Battles
I took my little "niece" to Wal-Mart today. She is my housekeeper's daughter, 20 months old, and she is here for the whole day. I decided to go to the toy aisle and buy her whatever she wanted--Dynamo Boy, too. He bought Sea Monkeys. And yes, the possibilities of this have already crossed my mind. When I see Sea Monkeys in my wine glass tonight, I shall curse the idea that I let them pick their own toys! Anyway, Baby wanted a doll. And I was suddenly INCREDIBLY incensed in that there was not A SINGLE doll of the non-white variety ANYWHERE. None. Not a black baby. Not a Hispanic baby. Not an Asian baby. None. Zip. My baby niece is very dark . . . there was not a single baby who looked like her. We chose the one she wanted (Dynamo Boy actually picked one out that screams "Mama" at shockingly frequent intervals--and yes, once again, like the Sea Monkeys . . . I am regretting this). But then I went in search of a manager. I couldn't find one, so now I have to make a point of asking for one the next time I am in there (they were filming a TV commercial so I think all the management was busy with the camera crew . . . I actually considered invading the filming space to ask them WHY THEY ONLY HAVE WHITE BABYDOLLS?!?!?!?!). But on to my point.
I am a woman who chooses my battles. Sometimes . . . frankly . . . they choose me. And sometimes I choose them. I learned to choose my battles as a parent and as a person. There are some things that don't phase me . . . and some issues that make me insane. But I am a battle woman. Which is not the same as not being peaceful. There are just some things that I think I try to stand for--maybe quietly, maybe not so quietly, maybe in what I DO, maybe in what I say. Which makes me wonder about people who stand for nothing. Those people I kind of feel sorry for. I see them in their golf carts around here, or their tennis skirts. I hear them at cocktail parties. They stand for nothing. They do not one thing that isn't about them--at least in what they talk about. And of course, I don't know the whole story. But the fact is, some people stand for nothing. They do not stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with anyone, any cause, anything.
In fiction, a character might very well start out that way. But somewhere along the way, memorable characters will choose a battle. Or a battle will choose them. They will grow and learn to stand for something. Be some kind of man . . . or some kind of woman. Movies, too. What would the Star Wars (original) franchise have been without Hans Solo stepping up the battle?
In one scene in my wip, two doctors opt not to do something unethical. They secret away a little boy until he dies. They stand for something. And as the novel progresses, I think they stand for more and more.
So what battles choose your main character . . . or vice versa?
31 comments:
This is food for thought as I seek to add tension to my book. Thanks.
I truly hope the white dolls just happened to be the only ones left.
Good luck with the dolls. There should be some dolls-of-color out there somewhere.
As for the battles, your use of the word battle immediately brought to mind a passage from the next Derek Stillwater novel (whose date has been moved up to June 2011). Derek has been injured (burns) in the course of his investigation and his team leader suggests she take him to a hospital. And then:
Derek met O’Reilly’s gaze. Something flickered between the two of them, an understanding perhaps, of the situation. A war with terrorists had been ongoing for some time—far longer than September 11, 2001—but at times the battles became more intense. There was a battle going on now and it wasn’t in Afghanistan or Iraq or in Spain or London or Indonesia. It was here, in the United States. Dallas and Chicago and Washington, D.C. and New York City and Los Angeles were the battlefields, and Derek wasn’t leaving the battlefield unless he was carried out in a body bag.
I can send you a doll of color, if you'd like - just email your address. Every once in a while I get annoyed at some of the silliness in Chicago politics and such, but one of the million reasons I love living here is that every culture is represented vividly and proudly.
People who don't stand for something, the ones I think of reading through your post, I kind of feel a little sorry for. Maybe they have a less stressful life, but it seems like they have less passion and heart, too. For me, that would be something to mourn.
Then there are always the ones who like to battle, but not really because they want to change anything or help anyone. Their battles are more about judging. And they're all really another way of claiming (or convincing themself) of their own superiority - I'd rather deal with a shallow person who stands for nothing, than one who arbitrarily shoves their beliefs down other peoples' throats with no regard to the other peoples' beliefs or feelings.
Jack has a number of battles, but I think the biggest ones are loyalty and the choice between forgiveness and revenge.
