him.

I turn around to see if he's following me and watch him, with his back turned already, walk away from me. Weird! I roll my eyes and wonder what just went down. I make my way to the check out, thoroughly frustrated that I didn't find the Shower to Shower but more frustrated by my interaction with 'coffee brown'.

As I'm loading my car, I hear a motorcycle pull up to me. I look up expecting to see 'coffee brown'. He has invaded my thoughts in such a short period of time. At first, it was the sight of him in front of the feminine products that caught my attention in a good way. Then, his arrogance irritated me. Top it off, he walks away from me after our little interaction.

I turn to see who has pulled up next to me and find 'coffee brown'. In his hand is a single, yellow rose.

"Miss Keli'ikuhalahala, this is for you," he says.

He hands me the rose, revs his engine then takes off.

My mouth is agape as I stand there with this yellow rose in my hand. I notice a few people stare and grin at whatever they just witnessed. I don't know how the audience interprets the exchange between 'coffee brown' and I but my brain is reeling. I watch him ride away. I don't know his name. I know nothing about him except for my very confusing first impression.

I sit in my car thinking about the last thirty minutes. What just happened? Why am I sitting here in utter disbelief about the events that have transpired. My hunt for Shower to Shower resulted in a yellow rose from a complete stranger. The mystery of him takes root in my mind and I wonder when our paths will cross again.