A while back I was watching the movie "Sky High." It's a little cheesy, yes, but I think it's cute. I've watched this movie several times but this time something blatantly obvious smacked me in the face.
The main character and his love interest are always wearing the same colors. Not the same as each other, but always the same in different iterations. If you've seen this movie, you know that it's about a high school for superheroes-in-training (and their sidekicks-in-training) and that the MC's parents are pretty much the best superheroes there have ever been. His parents' colors are the same as the colors he's always wearing and they are quite often depicted wearing those same colors in their day-to-day lives.
This got me thinking about the subtle ways we can reveal things about our characters. To go off of the above example, the colors can become sort of an idee fixe. Their alter egos are so much a part of their lives that it seeps into everything, including their son's choice in fashion. On his side of it, we could view it as a manifestation of his want to live up to what's expected of him, to go into the family business. It doesn't have to be so complicated as that, but these are just some ideas.
I never consciously try to put a theme or moral into what I write. It's too easy to fall into preaching territory that way. But we can weave in subtle revelations about our characters and they way they view the world, and one way is through their costuming.
Think about it. Bella would have come off as a much different person if she'd gone and flat-out refused to abandon her Arizona wardrobe in favor of clothes that would be more appropriate to the Washington climate.
A guy who wears polos and sweaters tied around his shoulders is a very different character than a guy who wears wrinkled t-shirts and cargo shorts.
In the tv show, "Bones," as another example, there was an interesting subtext played out through clothing. Booth, the male lead of the show, is an FBI agent. Wears the suit and tie, all that, looks very buttoned-up and straight-laced. Except for the flashy ties, large belt buckles and wacky socks. One season, the FBI sent Booth to therapy after he shot an inanimate object just because it was annoying him. The therapist was there over a series of episodes (later replaced by another therapist who is now a cast regular) and at one point he made Booth stop wearing the ties, buckles and socks. Everyone commented on it and after a while the therapist told him to start wearing them again.
The therapist tells him one thing about these items, about why Booth wears them, other characters think other things, but it takes one line of muttered dialogue to really show the truth behind them, but the dialogue isn't important. You can take what you want from the clothing, be it they're his rebellion against the stricter wardrobe guidelines the FBI has in place in the show's world, his dislike of the "privileged" (read, wealthy and arrogant, the ones who think they're all that and a bag of pretzels because they were blessed to be born into a rich family), or him just trying to be the winning peacock. But the clothes say so much without one single word uttered by a character.
We can also use clothing to set up our readers for their expectations to be shattered. Take the guy who wears the polos and sweaters tied around the shoulders. Now, he might be the stereotype: wealthy, full of himself, pretentious, and would never be caught dead holding a toilet brush.
Or he could be the world's greatest superhero living on the lam after being framed for a robbery that was committed by his arch-nemesis.
See? You can take the guy with the cargo shorts and wrinkled t-shirts and turn him into anything you want if you're aiming to toss expectation on its head. You just have to know what sort of character you want.
Have you ever though much about clothing and such as a means of showing readers the sort of character they're reading about? I know I have, at least on a secondary level in much of what I write. Though with Lodestar it plays more of a role than in other works I've written.
Showing posts with label charactering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charactering. Show all posts
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Studying Characterization
I'm a very visual learner. I will admit that right here and now. Never is that more apparent than when watching a movie or a television show gives me insight into my writing, and into writing in general.
Yesterday I talked about my binge on season 1 of "Haven." Well, aside from that special feature where I realized some things about my writing, about how I'm too connected and am letting my work control me too much at times, I got some great great insights into characterization.
I need to start doing this sort of binge to help with dialogue and stuff, too, methinks. Anyway.
There's this character on the show. He's your typical bad boy character. But really not so much. And one thing that I found myself continually doing, and I do this with a couple of my most favorite shows, was analyzing his character. Those rare times where I had to tear myself away from the DVDs because real life was calling, this character was in my head. And I was dissecting him, figuratively speaking.
Sometimes I find myself analyzing characters like this if I'm talking about the latest episode with someone else who is also a fan of that show. But even then it's hard to remember little nuances, to see patterns.
Watching 13 episodes of a show, almost entirely back to back, really makes those patterns stand out. And you start to see a character's tell, that indication that there's something just under the surface that's really influencing all their decisions. Or the thing that shows you the character is falling in love with another one, even if no one sees it. Just little things.
Watching that many episodes in a row is almost like reading a book. Every episode is a chapter, and at the end of a season, you get the climax that both concludes that book's arc and sets up the arc for the next in the series. (And sometimes it doesn't set up the external arc, it sets up an internal arc for one or more characters.)
Yesterday I talked about my binge on season 1 of "Haven." Well, aside from that special feature where I realized some things about my writing, about how I'm too connected and am letting my work control me too much at times, I got some great great insights into characterization.
I need to start doing this sort of binge to help with dialogue and stuff, too, methinks. Anyway.
There's this character on the show. He's your typical bad boy character. But really not so much. And one thing that I found myself continually doing, and I do this with a couple of my most favorite shows, was analyzing his character. Those rare times where I had to tear myself away from the DVDs because real life was calling, this character was in my head. And I was dissecting him, figuratively speaking.
Sometimes I find myself analyzing characters like this if I'm talking about the latest episode with someone else who is also a fan of that show. But even then it's hard to remember little nuances, to see patterns.
Watching 13 episodes of a show, almost entirely back to back, really makes those patterns stand out. And you start to see a character's tell, that indication that there's something just under the surface that's really influencing all their decisions. Or the thing that shows you the character is falling in love with another one, even if no one sees it. Just little things.
Watching that many episodes in a row is almost like reading a book. Every episode is a chapter, and at the end of a season, you get the climax that both concludes that book's arc and sets up the arc for the next in the series. (And sometimes it doesn't set up the external arc, it sets up an internal arc for one or more characters.)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Oh, my, how convenient!
Seriously, stupid conveniences bother me in reading and in television/movie viewing.
I was watching a tv show the other day. I won't say which so as to not overtly spoil anything. But there was a character whose estranged spouse conveniently showed up just to make this character's life more miserable/complicated and to complicate and effect the character's relationships with other characters.
Really?
I feel like this is a trope seen a lot and I'm a little tired of it. I'm tired of the characters just having up and left their lives without resolution on that past. There are so many ways the past can complicate the presence that we don't need a character who everyone thinks is single and then all of the sudden we find out they're really not.
Perhaps it's a symptom of the popularity through the years of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Perhaps. It also may just be a symptom of the lax views of marriage and family that are running rampant in today's world. In a world where divorce is easy to obtain and more and more seems to be the first answer rather than a last resort after a couple has tried all they can to repair the marriage, picking up and leaving may seem like the common answer to make a character relatable.
