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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062002174 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 02/15/2011 |
| Edition description: | Large Print |
| Pages: | 472 |
| Sales rank: | 728,073 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
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Interviews
Missed Opportunities By Robert Barclay
When I sat down to write my book, If Wishes Were Horses, the first thing that crossed my mind was that perhaps more than anything else, a good novel is about relationships. I am not saying that all of the interactions that an author creates between his characters must be happy ones. By necessity, some of the associations between the characters in a novel will be poor, strained, or just downright bad. In any case, the characters must interact with one another in ways both expected, and unexpected.
To that end, a novelist must never miss an opportunity to meet other people, if no other reason than he or she might come across someone who possesses a trait or quality that might be an interesting one for a new character. Ernest Hemingway often said that he liked taking an interesting trait from one man or woman, and then combining it with others taken from different people, so as to create a new person altogether. To that end, the writer should never purposely ignore chances to meet new people. I for one have never met anyone, no matter what sort of first impression he or she made upon me, who was not able to teach me something.
Sadly, I missed two such opportunities last week. The first one tore my heart out. I am fortunate to live near Boca Raton, which is a prosperous community. Even so, Boca has its share of beggars, especially given today’s bad economy. As I was driving into Boca last week, I saw a woman standing on the edge of the highway, holding a sign. At once, I realized that she was asking for money. But as I neared her, I became unsure. Her clothes were clean, she did not look undernourished, and she moved easily. Then she held up her sign, and my heart fell. Her sign read: I’ve Lost Everything But My Faith! I tried to get near her so that I might give her some money, but then the light turned green and I was unable to do so. Although I was not to blame, it was an opportunity lost, just the same.
Another such instance happened later the same week. I was going up in an elevator to see my doctor for a routine exam. Because I had just come from another appointment, I was well dressed. Dress slacks, dress shirt, blazer, and dress shoes. Just then, the elevator door opened and a young man got in with me. His attire was far different. He wore big, unlaced sneakers, baggy shorts that looked like they were about to fall off, a Che Guevara t-shirt, and a dirty ball cap perched backwards on his head. He looked at me, I looked at him, and not a word was said for the entire ride. I am quite sure that he didn’t think much of my navy blazer, or my highly polished Bostonians. On the other hand, I must admit that I didn’t think much of his nose ring, either. Another opportunity lost, I later realized.
It was very wrong of us to say nothing to the other, simply because of appearances. Novelists need to become familiar with people from all walks of life, not just those with whom they feel comfortable. In order to write good novel, the author must be willing to leave his or her comfort zone, and bring believable characters along with him.
In closing, what I’m trying to say is that now and then, we should all try to behave a bit more like good novelists. Don’t be afraid to extend a hand or to speak to someone you might not know, just because you feel awkward about it. I for one am going to try and do better, because who knows? That sloppy kid in the elevator whom I ignored might one day grow up to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature…