Lesson 2-Assignment 2

Lesson Two Assignment #2
One of the best ways to experience the power of point of view is to write an emotionally strong scene between two people who, when they tell their story, have very different versions of the experience. This is a practice in writing in First Person POV

1. Write a fight between two people, perhaps a mother and a daughter or a father and a son. A fight has built in tension, which makes the scene easier to write. You also have opportunity to use dialogue - when people fight, they usually have a lot say!

2. Begin by asking yourself what is the issue between the characters (mother & daughter or father & son, or any two people).

3. First write the scene from the daughter's point of view. This means you get inside only the daughter's head. The reader can hear what the mother says and see how she acts, {through the daughter's eyes} but cannot know her thoughts. This exercise brings you totally inside the daughter. The only inner thoughts you use belong to the daughter.

4. Then put the daughter's story aside and write the scene from the mother's point of view.
You need not have the exact same dialogue and almost certainly the story will be very different from the mother's point of view.

5. This time around, you show the reader only the mother's inner thoughts. The daughter speaks and acts but we do not know her motivations other than by what she says and does, as shown through the Mother's eyes!

Daughter-in-law's View:
I bumped that darn dining room table as I started to the back door to let the puppies out for their morning potty break and it wobbled.

I'll be so glad to get rid of this old table and have a new modern one in it's place. I'm surprised Tommy would let me get rid of it so easily.He's nearly as bad as his mom about hanging on to old family things.

I think I'll post my good news of going tomorrow to purchase a new dining room table.
(facebook entry):
Whoo-Hoo! Getting rid of this old dining room table made before the Napoleanic Wars! Will have a new one by tomorrow morning!

Mother-in-law(facebook answer)
I am shocked. If you didn't want the table, you should have called. It is a family heirloom and Rhonda(Tommy's Sister) would love to have it. Go to your e-mail on facebook so we can discuss this privately please.

Nothing to discuss,That old table is out of here!

Both switch to e-mail:
Me: I hate this old table. It is about to fall in and Tommy said I could get a new one.

Mother-in-law:That's fine but the table is an heirloom handed down by his Great Aunt. If you are going to throw it away it just makes me angry when other's in the family would like to have it.

So let them have the old thing!

The phone rang. Answering it I heard my mother-in-law's voice on the other end.

My anger took over, " I'm sorry you are so furious, but you won't have to worry about me much longer we'll probably be getting a divorce anyway. He's got a mistress stowed away,"

"Can't blame him," my mother-in-law quipped. "He can't see his brother since you think you are better than he is. I can't visit without a reservation. All we wanted was a little time."

"Well, we don't do things that way in our family. You have to call ahead to come visit. His brother is a smoker and I don't like that. He doesn't have a very high IQ and I don't care to try to have conversation with him. I do have my Masters. He likes to argue with me when I know I'm right." Why can't she just get over it?!

I could hear a crack my mother-in-law's voice, "Tommy has given up all of us and close relationships to try to give you all you want and be what you wanted. You always make him feel like it's never enough. He may not be perfect but you'll never find anyone that loved you more, I do know that. The girl you accuse him of having an affair with is just a co-worker and there isn't and never has been anything between them. When I posted the pic of him and his co-workers it was just that--a picture in his work place. You jump to conclusions to quickly."

"You are just making excuses for him. You didn't put my picture on your facebook with him in it. Why not?"

"Because all the pic's I have of both of you are already displayed on his facebook account. He didn't have that one up so I thought I'd post it. I took it on my cell phone. This is getting completely out of hand, Jodie. I am apologizing for the harsh words I said. My feelings were hurt and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. The table doesn't mean enough to cost a relationship that means so much to me and to Tommy."

"The old table is just a piece of junk! You should have thought of that BEFORE you made any comment. We have a right to live our lives like we want to. You've already lived yours."

Why can't this woman understand we live in a different world. We don't have to have family close around. This is a different world we live in and I don't want Tommy's redneck brother hanging around nor his mother who is to easy on everyone.

"Jodie, If you will accept my apology maybe we can talk about it and put it behind us I will do whatever it takes to make it right." Tommy's mom said.

"I think you need to make things right with Tommy. Things between us are going to work out however they work out. Tommy and I have a mountain of issues, and it may be best if we just part ways. I don't know, we're still working, but either way, he can have 100 wives, but you'll still be his mom."

I really didn't care if things work out between the meddling woman and me. The relationship isn't that important to me.I have important issues like finishing my doctor's degree to worry about.

"He only wants one wife, Jodie, and that is you. He will always be my son and we have already made it alright. I love him. I love you. I have been sick and I just took what you said the wrong way."

I took a deep breath. Will you just hang up already!

"I can only apologize and again I do. I love you very much and I know he loves you more than anything or anyone. That is a lot to appreciate. Not everyone can say that. I hope you and he can work out whatever it takes to stay together and I promise to keep my mouth shut," the mother-in-law said.