I don't know if it's true, but I do know that relationships can be so complicated without this easy answer for character development.
I was watching a tv show the other day. I won't say which so as to not overtly spoil anything. But there was a character whose estranged spouse conveniently showed up just to make this character's life more miserable/complicated and to complicate and effect the character's relationships with other characters.
Really?
I feel like this is a trope seen a lot and I'm a little tired of it. I'm tired of the characters just having up and left their lives without resolution on that past. There are so many ways the past can complicate the presence that we don't need a character who everyone thinks is single and then all of the sudden we find out they're really not.
Perhaps it's a symptom of the popularity through the years of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Perhaps. It also may just be a symptom of the lax views of marriage and family that are running rampant in today's world. In a world where divorce is easy to obtain and more and more seems to be the first answer rather than a last resort after a couple has tried all they can to repair the marriage, picking up and leaving may seem like the common answer to make a character relatable.
I don't know if it's true, but I do know that relationships can be so complicated without this easy answer for character development.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
What Does Your Character Want?
Does your character want something so badly it aches? Do they want something so desperately they cry thinking about it?
What are they willing to do to get that?
Are they willing to move across the country even if they really can't afford it? Are they willing to admit defeat and give up on the dream or desire?
At what point will they settle for second- or fifth-best because the odds against getting what they want are insurmountable?
Are you as the author willing to push them to that point and see if they break?
I'm going through this struggle in my real life right now. I know the point at which I'll break. I sometimes wonder if Heavenly Father wants to see if I break this time or if I can push to a new breaking point and not break.
Right now, I'm looking for a job. It's not pretty, the war that rages in my head every time I click through my links of various job boards. I went to a conference on Saturday that was not a writer's conference. This was a religious conference. One of the workshops I attended was on landing the job you want. Some 40,000 jobs created last month? That's great! Oh, but 220,000 new job seekers entered the market. Sigh.
At one point, the man teaching the workshop ran through a bunch of questions all meant to help us figure out what career we want.
Guess what my answers told me? Well, 2 things. Writer and agent/editor.
Crazy, right? But the answers were there plain and simple. You know what really stinks, though? The fact that there isn't a whole lot of publishing industry here where I live. It exists. There are some literary agencies and three magazines.
I'm at that point where I know what I want, I want it so desperately I want to cry, and I can't have it. The roadblocks are insurmountable.
Are your characters at that point? Are they headed for that point?
What are they willing to do to get that?
Are they willing to move across the country even if they really can't afford it? Are they willing to admit defeat and give up on the dream or desire?
At what point will they settle for second- or fifth-best because the odds against getting what they want are insurmountable?
Are you as the author willing to push them to that point and see if they break?
I'm going through this struggle in my real life right now. I know the point at which I'll break. I sometimes wonder if Heavenly Father wants to see if I break this time or if I can push to a new breaking point and not break.
Right now, I'm looking for a job. It's not pretty, the war that rages in my head every time I click through my links of various job boards. I went to a conference on Saturday that was not a writer's conference. This was a religious conference. One of the workshops I attended was on landing the job you want. Some 40,000 jobs created last month? That's great! Oh, but 220,000 new job seekers entered the market. Sigh.
At one point, the man teaching the workshop ran through a bunch of questions all meant to help us figure out what career we want.
Guess what my answers told me? Well, 2 things. Writer and agent/editor.
Crazy, right? But the answers were there plain and simple. You know what really stinks, though? The fact that there isn't a whole lot of publishing industry here where I live. It exists. There are some literary agencies and three magazines.
I'm at that point where I know what I want, I want it so desperately I want to cry, and I can't have it. The roadblocks are insurmountable.
Are your characters at that point? Are they headed for that point?
Friday, May 27, 2011
Independent and Strong Female
I've been seeing a lot of discussions lately bemoaning the strong female character who really isn't all that strong or independent. So I thought I'd take a day to explore what I think makes a woman truly strong or independent. Maybe someone will take something from what I have to say.
My Mom is the strongest, most independent person I know.
My Dad passed away almost 11 years ago. He was sick for half of my life, diagnosed with cancer when I was seven, getting Hodgkin's and Shingles, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, a bone marrow transplant, two ruptured discs in his back, a heart attack, and ultimately succumbing, not to the cancer cured by the BMT, but to congestive heart failure of a heart damaged by too much chemotherapy and radiation and too little activity after rupturing the discs in his back.
Through those 8 years (he passed when I was 15), my Mom had to make a lot of decisions on her own, especially in the later years. After he passed, everything fell on her shoulders. They'd always made financial decisions together, big issues, all of that. Now he's not around. She had two choices: shirk the decisions because they were too hard or step up to the plate and live life.
There have been times where I know she's struggled. Where she's railed against what happened, wishing that my Dad were around. *coughteachingmetodrivecough* But then she's picked up and made the decisions that needed making.
But she's also always had help in quiet ways. Talking to her parents, her Bishop, learning from those around her.
In many ways I've picked up this same independence and strength. I can rely on myself to handle what life throws at me. Sure sometimes I want to cry. And I do. But then I blow my nose and make a decision.
Often times, though, I have to ask for help. I have to accept the fact that no one can get through this life completely on their own. Part of strength and independence, to me, is knowing when to ask for help. It's hard, but it's true. It's a lesson I'm taught nearly monthly sometimes it seems.
True independence and strength is knowing that you have the power to operate on your own but recognizing that you can't always do so and need the support, help, and strength of others to get what you want or need in this life.
Maybe if we start thinking of it this way, our female characters won't come off as total pains and alienate our readers.
*********************************************************************************
Today marks the 400th post here at Chronicles of a Novice Writer. And to top it off, next Wednesday will be the unofficial 2-year anniversary of my blog. I say unofficial because this blog was technically opened in October of 2008, but between then and June 1, 2009, there were maybe 3 posts. June 1 was when I began to blog consistently and with a vague purpose in mind. Over the years that purpose has shifted, as has the content, but I'm still here. I'm still talking. And maybe I'm talking to no one, but that's okay I guess.
So, in honor of both of these milestones, I'm holding a contest. The rules are simple: To be entered, simply tweet me your best mashup title between a classic and your favorite or least favorite book in the genre you read/write in the most. My twitter handle is @StephanieLMcGee and please use the hashtag #400posts2yrsmashup
Only the first tweet will be entered in the contest but tweet as many as come to mind. One title per tweet, please.
Don't have a Twitter account? (Get thee to Twitter!) That's okay. Leave your best title mashup here in the comments and I'll be sure you're entered.
