“Besides furnishing a plausible abode for
the novel’s world of feeling, place has a good deal to do with making the
characters real, that is, themselves, and keeping them so.” Eudora Welty
Some of the richest metaphors come from the most ordinary
plausible details. They parallel the external realities alongside internal
hopes and dreams, and transform the common with translucence.
Some excellent examples of several mythic influences can be
found in the recent release of a romantic Four-In-One Collection, Central Park Rendezvous. This
contemporary/historical threads three common details throughout a century plus
time span: letters, a coin and a bridge, each of which also mirror and
complement each other. To the passerby—nothing of importance. To the
participants—a heart aching search.
In A Love Meant To Be,
by Dineen Miller, the valued coin, a keepsake,
is a link to the past and promise to the
future, yet becomes the catalyst for miscommunication, strained friendship, a
broken heart and failure. Just the act of passing the coin from one hand to
another explodes all preconceptions of family dynamics forcing the characters
and the readers to re-evaluate everything. The concrete coin becomes a spinning
metaphor for plot, characterization, theme and atmosphere. Plausible. Ordinary.
Real. Translucent.
Journal Prompt:
Your
main character needs to pack and move with little notice. A friend comes to
help and discovers a small box in a drawer or in a closet. Overcome with
curiosity he, or she, opens it. What do they find inside?
Share: Which of
the items does your character choose to hold?
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