Eleanor

This has nothing to do with today's post. However, this lone photo of a
flamingo that I caught recently reminds me of a quote I like that says
"Be the flamingo in a flock of pigeons." I guess I'm only missing wings
and long legs now. And a beak! Don't forget the beak!

I have been thinking about Eleanor for the past few days. My days and nights are filled with thoughts of how I can make her story realistic and different. Eleanor's character is now more tangible. I've decided to experiment with her character by giving her weaknesses that 'heroes' aren't normally imbued with. Isn't that what makes us real? Our weaknesses?

My main research topic now covers Eleanor's ancestry. I was thinking maybe I should give her a famous ancestor, but I'm in doubt about that because Eleanor is self-made. She has to be self-made. Riding on the coat-tail of a famous ancestor is the total opposite of being self-made. My dad suggested that I portray Eleanor like angels - pure, self-sacrificial and descended from powerful kings and queens of old😆. I couldn't help but think of The Virgin when he said that, and Eleanor, well, I'm still debating whether there would be any scenes that will veer towards that topic. Imagine my parents reading a sex scene I wrote? I shall have to put Post-Its that say "This is a sex scene that in no way reflects your daughter's sexual encounters".

It's pretty damn exciting, really. I can understand now why writing a novel can be addictive. You're creating something unique and new, something that you breathe life into through your words. I've also decided to commit to this by renting a small room just to write and think. I need privacy and solitude to write; as a mother, that's highly unlikely. I love my kids but trying to write a novel when your name is called every 5 minutes is just impossible. It really is a sort of relief to have a private space of my own even if I don't actually live there. Until later.

Still The Most Stubborn Woman,

SFK

P.S. Here's a spoiler: Eleanor is clumsy as fuck.