Woe to Me...

Today has not been the greatest of all days.

It began at 6AM when my husband woke me up with these sweet words: "I heard Nathan making noise and went in there and Kody had pooped all over Nathan's room and I need your help."

Kody being our dog. Nathan being our son. Help being something I do not like giving at six o'clock in the morning.

So, by eight o'clock this morning, we had scrubbed carpets, banished the dog to the backyard, been to Wal-Mart for supplies and started the process of deodorizing the house.

Kind of a crappy day. No pun intended.

However, my day could be much worse. My mom reminded me of this since one of her friends is facing the idea of her husband being deployed to Iraq for a year.

It made me start thinking about how much drama I make in my own life and how much of it really doesn't matter. Carpets can be cleaned. Dogs can sleep in crates. Naps can be taken.

So as much as I like to moan about my day (and trust me, I have), it really isn't that big of a deal.

How often do we do this in our stories? How often do we settle for meaningless drama rather than attacking the heart of the issue in our characters' lives? One of the best things we can do for our readers is write about things that they themselves are facing.

So what are you facing? What is the Big Issue for you today?

Now - how can you incorporate that in your story?