The contest will be open from the time of this post going live until 11:59 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Tuesday, May 31. I'll announce the two winners (you read that right, two winners!) in my post on June 1.
What's the prize? Oh, I suppose I should tell you that if you really want to know. I'll be giving away two full manuscript critiques. Two. I'll allow adult, YA, MG, or anything in-between. Keep it clean and mild on the heat level. Acceptable genres are steampunk, science fiction, fantasy, and romance. If you really want the crit and you're in a different genre, leave a comment and I'll call it from there.
My Mom is the strongest, most independent person I know.
My Dad passed away almost 11 years ago. He was sick for half of my life, diagnosed with cancer when I was seven, getting Hodgkin's and Shingles, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, a bone marrow transplant, two ruptured discs in his back, a heart attack, and ultimately succumbing, not to the cancer cured by the BMT, but to congestive heart failure of a heart damaged by too much chemotherapy and radiation and too little activity after rupturing the discs in his back.
Through those 8 years (he passed when I was 15), my Mom had to make a lot of decisions on her own, especially in the later years. After he passed, everything fell on her shoulders. They'd always made financial decisions together, big issues, all of that. Now he's not around. She had two choices: shirk the decisions because they were too hard or step up to the plate and live life.
There have been times where I know she's struggled. Where she's railed against what happened, wishing that my Dad were around. *coughteachingmetodrivecough* But then she's picked up and made the decisions that needed making.
But she's also always had help in quiet ways. Talking to her parents, her Bishop, learning from those around her.
In many ways I've picked up this same independence and strength. I can rely on myself to handle what life throws at me. Sure sometimes I want to cry. And I do. But then I blow my nose and make a decision.
Often times, though, I have to ask for help. I have to accept the fact that no one can get through this life completely on their own. Part of strength and independence, to me, is knowing when to ask for help. It's hard, but it's true. It's a lesson I'm taught nearly monthly sometimes it seems.
True independence and strength is knowing that you have the power to operate on your own but recognizing that you can't always do so and need the support, help, and strength of others to get what you want or need in this life.
Maybe if we start thinking of it this way, our female characters won't come off as total pains and alienate our readers.
*********************************************************************************
Today marks the 400th post here at Chronicles of a Novice Writer. And to top it off, next Wednesday will be the unofficial 2-year anniversary of my blog. I say unofficial because this blog was technically opened in October of 2008, but between then and June 1, 2009, there were maybe 3 posts. June 1 was when I began to blog consistently and with a vague purpose in mind. Over the years that purpose has shifted, as has the content, but I'm still here. I'm still talking. And maybe I'm talking to no one, but that's okay I guess.
So, in honor of both of these milestones, I'm holding a contest. The rules are simple: To be entered, simply tweet me your best mashup title between a classic and your favorite or least favorite book in the genre you read/write in the most. My twitter handle is @StephanieLMcGee and please use the hashtag #400posts2yrsmashup
Only the first tweet will be entered in the contest but tweet as many as come to mind. One title per tweet, please.
Don't have a Twitter account? (Get thee to Twitter!) That's okay. Leave your best title mashup here in the comments and I'll be sure you're entered.
The contest will be open from the time of this post going live until 11:59 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Tuesday, May 31. I'll announce the two winners (you read that right, two winners!) in my post on June 1.
What's the prize? Oh, I suppose I should tell you that if you really want to know. I'll be giving away two full manuscript critiques. Two. I'll allow adult, YA, MG, or anything in-between. Keep it clean and mild on the heat level. Acceptable genres are steampunk, science fiction, fantasy, and romance. If you really want the crit and you're in a different genre, leave a comment and I'll call it from there.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Owning Your Work
I posted a while ago about reconciling differences. As an author, I have my own personal beliefs about a variety of situations that characters could face, ways that characters might think, etc. (You can find that original post here.)
Now, as I sit down and really look at my story When the Star Fell (formerly titled Lodestar), I find myself faced with a question.
Do I want this work to be associated with me?
It brings to mind Warren Buffett's advice from that school visit I talked about before on the blog. (Find those posts here, here, and here.) In the video, he's asked, "How do you instill ethical leadership through your corporation? How do you know the management below you is making parallel decisions?"
His reply was the newspaper test. Imagine that the decision you're making is going to be reported on the next day by a less-than-friendly newspaper reporter. All your friends and family are going to see it. Are you good with the decision, imagining that scenario? If not, make a different decision.
Am I comfortable with what's in the story? Am I, being an active member of my church, comfortable with the situations I've put my characters through? Am I comfortable with the fact that I've written dialogue with the occasional (very occasional) curse word? Am I comfortable with every word on those pages?
And I'm not so sure I am.
Are you comfortable with your words as a representation of you?
(To be fair, I do realize that my book isn't me. But people can get judgmental sometimes. And I know that we have to be true to the characters, but doesn't that also mean we can create characters that don't behave in those ways that make us most uncomfortable?)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Complicating Characters Revisited
This post originally appeared on the blog back in September of last year.
Just over a week ago (September 1) my mom and I were watching "Warehouse 13." (Yes, I'm a nerd and proud to admit it.) For the entire debut season there's been this lurking storyline. One of the characters lost their lover in Warehouse 13's Act 0. (I will borrow here from my first professor of Shakespeare.) It's pretty much the only significant thing they've ever indicated has happened to this character. Now, I realize that it would be no fun if they gave us her entire life story in one go. But, characters are more than just one shaping event from Act 0. Especially adult characters who have lived in the worlds we as authors create.
So, how do we complicate our characters, make them more than just one shaping event? For me, while each character does have one or two life-shattering events in their history, I try to map out changes around them. These changes can be corollary to event prime or unrelated. Then I fill in gaps. Small events, like whether they broke a bone, usually spring from the moment unless a past injury becomes an event prime and then I definitely plan it out ahead of time. I figure that I can let those little things spring from the well as I let the words flow because they aren't crucial to story but they make a character real.
I also look beyond event prime to circumstances of birth. Did they have a birth defect? A neurological disorder? Poor? Rich? Nobility? Disgraced nobility? Fully human? (Fantasy worlds, after all, don't necessarily preclude a no answer to that question.) The little details like that are what helps me to complicated my characters so they're more than just Act 0 Event Prime.
Nowadays (meaning here in November of 2010) when I'm charactering, I think long and hard about those circumstances of birth and how they were raised. I look at the character's parents' modes of thinking, personal beliefs, etc, that might factor into how my character will react to things. Or from which the internal conflict might spring.
With my latest WiP, I've taken to letting the character's decisions work backward from what I know is the decision she has to make at the end of the story. What decisions and events would lead my character, from the way she formed at the beginning, to the decisions and actions that come at the end?
