The Creator's Cure

Dear Cynthia,

I want to write something with you again. I still love to write and I know you do too. We had so much fun. We still can. 

What do you say? I want to call it, The Cousin’s Cure, because I think we can help each other. Creating can be a very personal thing, and I want to share it with someone who will understand. I know you will. 

I’m curious to see where this road will take us. Maybe back to one another. Maybe we can be best friends again. God knows I miss you. 

I miss you more than words can say. 

Write me soon. 

With love,

Summer

Seriously. A letter to my bitchy (dare I say evil) cousin, asking to write again? Do you know me at all?! 

It’s ok. Deep breaths. We’ve been through this, but let’s take it from the top. 

Hi. Hello. My name is Summer Sky and I am your freaking MAIN CHARACTER. Here’s what I do know about myself: I’m 25, I have an older sister, I'm obsessed with all things true crime, and I love to be outdoors. I don’t go anywhere without my adorable beagle Flynn (who I sometimes call Detective Flynn, courteous of my obsession with The Closer). I seem to have a knack for reading people's minds and baking cookies? Interesting. Not sure how these things all fit into my story though. You made me, oh, about a year ago now, and I’ve never been more confused about my purpose. 

At first I thought this was a romcom, but then you killed off Jack (dick move by the way, I actually kind of liked him). And so then I was certain this was a thriller, what with adding the serial killer and all (I mean, I get it. He certainly made things more interesting. That is, until the serial killer was caught red handed. In your RISING ACTION. Way too soon!). But now, we’re drifting into friendship / Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants territory, and I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. Summer would NEVER write to her cousin… Her cousin who tried to sleep with Jack the night he was murdered (I still think Cynthia had something to do with it, by the way)!  

Sometimes, I have serious doubts about you, creator. 

Sometimes, I wonder if I should just write this thing myself. But we both know that’s not how this works. 

I think you need my help on this one. I think we need to figure out what I (and really, you) want from this book. And hey, I’ve watched far too many episodes of The Closer to hold back now. So, I’d like to interview you, creator. 

I think I might be really good at it. 

I am going to ask you a few questions to see where you’re at, and hopefully, it’ll give you some clarity about me. Or not. Maybe I’ll end up in your RED folder on your Mac and I’ll just be another one of your unfinished projects. Or worse. Parts of me will be used in your Vampire Diaries fanfiction. Oh, Jesus, I hope that doesn’t happen. Please don’t let that happen.  

Creator, we have something good here, you and I. I just know it. Now, let’s see if I can put those mind-reading skills to use. 

Question #1: When was the moment you thought of me and why did you choose to create a character like me? I think if we can go back to the beginning, we can find more meaning in me. 

First of all, it is quite strange being interviewed by you, given you are a figment of my imagination, but I guess I’ll go along with it. I’ve got nothing left to lose and a whole lot of writer’s block. So let’s see. I first thought of you five years ago when my little sister got sick. You’re so much like her, in fact, you’re almost exactly the same. I think I created you because I wanted her to go on living. 

So she died, then. I’m so sorry. 

It was a long time ago. It still hurts and I think about her everyday. I think that’s why I keep changing her story, I mean, your story. I want it to be perfect, for her. I want her to have the perfect ending. I want her to have everything—

Well that’s just it, creator, I’m not her. I am more you than her, actually. And there is no perfect story, or perfect ending. You can’t write like that. It'll block you up. Geez, no wonder I had that chapter in Las Vegas. That was—

Hey, hey! We’re not bringing up Vegas, I deleted that already.  

Ok, ok. Fine, let’s move on. Question #2: What do you want me to achieve in this book and what flaws do I have that will make it harder for me to achieve my goal? By the way, I cannot WAIT for you to answer this one. I can’t even answer this one!

Well, Summer, if I knew the exact answer to this question, we wouldn’t be having this interview at all, now would we? But I can give it a shot. I want you to finally meet your Dad. You haven’t met him yet, you don’t even know that he exists. And before you guess, no, your Dad was not the serial killer, that was supposed to be a red herring. A very poorly executed red herring– 

You need to stop talking down to yourself. Write what you write and be proud of it. If it doesn't work, toss it, then move on. 

