I just finished reading a YA novel, The Life I'm In, by Sharon Flake, about a girl named Char, born into a hard life that gets significantly harder when she is lured by a predatory man into sexual slavery. In the end, she rises above even her own expectations and endears herself to readers with her resilience and newfound compassion. Char has lingered in my mind, apparently, because I saw and photographed a eucalyptus sapling today because it reminded me, metaphorically, of her!
Every author aims to create characters who linger after the reader has closed the book. That is why VOICE is so important. An authentic voice and the opportunity to evolve enable a character to grow, beyond the pages, into the reader's heart. And maybe even into a poem, by the reader, evoked by a memorable protagonist. Here's mine:
DEFYING HARDNESS
by Susan L. Lipson
Like a child born into hardship,
the sapling sprouts from a rock,
unexpectedly vibrant,
admirably resilient,
green and pliable,
despite the hard,
unmoving origins of its roots.
I utter a blessing for its growth,
that it may weather storms,
anchored by its heavy base,
reaching through and around
to nourish itself and
eventually overshadow its
