Danny January: Blog

I'm about to publish a fairly long story (over 400,000 words) and there are quite a few characters. Some authors include a cast of characters at the beginning of the story. Should I? Do you ever refer back to that or do you just read the story and get to know the characters as the story progresses? I'd like your input.

I got a lot of input in short order. Thanks to all.
I'm going to publish without a cast of characters. Here's why not.

I'll publish the complete story - several folks mentioned that it's tough if the story takes weeks or even years to be complete. This wont.

There isn't a cast of thousands. Most of the characters show up multiple times and it's rare for a character to be out of the story for more than a chapter or two.

Context for the characters is pretty consistent.

Most people said they would prefer to meet the characters as the story unfolds.

Thanks for all the input - very helpful.

I've had some great feedback and welcome it. I've passed along much of it to my friends and they found it interesting and sometimes rewarding. One of the lessons I didn't hit as hard as I should have is the impact of both Tina and her mom on Fallon. Fallon struggled mightily with insecurity and Tina worked to build her self confidence. Other kids can be hurtful but they weren't hurtful more than once with Tina around. Word got out that if you talked trash about Fallon's foster and then adoption status you were going to hear it from Tina. Kids can be cruel but they can be helpful too. Tina was and still is an amazing individual and Tina owes her more than this story conveyed. If I ever re-work it, I'll put a lot of energy into capturing that.

If you have any feedback for my characters, feel free to send me an email. I'll pass on the appropriate comments.

I hadn't been to SOL in a while and when I did, I noticed the little banner at the top - Golden Cliterides time of year. Lots of voting and sometimes a good story is recognized. Imagine my surprise to see Beach House nominated in a couple of different categories. I thought it was amusing. Not half as amusing as my friend. When I told him(Michael in the story) about it he laughed. I think the main reason he laughed was because of the title - Clitoride. I seriously doubt he will tell his sweetheart. I'm also pretty sure I'm not supposed to mention it either. However, I think Lulu would want to know. She'd undoubtedly get a kick out of it. The problem is, if one of them knows, all of them knows. Ah well. At least I got to give Michael and unexpected chuckle.

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on the series and I appreciate it. I also want to thank those who've donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for adoption.

Many people have told me this story started a trip down memory lane for them and I think that's a good thing. Some were pretty close in time and place to the story. I'd like to share a couple bits of feedback. I've edited them to keep names consistent with the narrative.

Lisa - we quoted classics a lot more - our way of showing how grown up we were - it probably came from Mom. Michael and I grew up with classic literature and old movies and it spilled over to our friends. It was constant.

Fallon - Sept/Oct were the toughest two months of my life. I went from the best month of my life, both personally and as a musician and then straight into a fight with jealousy of my best friends. I don't think I've ever really suffered from depression but this was close. I can't imagine if things had turned out differently. Tina got me through September and Lisa and Lu got me through October. I was pretty pathetic.

LuAnn - Orange county is so overpopulated now, that it's hard to recognize some of the locations in the story. The Holy Jim is not so remote. Nothing is and it's sad. Lisa got the short end of the stick in the telling. She was not just my best friend - she was all of our best friend. re sex scenes. "I wish"

Tina - half way through October I thought I might not end up with Michael. Tough realization. He set a high standard for me and I really didn't date much until college. Glad of that. Happy for Fallon. They belong together, obviously. Regarding sex scenes - no comment.

Michael - I was goofier than you made me. It's a good thing you didn't try to include SoCal surfer slang. I know this was about me but the adults in this story were so important. My folks and Fallon's especially but Jadok and Carla were just beginning their influence on our lives and it was huge. Working with foster and adoptive parents, the influence they have on the next generation can't be overstated. There so many opportunities for people to have a positive impact on our next generation and the rewards far exceed the cost. I'm thankful for the opportunity to share lessons learned in an unexpected arena and hope your readers will look for opportunities to have a positive impact. It's Friday - a good day to reconnect with the Musketeers and go dancing. Tina's hubby is out of town so I'll have more than enough time on the dance floor. A shame that neither The Roadhouse or Shaw's are still around.

The last of the Musketeers story has been posted. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate hearing from folks who have read all 4. If you haven't read them yet, please start at Beach house, then, Fallon, LuAnn and Tina - in that order.

This is a fictional story based on real events. I took certain liberties with it but Michael assures me I've captured the flavor of the people and events. As we talked through it, we agreed that the lessons learned by a 16 year old were pretty impressive. I wish I'd learned those same lessons at that age. I also wish I would have found the love of my life that young.

Here are those lessons and after that a few points of clarification.

1. Women are mysterious - get used to it.
2. Gather facts but trust your gut.
3. People surprise you if you give them the chance. Every one of the Musketeers did. But so did Mr. Cassidy, Scott, Monica and more.
4. Women like men who are confident, decisive, have a sense of humor and know how to listen. It worked while I was dating and it works in my practice.
5. Never, ever underestimate a woman. Never.
6. Learn to dance. A psychology journal once carried an article that said dancing is socially acceptable, public foreplay. Sounds about right to me.
7. Respect people. Treat them right.
8. Your word is your bond. If you say you're going to do something; do it. No excuses, no alibis, no BS.
9. There are bad people in the world. Prepare for the day you meet them.
10. Determine or discover your goals and dreams, then plan to achieve them.
11. Uncork it. Give your woman pleasure but bring that same emotional enthusiasm to surfing or playing the piano and take it to the next level.

A couple of notes of clarification. I intentionally didn't include the Southern California surfer jargon of the early 70s. Michael grew up then and there. I didn't. I thought my interpretation of it would sound contrived.

Water polo - In the early 70s the Newport Harbor school district dominated in water polo. There were three schools that competed fiercely within the district but they were also the three best teams in the state and arguably the country. Football really was for pussies that couldn't swim. That's Michael's view and one he assured me that was shared by many.

If you still haven't watched the two videos mentioned in a previous blog, I highly recommend it.

There are lots of ways to support foster children and adoptive parents but The Dave Thomas Foundation does so on a national level. Michael and I sat down one night and tried to count the people positively impacted by one couple's decision to foster and adopt. We gave up when we got to 200. Send me an email or comment at the end of the story. I'd love to hear it.