Father Daughter Dialogue – Fictionalizing the Past for a Better Future

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”

— Virginia Woolf

Fiction is funny.

Writing it can help us get to the truth a whole lot faster. It can also help with healing and help pave the way for a better future.

There are many lessons to be learned from our personal past. Click To Tweet

But sometimes it helps to treat the real-life people in our lives—past and present—as characters in a story to learn those lessons…then apply them to our lives, in a way that sticks.

Case in point is a scene from a screenplay of mine, entitled “The Pooh Stone.”

The following scene takes place three months after the death of my husband, “Sam.” I am “Alex.” In real life, we were both thirty-two when he died. The “Alex’s Dad” character is based on my dad. This conversation didn’t happen exactly this way in real life. But snippets of it did.

Here is the scene:

EXT. ALEX’S BACK YARD – CALGARY – NIGHT

It is a clear night, the stars are visible. Alex and her dad are sitting in reclining lawn chairs, staring up at night sky. They both have blankets and coffee mugs.

ALEX
“And tonight the stars’ll be out…and don’t you know that God is Pooh Bear?”

Alex’s dad turns to look at Alex.

ALEX’S DAD
You read “On the Road”!

ALEX
Yup.
(glum)
And Kerouac is clearly saying God doesn’t exist. God is just like Winnie the Pooh..a made-up character!

ALEX’S DAD
Not necessarily. Perhaps Kerouac is implying that God exists IN our imagination…in our ability to create characters…
(smiles)
…or stories, based on connections between seemingly unrelated events.

Alex snaps her reclining chair upright.

ALEX
So you don’t think I’m crazy?

ALEX’S DAD
No. I just think you have a very vivid imagination that was…torpedoed to the next level by an extremely traumatic event. But because of that, you may be closer than most to what we call “The Divine.”

ALEX
Oh.

ALEX’S DAD
Many of us spend our entire lives looking for that kind of connection…

Alex’s dad looks into his coffee cup.

ALEX’S DAD (CONT’D)
Unfortunately, we tend to look in the wrong places…like the bottom of a bottle.

Alex’s dad takes a sip then leans back in chair and looks up at night sky. Alex watches him carefully.

ALEX’S DAD (CONT’D)
The stars are always out, Alex. It’s us who can’t always see them.

ALEX
Dad…what are you saying?

ALEX’S DAD
(sighs)
That maybe I need to have a bit more faith in things.

Alex’s dad turns to look at her and smiles.

ALEX’S DAD (CONT’D)
But on a lighter note…I must say it’s good to see your enthusiasm returning.

ALEX
I’m gettin’ there…

ALEX’S DAD
Did you know the word enthusiasm originally meant “being at one with the energy of God?”

ALEX
(laughs)
No!

ALEX’S DAD
(smiles)
True story. It comes from the Greek word –

ALEX
(holds up hand)
Dad…

ALEX’S DAD
(smiles)
Sorry.

Alex’s dad leans back again and resumes looking at stars, so Alex does, too. They are both quiet a moment.

ALEX
So…what we see as a star is actually just the light that came from that star a long time ago…right?

ALEX’S DAD
Right.

ALEX
But the actual star itself may or may not still exist, right?

ALEX’S DAD
Correct. But chances are very good that it does. It takes a long time for a star to burn out.

ALEX
Kay…but regardless of whether the original star stills exist or not, it’s light obviously still exists…right?

Alex points to sky.

ALEX (CONT’D)
Because we’re seeing it.

ALEX’S DAD
Right…

CUT TO:

INT. SAM & ALEX’S BEDROOM – CALGARY – NIGHT (2000) (F.B.)

(It is early morning, the day after Sam’s death. He is at the hospital, in surgery; his heart is being removed for organ transplant at this same moment):

Alex is asleep in bed, facing window. She opens eyes and breathes in sharply.

REVEAL a reddish-orange light framing bedroom window.

Alex sits up and stares, stunned, at window. The light slowly dissipates.

BACK TO:

EXT. ALEX’S BACK YARD – CALGARY – NIGHT

Alex turns to look at her dad.

ALEX
So then who’s to say a part of us doesn’t live on after the death of our bodies?

ALEX’S DAD
(confused)
As starlight?

ALEX
No. Not exactly…

ALEX’S DAD
(smiles)
I sure hope you put that imagination of yours to good use.

ALEX
I’m trying…

Alex’s dad is quiet a moment. He takes another sip.

ALEX’S DAD
Did you know I was accepted to Oxford at one time?

Alex looks at her dad but he continues looking at stars.

ALEX
No!

ALEX’S DAD
I was. For English, of course. But in the end, I decided not to go.

ALEX
Why?!

ALEX’S DAD
Because I thought it would be too much work. I…uhh…
(clears throat)
I knew I had to choose between doing the work…or drinking.

Alex’s dad finally turns and looks at her.

ALEX’S DAD (CONT’D)
I think you know what I chose.

Alex nods.

ALEX’S DAD (CONT’D)
I’m not saying you’re going to follow my path, Alex. I’m saying you have to be very careful of allowing too many distractions to pull you away from your writing.

A little background…

My parents divorced when I was six. After that, I lived with my mom and pretty much only saw my dad once a week for dinner. But when my husband died, my dad stepped up to the plate as a father and helped me the very best he could, supporting me as I slowly forged a new life out of a shattered heart.

Some good men take longer than others to fulfill their responsibilities. That was certainly the case with my dad. He may not have been much a father to me when I was younger. But when my world crashed, he was able to provide a listening ear and sage advice – much of it learned from his own mistakes and choices – when I needed it most.

And late or not, I am extremely grateful for that.

How about you? 

Is there something you have learned - or could learn - from one of your parent's flaws or mistakes? Click To Tweet

If you are comfortable with writing or journaling, might you consider writing a fictional conversation with someone you would like to resolve an issue with? 

Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts and blogs. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and a Director with the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here.