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Welcome to My Official Web Page!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Frankly, My Dear...

Keep your fingers crossed for me. The wind is blowing and freezing rain is in the weather advisory for tonight. We had this same weather pattern last January and got three "ice days" out of the deal. Not quite as cool as a snow day because you can't go out and build snowmen, but there was still plenty of hot chocolate to be had.

Hurray for no school!

So let's talk about character details while I do a dance to the snow, er... ice gods. This weekend I watched Gone With the Wind. This movie necessitates a long weekend as it's four hours long, but what a great four hours! I think this is something like the sixth time I've seen it- I've lost count. Why do I keep coming back? The plot is great and it's set during the American Civil War so it's easily one of my favorite movies.

But why is it my all-time favorite?

Scarlet and Rhett. I adore them. I just want to throttle Scarlet through the whole movie, but I love her at the same time. And Rhett?

Swoon.

Not only do I adore Clark Gable's throaty laugh, but the character is just such a deviant he's irresistible. And I have a new favorite character detail that just epitomizes Rhett. (SPOILER ALERT!) In the scene where Scarlet's second husband dies (Frank Kennedy), Rhett shows up to propose while she's in between husbands. Kennedy's casket has just been moved out of the parlor, the casket props are still in the room, and there's a few flowers on the floor. Rhett stops and picks up some of the funeral flowers, sniffs one, and then pins it to his lapel. And then he laughs!

Such a cad. But such a perfect one!

This was a great reminder as I revise to make sure each of my characters come to life. It doesn't matter if they're primary or secondary- each character needs something to make them stand out, make an impression on the reader. It could be a nervous habit or even a distinctive physical trait or like Rhett, something they do that's out of the ordinary.

What do you think of Rhett and Scarlet? Do your characters have traits that make them pop for the reader?