After reading the “84 Charing Cross Road” My interest in pen pals were peaked. I expected the book form of the story to be a long or daunting read, despite the book being thin. However, I picked it up during the last hour of my Saturday shift at the Lending Services desk and finished half of it in 20 minutes. I considered going to one of the movie screenings, but halfway through the book, I decided that I rather finish it in the literal form. I came back to the book yesterday, Wednesday during my other shift. My interest in the book bloomed once again.
That being said, I think I’m interested in the way letters can create a plot. The way a life can be a plot in a way. For my creative writing, I tried to write letters back and forth between characters, yet didn’t find a straight through plot. Though in a way, I suppose life itself can be a plot- like the idea that everyone is a main character/movie character. The way time seemed to pass in the story while still developing character – or more ‘ revealing’ characters was intriguing. I loved the introduction of new characters even breifly, getting glimpses of their characters through the protagonists (Frank) or their own letters. It was sad when they disappeared. In a way it felt like a diary. I think I’d be interested in finding how plots are developed in pan pal-esque stories like this.
