Valentine's Day

17th Century France


The three of us are in CYRANO.  The classic story written by Edmond Rostand about the man with the large nose who falls for the beautiful Roxane, yet can't tell her of his love.

This is the first time that all three Koblers will on stage together.  It's a dream come true. But it's been an arduous journey and I think it's taught me that the reason for what you do is more important than the doing. Cause if the reason isn't strong enough,  you won't stay with it.  Ah, love can rein supreme!

THE SHOW IS PLAYING AT THE KNIGHTSBRIDGE THEATER.

Triggers

What is a trigger?  Good question.  Glad you asked.  A trigger is a inciting moment.  An intense beat in a character's life that forces them to begin a journey.  It's a catalyst.  Often times, it's a seriously icky moment cause it breaks an old wounds and makes you have to reset it so it can heal properly.

I am not a fan of triggers.  They seem to come at the most inopertune moments.  And they hurt like hell.  But they are necessary.  Like Epicac for the soul.

Every character has a trigger.  My challenge to you is to uncover what yours' is.  When in the story did your character decide they had to take action.  Pushed against the wall, they had to do something or die.  Life or death stakes - literally or figuratively.  And is he going quietly into that good night or is he fighting it all the way?

Me?  I fight those damn triggers.  I bury my head; I shake my fist at the unfairness of it all; I run away.  Eventually, though I accept.  If only I could receive the trigger as a gift sooner, wouldn't my life be so much less painful?

How do I make my hero rootable?

Aaach!  I have a great setting. And a wonderful situation, but I can't seem to make my heroine pop.  I'm so frustrated.  I think the reason that YA has so few adult characters is because it then forces our young heroes to be active.  Pull the adults from the situation and POW! you got something.  Look at DEATHLY HALLOWS or any of JK's books. 

My problem is my heroine's dad is very much alive.  In fact, her whole inner purpose is to come to terms with dad.  I can't get rid of him. And I don't want to.  It's the reason I'm writing this book in the first place...can you spell cathartic?  (Maybe if my heroine can come to terms with her clay feeted dad, I can too?)  Cause really, isn't that reason we create art?  It's like creative therapy.  We get a chance to exercise our own inner crap and make it come out okay.