Advice from a Friend
The sky was overcast and a cold breeze blew across the coffee shop’s patio. Derek was waiting for me outside the shop, reading a news magazine and unfazed by the cold. “How’s the story going?” He looked over the magazine at me. He was one of two people I could discuss my writing with. The other person was my second ex-wife, but she stopped talking to me after she got married again. That day he seemed more interested in the news. Or maybe he was tired of listening to me complain about the story I was writing. “Not going at all,” I said. “Oh, what’s wrong?” He turned a page. “My characters. Every time I get one scene done in which a character interacts with another, I run into a brick wall. How to move onto the next scene.” “Oh, too bad. Did you know war has broken out in Sudan?” “Uh, no. But as I was saying, Lydia . . . “ “Lydia? Who’s she?” He sipped coffee from his mug. “I told you before. The wife of Claude, the main character. Don’t you remember?” He merel