how novelist Carolyn Prusa finds the humor and the heart in her characters' difficult marriage
creating complexity in a relationship, plus the hilarity of a hurricane evacuation with two small kids and a class pet in tow
Today I’m excited to share another interview in the new tending section, which will be a mix of essays and interviews about creative practice that do a deeper dive into a particular craft element or process question. I’m experimenting with an interview + exercise format, so below you’ll find just one interview question, then a fun exercise related to that question.
Today’s interview is with novelist Carolyn Prusa, whose book None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive I read earlier this summer and really loved. I’d love your suggestions of other writers and artists to feature in this series, so if you have a good idea, feel free to let me know.
I picked up Carolyn Prusa’s None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive when I came across it at the library because that beautiful purple cover just jumped off the shelf. It’s got a kind of zany premise—Ramona has two kids, each of whom are a handful in different ways, a challenging boss, a loving but pushy mom, and a husband who she abruptly discovers is cheating—when they’re forced to evacuate Savannah in advance of a hurricane, with her kid’s class pet, a guinea pig named Clarence Thomas. It has moments of genuine laugh-out-loud hilarity, and it also has real heart. It’s a funny book, and it’s a great read—and it also really grapples with questions about how marriage changes after kids, what it’s like to be the one trying to keep the whole train going, and what it would take to change those patterns. I always start my Christmas list around now, and this book would make a great gift for any mom you think could relate to all that. Carolyn says it is “ALWAYS a thoughtful holiday gift for a mama who could use a giggle and maybe a beer” and I highly agree!
Carolyn recently moved from Savannah to Redding, CT, which she says is “a woodland fairy forest, but I will always say y’all.” She lives with her husband, two sons, and giant rescue dog, Dale, “who looks like a Wookie and sings like an angel.”
You can find her on twitter and instagram at @carolynprusa. You can find her book at Bookshop, at your favorite local bookstore, or anywhere else books are sold.
Below, Carolyn and I talk about creating complex characters, and she offers a writing exercise for hinting at the conflict beneath a situation.
one question for Carolyn Prusa
There were so many things I loved about your book, but there was a particular scene that I keep thinking about: Ramona’s throwing a birthday party for her son, and there’s the long list of everything she's done to prepare (whew, have I written lists like that!) and then she asks her husband to do the one thing (get ice!) and he forgets. And when he shows up without the ice, he’s like, what, it’s just ice, what’s the big deal, I’ll go get it now. That scene resonated with so much of what I've been thinking about (in my writing life and my parenting life) about the division of labor in marriage, and the problem of having such low expectations for our husbands. Like, he only had to do one thing and he didn’t do it! But even if he did do it, it still wouldn’t be enough, right?
In any case, I wanted to ask you about developing the relationship between Ramona and her husband. He’s not great, but he’s also not a cartoon villain, which sometimes happens in novels. And without giving any spoilers, it seems possible by the end that he’ll get his act together a little more as a co-parent. I really enjoyed the complexity of that relationship and the personal growth of both characters.
Could you talk about how you developed those characters and their marriage?
Carolyn
Of course! I find characters who are 100% saints or villains kind of dullsvegas. We are complicated creatures. And within a marriage, which is an agreement demanding so much communication and grace to, well, not murder each other, each partner may withhold whatever their love language is at different times.
Since we know at the beginning of the novel that Desmond makes a devastating choice that hurts Ramona, I tried to create moments throughout the story that show a). earlier tenderness between them and b). attempts to support her, albeit often ones that miss the mark. (Desmond: this is me trying.)
And while Ramona doesn’t deserve this pain, she isn’t always the most loving or mature partner. I included Ramona boxing Desmond out of parenting responsibility, possibly related to a lingering autopilot from the physical demands of small children or maybe because she clings to the resentment. (At one point Desmond accuses her of wanting to be Joan of Arc.) In earlier drafts there were more scenes with Ramona being pretty cruel to Desmond that got cut. My goal was to make it all fuzzy—it just isn’t interesting to have only one person destroying a marriage. Also, while big betrayal certainly influences memories—both the tough and sweet ones—they don’t disappear.
The thing that draws Ramona to Desmond in the beginning of the relationship—his easy charm, his extrovert nature, his goofiness—drives her nuts as a parenting partner. Why does he get to be the fun one at the BBQ while she’s running her toddler to the toilet? Why is she the one stressing out about picking up her son’s science project supplies at Hobby Lobby when she’s got enough on her plate with her needy boss? And she hates feeling like this. Who is this person and how did she get here? She resents the idea that her life has become a series of lists. It’s the reason she’s built up so much anger at Desmond, and why Prince’s death hits her hard.
Meanwhile, Desmond may find himself the recipient of a snappy comment from Ramona that he doesn’t realize is the tip of the iceberg—what emerges from her after weeks of being irritated. He’s genuinely confused when she’s coming in at an eleven. He responds with defensiveness and attempts to smooth things over with misguided gestures. They are in a pressure cooker. After the La Croix incident, Ramona is free to be direct with Desmond because she has nothing to lose. The worst thing has happened. So why not say what she really feels? Similarly, Desmond’s cry for help has opened up a portal as well. His wife may want to murder him but at least … they’re actually talking about things.
It's funny because readers ask me if I think these kids can work it out. And I say, “What do you think?” Because I really don’t know! That’s part of the fun of throwing pretend people in a hurricane together. They can surprise the writer and the reader.
if you’d like to try it out . . .
Imagine two characters dancing around the thing they want to talk about. What are they saying instead? How does one react when the other person starts to edge closer to the thing they’re not saying?
If you’d like read more, you can buy her book at Bookshop, at your favorite local bookstore, or anywhere else books are sold. You can find Carolyn on twitter and instagram at @carolynprusa.
Write More, Be Less Careful is a newsletter about why writing is hard & how to do it anyway. You can find my books here and read other recent writing here. If you’d like occasional dog photos, glimpses of my walks around town, and writing process snapshots, find me on instagram.
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love this! “We are complicated creatures” indeed!