"I think it would be best if we just didn't have any further contact with each other. You and Tommy can do whatever you want with your relationship. Just don't call me anymore or come to my home. I am taking you off my facebook now too," I answered curtly and hung the phone up.

I dialed Jenny's number. "Let me tell you about the conversation I just had with Tommy's mom. You are not going to believe it."






Mother-in-law's view:

I had just pulled up Facebook and lo and behold a shocking entry by my daughter-in-law, Jodie, was displayed:

Jodie(facebook entry):
Whoo-Hoo! Getting rid of this old dining room table made before the Napoleanic Wars! Will have a new one by tomorrow morning!

Being a true daughter of the South, I hold high reverence for items passed down in the family. I loved antiques and know the table inherited by my son, Tommy and his wife, Jodie is worth around $5,000.00. It is worth more than that in sentimental value. Jodie is an exceptionally intelligent woman bookwise, yet, lacks much in empathy for those with less intellectual knowledge. Jodie has one view of the way things and people should be and that is her extremely liberal ways and thoughts. As a general rule, I usually let her opinions go right over the top of my head rather than argue about them, but today take the cake.

It did hurt when Jodie had Tommy tell his brother not to come visit anymore. Jodie was afraid of him because he likes to argue about things with her. He is borderline mentally disabled, but harmless. His heart is bigger than all outdoors for heaven's sake. He had given Tommy and Jodie his part of two inheritances to be able to purchase the new home they have while he lives in a run-down one bedroom mobile home.

Now Jodie wants to just throw out Auntie's table.

Myfacebook answer:
I am shocked. If you didn't want the table, you should have called. It is a family heirloom and Rhonda(Tommy's Sister) would love to have it. Go to your e-mail on facebook so we can discuss this privately please.

Both switch to e-mail:
Jodie: I hate this old table. It is about to fall in and Tommy said I could get a new one.

Me:That's fine but the table is an heirloom handed down by his Great Aunt. If you are going to throw it away it just makes me angry when other's in the family would like to have it.

I called Jodie to try to talk some sense into her about throwing the table away.

Jodie's angry voice echoed, "I'm sorry you are so furious, but you won't have to worry about me much longer we'll probably be getting a divorce anyway. He's got a mistress stowed away."

Tommy had told me of Jodie's thinking he was seeing a co-worker due to some of the others making joking remarks. They were simply that, a joke. Tommy only had love for one woman and that was Jodie. I can understand if he does get overwhelmed by Jodie's possessiveness and her constantantly running down their family.

The migraine I had kept me from controlling my thoughts as they popped right out of my mouth, "Can't blame him. He can't see his brother since you think you are better than he is. I can't visit without a reservation. All we want is a little time."

Jodie answered, "Well, we don't do things that way in our family. You have to call ahead to come visit. His brother is a smoker and I don't like that. He doesn't have a very high IQ and I don't care to try to have conversation with him. I do have my Masters. He likes to argue with me when I know I'm right."

You wouldn't even have a house, much less furniture if it weren't for Tommy's brother.

I continued the conversation, "Tommy has given up all of us and close relationships to try to give you all you want and be what you wanted. You always make him feel like it's never enough. He may not be perfect but you'll never find anyone that loved you more, I do know that. The girl you accuse him of having an affair with is just a co-worker and there isn't and never has been anything between them. When I posted the pic of him and his co-workers it was just that--a picture in his work place. You jump to conclusions to quickly."

"You are just making excuse for him. You didn't put my picture on your facebook with him in it. Why not?"

Okay, this is too childish!

"Because all the pic's I have of both of you are already displayed on his facebook account. He didn't have that one up so I thought I'd post it. I took it on my cell phone. It is just a pic of him with some co-workers. This is getting completely out of hand, Jodie. I am apologizing for the harsh words I said. My feelings were hurt and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. The table doesn't mean enough to cost a relationship that means so much to me and to Tommy."

"The old table is just a piece of junk!" Jodie yelled.

"Lordy, lordy how did this get to this point?"

"If you will accept my apology maybe we can talk about it and put it behind us; I will do whatever it takes to make it right." I said.

Jodie answered, "I think you need to make things right with Tommy. Things between us are going to work out however they work out. Tommy and I have a mountain of issues, and it may be best if we just part ways. I don't know, we're still working, but either way, he can have 100 wives, but you'll still be his mom."

"He only want one wife and that is you. He will always be my son and we have already made it alright. I love him. I love you. I have been sick and I just took what you said the wrong way."

Jodie didn't answer, but I could hear her breathing hard on the other end. "I can only apologize and again I do," I repeated. "I love you very much and I know he loves you more than anything or anyone. That is a lot to appreciate. Not everyone can say that. I hope you and he can work out whatever it takes to stay together and I promise to keep my mouth shut."

"I think it would be best if we just didn't have any further contact with each other. You and Tommy can do whatever you want with your relationship. Just don't call me anymore or come to my home. I am taking you off my facebook now too," Jodie's voice held only contempt.

My tears flowed as I wondered it this would be forever.