I started this website because I want to be a writer. I know that to become a writer, I have to write and read. I have to spend a lot of time, more than I'm spending now writing and reading, yet day after day, I find myself enjoying the guilty pleasure of television shows on Netflix. Last night, I was watching Chicago Hope, which I'm thoroughly enjoying, when my favorite celebrity crush made a cameo appearance. (See the above photo of the lovely and talented Duncan Keith on my television. As a total aside from my aside, let it be known that though the Blackhawks are my team and Duncan Keith is my favorite player to watch on my team–though I think that Jonathan Toews is also amazeballs–my actual favorite hockey player is Luke Glendening, who was my student when he was a spring semester post graduate here at Hotchkiss. He's such a great kid that I will cheer him on even if he insists on playing for his home team rather than for mine.) But even if this stunning and skilled Blackhawk hadn't appeared, I would still love watching this and other shows for a lot of reasons.
First, I will happily watch anything decent set in my favorite city. (The last time I was visiting my hometown, I went for a run and went right by as they were filming a scene. I got to see several giant panes of easy-break glass. So. Much. Fun.) Second, I like noticing cases of nonsensical geography. How do they get from the west side to the lake so quickly? Why would they take somebody who got hurt there to a hospital they've called Lakeside? But the third reason I'll give is the one that takes away the guilty part of my "guilty pleasures."
For shows to work, week after week, the characters have to face obstacles, both external and of their own creations. Bad things have to happen to them. They have to make stupid choices based on wrong assumptions and missing information, even when good choices might appear moments later. They have to keep secrets, even when telling the truth would serve them better in the long run. What a boring story it would be if everyone had all the information, made smart choices, and faced easy lives. For a show to continue, week after week, the characters have to face personal problems bigger than the fires they're putting out. They still have to be likeable people, but they can't be perfect or lead perfect lives. The firefighters on Chicago Fire have to battle more than the fires they're trained to put out; they have to battle their own demons.
I've been working on one novel for a long time. (I won't say how long because the fact would only embarrass me.) Just recently, I realized that my main character is too honest, too lucky, too smart. She makes choices that make sense and then nothing gets in her way. In a word, boring.
So, I'm going to return to this I-thought-it-was-finished novel over the summer to restructure it. I'm going to put some tall walls and sticking-up/slippery roots in her path. She needs to trip, stumble, get stuck in mud. I learned that from watching shows.
What are your favorite shows? What bad choices and secrets have been your favorites to watch unfold? Write a note in the comments.