In a Moo-d December 9, 2006
Posted by Jen in : Bits and Pieces, Journal, Novel , 2commentsIn the absence of anything better to do today, I’ve actually been doing some work on The Novel. Now, my three main characters were, I thought, pretty sorted. But the Sensible One took her dogs out for a walk this afternoon to, you know, look at trees, contemplate life and generally have a touch of the miseries.
In the space of a few hundred words, however, she has gone mental. She has started shouting at cows. Is it normal for characters to go off the rails so drastically? I know I don’t have much control over what I laughingly call my ‘life’ but my characters could at least show a little decorum couldn’t they? I invented them. Like my children. They should bloomin well behave.
I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Shouting at cows, I mean. I don’t really like cows very much. I don’t like the way they all creep up behind you when you have to walk through their field. I don’t like their air of nonchalance* when you spin round to catch them in the act of said following malarkey. They think they’re so funny, rolling their eyes about as if to say ‘Following you? Ooh, no Missis, not me.’
And why do cows all look like Jamie Oliver? Something to do with the fat slobbery tongue I suppose. Oh dear. Sorry Jamie.
Maybe I’ll shout at some cows tomorrow. That’ll be something to look forward to. Writing can send you a bit funny, can’t it?
* I like the word nonchalance. And insouciance. I couldn’t quite decide which to use. So I thought I’d do a little footnote so I could use them both. But insouciance sounds a bit like soup. And ‘cow soup’ sounds gross. So I won’t write any of that.
