MINOR CHARACTERS

When A Character Comes To Life 

There's a minor character in my novel THE ARMCHAIR GUIDE TO HEAVEN who's stayed in my mind ever since. I see her so vividly although she has such a small part and appears mostly in the principal character's thoughts and dreams.

But somehow she has come to life and every now and then she gives me a nudge as if to say, 'When are you going to write about me? When am I going to get star billing?'

It started with a brief mention in Chapter 1: "...the clatter of dishes from the kitchen as Mum boiled the kettle dry and burnt the toast downstairs".

Later: "Mum, round faced and smiley, eyes ringed panda-like with far too much liner, hair bleached to the colour of straw. She used to cut it herself, pulling out strands to the length of three fingers and chopping them off without the aid of a mirror. I longed to give her a makeover."

Here's another reference: "The usual aroma of burnt toast drifts up the stairs. I can hear Mum arguing with Chris Evans on Radio 2 and I wait for the crash of china as she whips mugs and plates out of the cupboard. She's a multi-tasker, Mum is, but not very good at it. She's the most accident-prone person I know, mainly because she's impelled to do everything at the speed of light. I'm always telling her to slow down, the world isn't going to end tomorrow."

Well., that's Zoe's Mum, alive in Zoe's heart during her sojourn in Heaven, but still alive for me here on Earth even though the book is well and truly finished.

One day I think I'll make her the leader of a protest group, or get her elected to Parliament, or have her win the Lottery and buy an old people's home. Imagine the havoc she might wreak!

But that's for the future. I've too many other ideas to deal with right now.

Next time - Free Gift - an idea for a short story