It seems the media headlines are nothing but bad news these days. The constant stream of worry and stress and fear weighs on my spirit. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised when I had to spend a day on foot in my home town. It began when a teenager paused and held a door for me. He could easily have been on his way without that little gesture of kindness. I was at least six feet away.
I did a little shopping, so had my hands full when I approached another door. A mature woman jumped up and opened it for me. She even offered me a spot at her table, but I wasn’t staying. Still, it was nice to be asked.
Then I went to an outside table with my cup of coffee and a workman leapt forward to pull out a chair for me.
All of these small courtesies were performed with a big smile, a cheery wave and a “no problem” reply to my thanks. These people turned what started out as a grumpy day (I had to take my car to the garage. Hence the “on foot” bit) into a lovely day. I enjoyed my book and my coffee so much more with a bouyed up frame of mind.
I had two takeaways from my day. The first was on a personal level — smile every chance I get! A smile, a kind word, a cheery wave cost the giver nothing and work wonders on the receiver. We seem to live in a soup of anger and distrust and disdain. Even a tiny bit of good can make a difference.
My second reaction was as an author. How could I use this bit of serendipity to enhance my writing? I’ve been mulling over a “nice” character in my WIP and looking for ways to make her more interesting. So, if she’s the one holding the door, she’ll bring cheer to others but will remain as a “nice” but boring character. If I make her the one sneering in every utterance, I make her more of a villain than a heroine.
It is hard to make pleasant characters interesting. Perhaps that is why I have more fun with secondary roles. I’m not that invested in the sidekick so I can make him silly or eccentric or stupid or annoying . . . there are no limits. But for my main character, the hero or heroine, I want the reader to like them, to want to get to know them, to want to spend time in their company. As a result, the protagonist in my work is often afflicted with “niceness,” and readers and editors quickly dismiss the story.
So, back to my day. The workman with the big smile spoke a language I didn’t know. If I put my “nice” heroine in that situation would she be offended by the “foreigner?” That would be a not-nice reaction but maybe she could recognize her own prejudice in the encounter. This might set her down a path of discovery. That might lead to personal growth, a character arc. Maybe my “nice” heroine has some not-so-nice secrets that make her more interesting to the reader.
Maybe she has been trained to be nice but is sick and tired of being the cheerful one in every relationship. Hmm.
I’m still happy I encountered “nice” people on my day out, and I hope my heroine is the type of person who makes the reader feel happy. I just have to work on that “nice” thing.
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