Second Chances are important to me, especially as the people I’m giving them to don’t often realise it. I can’t tell you the number of times I wanted to slap someone with a wet fish and yell at them, “This is your second chance, you great galumph!”
Fortunately, I can make things a lot easier (and less fishy) for my characters…though sadly, not for me:-)
You see, in my latest story, Vivian and Munro aren’t as good at tip-toeing around issues like me, and as for subtlety…
Truth be told, not many of the characters in Three Million’s A Crowd do have subtlety, after all, most of the story does happen during the filming of a reality TV show similar to the Amazing Race. Which once again raised a very important question for me as a writer (and possibly for most contestants of similar shows) namely: how do you address sensitive and vital issues with the evil-eyed lenses of TV cameras daring you to make a fool of yourself?
Seriously, how would you? And can you think of anything more scary?
Would you:
Avoid that talk all together?
Wait until the cameraman is on a break?
Break the camera or the cameraman…? (OK, that’s mean. Like really mean!)
Duck away from the cameras and have that little talk?
Or is there something I’m missing here? Something I’ve been getting wrong all my life and would have saved me some metaphorical fish? Is there a way to subtly address the vital matter at hand without revealing to an audience of strangers some very private matters? I mean, do you want John and Jane Doe (with their last breaths) telling you what you should have said to win back your beloved in this week’s episode?
My solution as a logical person?
Don’t address vital do or die matters while on a popular reality TV show.
My solution as a writer?
Let the characters lead the way. Let the characters have their say.
Far from subtle…but less messy and much more lucrative for Viv and Munro:-D
Three Million’s A Crowd is a novella available only in the Second Chances – A Love Anthology. You can read an excerpt here, and the first part of the first chapter here.
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