I went undercover. My name was “Barbie Doll”.
(Okay so I had to borrow my daughter’s Helen of Troy wig from
Halloween. I tried.)
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. My partner in crime was “T.Redd”.
(The rapper medallion around his neck is really my son’s
soccer jamboree medal. You’ve got to realize the nearest
iparty is like 45 minutes away.)
Our job?
Solve a murder.
I took on the persona of a ditzy blonde popstar/
aspiring actress. I told fibs. I eavesdropped.
I followed leads. But the night of mystery left me
befuddled. I was a minor character without a big role
to play. A smoke screen. A red herring. A disappointment.
So, the morning after (with the perp caught and
arrested) I sipped my coffee while comparing a story’s characters
to the character I played. Even if a character or
subplot is a redherring or a humorous sidekick, we still
want that character to have a purpose.
So, if you pulled a character, combined two characters,
or pulled a subplot from your story–would it affect the main
storyline?
I say it should. If not? Why have it in your story? Can you give
that character or subplot more meaning? More of a
connection to the main plot? Try it. You might be surprised.
How did my night as a ditzy blonde/undercover sleuth
turn out?
I had fun with friends. I celebrated a close friend’s
milestone 30th birthday. And once I realized I didn’t
play a big part, I flirted with my rapper bad guy husband.
(And, hey, I even convinced a couple people that I was
the murderer.)
Are your characters pulling their weight? Are they to die for?
Love the wig and boots. I can’t believe your friends actually got you to dress like this. I am totally impressed!
You two looked great!