It's when I know these reactions, and they feel natural and not forced out, that I know I've come close to creating a full-fledged character, near to a real human being as I'm currently capable.
Just over a week ago (September 1) my mom and I were watching "Warehouse 13." (Yes, I'm a nerd and proud to admit it.) For the entire debut season there's been this lurking storyline. One of the characters lost their lover in Warehouse 13's Act 0. (I will borrow here from my first professor of Shakespeare.) It's pretty much the only significant thing they've ever indicated has happened to this character. Now, I realize that it would be no fun if they gave us her entire life story in one go. But, characters are more than just one shaping event from Act 0. Especially adult characters who have lived in the worlds we as authors create.
So, how do we complicate our characters, make them more than just one shaping event? For me, while each character does have one or two life-shattering events in their history, I try to map out changes around them. These changes can be corollary to event prime or unrelated. Then I fill in gaps. Small events, like whether they broke a bone, usually spring from the moment unless a past injury becomes an event prime and then I definitely plan it out ahead of time. I figure that I can let those little things spring from the well as I let the words flow because they aren't crucial to story but they make a character real.
I also look beyond event prime to circumstances of birth. Did they have a birth defect? A neurological disorder? Poor? Rich? Nobility? Disgraced nobility? Fully human? (Fantasy worlds, after all, don't necessarily preclude a no answer to that question.) The little details like that are what helps me to complicated my characters so they're more than just Act 0 Event Prime.
Nowadays (meaning here in November of 2010) when I'm charactering, I think long and hard about those circumstances of birth and how they were raised. I look at the character's parents' modes of thinking, personal beliefs, etc, that might factor into how my character will react to things. Or from which the internal conflict might spring.
With my latest WiP, I've taken to letting the character's decisions work backward from what I know is the decision she has to make at the end of the story. What decisions and events would lead my character, from the way she formed at the beginning, to the decisions and actions that come at the end?
It's when I know these reactions, and they feel natural and not forced out, that I know I've come close to creating a full-fledged character, near to a real human being as I'm currently capable.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Footloose and Fancy-free Friday 11/12
Sorry for vanishing, everyone. Busy busy week. With lots of fun things happening.
Someone asked me recently how I know my characters are developed enough. I gave my answer, but now I want to know yours.
How do you know when your characters are fully fleshed out and real? How do you know they've become individuals capable of carrying the story that needs to be told?
Someone asked me recently how I know my characters are developed enough. I gave my answer, but now I want to know yours.
How do you know when your characters are fully fleshed out and real? How do you know they've become individuals capable of carrying the story that needs to be told?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Character Names
Even in fantasy, names of people and places should sound consistent and believable. While this may come easy to someone like J.R.R. Tolkien who was a linguist and knew dozens of languages, to use mere mortals it's a far more daunting task.
In my contemporary fiction that I've written, the names have generally come easy. First names that is. If I ever needed a last name, I'd simply flip open to a random page ofThe Dictionary of Surnames, and scan for a name that appealed.
Fantasy becomes a much uglier beast. I have a spreadsheet on my computer to keep track of the significant name changes to either person or place. In one fell swoop, one day, I re-named several of the important side characters and every major location name for the country it all takes place in. Including the country's name!
My general strategy for coming up with names is to either get on baby naming websites and go through the database willy-nilly or to open baby name books to random pages and look for a name to jump out. On occasion I do go to fantasy name generator sites and look for names that way.
So what are your strategies?
*In celebration of my blog's 2nd birthday, I'll be re-posting some old favorites from the archives during the month of November. The original post from July 9 2009 can be found here.
In my contemporary fiction that I've written, the names have generally come easy. First names that is. If I ever needed a last name, I'd simply flip open to a random page ofThe Dictionary of Surnames, and scan for a name that appealed.
Fantasy becomes a much uglier beast. I have a spreadsheet on my computer to keep track of the significant name changes to either person or place. In one fell swoop, one day, I re-named several of the important side characters and every major location name for the country it all takes place in. Including the country's name!
My general strategy for coming up with names is to either get on baby naming websites and go through the database willy-nilly or to open baby name books to random pages and look for a name to jump out. On occasion I do go to fantasy name generator sites and look for names that way.
So what are your strategies?
*In celebration of my blog's 2nd birthday, I'll be re-posting some old favorites from the archives during the month of November. The original post from July 9 2009 can be found here.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Change
Some say that people can't change. They say that any change a person encounters is really a turn to what they'd tried to hide before. Others might say that the change is more self-discovery than anything. Really, any number of excuses might be thought of.
Hogwash, I say.
People can change. They can do hard things, soften their hard-headed ways, come out the successors in a hard-won fight.
I grew up a notoriously picky eater. 99% of the foodstuffs out there I would never touch with a ten foot pole. Over the years I've softened, branched out here and there. And I've fallen in love with cuisines my 10-year-old, even my 18-year-old, self would not have tried.
And now I've entered culinary school. The one place where I can't be a picky eater.
It's my litmus test for life I suppose. I've been fortunate enough to end up on the dining rotation this first nine days of the trimester. There are two dining room classes every culinary student takes. Beginning and advanced. Their classroom is where we eat. They serve whatever gets made in the kitchen right off the dining room.
This go around it's classical French cuisine. Five courses, one hour. I'll just name one or two dishes for each day.
Day 1? Escargot.
Day 2? Oysters florentine.
Day 3? Some sort of salmon dish.
Day 4? Scallops.
Day 5? Stuffed mushrooms. Poached pears.
Day 6? Crepes Suzette. Lamb.
Day 7? Crab-stuffed crepes. Lobster.
What's my point with all of this? Not one of those dishes is something I'd touch growing up. Salmon was something I didn't try until I was a senior in college. (I adore salmon when prepared well.) But I tried almost every one of these dishes in the short time I've been in school. (I passed on the oysters because I wasn't feeling brave enough to find out right then if I was allergic. Turns out, mildly allergic to scallops, no reaction to the crab or lobster.)
I've made a change. Am I liking it? I enjoyed the salmon, the poached pears, and the crepes suzette. The rest? I'll still order a good filet mignon over lamb or lobster but at least now I've changed my ways and won't be so mule-headed.
Have you thought about something like this for your characters? What is something that they've stubbornly refused to do, or not do, that you could plot a way to get them to do it? Would it be believable if they made that change? Will it deepen your story? Think about it. And join me in eating some plain yogurt and a walk on the treadmill.
Hogwash, I say.
People can change. They can do hard things, soften their hard-headed ways, come out the successors in a hard-won fight.
