Treatment Tuesday - Meeting An Absent Father

This week’s assessment comes from Alexandra. I have to tell you…this is one great plot, with twists and turns that will be a page-turner! She's writing a contemporary women’s fiction with Ellie* as the 24-year-old heroine. Ellie grows up with her mom, living hand-to-mouth, with no knowledge about her father (who left her mother before Ellie was born because he thought he wasn’t good enough for her). Ellie becomes a single mom as well when her boyfriend turns abusive (causing her to miscarry twice) and she leaves him, taking her baby girl Kathryn* with her. Danny,* a really good guy at her church, loves her and wants to marry her, but Ellie’s not trusting men again. While her mother is dying of a terminal illness, she tells Ellie that her father is a best-selling crime thriller novelist. Ellie conceals her identity and goes to interview him so she can meet him. Her father offers her a job as his research assistant for his upcoming book, and Ellie takes it. She meets up with her abusive boyfriend later in the book because he’s the head of the publishing house that puts out her dad’s books.

* Names have been changed to protect the fictional.

Alexandra wants to know: What sort of emotions will Ellie go through as she interacts on a daily basis with her dad? What physiological problems would she be dealing with? How would she respond to Danny’s advances? What problems would need to be worked out in a relationship? How would Ellie respond to meeting her old boyfriend? When her identity comes to light, how would her father respond (who still loves her mother)?

Quite a long list to tackle! Let’s start with the biggest thing that happened to Ellie: an abusive boyfriend. Women often get sucked into relationships that are abusive, so it says a lot about Ellie’s strength to be able to walk away from this man (who is the father of her child…that’s even doubly courageous). Seeing him again definitely would bring up her memories of the abuse that led to the two miscarriages and probably countless other wounds. But since time has passed, she just might see parts of her daughter in him that have emerged during the time away from him. She’d probably hope for some evidence that he’s changed, that she might be able to safely include him in her daughter’s life (but maybe not…your call. This might depend on whether you intend for her to end up with Danny or Kathryn’s father.)

Her response to Danny’s advances could definitely be mistrustful. She hasn’t had any kind of good role model for how a relationship with a man should be. She likely wouldn’t be able to recognize or trust true love if she found it. So a key for Ellie’s relationship with Danny will be tried-and-true patience/endurance. He’ll come through for her where others have failed, stick with her when others would have bailed, stay with her when others would have tuck-tailed. (I’m such a poet…and didn’t know it!) Eventually there will have to be a scene where Danny throws down the gauntlet, though, giving Ellie a choice.

She’ll either have to come out of her scared shell to accept the love he is offering…and that’s a conscious choice...or she'll face living her life completely alone. (She might be more likely to make this decision after she realizes her dad really loves her mom…that would show her that true love does and can last forever.) Danny does NOT need to offer someone like Ellie any kind of choice where if she makes the “wrong” choice, he’ll give up on her and walk away. Ellie would perceive this as abandonment and it would only serve to reiterate her mantra that men can’t be trusted. Danny would probably get further with Ellie if he says he’ll be whatever she needs from him…if it’s a friend, than he’ll try to swallow his attraction, if it’s more than friends, he’ll be the happiest guy in the world…that sort of thing.

Next big thing to happen to her is the reemergence of a long-time absent father. This really is huge, even for a 24-year-old. Initially, she’d be shocked and outraged, probably, and I’m sure you have a great scene where her emotional reaction to this news is strong. But eventually her intellectual, secondary reaction will come to the fore. She’ll reason through her anger at how he treated her mom (considering she knows the particulars) and for leaving them to squeak out their existence while he shares none of his wealth.

Her anger might remain latent, though, and show up in passive-aggressive interactions with him while she’s his assistant. You know, a little witty remark here or there. I think you could have some tremendously tense scenes as they relate to one another with such similar “caustic, sarcastic personalities.” Great stuff.

Eventually, as she gets to actually know him as a person, she might be touched at how they share some mannerisms and quirks…and yes, “wowed” by her living, breathing, larger-than-life father. She’s a part of him….which will give her an additional sense of self….a more inclusive identity. (Not sure I’m getting my idea across…but I’m going with it. If you have questions…ask away in the comments.)

Last question was how her father would react when Ellie’s identity comes to light. That’s a harder one to nail, because all I know about her father is that he loves her mother still and is a successful novelist. If he had known about Ellie’s existence, he perhaps could have atoned for his “sins” and written a book that paralleled his own life a bit, complete with regrets and disappointments at how his life ended up. Maybe this book is so close to his heart he keeps it from his agent and editor…but agrees to publish it to win back Ellie’s love and trust (as well as her mother’s). This would be a poignant plot development for the reader.

But that still doesn’t answer the question. I think he’ll be thrilled. Deep down, men want to know their children just as much as women do. Fathers want to share themselves, pass part of themselves on. It’s natural. To finally meet her (or, if he had no idea of her existence, to finally know about her existence) would be surreal. A joyous occasion. He’d probably have some reservations about why Ellie’s mother didn’t tell him….and plenty of regrets at how different their lives could have been if he’d known…sadness over the years of her life he missed and the years of potential happiness he could have had with the love of his life, who’s now dying. But he'd probably grab at the chance to make amends, do right by them, pay her mother's medical bills (heck, marry her!), and use his sway to help Ellie in her career however he could.

So there are a few ideas to get your plot rolling smoothly along. Hopefully this helps some!

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