Chris Rogers's Blog, page 16

Lost in Speculation

The Brazos Valley Art League is having a judged show in January. Until now, the few shows I’ve participated in have been less scary. When you know a piece is being judged by not only the public but also by someone trained to scrutinize a piece and determine its merit–well, the prospect certainly focuses one’s attention.

My plan is to enter 3 pieces. I could enter some I’ve already painted, but my favorite painting is always the one I’m working on. At least until I set it aside, stumped for where to go next. That wasn’t such a problem until I began working on larger canvases.

I’m still working on “Lost in Speculation,” for which I combined a head study with an abstract. This is where I am now.  Some of the collage pieces are not yet embedded. Today I hope to move it along.

Cross your fingers for me. The closer I get to completion, the more chances to screw it up.

 

NAKED WRITING: Magic Mind Map

What can you do right now to restart your word flow? A simple mind-map can work magic.

Say you want a scene in which a character learns to dance. Write “dance” in the center of a page. Circle it.

Now free associate from “dance”… jotting down any thoughts that pop into your mind. Use only one or two words for each idea. If one thought triggers another, draw a line linking them.

Work outward from the center, using key words, feelings, images, everything your creative brain throws out. Connect a new idea with a former idea— use stick pictures or symbols if they come easier than words. Underline and emphasize.

Brainstorm fast… and don’t edit. Your creative mind is grabbing ideas at random and linking them in new ways.

Eventually, you’ll feel an “Aha!” Now you’re ready to move to the keyboard.

And NO… it is not faster to just sit down and write. Taking 10 minutes to mind-map can produce rich material that makes great writing flow faster. The physical motion of hand on paper, moving randomly on the page, ignites your creative mind’s ability to cluster thoughts around a central idea and synthesize the results.

Keyboards are great, but before you dismiss this superb writing tool, give it an honest try. Colored paper, colored pens and music will further entice the creative mind to play and produce.

I do it. My students have proved this works. Just… try it.

 

NAKED WRITING: Snow Globe

In a movie, we see a gritty, noisy New York City street or a hot, dusty country road flanked by cornfields, and instantly we’re there. In film, characters don’t appear and begin talking in a vacuum. Character and setting come to us as a whole.

In an effort to mimic the immediacy of film, writers often drop their characters on a page void of even a background. The story people talk and move, because action and dialogue are important. But without a sense of place, action and dialogue quickly run dry of interest.

A story heavy with atmosphere gives the reader a “you are there” experience. And all it takes is a paragraph designed to stimulate the senses—sound, smell, sight, taste and touch.

We hear calliope music, the babble of a boisterous crowd, the ping! ping! of a carnival shooting gallery… taste the sticky sweetness of cotton candy, feel wind on our face and butterflies in our stomach at the top of a Ferris wheel… and we are there!

Everything a movie does with music, color and the expressions on actors faces, writers must do with words. The words we choose create the story atmosphere. Oil bubbling up from the ground can bring the stench of decay or the rich, heady aroma of black gold. Teenagers yelling on the beach can be shrieks of laughter or screams of fear. A rough, cool texture might be orange peel or snake skin.

Imagine your story page as the closed environment of a snow globe. A clever writer fills each snowflake with sound, odor, or texture to arouse the senses that most easily trigger emotion.

NAKED WRITING: The Scarred Psyche

Emotional wounds—we all have them emblazoned in our memories. An accidental broken toe may seem inconsequential when compared to a childhood filled with abuse. Yet… depending on the situation… we might remember that broken toe as horrifically as a severe beating.

A type of scarring episode most of us can relate to is personal loss… and it doesn’t have to be the death of someone close. Perhaps it’s a favorite teacher who moved away in the middle of a difficult school year. A favorite uncle who failed to deliver on a promise. A favorite toy crushed beneath the wheels of the family car. A secret love who loved someone else.

A characters’ current motivations were likely ignited by scarring incidents, and as writers we must seek them out.

In Silence of the Lambs, Agent Starling relates the death of her father … and her experience on a Montana ranch during the slaughter of the spring lambs— and we see the effect in Starling’s thoughts, speech, and mannerisms.

In the same novel, the villain… Buffalo Bill.. was influenced by early visions of his mother’s curvaceous body. He relives those visions by watching a film of her swimming.