I grew up a notoriously picky eater. 99% of the foodstuffs out there I would never touch with a ten foot pole. Over the years I've softened, branched out here and there. And I've fallen in love with cuisines my 10-year-old, even my 18-year-old, self would not have tried.
And now I've entered culinary school. The one place where I can't be a picky eater.
It's my litmus test for life I suppose. I've been fortunate enough to end up on the dining rotation this first nine days of the trimester. There are two dining room classes every culinary student takes. Beginning and advanced. Their classroom is where we eat. They serve whatever gets made in the kitchen right off the dining room.
This go around it's classical French cuisine. Five courses, one hour. I'll just name one or two dishes for each day.
Day 1? Escargot.
Day 2? Oysters florentine.
Day 3? Some sort of salmon dish.
Day 4? Scallops.
Day 5? Stuffed mushrooms. Poached pears.
Day 6? Crepes Suzette. Lamb.
Day 7? Crab-stuffed crepes. Lobster.
What's my point with all of this? Not one of those dishes is something I'd touch growing up. Salmon was something I didn't try until I was a senior in college. (I adore salmon when prepared well.) But I tried almost every one of these dishes in the short time I've been in school. (I passed on the oysters because I wasn't feeling brave enough to find out right then if I was allergic. Turns out, mildly allergic to scallops, no reaction to the crab or lobster.)
I've made a change. Am I liking it? I enjoyed the salmon, the poached pears, and the crepes suzette. The rest? I'll still order a good filet mignon over lamb or lobster but at least now I've changed my ways and won't be so mule-headed.
Have you thought about something like this for your characters? What is something that they've stubbornly refused to do, or not do, that you could plot a way to get them to do it? Would it be believable if they made that change? Will it deepen your story? Think about it. And join me in eating some plain yogurt and a walk on the treadmill.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuning into the world around you
Yeah, yeah, this old tripe again.
But seriously, there is so much story and character fodder out there in the real world.
Example:
Somewhere that I was, I won't say exact location, there was a man on the phone. He'd chosen a quiet spot for his conversation. Later, for whatever reason, he revealed to me and the people I was with that he was on the phone with a reporter from Abu Dhabi. It was near midnight, close to press time, and the reporter needed to finish his story.
Wow, right?
I mean, what type of person gets a phone call from a reporter in Abu Dhabi like it's an every day occurrence? What sort of job does he have?
The possibilities are endless and with this one little detail, you can create a complex, deep character, just by playing a game of "What if?" and "Why?"
My theory? He works for the US government and the reporter was doing a story on the oil spill in the Gulf or on US aid to countries ravaged by natural disasters.
Just for kicks and giggles, leave your theory on the conversation in the comments. Also, how do you observe the world around you? Do you carry a notepad for people-watching? Do you scramble for scratch paper when you see a quirk you could incorporate into a character? Some other method?
But seriously, there is so much story and character fodder out there in the real world.
Example:
Somewhere that I was, I won't say exact location, there was a man on the phone. He'd chosen a quiet spot for his conversation. Later, for whatever reason, he revealed to me and the people I was with that he was on the phone with a reporter from Abu Dhabi. It was near midnight, close to press time, and the reporter needed to finish his story.
Wow, right?
I mean, what type of person gets a phone call from a reporter in Abu Dhabi like it's an every day occurrence? What sort of job does he have?
The possibilities are endless and with this one little detail, you can create a complex, deep character, just by playing a game of "What if?" and "Why?"
My theory? He works for the US government and the reporter was doing a story on the oil spill in the Gulf or on US aid to countries ravaged by natural disasters.
Just for kicks and giggles, leave your theory on the conversation in the comments. Also, how do you observe the world around you? Do you carry a notepad for people-watching? Do you scramble for scratch paper when you see a quirk you could incorporate into a character? Some other method?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
A tip for getting inside your MC's head
Meet my MC, Derek.
Okay, so it's not really my main character. This is an actor.
Why would I post a picture of him when I said I was introducing you to my main character and telling you how I get inside his head?
Because this is how I do it:
1- Pick an actor who would be great at portraying my MC in the movie version. (It started with choosing him because he was a physical match for my MC.)
2- Imagine said actor (it helps if you have seen the actor's work a lot so you're familiar with their intonations and inflections) saying the lines of dialogue or acting out the scene you're writing.
3- Fix anything that makes you react in all the wrong ways.
There you have it! This worked really well with Lodestar for me. There was a scene that I wrote which I instantly broke out into hysterics over upon imagining him saying one line. All it took was changing one little line of dialogue and I found the scene to be more in character. And that change was prompted by the small and simple act of imagining the scene like it played on a movie screen.
Okay, so it's not really my main character. This is an actor.
Why would I post a picture of him when I said I was introducing you to my main character and telling you how I get inside his head?
Because this is how I do it:
1- Pick an actor who would be great at portraying my MC in the movie version. (It started with choosing him because he was a physical match for my MC.)
2- Imagine said actor (it helps if you have seen the actor's work a lot so you're familiar with their intonations and inflections) saying the lines of dialogue or acting out the scene you're writing.
3- Fix anything that makes you react in all the wrong ways.
There you have it! This worked really well with Lodestar for me. There was a scene that I wrote which I instantly broke out into hysterics over upon imagining him saying one line. All it took was changing one little line of dialogue and I found the scene to be more in character. And that change was prompted by the small and simple act of imagining the scene like it played on a movie screen.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Antagonist's motives: Important or not?
We all know it's two-hundred percent important that we know and develop our protagonist's motives. Our readers have to come to care about the outcome, and about the main character, to buy into our story.
But do we devote the same amount of energy to our antagonists?
Do we dig beneath the surface motivations?
A movie I saw recently left me wanting a bit more from the antagonist. I realize that it's a movie and they're far more limited in the amount of time they can dedicate to the antagonist.
But I wanted there to be a deeper reason for his motives than that he got jilted by a woman who chose his best friend.
I wanted the screenwriters to dig deeper into this man's psyche. Basically, I wanted a book of this movie. And not a novelization of the movie. An actual novel that told the story but went into more depth.
I wanted more about the mythology that they'd set up. What I really wanted was to see more of the world-building, more of the internal.
Do your books leave the readers wanting more, but not in a necessarily good way? Or do they satisfy and deliver delicious just desserts to your antagonist? Desserts that they deserve because of their well-developed, but perhaps misguided motives?
Or do they fall flat on the stereotypical, banal, or trite motives?
