A Toe Nudging No-No - Jo-Ann Carson

A Toe Nudging No-No

My funniest moment last week came in the middle of a critique group session.
We came to the part in my story where the hero uses his toe to nudge the woman’s body lying on the floor. Definitely not heroic, warned my friends.
But expedient, I argued.
I needed the hero to check on whether the body was alive. That led to a discussion of what kind of guy would use his toe
… whether he would have steel toed boots on as he just came off a motorcycle
… and of course lots of laughter.
It was one of those scenes  that make perfect sense in my writer’s loft, but don’t hold up in the light of the day. The more I thought about it the more ridiculous it seemed. Imagine my tender loving hero kicking her. Oh dear…time for revision. Thank goodness for cps. (critique partners)
The next day I was swimming my laps in the pool and thinking over my WIP. When I came to the toe nudging moment, I started laughing. Have you ever tried laughing when you’re swimming the front crawl? I sucked in water and stopped to choke and splutter. Three guards eyed me suspiciously and I shrugged my shoulders. I could hardly explain it was because my hero had a toe nudging problem. LOL
One of the things I love about being a writer is these golden moments, when my fictitious world collides with my real world. I’m left with a resplendent glow, a sense of the cosmic humor of life.
Moral of the story: Real men don’t toe nudge:)




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