Had a realization last week. And we’re talking deep. I was hanging out with some coworkers watching Disney’s masterpiece Newsies. Okay, so critics from back in the early 90s might argue with me on the masterpiece part, considering the mostly-boy musical turned out to be one of Disney’s lowest grossing movies ever, but seriously – back then folks were still pinch-rolling their pants, what did they know? The movie, which has since gained cult-following status, rocks.
I can’t help it. Before I go on, if you’ve not seen Newsies, humor me and watch this clip:
See, don’t you want to watch the whole thing now?
Anyway, back to last week. So I’m sitting there watching Jack Kelly – a young (and yes, ridiculously cute) Christian Bale – sing and dance and fight for the cause, and suddenly, I realize, there are so many awesome Jack’s out there in the world of fiction. Jack Kelly, who makes me want to cry every time he sings “Santa Fe,” is just one among many.
We’ve got Jack Bauer of 24 renown. Violent, yes. Conflicted, sure. Awesomely awesome, absolutely. (And he seems awfully proud of his watch in the photo.)
Then there’s Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Perhaps a little too fond of rum – quote with me now, “Where has all the rum gone?” – but who doesn’t love this guy? (Well, Kiera Knightley’s Elizabeth, I guess, but Jack can do better anyway. And maybe he will in the fourth movie!)
And what about Jack the dog in Little House on the Prairie? Don’t you just love it when he comes running down the hill with Laura and Mary and Carrie? When Laura finds him dead in Season 4, ah, rips your heart out.See, lots of great Jacks.
Then there’s Jack Parker. Who? Okay, so I can’t blame you for not recognizing the name. Jack Parker is a character in the novel I slaved away at a couple years ago. A reporter with a healthy dose of confidence and a soft spot for the underdog. He was a great guy, really he was.
Was? you ask. Well, yeah. You see, I had to lay Jack and his friends to rest for awhile. After a blazing start to the story, which I tentatively called Perfectly Ruined, I kept petering out, over and over. I wrote and rewrote those first 10 or 12 chapters, but I kept getting to the same spot and simply running out of steam.
So I bid Jack a momentary adieu and moved on to my current WIP – the story of Georgia and Case and dead J. Cullaway. (And no, the J doesn’t stand for Jack.) It’s been a completely different experience. While it was still hard getting over that hump midway through, there’s more life in this story. It’s closer to my heart. I feel about a thousand times better about it. And I’ve even written those two glorious words: The End.
And I’ve realized – in addition to my profound discovery about all the Jacks – that sometimes it really is okay to let a story or character go. In this case, it was Jack Parker – a truly swell guy, but one whose story I’m just not ready to tell yet. I’ll come back to him, sure. But I’m not sorry to have let go for now – it’s given me the freedom to move on.
And while I didn’t intend for my rambling on this Monday evening to lead to any metaphorical conclusion, seems maybe it has. Sometimes you do have to let go of one thing in order to grab ahold of another, don’t you? Hmm.
Deep thoughts aside, I’m keeping Jack Parker on my list of cool Jacks. He may not dance like Jack Kelly or fight like Jack Bauer or swagger like Jack Sparrow or frolic through fields like Jack the dog…but someday he’ll have a story to tell.
*****
p.s. Speaking of letting things go, I may be a rather infrequent blogger in these next few weeks. My nephew Ollie consumes my thoughts, and work and getting ready for my first ACFW conference are using up my hours. Priorities are good, yeah?
Comments 4
Melissa – I just love reading your writing! I, also,love Jack. And, I think I’ll watch “Newsies” sometime. Becky Christensen
Thanks, Becky! Newsies, such a great movie! I’ve been listening to the soundtrack ever since watching it the other night…
Why is Jack Bauer’s wrist watch on upside down?
Jack Bauer never does things the conventional way – whether it’s saving the world from a terrorist or wearing a watch…