Writing Prompt: Support Group

                “He just won’t listen.” Cassie says to the three people sitting around the table with her, her fingers wrapped around a chai latte. “He walks away when I want him to fight, he speaks like a pacifist when I want him to get angry. I try to make him angry and he just gets sad! I don’t know what to do with him anymore!”

                “I understand completely!” A small blonde woman on her right says, taking a sip of her tea with a grimace, “My Taisly says one thing, does another and is different from home to school! I don’t know whether she is two people in one or if I’m just incompetent!”

                “You aren’t incompetent!” The man across from Cassie says, “Darla, your Taisly has just got to be split into two people. Maybe she has a younger sibling?”

                “That could work.” Darla says, her eyes going glazed and looking across and over the shoulder of the man on Cassie’s left.

                “Whatever you do.” Cassie says, “Just don’t make it cliché.” They all shudder, and Roger leans across the table to take Darla’s hand.

                “Write through it. It’ll come out. Same for you Cass. Get through the first draft. They’ll fall into place eventually. Maybe your M.C. doesn’t like being the war-causing rabble-rouser you need him to be, but that can give him depth can’t it?” Tom nods at Roger’s words.

                “Yes.” He says, “Focus on the positive. You are at the halfway point. Don’t give up now!”

                Cassie sips at her chai, and looks around the circle. “Well, that covers characters, how are your plot outlines going?” Everyone groans and Roger stands up.

                “I’m going to need another latte for this conversation!”