blood on grass

Lights on.

A lies on ground, inert, dressed in white, facing the sky. Two onlookers stand around, a

few feet away.

B1: what do you think happened to him?

B2: I dunno… I saw him fall… I think he’s dead.

B1: he just fell?? You mean from a plane?

B2: no… I didn’t see anything… the sky was clear, and this white dot fell from the sky,

and now he’s here…

B1: who do you think we should call? How… what would we say happened?

[man’s toe twitches, catches B2s attention]

B2: (slowly steps closer to the body, murmurs) I… I think I just saw him move…

B1: (whispering) no way… (Raising his voice) there’s no fucking way that man could

have…

B2: (interrupts) LOOK! I’m telling you I just saw him move!!!

B1: (steps closer, next to B1)… no fucking way….. (Voice trails off)

[man twitches again. Moves foot… B1 steps back, afraid. Man turns on his side facing

them. Opens his eyes… The eyes are white.]

B2: (spills out a stream of every known obscenity, beginning with the word ‘holy’)

[A stretches left hand out towards B’s… Something terribly hurts him, he twists in

pain and holds his left shoulder with his right hand… Same pain penetrates his right

shoulder… He screams… in silence]

B1: (noticing the pain in the man’s face, wails in a mixture of sympathy and disgust…)

We have to do something...! (fear doesn’t allow them to move)

[B2 simply stares, shaking.]

[Man drops left hand and uses right hand to touch his back… He screams again… his

hand comes out smeared in blood. In a paranoid fashion, blind, he desperately tries to see

something around him, but is incapable of it. ]

B1: He’s bleeding… look at all that blood on his hand…

B2: [in anguished voice] We must help hiiim… there has to be something we can do…!?

[Man tries to stand, but is unable to, as if the legs are made of concrete. He coils and

slivers like a serpent. Two red blotches symmetrically mark each scapula (each side of

the back). He relaxes.]

[B’s remain silent as truth dawns upon them.]

[A minute of silence…]

B2: an angel… dude.. it’s an…

B1: ...angel... [shocked] is there anything we can do?

[Angel begins to tremble, even though it is warm outside. Heaven’s warmth is that of the

sun’s heat. ]

B2: he… he’s blind…

B1: paradise lost.

B2: how can you lose heaven?

B1: you betray god, or perhaps through a bureaucratic mistake.

B2: or he wanted to live again.

B1: no… (begins to cry).. no… no… no…

B2: what?

B1: this… this might be… the end of the world…

[a second of silence, as the idea sinks in… B2 begins to cry as well… sits on the grass,

watching the angel twitch in the cold]

B2: He’s suffering so much… Look at him.

B1: I know… there’s nothing we can do… not for him, not for ourselves…

B2: damn you, B1, there’s no reason god would kill us today… what kind of god would

do that anyway?

B1: the kind of god that tears the wings off angels and let’s them fall…

B2: (thinks for a minute) no… something isn’t right…

B1: what better explanation do you have?

B2: fuck if I know… this is unreal… I think I’m going crazy…

B1: no you’re not! Nooooooo… or else I wouldn’t see what you are seeing. Insanity

doesn’t usually work in pairs, unless we did some ‘shrooms… or acid…. Nooo… we

really are here, and that angel really is there, dieing. We have to help him.

B2: HOW? HOW? HOW?!?!?!?! HOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!?!?!?

B1: SHUT UP!!! Quit screaming!!!! Calm the fuck down!

B2: [unintelligibly screams]

[B1 launches himself towards B2’s face, trying to cover his mouth… B2, furious,

sees it coming and grabs the hand, throws B1 to the ground, and starts choking

him… The Angel grabs B2’s foot, which sends B2 screaming off B1 in fear.]

Character Development

Character Development. Who am I? Who is he? Who is she? Forget the

appearance. Character does not rely on appearance, although appearance influences

character. Vanity is a characteristic; a defect. Part of character, nonetheless.

Each character has a past. Develop a past for each character. Whether they were

born into a poor, rich, or middle-class family. What were the parents of the character like?

Or did the character grow up an orphan? If he had, were they abusive, lenient, gentle,

respectable, vicious, lazy, paranoid… how were they?

Think of episodes of life which might affect the further decisions of the character

you are trying to develop. How were the grades in school of this character? How did he/

she get along with the rest? Think about the genetics and its influence in behavior. As a

writer, one must have a firm understanding of experience. Firm. Were one to misrepresent

a character, the character would lose credibility, and the story would always miss

something. It is the reason Dan Brown sucked and Henry James was praised. The

characters in the story must leave a long-lasting impression in the mind.

How does the character speak? Why does the character speak like that? Did it

grow up on the streets, among snobs, is it trying to fit in or is it part of a complex

developed from the repercussions of shyness? If the character is deaf-mute, was it born

that way, was it the product of an accident, or is it just acting that way?

What is the characters perception of reality? What are its philosophies? Is it

thoughtful, materialistic, apathetic, or insane? Develop a mind. The mind is the self. The

appearance is simply a vehicle for the mind. The mind is responsible for the actions in the

past, for the past, and the actions have molded the future decisions for the mind to act

upon.

For a character, you must develop the mind, the past, and the surroundings.

Characteristics must be emphasized throughout the story to burn the created character into

the mind of the reader. Without character development, the book will always miss

something.