Or, does it matter even? Are the antagonist's motives not as important in the development of our stories? If this is the case, why would this be?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
More on side characters
Cri-kee (from Disney's Mulan)
Khan (from Disney's Mulan)
Abu (from Disney's Aladdin)
Fang (from Harry Potter)
Footstool (from Disney's Beauty and the Beast)
Lucifer (from Disney's Cinderella)
Okay, what two things do these characters all have in common? (Besides the obvious, that they're fictional.)
They're animals and they don't speak.
But they're memorable.
Why?
Because they have a personality. They may have more personality than would be typical for an animal. They may even have atypical personality period. (Horses don't really make all that noise. They're fairly quiet animals. Don't go into a stable expecting all the horses in there to start calling to you just because you walked in.)
Each of these animal sidekicks has a personality all their own. If you think about each one, assuming you've seen these movies or (in the case of Fang) read the books, you'll be able to call to mind these characters.
It's because they're not just flat animals put in to fill the space and make it seem like you took the time to create a world.
I can think of far fewer examples from actual literature. But the most prevalent one that comes to mind is Faithful from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet. Faithful is the main character, Alanna's, pet cat. But there's more to Faithful than meets the eye. (Aside from the strange eye color.) Faithful has a lot of personality. He's vain, loyal, and a real lifesaver. And he's a cat.
Another example is Cloud from Tamora Pierce's The Immortals quartet. Cloud is Daine's horse. And that horse has some major personality. She's obstinate, blunt, and loving. She's Daine's best friend throughout and always faithful companion. Even when Daine felt less than herself.
So...
Have you ever put much thought into the animal companions of your characters (if they exist)? Or do they just sit there like lumps on a log with the only purpose being to throw in some non-human life in hopes it rounds out the world around your characters?
Me? I did in one of my previous projects. It was a fantasy and there were animals all around, from the horses they rode to get from point A to B, to the dragons and mystic creatures whom my characters encountered. (And lots in between.) I love infusing personality into animals because I think a lot of people tend to underestimate just how much an animal can really contribute to our lives and to the lives of our characters.
Did I miss your favorite animal sidekick/secondary character? Tell me who it is, why you love them, and why I should read the book/see the movie. (No erotic, no R-rated movies, please. Or if you recommend it, at least tell us that it's in that vein so I can avoid it.)
Khan (from Disney's Mulan)
Abu (from Disney's Aladdin)
Fang (from Harry Potter)
Footstool (from Disney's Beauty and the Beast)
Lucifer (from Disney's Cinderella)
Okay, what two things do these characters all have in common? (Besides the obvious, that they're fictional.)
They're animals and they don't speak.
But they're memorable.
Why?
Because they have a personality. They may have more personality than would be typical for an animal. They may even have atypical personality period. (Horses don't really make all that noise. They're fairly quiet animals. Don't go into a stable expecting all the horses in there to start calling to you just because you walked in.)
Each of these animal sidekicks has a personality all their own. If you think about each one, assuming you've seen these movies or (in the case of Fang) read the books, you'll be able to call to mind these characters.
It's because they're not just flat animals put in to fill the space and make it seem like you took the time to create a world.
I can think of far fewer examples from actual literature. But the most prevalent one that comes to mind is Faithful from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet. Faithful is the main character, Alanna's, pet cat. But there's more to Faithful than meets the eye. (Aside from the strange eye color.) Faithful has a lot of personality. He's vain, loyal, and a real lifesaver. And he's a cat.
Another example is Cloud from Tamora Pierce's The Immortals quartet. Cloud is Daine's horse. And that horse has some major personality. She's obstinate, blunt, and loving. She's Daine's best friend throughout and always faithful companion. Even when Daine felt less than herself.
So...
Have you ever put much thought into the animal companions of your characters (if they exist)? Or do they just sit there like lumps on a log with the only purpose being to throw in some non-human life in hopes it rounds out the world around your characters?
Me? I did in one of my previous projects. It was a fantasy and there were animals all around, from the horses they rode to get from point A to B, to the dragons and mystic creatures whom my characters encountered. (And lots in between.) I love infusing personality into animals because I think a lot of people tend to underestimate just how much an animal can really contribute to our lives and to the lives of our characters.
Did I miss your favorite animal sidekick/secondary character? Tell me who it is, why you love them, and why I should read the book/see the movie. (No erotic, no R-rated movies, please. Or if you recommend it, at least tell us that it's in that vein so I can avoid it.)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Connections
Interpersonal connections are highly important to our characters and stories. Without them, actions take place in a void. We are given no reason to care about the secondary characters, or even our main character, if we are not able to glimpse some depth to the relations and connections.
Would Harry Potter be the same if there weren't all these connections and relations? He has his two best friends, but then there's the surrogate family that he becomes a part of and all the acquaintances. Yes, the books can get a little confusing with so many characters coming in and out.
But they would be entirely different if the books were only Harry and Voldemort. Without those connections, there is no sense of risk, stakes, or reward.
Do you ever feel so disconnected that you can't write good connections in your stories? What are some of your favorite relationships/connections in fiction? Some of your least favorite?
Would Harry Potter be the same if there weren't all these connections and relations? He has his two best friends, but then there's the surrogate family that he becomes a part of and all the acquaintances. Yes, the books can get a little confusing with so many characters coming in and out.
But they would be entirely different if the books were only Harry and Voldemort. Without those connections, there is no sense of risk, stakes, or reward.
Do you ever feel so disconnected that you can't write good connections in your stories? What are some of your favorite relationships/connections in fiction? Some of your least favorite?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Memorable introductions
"All the world's a stage,
"And all the men and women merely players;
"They have their exits and their entrances;
"And one man in his time plays many parts..."
There are a lot of ways to first introduce a character. In first person, sometimes it falls to a "mirror sequence."
But I'm not talking about physical introduction, per se. I'm talking about establishing character in just a short amount of time. Granted, in our novels we have a little more time. But our choices still impact that first impression. Here are my tops for character entrances, probably all from film but that's just because they're so impactful visually.
1- Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino, Sahara (2005 movie)
Okay, I know that people who've read the books really had their qualms about this movie. But go with me here. The opening sequence tells us everything we need to know about these two men before there's been a word spoken in the movie. The camera pans over equipment, pictures showing the two buddies from kindergarten, high school, military, college, salvage rescue, etc, models of shipwrecks, calendars showing dates and trips, newspaper articles, and the list goes on. All these little snippets show us exactly who they are, their history, and their passions. We have an entire character bible in about two minutes of visuals. (The music helps, too, but hey.)
Have you tried incorporating something like this into a novel? I know it's more difficult, but it can work. In my last project when I was introducing my first five characters, I gave little description of their physical appearance. Instead, I focused on what their homes looked like, how they'd decorated, etc. It showed a lot about who they were without telling the reader.
