Your Mom's an NPC

I’m having a major case of blog-writer’s block today. I’ve typed a first sentence to about nine different entry ideas now and backspaced my way through each of them shortly after. I even considered just making a top ten list of things to do when you don’t feel like writing. It would have been pretty great… and hilarious because each of the ten options was actually going to be writing. Heck, maybe I’ll save that for another day when I’m having blog-block.

     This has been a week in which everything really starts to pile up. The fence in my backyard is about to fall down, the plastic tarp I ordered to finish my landscaping in the front yard will be here tomorrow, I’ve got a pile of 2 x 4’s in the garage waiting to be made into the base for a built-in bookshelf/desk for my bedroom, and I just started writing “book 2” a few days ago. Thankfully, I have a bit of vacation time coming up pretty soon. I’m not planning anything fancy, but it will be nice to have time to get some of these things done (and probably take a few naps too).

     People sure love vacation time in the summer… and it usually leaves more work behind for the people stuck in the office. In fact, sometimes I almost feel guilty about taking time off and leaving my own tasks behind for someone else to pick up. But then I remember that I’m the protagonist. Right? Who knows if my office even exists when I’m not there. Maybe it’s just a sandbox setting and the plot won’t advance unless I’m there to trigger the next bit of action by – I don’t know – starting a small fire in my waste basket and watching while all the other employees rush to our fire-safety spot, saving a nun that’s stuck in a tree, being in my chair so that someone can come ask me some significant question, and/or driving down 2^nd street so that the crazy lady knows to pull out in front of me and cause me to need to wash my underwear earlier in the week than I had planned. Any of these things might unlock a new level or some area in which I can hunt higher level Pokemon in the tall grass.

     See, all of those other people are supporting characters and – I assume – they have absolutely no ambition in life outside of how their path crosses mine. In fact, they probably just go inert like some sad robot when I’m not around (except of course when they’re calling me or doing something that will later affect me). That’s just the way supporting characters work, right? But that doesn’t explain why these people think they’re just as important as me to the overarching… umm… story.

     As I said about nine inches earlier, I just started writing “book 2” and I’ve picked up with some of the supporting characters. We won’t see the “main” group for a few chapters, and I’m enjoying the heck out of it. In fact, I really don’t want to leave these guys alone. That’s one thing that J.K. Rowling and some (basically any that aren’t George Lucas) of the Star Wars authors do very well: give their supporting cast purpose and draw. Minor roles become multi-dimensional and we find ourselves caring about who Luna Lovegood ends up marrying, whether or not Tahiri Veila will ever be a Jedi again, or why Karrah has had such trouble stepping into the role of a true leader of the Dairbun.

     So, here’s to the NPCs in your life… and sorry this blog-block-breaking idea turned into such a long post.