Do we really know how people are feeling or what they are thinking by just looking at their faces? Fran, the main character in my latest story, puts on a symbolic mask each day before she faces the outside world. She ensures that the worry lines soften and the taut line of her mouth becomes her trademark smile once again so that no one will guess what is happening to her behind closed doors. She feels ashamed of the abuse she is suffering at the hands of her all-controlling husband, Max.
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There is a real, porcelain mask in the story too. It's ironic, perhaps, that they should have chosen that mask at such a happy time when on honeymoon in Venice. My writing buddy, Helen, recently visited Venice and I asked her if she had any photos of masks she could send me. I'd written the first draft of my story when she was away and had described the Venetian mask as being a violet colour with an almost indigo sheen, edged with gold lustre beads. In my mind, I was using the shades of the bruising hidden on Fran's body. Imagine my surprise when I received Helen's photo of a mask that was on the wall of her hotel. Not the indigo I had described in my story, maybe, but enough violet and gold for it to be a real coincidence!
At the end of the story, the real mask is shattered during a struggle when Fran leaves Max and she no longer has a need for the symbolic mask either. The daily masquerade is over for her and the story concludes on a hopeful note.
Have you used an object in a similar way in any of your stories? I'd love it if you shared your ideas and left a comment.
Thank you for reading. You may follow me on Twitter @JanBayLit and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.
I'm racking my brains but can't think of any, Jan.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a first for me, Wendy. I think it was quite easy to use a mask as we all have to disguise our true feelings at times but hopefully not for the awful reason Fran has to. 'Putting on a brave face' is a common saying, isn't it?
DeleteThanks for commenting, Wendy.
DeleteI had someone in a poisoned relationship drink poisined wine - that's as close as I can get.
ReplyDeleteI can see that the reader would be able to make the link from the literal to the more abstract. As a result, they would be able to infer the state of the relationship without having it spelled out for them. Thank you for your comments, Patsy.
DeleteHi, Jan. That's a good story. I left a note on the yahoo group on it
ReplyDeleteI used a bobble headed buddah in my latest Redington story it's meant to bring fertility and a new life.
Thank you for your comment about the story on yahoo, Sue. Your use of the buddah is a good example of using an object literally and as a symbol. I'm looking forward to reading it on Creative Frontiers from May 18th. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteWhat a powerful post, Jan. We all, to some degree, put on our public face. For Fran in your story, there is the need to hide her shame and pretend that all is well. How extraordinary that the real mask your friend found in Venice so closely matched the mask you had envisioned for your story. Is the story going to be published? I'd be very interested to read it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sue, for commenting. Yes, I couldn't believe it when I opened up the photo from Helen. It's for a competition but, although it's not one of the big ones - I don't enter those! - I'm not expecting to win. I'm sure there will be lots of more experienced writers entering.
ReplyDeleteHow amazing that your friend's photo of a mask was a good match for your fictional mask. I once wrote a story called The Red Candle in which the said red candle is actually a lipstick, which the main character places among candles in a church. Symbolic on a number of fronts. Your story sounds very powerful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Christine. I like the sound of your story. Lipstick can be used both in the literal sense as well as being symbolic of what it can imply, bright red giving a completely different message to a delicate pink! Setting your story in a church sounds fascinating and then, as a reader, I would want to know why the MC places the 'red candle' among the church candles. Great stuff. I hope the novel's coming along well.
DeleteGood luck with the story, Jan. All sorts of things spark story ideas for me - places, overheard snatches of conversation, strangers in the street, childhood memories - but I can't think of any story I've written that was inspired by a real object. I must have a good look round the house!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Linda. I think it was easy to use the mask because of the two meanings.
DeleteI agree with Susanna. I know that I put an imaginary mask on each time I head out of the door. A different mask for different occasions. Funny when one reflects on it. I only de-mask in front of friends and family. A real object that inspires my stories....hmmm.. I could quite easily work a kitchen implement into one of my crime stories and mirrors seem to appear regularly. Spooky. Wishing you all the best.
ReplyDeleteI think a mirror is a very useful object to use and they have appeared in a number of my stories, too. Thanks for your good wishes and for commenting, Nicola.
ReplyDelete