2- Darth Vader, Star Wars: A New Hope
Yes, another movie. But seriously? The instant Vader walks out of that fog of smoke in his head-to-toe black, you know he's a baddie. You also know he's a baddie you're gonna love to hate because he's so deliciously evil from the get-go. And were we ever proved wrong? Maybe in the end we didn't come to hate him so much as feel pity for him.
Does your villain's entrance hold a candle to this one? Mine in my current project doesn't. But he's got a different sort of entrance, one meant to evince pity. More like Gollum in Lord of the Rings.
3- Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Honestly, who could forget our first introduction to Johnny Depp's swaggering, drunkard pirate? I love what Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp said about this entrance on the director's commentary on the DVD. It was along the lines of, "Until this point, you have no idea how to take this movie. Are you allowed to laugh? Is it a more serious film? Now you have your answer." And it's really true. Before Sparrow's entrance, you've had young Will and Elizabeth meeting, Will bringing a sword and some flirtation between he and Miss Swann, and Will breaking a wall sconce. Then all expectations get turned on their heads as our pirate hero rides his sinking ship to port.
While a scene like this would take a lot more time in a book, it could still be equally as powerful. Instead of focusing on that physical description, give us an action. Introduce your character by having them help an old lady across the street, or twist it and have the old lady helping him or her. Show us how they react to a minor situation to help us set up our expectations for how they'll react to all the other challenges they'll encounter.
4- Numair, from Tamora Pierce's Immortals series, shows up in cameos in later Tortall-universe books.
Okay, Numair plays a huge role in the books. But he's a character we meet seemingly late in the first book of Ms. Pierce's series. (I love this series, by the way. You can see my rating at Goodreads.) When he first appears, well, we know we've seen him before. Just not in the way he shows up when we first know who he is. When he first actually appears, the reader knows something is up. But they don't entirely know what.
One of my characters in my book appears first in one way, but when he or she shows up later, we realize that there's more to them than what meets the eye. Again, turning expectations on their heads. Have you ever thought of doing something like this? (I highly recommend these books for lovers of YA fantasy. That's why I'm being intentionally vague on what his entrance is really like.)
So, that's pretty much it for my list. Are we noticing a theme here? Many of these involve turning expectations on their heads. All of these are accomplished in a relatively short amount of time, yet they have the same impact. They tell us volumes about a character without endless amounts of denouement on their inner workings.
Did I miss any? What are your favorite character introductions, be they from film or fiction?
"And all the men and women merely players;
"They have their exits and their entrances;
"And one man in his time plays many parts..."
There are a lot of ways to first introduce a character. In first person, sometimes it falls to a "mirror sequence."
But I'm not talking about physical introduction, per se. I'm talking about establishing character in just a short amount of time. Granted, in our novels we have a little more time. But our choices still impact that first impression. Here are my tops for character entrances, probably all from film but that's just because they're so impactful visually.
1- Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino, Sahara (2005 movie)
Okay, I know that people who've read the books really had their qualms about this movie. But go with me here. The opening sequence tells us everything we need to know about these two men before there's been a word spoken in the movie. The camera pans over equipment, pictures showing the two buddies from kindergarten, high school, military, college, salvage rescue, etc, models of shipwrecks, calendars showing dates and trips, newspaper articles, and the list goes on. All these little snippets show us exactly who they are, their history, and their passions. We have an entire character bible in about two minutes of visuals. (The music helps, too, but hey.)
Have you tried incorporating something like this into a novel? I know it's more difficult, but it can work. In my last project when I was introducing my first five characters, I gave little description of their physical appearance. Instead, I focused on what their homes looked like, how they'd decorated, etc. It showed a lot about who they were without telling the reader.
2- Darth Vader, Star Wars: A New Hope
Yes, another movie. But seriously? The instant Vader walks out of that fog of smoke in his head-to-toe black, you know he's a baddie. You also know he's a baddie you're gonna love to hate because he's so deliciously evil from the get-go. And were we ever proved wrong? Maybe in the end we didn't come to hate him so much as feel pity for him.
Does your villain's entrance hold a candle to this one? Mine in my current project doesn't. But he's got a different sort of entrance, one meant to evince pity. More like Gollum in Lord of the Rings.
3- Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Honestly, who could forget our first introduction to Johnny Depp's swaggering, drunkard pirate? I love what Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp said about this entrance on the director's commentary on the DVD. It was along the lines of, "Until this point, you have no idea how to take this movie. Are you allowed to laugh? Is it a more serious film? Now you have your answer." And it's really true. Before Sparrow's entrance, you've had young Will and Elizabeth meeting, Will bringing a sword and some flirtation between he and Miss Swann, and Will breaking a wall sconce. Then all expectations get turned on their heads as our pirate hero rides his sinking ship to port.
While a scene like this would take a lot more time in a book, it could still be equally as powerful. Instead of focusing on that physical description, give us an action. Introduce your character by having them help an old lady across the street, or twist it and have the old lady helping him or her. Show us how they react to a minor situation to help us set up our expectations for how they'll react to all the other challenges they'll encounter.
4- Numair, from Tamora Pierce's Immortals series, shows up in cameos in later Tortall-universe books.
Okay, Numair plays a huge role in the books. But he's a character we meet seemingly late in the first book of Ms. Pierce's series. (I love this series, by the way. You can see my rating at Goodreads.) When he first appears, well, we know we've seen him before. Just not in the way he shows up when we first know who he is. When he first actually appears, the reader knows something is up. But they don't entirely know what.
One of my characters in my book appears first in one way, but when he or she shows up later, we realize that there's more to them than what meets the eye. Again, turning expectations on their heads. Have you ever thought of doing something like this? (I highly recommend these books for lovers of YA fantasy. That's why I'm being intentionally vague on what his entrance is really like.)
So, that's pretty much it for my list. Are we noticing a theme here? Many of these involve turning expectations on their heads. All of these are accomplished in a relatively short amount of time, yet they have the same impact. They tell us volumes about a character without endless amounts of denouement on their inner workings.
Did I miss any? What are your favorite character introductions, be they from film or fiction?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
What would you Do?
Hey, look at that! It's another "What would you do?" feature! I know, you'd almost forgotten that I at one point wanted this to be a regular thing.
Today's scenario:
What would you do if you had the chance to go back to one day in your life, but you could only change one sentence you spoke? Is there a day you'd choose? Would you choose it?
What about your MC? Would they take the option? You don't have to tell which day they'd choose to change something they said. I would never ask you to give spoilers or anything.
Me? There's a day I'd go back to. I know exactly what it would be. Although the whole time I'd be wishing I could go back and erase a lot more than just that. I'd go back to one of the days I hurt my dad the most and stop myself from saying what I did.