I choose battles in my marriage - for example, I've given up the toilet seat lid, but we're fixing the problem of cut veggies (i.e half an onion, or parts of a tomato just sitting on the shelf) in the fridge without tupperware.
I'm the same way in life. I found that people are often surprised when I stand for something - cause I seem all shy and timid. I'm a kitten but scratch me and my claws come out. :)
I've just started a new WIP and I'm not quite sure of her battles yet. Maybe when she decides to stand up to her enemy, even if it risks her HS reputation. I think that will be one of them.
Jonathon:
I WISH I could say that. Generally, as the mother of children who are Mexican-American, I already know the Hispanic dolls are generally limited to Dora. The problem at THIS Wal-Mart versus others is it's in a predominantly white part of a city still known for its racism. I think if I drove to East Richmond, I would find dolls of color. But it still sucks.
E
Mark:
See. . . . that passage tells me a LOT about Derek.
Nadine:
I think all our major relationships involve that choosing . . .
I've got my son mostly trained, LOL! Hopefully he will make a good husband someday. :-)
Merry:
GREAT POINT! Yes, there are people who spot a battle just for the sake of living in conflict.
In my childhood we grandchildren fought over "dirty toes" I always thought she was a black doll but apparently she was white and over time got darker. By the time I was old enough to sew clothes for her she was completely black. Now she is in my cedar chest and one of my greatest treasures.
I'm very conflicted over what Harvey stands for. He's fighting to keep his house but is he taking a stand against the park? Sometimes I think that is why I'm a slow writer, I can't decide so how can he?
Richmond:
If it's helpful at all . . . so much of character development can be a change. He STARTS wanting to save his house, but then gets swept into something larger. I started so many of my volunteer things as simply trying to help a single person . . . and then often got carried into a larger movement.
You say tennis skirt like it's a bad thing. ;)
Maybe we just want the character to be perfect and then making any stand would be impossible.
I live in a predominantly black/Hispanic area and we still can only get white dolls at WalMart! The managers cringe to see me in the toy aisle and I have yet to hear back from the home office.
Even begging at Christmas didn't help.
Maribeth
Giggles and Guns
On the Wal-Mart issue, I think you might be shopping at the predominantly 'white' neighborhood Wal-Mart. I've found in my town that I have to shop at two different Wal-Marts to get all the products that I need. One is two miles away . . . out of town, and the other is four miles away in the opposit direction just off the main shopping strip, but has a predominately hispanic clientele. I keep seperate lists for both Wal-Marts AND the two Targets. NONE of them carry everything in the brands that I need, so I have to rotate my shopping.
What a waste of gasoline and MY time.
Thank you Erica. Sometimes as I re-read the "meh" that I wrote I notice that he isn't fighting for a house, or land, or even being a farmer, he is fighting change, he fears the cherry atop the whipped cream. Autobiographical? Possibly, except I recognize that my life is too blah, the story needs a personality willing to take risks. Even in my writing I haven't got there. I'm still trying to find that "larger movement."
You're an angel for letting me lay on the couch and ramble. Thank-you. I know it's very public but there are times when it feels as if you're talking only to me....I believe that is the talent which defines a gifted writer.
The world really is funny how it works. For there to be a film crew there the day YOU walk in a discover the fact that there are only white dolls... I can see that turning into something. :)
I have some battles -- albeit small ones -- that I always speak up and I've been kicking myself because I haven't spoken up a couple times lately. One thing is i ALWAYS correct people if they mix up Asian and Oriental (asians are people, oriental are the products) and whoever last screwed it up I decided wasn't worth the battle. You can only do so much with complete ignorance.
Oh yeah, I try to have some battles for my characters too...
Erica, I support your Wal-mart cause. It's similar to Border's policy on book placement. The one I go to keeps all books written by African-Americans in a separate section. The only integration within is that all the genres are there, alphabetically shelved by authors. So, you'll see a book of poems next to a romance novel. It's very irking, and I believe a few years ago the Wall Street Journal ran an article about it. Border's excuse, as I recall, was that it was some sort of marketing strategy.
Sucks.
But, on to your question. In my soon-to-be WIP, my main character's chosen battles are proving that he didn't father the child of a recent one-night stand, and that his father was responsible for his Vietnam tour (mc hasn't spoken to his father since the Vietnam draft).
