One of the things I struggled with when writing Beyond Hope? was the overwhelming sense of despair within the book itself. Obviously, writing about being a cop in a city the FBI recently named as the most violent (per capita) in the United States, the content is going to be negative.
Some other book and movie writers, as well as actors, whom I had spoken to prior to writing Beyond Hope? always stressed that a book or movie cannot be totally negative (conversely, a comedy cannot be all humor - there has to be some sort of believable storyline to follow to break up the humor). “You have to give the reader a break,” one writer told me. “The audience needs a chance to catch their breath.”
Finding chances within Beyond Hope? for readers to “catch their breath” was not easy. I can count on one hand the clearly positive things that happen to me in the streets each month. And many of those memories are quickly washed away by the sights and sounds of the next shooting or homicide, which is waiting right around the orner.
The chapter titled “Frislee” told one of the most simple stories in the book. This brief, yet uplifting story revolved around one of those times when I stumbled across a mental oasis in the vast desert of despair which was my work day. It was a story I simply had to put on paper. And it served as a nice “catch your breath” spot at a good point (about 1/3 through the book) within Beyond Hope?
Meeting these three kids playing Frisbee on this day was truely, I believe, one of those days God looks down upon a person (me) and says: “This guy really needs a break.” And so my five-minute work repreive, chucking a frisbee in a most unlikely setting with three poor, urban kids, was born. The fact these kids referred to a fisbee as a “frislee” made the story, I believe, that much more endearing. Those few moments have remained cemented in my brain to this day.
While writing this chapter, I thought about my own childhood, where my escape from my own personal problems was found at the beach on the shores of Lake Huron. I felt it important to point out the differences - and the similarities - between my childhood surroundings and the surroundings of these young children.
The Author’s Note at the end of the chapter was an afterthought, which I added after the first rough draft of Beyond Hope? went to print. I added several of these Author’s Notes during this time to give some closure for important chapters.
By the way, local actor Alex Aleandrou read Beyond Hope? late in 2009 and said he would love to do a movie “short” about this very chapter. Nothing has been put together yet, but with any luck, “Frislee” might be brought to life at some point in the future.
Thanks for stopping by. Chapter eight - The Fall - will be the topic of my next entry.