I worked this week on having the novel’s main characters answer Proust’s Questionnaire. I only finished it for the male character, Joe. The exercise has made clear to me that even after Jerry’s multiple drafts of the novel, and the four decades of maturing in a cardboard box, Joe is actually a pretty thin character. Every answer goes back to his one personality trait.
As I started answering the questionnaire for the female character, Maggie, something else occurred to me.
Maggie Ryan was originally Aggie Lawless (yes, it still makes me wince, and I didn’t even choose it). She got the M for my mom, Margaret.
So, Maggie and Joe, right? Been Maggie and Joe for eight full months now.
So today at work, as I was making appointments with my boss, MAGGIE, and scheduling a meeting with MAGGIE’s boss, JOE, that my characters have the same names as my direct supervisors.
It’s possible I realized that before, but I don’t think so. Would I forget that? You would think it would have been reminded of it every day.