Give them the problems flagged in your junk emails.
Before I clear my spam folder, I always take a quick scan to check if there’s anything legitimate.
This past week as I scanned the subject line, I thought They must think my life’s a mess. Imagine if someone had all those problems.
I began to imagine just that — and decided that novelists who struggle with creating their characters could do the same thing.
On a single screen in your spam folder, you’ll find 25 potential traits for your character. Here’s a sampling from today’s batch.
• He no longer has 20/20 vision. (Should he experiment with whatever veggie will restore it?
• He’s overweight. (Will he drop 20 by September just by drinking this?)
• Worse, he’s at risk of a heart attack because no one’s told him the “dirty little fish oil secret.”
• His ceiling fan’s broken, and he worries how he’ll pay to get it fixed.
• His knees hurt because he lacks comfortable joint and muscle support.
• It’s not just his knees. He also has back pain and sciatica because he doesn’t know about “one stretch.”
• Besides his ceiling fan, his house also needs a roof replacement.
• He’s currently not packing, but he’s considering a concealed carry course.
• But he’s also considering if he should “restore hair growth today.”
• All this points to the fact he’s over 50. Fortunately, “Life does not stop at 50.” Especially if he remembers to “get abs this summer … you still have time.”
