I Can See More Clearly Now

Uncanny. Brian Kiteley seems to know exactly what I am needing. In today's writing exercise I was to construct a character who is absent, not present in the story, off stage for the entire piece (Kiteley 54). My protagonist's father is dead. His quest is to put together the mosaic of clues he's gathered over his 14 years to find out just who this man really was.

Kiteley suggests two ways to build the absent character. One is by examining objects such as letters, pictures, personal objects, and even their penmanship. The other is hear-say, listening to the words of others as they express their perception of that person. Great tips.

This morning I used both of his techniques. My protagonist was in dialogue with someone who knew of his father. Both characters were studying an old photo. The questions my boy asked this man gave me chills. He and I learned facts contrary to those my boy had grown up believing. And, it seems that my protagonist is developing a voice of his own. Interesting...

Funny...as I begin to understand his father's past, I can see my protagonist's character more clearly. Thanks, Brian.

Reference: Kiteley, Brian. The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises That Transform Your Fiction. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 2005.