Consider the intense moments etched in your characters’ memories.

• What exactly was the scarring incident? When and how did it happen? Who else was involved?

• How does the character feel about it now? How does it affect actions? Dialogue? Motivation?

• How will it affect the reader?

• Where in the story will it have the greatest impact?

When you reveal a scarring incident, remember to use dialogue, action and internal reflection. In other words, show AND tell.

© Copyright Chris Rogers, 2015

NAKED WRITING: Action & Pacing

When we say a story is fast-paced, it means direct actions outnumber other story elements. We know that Active verbs move your story. Passive verbs—is, as, was, etc—slow the pace.

Sometimes we want to slow the pace, but right now we’re talking action, particularly during slow moments—if that makes sense. A novel’s pace can grind to a halt if you allow characters to stop too often to think. They can think while mowing the lawn or filling the dish washer.

And don’t let them sit down to talk. Yes, it might seem natural to do that, to have a drink or a meal and discuss… whatever… but it can cause your story to lag and readers to yawn. People do talk while playing cards or walking though the zoo.

So keep your characters moving—and… this is so easy to do.

1. First, give them a task. Painting a boat, digging a pond, cleaning windows… make it fit the character and the situation.

2. Then give them a tool… paint brush, shovel… sponge and water hose…

3. Think of the many logical actions… big and small.. that can add interest and even conflict to whatever else is happening.

I’ve had characters discuss major plot threads while playing racket ball or have emotional meltdowns while shaving… or make a decision while absently twirling a coin on a table top. All it takes is a task and a tool. Try it.

And if they MUST sit down to eat, let the meal itself create conflict. Endlessly sipping tea or taking yet another bite of cake is not action… it’s boring.

© Copyright Chris Rogers, 2015

 

NAKED WRITING: Stay “In Character”

A family that lives down the road from me collects wild animals. They roam free over the family’s acreage. I also know a man who collects unusual airplanes and flies them daily for fun. He considers it a bad day when he doesn’t get to fly.

I have other friends who won’t ride in airplanes or on boats. The wife of one of my writer friends works with NASA on the Mars project. In my estimation, these people are unusual.

My wonderful family and I are much more ordinary. Would you rather read about my ordinary family or my extraordinary friends?

Many writers rein in their focal characters’ idiosyncrasies… possibly because they identify closely with this character. But outrageous, over-the-top people are fascinating.

On the other hand, ordinary people can also captivate us—provided they have interesting traits necessary to the story. We champion ordinary characters, identifying with their failures as well as their successes.

In Ernest Hemmingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” Santiago has been 84 days without catching a fish. He is hungry, his assistant is ill, and he knows he must turn his luck around. We understand his need to go far into the deep water where fish might be biting.

An ordinary fisherman, yet as we watch him battle the fish Santiago becomes larger than life. Hemmingway’s word choices show us an ordinary man with extraordinary strength and patience: believable and utterly memorable.

Sometimes, writers imagine their characters to be fascinating yet the words that would have a reader see their story people as fascinating remain in the writer’s imagination.

To make the reader see and feel, we must briefly become that character and bring their individuality to the page. Or as Mona Monroe would say, “Darling, you must stay in character.”

 

© Copyright Chris Rogers, 2015

NAKED WRITING: The Raw Goop

The faster we write, the more raw, gutsy and unselfconscious the outcome. For novelists, that gutsy raw goop is manna.

Revision comes later. For now, just get the ideas out of your head in a rough draft.

In creating an outline, you’ve been using the logical part of your brain. Now, let the creative and emotional parts take over.

These five steps will help:

1. Think briefly about what you’re writing. Every piece of prose fits into a format—from a simple sentence to a paragraph to a “scene” in a story.

Novels are made up mostly of dramatic scenes—a Character who wants something plus Conflict that prevents getting it, and ending with either outright failure or success with problems attached.

2. Review any notes you have about your characters or where you are in the story.

3. Just pour it out. Sit down without notes and write. Keep your fingers moving. Try starting with two characters that have opposing goals–there’s your Conflict—then let them work it out. And don’t let your hero off easy.

Don’t stop to look up words, puzzle over a fact or even to scratch out a typo. Write with passion for at least 20 minutes, then stop.