Basically, I think I have some gene which makes me a fanatical supporter of the underdog...it could be taking in 3-legged dogs, cats and any kind of waif or stray...animal, vegetable, human or mineral. At some time or other I have had experiences with ALL the above.
Of course, some of these characters inevitably star in my writing, too!
Glad you found Heather's secret comment in her Treasure Trove at the top left hand of her blog...it took me personally a while to see it - I'm a bit blind!
:) THANKS ERICA!
My mom couldn't find dolls of another color for Toys for Tots this christmas, either. Walmart sucks in so many ways.
Trinidad stands for the people. Castile questions faith in a general sense at one point: basically a "What if what we all believe is wrong?"
And Trinidad says it doesn't matter. He made vows and he's going to stand by them.
You know though, I have to cry foul on your depiction of people who don't take a stand for anything. Sure the tennis skirts are cliche- and I don't have a problem with that. But I think nearly everyone stands for something or another, even if it's not the most worthy cause, or a likely one, or an obvious one, even when they seem concerned most often with Self. But in social situations many people don't tend to throw it out there, or maybe even realize they do take a stand in certain ways.
My husband is a grand example of this. He's no saint or do-gooder, but if you follow his trail of networking you start to realize he keeps jobs in mind for other people as much as he does for himself, and he's got several hundred phone calls and emails in the last 20 years to prove it. I'm likely the only person who knows the extent of what he'll do for a person. It's certainly something he never talks about. So just because someone's at a cocktail party talking about a sale at Nordstroms or whatever doesn't mean they don't have their own hidden nobility. I think you and I live in very similar neighborhoods, and yet, when I really pay attention, I realize how true that is with many seemingly shallow (at first glance) individuals I meet.
You go! Get 'em! Please!
No Hannukah things at stores in Burbank. Like there are no Jews in L.A.? Ridiculous. (There are tons for those who might not know) And then try asking for some things and the sales person doesn't even know what I'm asking for. Can't think of the specific example I had the other day. Darn memory lapses.
And then there's the Kmart that the exit person scowled and pored over the cart of the black woman in front of me and then waved me through with a smile and not a single glance at my cart. ARGH! And that woman was dressed much nicer than I was.
The racial crap in this country makes my blood boil on a regular basis. And all these people (mostly white) who want to turn a blind eye and say it no longer exists. And the others (mostly black) who don't see their own prejudice against whites as being racist.
/rant
I wonder if this is a walmart thing or a southern thing? Do other stores carry all the colors?
When my kids were younger they had dolls of all nationalities. One favorite was a black barbie because my daughter thought she was the most beautiful.
I'm going to check out the walmart here just for my own curiousity.
You're right about picking battles. This would be part of the character's motivation right? You've given me something to think about.
Richmond:
We had a Cinderella doll we all fought over. I have her in my closet right now and need to have her restored.
Maribeth:
I went back on Saturday and spoke to the manager.
Yes, I am sure they aren't happy to see me coming.
E
magolla:
The managers told me they come in "packs"--so there's x amount of white baby dolls, x of Hispanic, x of African-American and that when I arrived, they may not have had any babies of color left. I am guessing there aren't too many of each of the other kinds. :-(
Richmond:
My couch is always open. :-)
Melanie:
I pick my battles a lot more carefully now precisely because if I fought everything, I'd be exhausted.
Kath:
That SUCKS about the bookstore.
And those are pretty personal battles with a lot of room for conflict!
Ann Marie:
You sound exactly like me. I once tried to adopt a one-eyed dogs, but it was very growly toward my kids. Still . . . I wanted to take him home from the SPCA.
Starbucks:
LOL! If you read the paragraph, I DO say you can't know the whole story on people. I know a LOT better than to assume what you see publicly is "all" there is--which is why I specifically said that. I just happen to live someplace where the conversations can be pretty vapid, and I meet people all the time whose main preoccupations are me-me-me.
E
Sarah:
I can't believe that on the Hannukah stuff!!! And yet? I can.
As for the getting stopped thing . . . I am always waved through . . . but I see others really stopped. Yes. Ridiculous.
Aimless:
Yes . . . I think some characters start out with a cause or something, and others get pulled in. Definitely has to do with motivation.
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