Sunday, July 6

Friends

Thelma & Louise. Cagney & Lacey. Starsky & Hutch.

OK, so maybe that last doesn't quite fit the direction I was going with this, but I was out late last night celebrating my birthday a day early and I'm just too tired-headed this morning to think up another female-duo pairing. Sure, you've got your Lucy & Ethel, but the show wasn't named such so that doesn't count. (Btw, funniest line of the night last night? One of the guys said, "The older I get, the better Ethel Mertz looks to me." I think that should be on a T-shirt.)

So where am I going with this? Well, I guess I'm going toward this week's theme here at TFC: Friends.

My mom always says you only need one friend. While I think Mom's got something there, I do have more than one friend. On the other hand, I've never been a posse kind of person. Maybe that's why my characters aren't either. In ANGEL'S CHOICE, Angel's got Karin and later Danny; in SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE, Ren does have a posse, sort of, but they're all cabdrivers, and she does eventually become friends with two girls who are themselves best friends, T'Keyah and Kiki; and in ME, IN BETWEEN, Lacey's got Margot and later Sam. But with the exception of Ren's developing friendship with T'Keyah and Kiki, none of my heroines seem capable of doing anything with two friends at once.

What have I done to my poor heroines? Have I inflicted lonerism on them?

I'm an odd duck. If put into a situation with a large group of people like last night, I'm happy enough to work the crowd. I do fine at big parties, never hug the walls. But for some reason, whenever I think of putting something together, it's a one-on-one for dinner or a movie etc. I guess that's my natural preference: one on one.

And I guess I think I'm a really odd duck because, for the most part, I don't do a whole lot of reaching out to other people. Whether it's good news or bad news, I tend to keep it all to myself unless someone asks. But I hardly ever initiate. I don't call. I don't email. On the other hand, if you call or email, I will always reply - unless you are a stalker - and in a timely fashion. And yet I like my friends, love my friends, would die for my friends.

Still, maybe having a solitary nature isn't such a bad thing in a writer. And maybe it's not so bad in a fictional character either. After all, the duos I opened this blog with are all from TV and film. But how often do you get the equivalent of the buddy flick in literature? In literature, it's more usual than not for there to be one protagonist, one person who needs to complete the journey, learning whatever needs to be learned along the way. Maybe that's why solitary has mostly worked for me: I'm the protagonist of my own life story, hopefully even learning something every now and then.

So how about you? Could they make a buddy flick of your life? Are you one of a dynamic duo or a posse person? Do you prefer to go it alone?

Be well. Don't forget to write.

14 comments:

Alyson Noel said...

Definitely not a posse person--in fact,I could've written this post about myself- I can totally relate!
Love parties and crowds and all that- but am not an initiator of phone calls and get togethers, and really like my quiet time . . .

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

Sister!

Gerb said...

I'm not a posse person either. I'm also not much of an initiator, though I do like getting together with friends. The plus is that I don't need someone to hang out with or accompany me every time I travel. I like to have time to think and to experience some things on my own. Wonder if it's a writer personality thing?

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

I think we may be onto something here, Gerb! Oh, and I also love going out to eat by myself.

Jessica Burkhart said...

Wow, look at us! We're all solitary chicks who are part of a grog!

Yep, I sooo relate. I love hanging out with, well, myself. :)

Meredith said...

I am totally a one on one person. I can handle parties and be nice and talkie talkie with a bunch of people at once, but one on one is more my style. I definitely have one best friend that I go to for everything and we can talk about just about anything together!

~Meredith
PS. Happy Birthday

Sara Z. said...

I guess I have a posse, but it's a small one, and there's lots of stuff I love to do by myself. And, being married to someone I actually like, I'm a bit of a dynamic duo, too. But I gotta have my alone time or pretty soon no one will want to spend time with me!

Jacqui said...

Does it sound strange to say I like a crowd but hate being seen as part of a set "group"? I am still rebelling against cliques from middle school, maybe?

I find the idea of a "buddy flick" book fascinating. I can't think of any. Hmm...

Sara Hantz said...

Sounds like a TFC pre-requisite!!! I'm not a posse person. When I was younger I'd hang around in a larger group but I also had special friends, who didn't necessarily like my other 'special' friends.

Btw, happy birthday.... another july birthday... that's three of us on TFC at the last count.

Never go out eating by myself though.... hate it!

Melissa Walker said...

I used to be a posse person in high school, but it got SO complicated sometimes that now I'm much more a solo girl!

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

Wow, we really are almost all loners-here-together, and thanks to so many of you for the kind b-day wishes.

Jacqui, now I'm thinking I should write a buddy-flick novel.

Jacqui said...

Lauren, yes! Do!

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

The only thing I really like to do alone is write and maybe clothes shop. :) Everything else, I want my family around me. And I'm not really a party person. Big crowds intimidate me. I'd rather be comfortable with a few people I'm really close with. :)

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

Aw, Kelly, you're A Family Person! Actually, my eight-year-old girl is a ton of fun to shop with. I swear, I spend less on myself when she's *not* with me.