A person I was eyeing on to be my character wrote her first story when she was 16. I remember because I proofread it. I remember because I was so happy to get messy but beautifully handwritten 8 pages of paper. She trusted me to critique her first story but my reactions to it back then were harsh.
Her story seemed like a first personal draft. I instructed her to rewrite it.
"It's a beautiful story but it's not written well."
That's what I told her 5 years ago. She never rewrote it, even if she did, I never got to read it. But what I have noticed in her, all these years is her willingness to learn . She is a living example behind the words, writing is a process.
She would ask me to correct her captions, ask for synonyms and the usage of words in a sentence. Her process started with Facebook captions, made its way to Instagram captions and now, she is writing more than just a sentence.
Her birthday wish for me felt special this year. "Did you write them on your own?" I even showed my skepticism but those beautifully crafted handful of words felt so perfectly put together, didn't feel like they were coming from my old friend.
I was left stunned the other day when I read the words written on her display picture. I read it twice before she asked me. "Why aren't you saying anything about my dp?" Because she knows how much I like beautiful things.
"Did you write it on your own?" This time I was more excited than skeptic.
It read:
"She fell in love. She fell in love with December. She fell in love with the fallen dried maple leaves, foggy morning,gloomy noon, orange dusk and breezy night, warm sweater, long boots and hot cup of coffee. But one day, like the other things in life, December left. December left like others but unlike other things it did return to her again."
Somewhere between the lines, I remember why I have always seen her as a character. Because like a hero, she refuses to give up. She puts an effort to move further and I know she won't stop until she finally succeeds.
