September 12th, 2008 | by Annalise Russell |
Have you ever acted on impulse? I’m not talking about sneaking an extra cookie when no one’s looking, or tossing a handful of candy bars onto the conveyor belt at the grocery store. I mean an act of wicked indulgence, with an audience.
While in public, most of us (writer’s especially) tend to curb the urge to actually commit an outrageous act of daring. Even though we’re very good a thinking them. Instead, we weave them into our heroines and heroes, living through them just a little bit along with our readers.
But, writer or not, once in a while we need to shake things up. Get our hearts to skip a beat and smile like we ate the biggest canary on the face of the planet. Well, last fall I did just that. And it was fabulous.
Let me explain…
The day was perfect–gray, windy, a touch rainy…just right for a Highland festival. But the weather was merely the perfect backdrop. Bagpipes, bodhrans, and whistles filled the air, adding excitement to the day. The Clans were called. The games ceased, temporarily, and men assembled to parade across the grounds, kilts swishing with each step, chests forward, banners held high.
The Highland Festival and Games had officially opened. Much to my delight. Now, just to let you know, I’m half Irish, but there is a wee bit o’ Scots running through my veins and my husband decends from one of the oldest Scottish Clans still in existence. So each year we go, set up a booth, break out the banners and swords and chainmail. It’s a grand time.
Then came a call - judges were needed to determine which single, kilted man had the “bonniest knees”. As a writer of historicals, Scottish and Viking and other time periods of old, I went all giddy inside. Now I had never actually seen the contest take place, only heard the cheers from a distance and watched the winner announced.
Little did I know.
At the urging of my family, yes, even my husband, I volunteered. I can do this; I can look at bare male knees peeking out between wool stockings and plaid tartans to pick the nicest pair. Duh. Well, imagine my surprise when I, a willing volunteer, found myself pressed into a chair and blindfolded. I was to judge all right, but not by sight. I had to judge by feel.
My face turned red, matching my hair. My freezing cold hands began to shake, but inside, the butterflies of anticipation took flight. Hey, I had permission to do this. In fact, with even the kids urging me to volunteer, you could argue that they had twisted my arm.
One by one a line of young, single men paraded in front of myself and several other ladies, standing patiently as each pair of female hands blindly reached forward, at best in their general direction, to “squeeze” their knees. Scots men are brave.
The smile never left my face.
Now what has all this got to do with writing? Well, aside from a great deal of fun, I dared to act. I chose to do something I would never ordinarily do - and with an audience no less.
As writers we tend to linger in introverted, creative worlds. But we do need to live life in order to create more believable characters. Don’t pass up a chance to smile, or laugh, or cry. We will be better for it, and so will our characters.
And know this, you can take great joy in feeling your way through.
~Annalise Russell