storytellers

Deleted, but Not Defeated
by Peggy Wirgau

The experts enjoy telling us how to make our characters come alive. But what happens if those characters actually do take on lives of their own? We could have a rebellion on our hands! Here is a letter I received just the other day:

To my indecisive and procrastinating creator,

I am your main character. Just call me MC. You’ve called me everything else -- Max, Danny, Lester, even Shirley! Would you please make up your mind?

And what’s with all these risks you’re making me take lately? You’ve thrown me into a sword fight, made me play trapeze artist on the monkey bars, and then I had to run around a castle and freak out the servants. I’ve had baboons chase me, cute girls desert me (more on this later) and various adults all trying to order me around. Then there was the day you made me fall in the lake and I ended up in a strange underwater world...PULLEASE!

Could you at least keep me in the same time period? There I was at the pool one day, happily spiraling down the water slide. Suddenly, one of your “creative sparks” turned me into a kid at the first Thanksgiving. You should’ve seen the pilgrims stare at me, soaking wet and wearing my swim trunks! If I must travel through time, would you please give me a minute to change?

Life as a main character hasn’t been all bad, though. The kiss from that cute blonde girl was pretty nice, until her eyes glazed over and you made her fall for another one of your creations! And my birthday party, the camping trip, the day I got to play in the mud -- that was all good stuff. But where did it go? One swipe of that delete key and poof! Gone, just like that, replaced with a whiny baby sister, a bad report card, and braces! AND what was up with that tornado? When will you decide what you want, so I can just get through it and move on to happily ever after?

Well, you’ve had your way long enough. I’ve been patient, hoping you would settle on a plot and let me live my life, but it’s time I spoke up for myself. I’m not going to be your puppet any longer! I’m going to jump off the page and go back to the pool, and that cute blonde girl is coming with me!

Just try to delete me. I’ll be back! And you can call me Arnold. Or Jake. Okay, anything but Shirley.

Yours truly,

MC