My MC? He'd maybe go back to the day he got careless with something and it really hurt him in the end.
Today's scenario:
What would you do if you had the chance to go back to one day in your life, but you could only change one sentence you spoke? Is there a day you'd choose? Would you choose it?
What about your MC? Would they take the option? You don't have to tell which day they'd choose to change something they said. I would never ask you to give spoilers or anything.
Me? There's a day I'd go back to. I know exactly what it would be. Although the whole time I'd be wishing I could go back and erase a lot more than just that. I'd go back to one of the days I hurt my dad the most and stop myself from saying what I did.
My MC? He'd maybe go back to the day he got careless with something and it really hurt him in the end.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Compelling characters
There are so many different things we have to worry about in our writing. Plot. Structure. Pacing. Word choice. Slaughter of innocent adverbs.
The list goes on and on.
I wonder if sometimes books get pushed through with very little thought to whether the characters are ones we can actually care about.
I'm not naming names or anything and I'm sure that every author does worry about it at some point.
For me, the story can be there and whatever, but if I can't care about the characters, I'm done. If I don't care about the characters, I don't care about what happens to them.
Case in point, last week's episode of the CBS television show NCIS: LA. Skip the next paragraph if you don't want any spoilers.
Earlier in the season, one character got abducted. There were no answers to who took him or why they did. Over the course of a few episodes, most of which held nothing more than a passing mention of the character's name (if that). They didn't deal with anything about him beyond the first episode where he got taken and then last week's. Last week they found him. But then he got killed. And let me tell you, I couldn't care less. I never missed him, I didn't care about him, etc.
Here's the reason: Lack of interaction. He'd only been around for a handful of episodes when he was abducted. And he was just a side note character. There was no reason for me to care or worry about where he was.
Do we try too hard to make readers care about our characters, even the characters who only show up in one chapter only to be heard from again at the climax?
What makes you care about a character? Sound off in the comments.
The list goes on and on.
I wonder if sometimes books get pushed through with very little thought to whether the characters are ones we can actually care about.
I'm not naming names or anything and I'm sure that every author does worry about it at some point.
For me, the story can be there and whatever, but if I can't care about the characters, I'm done. If I don't care about the characters, I don't care about what happens to them.
Case in point, last week's episode of the CBS television show NCIS: LA. Skip the next paragraph if you don't want any spoilers.
Earlier in the season, one character got abducted. There were no answers to who took him or why they did. Over the course of a few episodes, most of which held nothing more than a passing mention of the character's name (if that). They didn't deal with anything about him beyond the first episode where he got taken and then last week's. Last week they found him. But then he got killed. And let me tell you, I couldn't care less. I never missed him, I didn't care about him, etc.
Here's the reason: Lack of interaction. He'd only been around for a handful of episodes when he was abducted. And he was just a side note character. There was no reason for me to care or worry about where he was.
Do we try too hard to make readers care about our characters, even the characters who only show up in one chapter only to be heard from again at the climax?
What makes you care about a character? Sound off in the comments.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Think of me fondly...
OK, so there's this not-so-secret secret of mine: I am obsessed with soundtracks. (Think I revealed that a couple weeks ago here on the blog.) Among these soundtracks are the Broadway highlights CD of "Phantom of the Opera" and the 2-disc movie soundtrack for it.
There's a song, titled "Think of Me."
It's a very melancholy, reminiscent song. The lyrics bemoan a lost love and all that. I won't go too much into it here. The point I'm wanting to make is coming.
With every ill-fated relationship (or non-relationship) I've had, from crushes to a situation I'm not going to go into here on the blog, there's one thing that forever reminds me of them in the future.
Cars.
I know it sounds so dang silly. But there are certain cars, and certain colors of those specific cars, that whenever I see them I'm immediately taken back however many years.
It's all part of perception, which I talked about a while back. What do we notice first when in a new situation? What do we key into when our hearts get involved? (Because even if a crush isn't the type of love that will lead to a happy marriage and good relationship, the heart is still involved.)
For most of everything, it's the cars that serve as my biggest reminder of what was, what could have been.
Now, the question I want to ask is this.
What is the one thing that serves as this reminder for your MC? It doesn't necessarily have to be regarding relationships. What is their biggest memory trigger?
For my MC, it's voices. Really and truly. He will key into bits of a voice that remind him of something else. For example, one of his two interests in the love triangle I'm setting up has a very musical voice. It reminds him of his ex-girlfriend because it reminds him of a harp, which his ex-girlfriend played.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Live like you were dying
I want to talk today about living like you're dying.
No, this is not meant as some sort of inspirational shmaltzy post. (Is that even spelled right? Does it matter?)
No, this is not meant as some sort of inspirational shmaltzy post. (Is that even spelled right? Does it matter?)
I was driving the other day, as I am wont to do being a commuting student, and the Tim McGraw song, "Live Like You Were Dying" came on the radio. (I was actually listening the radio, if you can believe it. Usually I have a CD in. I don't really listen to much that's current so the radio bores me very quickly.)
It got me thinking. What would I do if I were told I had a limited amount of time to live?
Well, first off I'd get a second opinion and find out what my options were to extend that. (I mean, my dad was told he had six months. He died two years+ later and not of what he was told would kill him in six months' time.)
Then I thought about it. School and work would be pointless, obviously. So I thought that if I had the funds, I'd travel. I'd go back to London. I'd see Paris. I'd hit New York again if I could.
And I'd write like heck to finish Lodestar before I ran out of time.
I'd hug my nephews, take pictures with them, leave them bits of sage advice. (Ahem, just ask her out instead of playing coy with ruses to figure out if she likes someone else. Did I just say that out loud?)
I'd hug my horse and my dog, cry into their fur, laugh at their antics.
Then I got to thinking. What would my MC do if he found out he had a limited amount of time to live?
I mean, really?
At this point in the novel and in his life he's pretty much achieved some of his biggest dreams. I'm not sure I want to say too much about it all.
I think he'd probably seek out his ninth grade English teacher and thank the man for all he did. (If the book ever hits shelves and it stays in there, you'll know what I mean.) He'd go out fighting though. Tooth, sword, nail, and arrow. He'd likely die from a sword wound because someone got careless and didn't dull their blade before a demonstration at a Renaissance Faire.
But I couldn't come up with much more than that. And it's got me thinking that there needs to be some big regret in his life. I need to figure out what it is and maybe it'll add a little more depth to my character than already exists.
What about your MCs? What would they do if they suddenly knew exactly when their time would be up? (You can share what you would do if you like, but I didn't want to get sappy here.)
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