I know you're all out there, consumed with trying to help me with a title for my next humor book, but if you want to take a break, stroll over to Dino Martin Peters' blog and read about Benny Needles' eternal love for Dean Martin.
I've been writing journals for my characters for quite awhile. As a matter of fact, I've published a couple of journal entries that were "written" by my characters. It's a great exercise (thank you, Michele Scott) for developing each character's voice.
For Mr. Peters' blog, I wanted to capture Benny's voice to try to explain his deep devotion to Dean Martin. It turned out to be difficult. I tried many times in many ways to write an entry in Benny's diary, but I failed miserably each time. Finally it dawned on me: Benny doesn't keep a diary.
Benny is not a writer. He feels no need to analyze his day, or his life. He probably doesn't even remember his dreams. So, what to do?
I decided the only writing Benny would do is school-mandated. When Marcus was in third grade, I remember his teacher talking about the challenge she was facing with one of the boys in his class.
"He's so into Pokemon, every paper he writes is about Pokemon," she said. "I have to be really creative to get him to write about something else."
That's when I knew: every paper Benny wrote had to about his hero, Dean Martin. After I finished his essay, not only did I know Benny even better, I felt even more sympathy for my annoying little man.
Go on over to the I Love Dino Martin blog and read what he had to say.
1 comment:
Hey pallie, likes thanks ever so much Miss Gayle Carline for directin' your readers to the ol' ilovedinomartin Dino-blog and 'specially for the outstandin' Dino-prose written by my Dino-bro Mr. Benny Needles...some day I hope that you will be able to introduce me to this deep, pure, and true Dino-centric pallie! Keeps lovin' our most beloved Dino Mr. Benny!
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