So, a confession: I’m on my eighth manuscript (or so) and I’m,
for the very first time, writing a true friendship.
Seriously.
It’s funny, because writing friendship is something I
totally did not realize I didn’t do until I made the conscious decision to include it.
The second I decided it belonged in this manuscript, the
fact that I hadn’t really done it before slapped me right in the face.
That said, I don’t believe my previous main characters were
friendless losers.
Nor were they loners.
Not even close.
Every single one of them had friends and family and people
they talked to to make the story go round (duh). I mean, this is obvious. Even
infamous loner Jack Reacher has people he can talk to. (Though, “Reacher said
nothing,” might be one of the series’ most famous lines.)
But, as is the case with many mysteries, the friendships I
examined in the past were that of coworkers. You know, people working together
on a case, or who join forces to catch a killer. A coworker relationship is a
level of friendship, of course, but it’s completely distinct when compared to
people who are simply friends.
Plus, in my manuscripts as in many others, there’s often an
element of romantic tension coloring the main friendship/working relationship.
And that, whether it’s between coworkers or true friends, changes everything
about the friendship you’re examining.
But this time around, my main character has a true best
friend.
The kind who’d have matching half-heart necklaces if they
were a bit younger.
They’re just a couple of girlfriends, who do things
girlfriends do.
They call each other. They shop. They dish on boys.
Heck, I have an entire scene where they’re at a pizza joint
on a Saturday night. It’s integral to the story, but the scene is really about
their friendship (and demonstrating the nature of it) as much as it is about moving
the main plot forward.
For some reason, the chance to write this sort of
relationship feels liberating. It’s so different from writing boss-underling,
coworker-coworker, worker-new worker, will-they-or-won’t-they-get-together “friends.”
It’s fun. It’s fresh. And it reminds me of the girls I love and feel grateful
to call friends.
How do you approach friendship in your manuscripts? Is there
room for it, or does it hang out on the sidelines?
