Laurie Stevens's Blog, page 4
January 19, 2012
Delving into Darkness - It's a Good Thing
At a recent author event, an audience member asked me how I keep upbeat when most of my writing revolves around troubled souls who get into trouble. The most obvious answers come to mind. I have a husband who pulls me away from the computer. I have kids to attend to. I have a great group of friends to have fun with. The most honest answer, however, comes from deep within. Simply put: I don't think delving into darkness is a bad thing.
Have you ever met someone who you know instinctively to stay the heck away from? Do you know someone who is so needy, so clingy, that you suspect he or she has some big issues to deal with? Of course, you do. But I don't think any of us should be so quick to point the finger. Not one of us has had the luxurious privilege of walking this earth unscathed -- it's just a question as to what degree we are scarred. And if we do carry baggage around, shouldn’t we dump it?
As an author , what I most enjoy doing is creating a character with baggage. I then ask professionals, such as psychologists, how they would treat the particular issue. Some characters, like real people, end up in denial. These souls don't want to address the darkness within. But like anybody traveling around in the dark, they cannot see where they are going. In other words, they can't decipher if the path they are on is good or bad. That's how people (and characters) get into trouble. Some of the villains take it a step beyond denial. They don’t just deny that there is anything wrong with them; they blame everyone else for their actions. That makes it okay for them to commit the worst acts with a clean conscience. Since I am a big proponent of delving into darkness, my protagonist will consistently address his issues as they come up. Some of the best scenes to write are the ones where the protagonist greatly fears tackling his own weaknesses and insecurities. We’ve all heard Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous quote, “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” and we all know that the only person we can truly change is ourselves. That’s about as much control as we have. So it begs the question: Why fear delving into the darkness?
The Dark Before Dawn
Have you ever met someone who you know instinctively to stay the heck away from? Do you know someone who is so needy, so clingy, that you suspect he or she has some big issues to deal with? Of course, you do. But I don't think any of us should be so quick to point the finger. Not one of us has had the luxurious privilege of walking this earth unscathed -- it's just a question as to what degree we are scarred. And if we do carry baggage around, shouldn’t we dump it?
As an author , what I most enjoy doing is creating a character with baggage. I then ask professionals, such as psychologists, how they would treat the particular issue. Some characters, like real people, end up in denial. These souls don't want to address the darkness within. But like anybody traveling around in the dark, they cannot see where they are going. In other words, they can't decipher if the path they are on is good or bad. That's how people (and characters) get into trouble. Some of the villains take it a step beyond denial. They don’t just deny that there is anything wrong with them; they blame everyone else for their actions. That makes it okay for them to commit the worst acts with a clean conscience. Since I am a big proponent of delving into darkness, my protagonist will consistently address his issues as they come up. Some of the best scenes to write are the ones where the protagonist greatly fears tackling his own weaknesses and insecurities. We’ve all heard Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous quote, “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” and we all know that the only person we can truly change is ourselves. That’s about as much control as we have. So it begs the question: Why fear delving into the darkness?
The Dark Before Dawn
October 31, 2011
Book Readings: Act Well Your Part
Whether you are reading to a large audience or simply to a few fellow readers, there are some worthwhile tips in making a good show. I recently participated in an author event at Bookfellows/Mystery and Imagination in Glendale, California where I read from my novel, The Dark Before Dawn. I had my checklist in hand: books (got to bring those), camera (must record the event for posterity and websites), video camera (for posterity and possible audio blurbs); friend to man the camera or fellow reader who will do you a favor, business cards (you never know who you're gonna meet); Trade review sheets (again, you never know who you're gonna meet); and a giveaway. Giveaways are fun and people like them. There are various websites such as iprint.com that will create for you custom bookmarks or personalized post-it notes. These “gimmicks” are easy to carry and promote you and your title. People may not buy your book, but they’ll take the freebie and it will remind them of you later on. The other thing you should bring with you to a book reading is some acting talent. You don’t want your audience to equate your reading with something as tedious as watching paint dry. So for goodness sake, don’t just read. You know your characters well. Try to breathe some life into their dialogue. Remember the passion you felt for the story when you were writing it and share that enthusiasm by “getting into character.” Now, too much passion or dramatic flair is, in my opinion, ridiculous. You want them to focus on the story, not you. Good vocal skills, however, are always going to be a plus. So put some bang in your book reading and let your inner actor shine.
The Dark Before Dawn
The Dark Before Dawn
August 24, 2011
What makes a killer?
This morning I heard about a woman who dropped her baby from a parking garage and the first thing I asked myself was, "How could she do such a thing?" Were you as glued as I was to the Casey Anthony trial? Again, "How could she (if she did, right? after all, she was acquitted of murder)-- How could she do it?"
I posed that question as the theme of my book, The Dark Before Dawn and during my research, I was astounded to hear about a new theory weaving its way through the psychology world. There's a book out called "Hope for Humanity" and a fascinating website:http://www.humansolutionsnow.com/(look up "generational trauma") which address this.
I was always a believer that environmental issues played the biggest part in turning someone into a sociopath or even a killer -- bad parenting, a childhood trauma, etc. The study of epigenetics turns that on its head because it means that the trauma caused by anything, a war, a tsunami, can imbed catastrophic impressions into our DNA and thus get passed along in our genes. So are killer predisposed to killing because it's in their genes? I would love to hear what you think.
I posed that question as the theme of my book, The Dark Before Dawn and during my research, I was astounded to hear about a new theory weaving its way through the psychology world. There's a book out called "Hope for Humanity" and a fascinating website:http://www.humansolutionsnow.com/(look up "generational trauma") which address this.
I was always a believer that environmental issues played the biggest part in turning someone into a sociopath or even a killer -- bad parenting, a childhood trauma, etc. The study of epigenetics turns that on its head because it means that the trauma caused by anything, a war, a tsunami, can imbed catastrophic impressions into our DNA and thus get passed along in our genes. So are killer predisposed to killing because it's in their genes? I would love to hear what you think.
