What does she "want"

On the train from Goa to Hampi, I started working with the Dramatic Writers Companion – a structured set of exercises to solve problems in play development. While there does not seem to be any exercise that attacks my primal hurdle – “what is this story about” - I nonetheless dived in to try and discover....

?What does the character want? This exercise invited me to ask two key questions about mom...

Question 1. What are the key influences and contexts ... what is the “backstory”?

She knows she is slipping into Alzheimer’s – and that is likely accompanied by a growing fear and paranoia. At some point she overhears me talking about her sister Marion and my favourite author Alice Munro – and this plants the seed of potential confusion.

The setting for the many conversations between Mom and I is the familiar family coach which accompanied her to the old folks home. Both of us manipulate the physical scene – “you sit here and I will sit here”. Not sure I can speak for her but I think she too used that setting to maximize her ability to connect and feel comfortable and mitigate growing confusion and paranoia...

Question 2 - Characters in stories need/want four things – what about mom? She wants

1. “to make someone else feel good”. Always the socialite and engaged conversationalist she wants to talk – and be understood. Perhaps she tries to acknowledge Alice Munro. Bottom line is the desire to at least appear capable. And not a burden –

b) “to make someone else feel bad” - That is not Mom – too proper – well there is the guilt thing from time to time which may have started out manipulatively – “I wanna go home – why did you put me here – it all went downhill when they took my drivers li8icence away – they say I have Alzheimer’s “- but ultimately it is just a cry for help.

C) “to find out something” –The struggle is to get a grasp on reality as life becomes more surreal. Perhaps from time to time there is a ray of hope - that she might find lost bearings – that she might be able to anticipate what is coming – that she might be able to figure out how to behave ... that this nightmare will end. Mom is innately curious – yes partly polite but also historically genuine and socially facilitating – and eager to engage in conversation. I am critical of what I find to be the triviality of this from time to time – the conversation for conversation’s sake. Not unlike a dynamic that I have struggled to overcome with Margaret.

D) ”to convince someone” She does display fear from time to time. She is worried about her ability to be heard and participate. Convincing is another matter. She just does not want to be dependent

There is a third question – What do other characters need/want.

My needs are to reassure ... to make her comfortable ...to get through to the end of the visit ... to be ok with being sad when leaving ... to have me outrage at the injustice of it all acknowledged...