I’m working on that, Summer. I'm really trying. 

Well try harder. Or don’t try. Just have fun with it. And you still never answered the second part of my question. 

That’s because I was rudely interrupted, again. So, to answer the second part of your question, I would have to say impatience and being a know-it-all are your greatest flaws. 

Seriously. 

No. Not seriously. Your greatest flaw is you are too kind. You put too many people before you, too many times over. And because of this, you are struggling. You don’t make choices that are best for you. You live your life for the others; for other opinions, for other voices, for other needs. So now, you’re not getting the story that you need. 

Are we talking about you or me now? I wasn’t trying to make this a therapy session. 

Damn your sarcasm, I’m going to tone that down in the second draft. 

No, don't do that! It’s one of my best traits! So, to recap, I’m a literary reincarnation of your little sister, who hasn’t met her biological father yet, and who is too kind for her own good? That’s sweet and all (for you) but where’s the spice, huh? Where can I be more than that? 

What do you mean? 

Well, I do want to be all those things, and I should be all those things, but where’s my why? These are all just parts of me and how I should be, but I need a calling. A purpose. I need my why. Or else who gives a shit about me?  

The cussing needs to stop. You can get your point across without the expletives. 

I heard that smarter people swear more. 

Can’t imagine where you heard that from. Ok, well, what do you want your purpose to be? 

Me? You’re asking me? I thought I was conducting this interview. 

Don’t get cold feet now, this whole thing was your idea. So, what do you want your why to be? 

I want to help people. 

I’m going to need a little more context than that. 

Who has the sarcasm now? Look, I want to help people. I want to help people who don’t have a voice. Who have been hurt and never got justice. And, I want to tell their stories. I want to help them. 

So maybe a true crime writer? Or a detective? You do love The Closer. 

No, we love The Closer, and we’ve mentioned it so many times today I doubt you still have interested readers after this. 

Fair point. 

But no, not a true crime writer. No one reads books anymore. And a detective? Won’t I need a ton of schooling? Do you really want to have that backstory for me? 

I will if you want that. Sounds like you don’t though.

I like both of your ideas (to be honest, they're the best ones you’ve had so far) but they’re not quite right. They’re close. We’re almost there.  

Ok well, if you don’t want to write true crime or be a detective, what about starting a podcast? Yes, you could be a true crime podcaster, and only tell the stories that are cold, or don’t get much media attention.

Yes!

I can work back in the serial killer, and Jack’s death will make way more sense now. And we can have one case lead you to your biological father, it’ll be a twist even you don’t see coming. 

Now we’re talking! And when I interview people for my episodes, it will help that I can read minds. Might get the victims closer to the truth. 

We’ll have to be very careful with that, I don’t want to put you in any more danger than you’ll already be in, but yes, I agree. I’d also like for you to be challenged with a case that tests your personality, too. Where you have to choose between what’s best for someone else and what’s best for you, and by making that choice, that really difficult choice, you hurt someone else. But you save yourself. It will be a moment of growth for you. 

I’m fine with that. As long as Detective Flynn can come along to my interviews. 

Of course he will, everyone loves dogs, right? 

Duh. Alright creator, well done. I can still be a literary reincarnation of your little sister, who will meet her biological father at some point, who is too kind for her own good. I can be all these things, because at my core, at my very core, I want to help people. I want to leave this world a better place than how I found it. 

I couldn’t agree more. So, any last questions? 

Just one. And it’s an important one. Here goes. Question #3: What do you want your reader to take away from my story, when all is said and done? 

You’re hitting me with the big ones today, aren’t you? 

I told you it was an important one. 

It is. I know it is. And it must be answered. I want readers to walk away with more than hope. I want readers to know, very clearly, that they can always choose themselves, no matter how dark it gets. And even when you doubt yourself, or put yourself on the backburner, you can always, always, shine again. 

I love that, truly. 

I do too. Anything you want to add? 

Yes. It’s not just the brave who live within the story. It’s the brave who write it.

Thank you, Summer. Thank you. 

Don’t thank me. I’m just a figment of your imagination, remember? You wrote the line. So, I guess we better end our interview here. Not bad for my first one though!

No. Not bad at all.