Playing with people's lives

I had a dream... a few months ago...

The dream was VERY weird, like most of my dreams are and I should consider changing my diet possibly but that's another story!

My weird dream led me to start writing a book. It's a fiction book about someone having to make a very important, life/death defying choice...
I won't give away anything more about the plot because that's what will eventually make me rich so you'll have to buy the book once it's published *Dona chuckles*

What I want to consider instead is what happens when you write a book.

I sat down first of all having to decide what names I would give these characters.
What do you call a famous person?
What do you call his best friend?
And what do you call a very strange girl with glowing blue eyes?

I had a definite idea about the best friend so I picked Jared.
It sounded like a great name to me.
I had kind of an idea about the strange girl but wasn't totally happy so I started asking friends and after a few suggestions I settled on Ariana (which translated from Italian means 'made of air' -amidst some other meanings that didn't interest me!)
That definitely sounds like a good name for someone who appears and disappears when you least expect it.

The name of the lead character is still a work in progress. He was assigned one but I am not completely sold on it and still hope more inspiration will come about.

I never thought until when I started this project that writing a book actually equaled playing with people's lives.
All of a sudden I see the appeal it has for serious writers, those who lose themselves into their stories.
Don't fear my friends, I am not considering leaving my dreams of a medical career for book writing, but it is a nice summer project and if it pleases me than why not?

You create a person, you give him/her some physical traits, a name, an identity.
The best thing of all is that in some characters there is a reflexion (or even more than just that) of who you are.

What would you do when faced with the biggest choice of your life?
What would you do if you found out your best friend, the only steady point in your life wasn't who you thought he was?

And you find yourself thinking...
I would chose to do the right thing! Of course you would... but would you really?

Writing a book is like making a character do something you wouldn't have the courage to or something you'll never have the chance to do.
You create liaisons, mysteries, feelings.
Even more than that, you completely make up places. I have always dreamed of owning a penthouse in San Diego from where I could admire the uninterrupted views of the bay... Guess where my character lives?

In a book there is always the chance of redemption, you can twist life, time and events in a way that is humanly impossible to do if not on paper.
The power the author has while writing a book is comparable to that of a creator... his world, his rules! ... and it feels exhilarating!

I have always thought that when faced with a right/wrong turn I would definitely chose the right one, despite the consequences.. and I do actually aim to do that every single time but sometimes it's hard and making someone else do it it's exciting... after all it reflects you.

Or even, when of course life is led in the right direction and goodness, you would really want to do something out of the ordinary, even a bit naughty if not completely evil but well, it would hurt someone and that's not really you, what do you do?

Pick a character, make up a story, for once let the baddies win for, as long as it stays on the book pages, it's ok... I think...

So when I have a little bit of free time I type away, unstressed by deadlines since I'm writing for myself (oh and for my future fans of course!!!), not phased by what is going to happen because the story it's unfolding by itself, sure that my main man will struggle to do it but eventually will give into good (and don't we all try to?)

I am enjoying playing with people's lives, putting myself into it, calling some of the lesser character as some of my friends are called because it makes it more fun if they're in there too, and then daring to live something that would be impossible, or at least improbable, and just not quite practical but that it's fun to imagine.

If you have never tried it I'd suggest you do, started as a joke I now have a set of 'people' I care for and I'm taking through a fantastic journey.

I wonder if they were real if they'd like my game... 'cause I do!