Courting Destiny

Writing is a craft requiring patience,dedication, and practice. You know,
or so your high school English teacher would have you believe. No matter
how clever you are, or how large your vocabulary, writing is a process of

constant drafts and working to arrange everything perfectly.

(Oops. There goes the fourth wall. The reader’s not supposed to see what’s
going on back here and be reminded these are pixels on a screen.)

One of the key traits of excellent writing is the use and devlopment of
believable and well-rounded characters. However, in blogs, books, movies,
or whatever medium, there’s a key character that often gets overlooked.

Place is an essential character.

I mean, what would Pia’s blog be without New York?

(Damn it. Using “I” in a non-fiction piece. I hope no one is reading
this.)

Place not only defines characters, but is a character of its own. It’s not
just the setting of the story… it’s interacting with our characters and
has its own story to tell. And it for sure always seems to get the lion’s
share of the best lines.

How important?

I never write about my relationship on my own blog. I keep it pretty
private for the most part. But we have our own obsession with places.

(Look at me breaking rules all over the place. You can really tell I’m just
a guest here can’t you?)

She went to New York some years ago for training for her current employer.
Of course, after returning, she would constantly say “I’ve been there!”
every time any part of New York would show up in any TV or movie we were
watching.

But I got her back. Yes I did. I went to Las vegas on a guy trip. She
loves CSI, which is set in Las Vegas.

You just know I had to. Fortunately, it’s gone from annoying each other
to be a silly inside joke because as you well might guess, Las Vegas and New
York show up everywhere.

Maybe sometime in the future we’ll go someplace so that we can say “WE’VE
been there.”

Place is a major part of all of us.

But if a place can leave such an indelible impression on us, isn’t it
possible to say that we also leave some part of ourselves with that place?

Obviously, New York is as much a part of Pia as the dentist or social work
or her numerous friends. But in a place as large as New York, isn’t it
interesting to consider what piece of herself Pia has left for the city?