Daily Archives: January 12, 2008

A Writer’s Pursuit…

Of Research and Character Development

by Michele Cwiertny

The Travel Channel. Discovery Channel. The Learning Channel.

I never realized how many times I draw inspiration for character development while watching some of the programs on these channels. No, seriously. This isn’t an excuse for me to sit in front of the TV and wish I had Samantha Brown’s job of traveling around the world…Or for me to think for the hundredth time that the French fry lovin’, clown fearin’ Anthony Bourdain just couldn’t be any cooler.

Well, okay. It is a little bit about Samantha Brown, but mostly it’s about what I learned about my characters after watching her show, “Passport to Europe.”

In one of my favorite episodes, she visits Prague and eats in an absolutely stunning Art Nouveau café as she tells the story of a plate full of stale jelly donuts that sit on the counter and wait for someone to buy them for about $60 American. If a customer were willing to pay that much for the entire plateful, then that person has the right to take those donuts and throw them AT the other customers!

Where did this custom of the donut battles start?

Apparently, it was taken from a 1942 novel by a Czech author, Zdenek Jirotka, who wrote Saturnin, which is a humorous story that categorizes people into three different groups: 1) those who would just look at a plate of donuts 2) those who would think about throwing the donuts at people in the café and 3) those who wouldn’t think twice and would actually throw them at people in the café.

Now, from what I understand, the Café Imperial ended the tradition of the Battle of the Donuts in 2006, so don’t log on to Expedia and purchase your flight to Prague just yet! But, when I hear stories like this story, I always wonder…what other fun traditions have been started because of something written in a book or a poem?

So, tell me…In what category would your hero or heroine fall when looking at the plate of donuts? And what about you?

One, two, or three?

Can’t wait to read your answers… 🙂

Michele

Michele Cwiertny writes dark paranormal and historical romance. To find out more about her please visit, www.michelecwiertny.com