Taking Inventory

While Holocaust education will likely always be a piece of the patchwork quilt that is my life, California's sunshine has reminded me that I long to leave life-affirming literature as my legacy. True stories of heroism during those dark days qualify.

But it's not enough.

I've recently started taking inventory of the "other" stories mulling around my psyche. Characters I have enjoyed 'interacting with' as they grow and develop, as plot lines gel and dialog becomes audible. I had been so immersed in research that I had almost forgotten how stimulating the creative process can be.

By the end of this week, I should have chosen one of the works-in-progress below as primary project.

Joanie and Sid. I keep returning to this concept due to the continued and continuing unrest in the Middle East. It's my only sci-fi work-in-progress. The science fiction angle defuses the more sensitive aspects of the plot, permitting Gu-Shalom (peace now) arguments to be viewed from a detached perspective.

The protagonists explore the complexities of war and peace from the POV of high school seniors ~ knowledgeable enough to debate rationally, but idealistic enough to debate passionately. I love this story because it combines the unanswerable questions of the Shoah with the political aftermath we are still experiencing in 2009, and underscores how crucial it is to seek peace with reconciliation in order to break the cycle.

Hansi and Frog. My sentimental favorite, as it is based on the life and (Bavarian) hometown of my real-life friend, Hans Forster. Everyone needs a friend like him. This story encourages young adults to persevere in friendship, not to abandon relationships when they get hard, but to hold true friends close.

Every time I return to Hansi and Frog, I smile at sweet memories. But the danger with this story lies in making it too sweet.

Butterfly Lace. My personal version of Canterbury Tales, again based on my own real-life adventure. In reality, 23 of us were stuck in a hotel in Brussels for three days while our bankrupt charter airlines figured out how to get us all back to Texas. I remember the adventures we related to one another as if it were yesterday. The tales are too good and in some cases, absolutely hilarious!

Postcards. Well, I cannot do this one this week, because "the postcards" are in storage. Perhaps I could do background research in anticipation of retrieving them soon. I like the story, yet another one with basis in real life. Years ago, I bought a postcard collection in a small German town. Turned out that the postcards traced the courtship of a young couple from 1905 to around 1915, from his romantic notes to her as he was stationed in Munich, Bayreuth, and even Oostende (Belgium), to postcards from friends addressed to the newlyweds.

On second thought, while this story is fun to work on, "research" is something I'd rather not do right this minute. Later!