The Problem with Robbie

Happy Easter to those who celebrate. I hope you enjoyed some time with your family, I know I did. I almost passed out cold at my mother in-law's due to food coma, but I rallied with a cup of coffee and made it through a second family gathering at my father's place. It was an excellent day, seeing my son play with his cousins and catching up with my siblings was much needed.

Enough about holiday gatherings (sorry to my family that follows this...), let us get to the topic at hand.

Two years ago I decided to start writing for my students. I was a little tired of the short stories that were found in our grade level text book, and  I wanted to create something that my students would enjoy but would also be able to apply the terms we were learning in class. Conflict, climax, rising action, exposition, the list goes on. The first story I wrote with this purpose in mind was a piece called Lucky Kids. It was about two boys from opposite sides of the tracks. One boy is well off and loved, the other poor and neglected. Out of this story Robbie and Chuck were born.

The kids loved the story, they argued over the ending and they marveled at the fact that I, their own nerdy school teacher, wrote it. I distinctly remembering one of my more vocal students shouting out with a very puzzled tone, "But its so good!" like it was some accident that I managed to write something enjoyable. Talk about a backhanded compliment, middle school students excel at this skill by the way. Afterwards, my students were filled with a renewed interest in storytelling and shot off into the world of writing with vigor and ferocity...awards were won and praises were sung of my imagination and teaching style... or maybe that's just how I envisioned it happening. Oh well, that is besides the point. They wrote and I wrote. I shared and they shared. We had fun. End of story.

Little did I know that the events and characters that were present within Lucky Kids would become pivotal in my creation of The Vessel. Perhaps pivotal is not necessarily the right word, essential maybe? Robbie Watson took center stage along with his father, Robert Sr. and his mother, Joy. Eight years after the events in Lucky Kids we find that Chuck is now a foster child who has found his way to the Watson household. The characters that have joined the story are Minka, Jaxon, and Margaret. Along with several antagonists and minor characters at school. Each of these characters are dear to me now, and I do my best to adhere to continuity while providing each with opportunities to present themselves in a way that readers can connect to. There's only one problem, and its a big one, I've dropped the ball with Robbie.

I'll be honest, I feel like his chapters suck, like really suck. It is totally my fault too. I tinkered around with different points of view in the early stages, back when I thought this was merely a distraction. I eventually decided to write Robbie's chapters in first person and the rest in third. Looking back I have no idea why I decided to do this. That was mistake number one. I convinced myself that I would stick with it and see where it could take me and my readers. However, my students saw it immediately. "Why are Robbie's chapters first person?" "Is Robbie narrating the other chapters?" "Why do you switch?" They were confused (rightly so) and they didn't like it. I should have listened earlier on. To add insult to injury my kids asked for more Chuck chapters rather than Robbie chapters. Don't get me wrong, I love Chuck but having him as the primary protagonist was not my original intention. That does show me one thing. I'm doing something right in my chapters about Chuck. I will have to look back at them.

Next, I find myself providing too much exposition and flashbacks in Robbie's chapters. Basically he is there to provide information on my other characters to make the story more engaging. That sucks. Sorry Robbie, I feel terrible. You are supposed to be one of the heroes of this tale and I am turning you into a glorified narrator with little to no development. Ugh.

So who is Robbie Watson? Robbie comes from a wholesome modern family, dad works from home and displays a more caring side, something I have not found much of in my journeys through YA fiction most of the time. Mom is a professional modern woman, she is the breadwinner but still makes time for her family. They live in a typical suburban home, nothing massive but not small by any means. The Watsons are living the good life. So what's wrong with that, right? Why do I have to fight the urge to turn poor Robbie's life upside down in the story? Can't a main character lead a happy life, do they always have to have some sort of huge inner conflict or shadowed past?

Lets go a little deeper, Robbie is wheelchair bound, and he struggles with the thoughts that people speak to him solely because they pity him. He falls for just about any girl that makes eye contact with him (I have some great source material for this, I'm looking at you high school Brian). Robbie is good at school but lacks the drive to really go anywhere or do anything. If he had a choice he would watch movies all day and find a way to get paid for it. He cares about Chuck, Robbie hates seeing Chuck get in trouble and at times Robbie is frustrated by the choices Chuck makes. The two characters bicker like a married couple occasionally but they always find a way to resolve things. Even after writing these details here, I still feel underwhelmed. Maybe I'm being too critical. There are large things that Robbie will take on over the course of the novel and potentially the series, so maybe I should just leave it at that and let the story shape the character.

The last Robbie chapter I wrote I decided to ditch the first person narrative and switch to a third person p.o.v. to match the rest of the novel. Needless to say, I was much happier with the finished product. It became exactly what I wanted with Robbie, I was able to share his thoughts easier and I didn't feel as though my writing was too simplistic. But, I also knew as I was writing that I was screwed. I think I have about five Robbie chapters done that I will need to go back and adjust, which will take time. Blerg. Writin' iz hurd.

Better to take care of it now I guess.

So here's what I am shooting for, I'll keep moving forward with the novel over spring break. My students are hoping to have some new material to read when they get back. I can't let them down. Getting grief from four separate classrooms full of seventh graders is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. I'm going to do my best to finish two brand new chapters, then go back and fix one Robbie chapter. Hopefully that won't cause too many continuity problems but it may also solve some problems that need to be caught. That's the plan. Now I'm in trouble...you remember how I feel about goals? 

Thanks for reading.

Brian

Let's do this!

Well, here I am. Blogging. Something I never, ever, saw myself doing, why? Because who really cares what is going on in my small corner of the world? The answer: outside of my mother and my little family, no one really.

Unless you count my hyper obsessive Australian shepherd, Calvin. I mean, he is pretty much always there, he has earned the title Velcro dog in our house, but I'm fairly certain that he cannot access the internet or read. Even then, I'm not sure he really cares, he only seems interested in me when I head towards the back door.

Whenever I think of blogs, I think of Mike Birbiglia's stand up. He comments on how mundane most blogs can sound, and I can't help but agree with him. One of my favorite lines is this.

Average blogger: "Today I went to J. C. Penny."
Average comment "J. C. Penny, eh?"

Mike B. "That's not a blog, that's a text message."

Sure, I tinkered with blogs during college, but that was mostly for pointless assignments given as busy work to allow a professor to claim that they are "integrating technology" into their classroom. I even had a blog once to display my work for one of my many hobbies, but it wasn't consistent, and it wasn't needed. Now it is I guess.

Truth be told, I'm doing this because I've read that if I want to have a chance in the world of becoming an author, I need some kind of an online presence. A platform. Or whatever. So yes, this is me, vainly seeking your assistance to... Follow. My. Blog..ugh that was hard to type...and help me become a real author.

Am I being too whiny? Pessimistic? Damn it...

Before you decide to click away and find somewhere else to waste your precious time on the internet, give me a shot. What will you find here?

Goal number one is to share the details, the process, and the journey towards becoming a writer.

Goal number two, I will share updates as I progress through my first novel, The Vessel, you will find excerpts and musings as I work towards completing this most excellent tale.

Goal number three, I will entertain you with tales from my fantastically fun classroom and my wonderfully loving home life.

Goal number four, find out what I'm reading, watching, listening to, or playing. You may not care for it or you may love it. If anything I hope to bring something new, creative, or fun into your life.

That is already way too many goals for me, now I'm starting to stress out. I gotta go.

Thanks for reading.

Brian