Trust
So many plots of novels will, at their heart, come to a moment of trust. Few characters exist as islands. Like all of us, they operate in a world with other characters, and like all of us, they will usually come to a very essenital cross-roads in their storyline, and they must decide. Trust this person? Or not?
Trust the wrong person, and your task of saving the world will be made that much more difficult. Trust the wrong man, your heart will get broken. Trust the wrong cop, the wrong attorney, the wrong . . . fill-in-the-blank, and your character will have the screws turned tighter.
Think of how many movies or books in which you, as viewer or reader, cringed. "Don't trust him" you want to scream at the movie screen. Because you wonder . . . can that character be trusted? Is he really the bad guy masquerading as the good guy? Every single double-cross movie or book relies on this plot element. David Mamet is genius at plots like that. Without trust, our characters don't have sure footing. They are second- and triple-guessing every move they make.
In real life . . . I decided a long time ago to trust. With a twist. I trust that most people I meet are decent people, but decent people will always make mistakes. I don't want to go through my life as a cynic, second- and triple-guessing everyone's motives. I don't want to live my life holding back from loving with an open heart. I've worked with troubled teens, and with people who need a helping hand. Sometimes, you're going to get conned. That's a fact. But I don't want to come across the next person who needs a bit of charity and kindness and think, "Perhaps I should buy them a winter coat because maybe they really CAN afford it and this is a con." So . . . I trust myself. I ultimately decided that I trust myself to be strong enough to survive any betrayal. My heart will break a little, but I WILL get over it. That way, I trust with an open heart while knowing I will survive the sometimes inevitable stab that comes. That goes to my love life, my family life . . . all of it.
My characters tend to operate that same way. They trust their inner circle with their lives. They are sometimes betrayed. But the rest of the circle closes ranks and supports them, and they survive.
So . . . characters at a crossroad? Who can you trust?
Trust the wrong person, and your task of saving the world will be made that much more difficult. Trust the wrong man, your heart will get broken. Trust the wrong cop, the wrong attorney, the wrong . . . fill-in-the-blank, and your character will have the screws turned tighter.
Think of how many movies or books in which you, as viewer or reader, cringed. "Don't trust him" you want to scream at the movie screen. Because you wonder . . . can that character be trusted? Is he really the bad guy masquerading as the good guy? Every single double-cross movie or book relies on this plot element. David Mamet is genius at plots like that. Without trust, our characters don't have sure footing. They are second- and triple-guessing every move they make.
In real life . . . I decided a long time ago to trust. With a twist. I trust that most people I meet are decent people, but decent people will always make mistakes. I don't want to go through my life as a cynic, second- and triple-guessing everyone's motives. I don't want to live my life holding back from loving with an open heart. I've worked with troubled teens, and with people who need a helping hand. Sometimes, you're going to get conned. That's a fact. But I don't want to come across the next person who needs a bit of charity and kindness and think, "Perhaps I should buy them a winter coat because maybe they really CAN afford it and this is a con." So . . . I trust myself. I ultimately decided that I trust myself to be strong enough to survive any betrayal. My heart will break a little, but I WILL get over it. That way, I trust with an open heart while knowing I will survive the sometimes inevitable stab that comes. That goes to my love life, my family life . . . all of it.
My characters tend to operate that same way. They trust their inner circle with their lives. They are sometimes betrayed. But the rest of the circle closes ranks and supports them, and they survive.
So . . . characters at a crossroad? Who can you trust?
Labels: trust
posted by Erica Orloff at 10:13 AM
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