Validity of the Fictional World

Despite my admission that I am more a mental than physical traveler, I have been making my way through destinations that take me far from my small-town apartment, which explains why this blog is so behind!

Two Mondays ago, my dad and I took a roadtrip through a hectic part of the country called North Jersey so I could check out a potential graduate program at William Paterson University. After experiencing several close collisions within the town of Paterson (which I would compare to downtown DC), I'm not completely sure which direction to take: grad school or the work environment. Hopefully that decision will be made before the end of the year.

What inspired me most about this trip was the two hours I spent in a small classroom, looped into a half-circle with eight graduate students and a professor from the Creative and Professional Writing Program, listening to the students present their mock-lesson plans for an Intro to Creative Writing Fiction class. Now, nonfiction is more my forte (any fiction I write is so heavily based in past experiences that it severely challenges the genre) but the methods by which these students broke down the elements of creating believable characters could even work as to a checklist when writing about actual people.



The one exercise that stuck out most to me was a challenge to avoid writing black-and-white characters, the characters who are either completely good or completely evil. For every good quality, the student/writer would have to create a negative trait, and vice versa. It's definitely a great way to add some realism to fictional characters, because as much as we'd like to believe, there is no black-and-white in the human condition. All the best people have flaws. And as much as we'd like to believe otherwise, evil people have at least a tiny ray of positive nature.

I won't focus on the latter because this is a heated, and for some, close to home issue given the recent terrorist attacks. But this realization really made me stop and think about it. Sure, we'd all like to believe that we're doing the right thing and yes, we have faults, but doesn't everyone? And then there are the people we just can't stand. Not inherently bad people, but they have hurt me in the past and it's hard to see beyond that pain. Across the board, however, we're pretty similar in the realm of between positive and negative personas.

I played around with this list, placing myself in the role of the character, and tried to balance it out. Here's what I came up with:

Creative                                                                           Insecure about my abilities
Sets goals high so I can challenge myself                       Easily distracted
Tries to put others first                                                    Has difficulty getting beyond hurts in the past
Adventurous                                                                    Afraid of the unknown
Passionate about what I love                                           Has difficulty getting beyond my own POV

This is a great challenge to take as a writer, but also as a regular human being. Being a writer doesn't just mean creating stories and characters: it forces you to have a deeper understanding of the human condition and to convey that through your writing.

I have a lot of people to thank for this understanding, especially my creative writing professors: Colin Rafferty, Jon Pineda and Warren Rochelle. Thanks so much for your support and instruction - I promise to make the most of it!

Cheers,
Victoria

An Open Letter to My Little Sister

Dear little sis,

It's going to be a while before you read this, and maybe even longer before you understand why I'm writing this to you now. Just think of this letter as what I wish someone had told me before I became an adult.

I look at you now, my precious, impulsive baby sister, and it makes me nostalgic. I remember when I was seven, when my biggest concerns were wondering what would happen in the next chapter of my Nancy Drew book. Or hoping Mum wouldn't notice the mess in my closet so I could go play at my friend's house. (Don't try to trick Mum by the way; she'll always find out, and as you know already, the punishments aren't pretty). When I thought about growing up, I dreamed of being a vet (because I loved animals) and of being an artist (because I loved to draw).

I didn't think growing up would hurt. I didn't expect the boys I liked to break my heart, and never thought that finding the right job would keep me awake at night. When I was seven, tears were meant for sad story endings and frustrations of not being able to make choices because I was too little to do so. I wish it had stayed that way. How was I to know that making my own choices would hurt so much? It was so much easier when Mum and Dad would tell me what to do. And nothing frustrates me so much as hearing "it's your choice." I know you hate it when I smile when you throw a fit because someone is making choices for you, but I wish I could be back there. I wish I could relive seven again because there is so much I would change.

But this isn't about what I wish I could redo. It's what I hope you will do as you grow up.

I hope you will discover your own dreams and fight for them. Never let anyone tell you anything is impossible because you can do anything you set your mind and heart to. If you suddenly have no idea what you want to do with your life, that's okay too. We all go through those moments. No matter how much you feel like you can't achieve your goals. That's when I want to believe even more in yourself, in your abilities. Remember, there are so many people who believe you can do this.

And when life doesn't work out the way you planned, it's okay too. I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but life does have it's disappointments. You might lose friends. You might not get into the college of your dreams. Your heart may be broken. When that happens, you might feel like life isn't worth going through. But you're not alone. I've been there. Our mom and dad have been there. It's moments like these when you'll learn who your true friends are. You'll discover what drives you forward when the boy you thought was everything walks away. As much as those moments will hurt, and maybe even crush you, you'll come out a stronger person who looks at the world in a different way.

You're a great girl who's going to experience amazing moments in the future. Sometimes, in trying to discover who you want to be you can lose track of the person you already are. It's so easy to be distracted by who your friends want you to be, but if these people are truly your friends, they'll love you for YOU, not for the person you think you should be. So trust yourself. Trust in the people who love you. Because they will always be there to love and support you.

If there was one thing I wish I could protect you from it's from letting boys break your heart. Yes, there are some great guys out there, but before you find them you're going to have deal with a lot of guys who will hurt you terribly. Even though they're not important, they'll make your life miserable. When you see that one cute guy talking to another girl, it's like he just pulled out your heart and crushed it. The worst part is knowing that this shouldn't hurt so much so you try to force a smile and pretend everything is okay. I know it's not. And even though it might make you feel silly, just cry it out. We've all been there and it's okay.

I hope you won't let this hurt shut out the good guys. I hope you'll keep holding out for the right guy. The one who stares at you speechless because he can't believe you're his girl. Who tells you you're beautiful more times than either of you can keep count. I hope you find someone who waits up with you the nights you can't sleep and who you don't feel like you have to hide your true self from. I want you to be with someone who you consider your best friend and who you can't imagine not sharing the craziest and most simple adventures with.

Most of all, I hope we'll be best friends in the future. You'll always be my first little girl, my baby sister. But I know we're going to have so much fun as you grow up. I can't wait to take you on your first sisters-only shopping spree and stay up late watching movies. I want to be the one you call up when life is tough and you need a shoulder to cry on. I can't wait to see you graduate from high school, from college and discover your own passions. I want you to have the best life in the world, and I want to be there with you through the best moments, the worst and the life changing experiences you'll encounter.

I love you, baby sis.