4. Take a hike. Rake the yard. Fold clothes. For at least an hour, think about anything except what you’ve written.

5. Revise gently. Make quick, easy fixes, but don’t overanalyze. It needs more time away from you.

To be a great storyteller, you do have to write and rewrite, but tomorrow is soon enough to revise the gutsy, un-selfconscious raw goop you’ve created.

As screenwriter Michael Hague says, Don’t Get It Right…Get it written.

 

© Copyright Chris Rogers, 2015

NAKED WRITING: Know Your Nemesis

All stories need a villain. While yours may not be truly villainous… your hero needs someone to battle against to win the prize. Whether mystery… romance… science fiction, mainstream—every hero needs an adversary.

In Jack London’s short story, “To Build a Fire,” the villain is the arctic cold. In Ernest Hemmingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” Santiago’s nemesis is a fish. In the film Outbreak, it’s an epidemic, in Twister it’s a tornado.

But a hero cannot reason with the arctic or lash out at a tornado. You’ll notice that both Outbreak and Twister have a human opponent… in addition to the biological or meteorological problem. And… while Jack London and Ernest Hemmingway manage to sustain our interest when they pit man alone against nature… to do this for the length of a novel would… I think… tax even their skills.

In the best relationship stories, however, we care deeply about both hero and nemesis, who each have virtues and faults. It’s their rivalry and the terrible twists of human nature that prevent them from working out their problems.

Jeffery Archer, in his book, Kane and Abel, draws a… narrow line… between hero and villain… and throughout most of the book, it’s hard not to root for both men. That works for Archer, but it’s very difficult to do.

In most stories, you’ll need at least one nemesis that is human. And in any case, you need to know your villain’s motives, skills, virtues, and failings… as clearly as you know your hero’s.

So… climb into your villain’s skin. While you’re there, create a parallel plot from the villain’s viewpoint.

It’s a wonderfully informative exercise… and…you may be surprised at how much more interesting your story becomes.

NAKED WRITING: Sketch the Ending

A powerful ending leaves a reader wanting more. How many authors deliver a good read but the ending just doesn’t satisfy? For some of us, writing this part is the toughest.

We must pull together all the threads, show how the hero has changed and deserves to win, then write the final confrontation between hero and nemesis in a more powerful scene than any others. As if that’s not enough, we want to wind down to a satisfying and believable resolution.

Not easy, but if you’ve set up your story with the ending in mind all along, the task can be almost painless. So think about it now…

A story ending has 3 parts:

1. First, Crisis: your hero hits a wall… with everything is either lost or threatened… and resigns all hope.

In the movie Tootsie, Michael finally has achieved fame for his acting, but everybody, including the girl he loves, believes he’s a woman. Trapped in a lie of his own making, he faces losing his treasured career or losing the woman he loves.

2. Second Part, the Climax. Summoning a last bit of resolve, your hero faces the villain or nemesis in a final confrontation.

In Tootsie, Michael publically strips off his “Dorothy” persona, astonishing his TV audience, his girlfriend, and everyone he works for.

3. Third Part, Resolution: whether the hero wins or loses, most stories should end with a hint of hope for the future.

Michael’s revelation does not end his acting career, which is the main story line, but his girlfriend is furious. The romantic thread ends with a strong hint that they will get together, but not a certainty.

Remember, your ending will likely vary a bit from whatever you sketch now, but you’ll save time and torment later if you do it anyway.

 

NAKED WRITING: The Emotional Ride

A great story is like a roller coaster, long upward sweeps followed sudden drops. To experience this emotional adventure, however, readers have to care… about the outcome. One way to make readers care is to have them identify with the hero.

In Gone with the Wind, we may dislike Scarlett’s character… a spoiled Southern belle, but when she sets her sights on Ashley, we can appreciate her desire for the unattainable. Haven’t we all wanted something in life that was (at least temporarily) beyond reach? So we identify with intense desires.

Readers might also identify with a situation. Most of us have been to school, so that’s an easy connection. We’ve traveled by car or bus, possibly by train, airplane, or boat. We’ve experienced frustrations with our job, our neighbors, family, hobbies or travels. We’ve had bad hair days and head colds. We’ve had surprises, both horrific and thrilling.

William Peter Blatty, in The Exorcist, engages our emotions by revealing that an archeologist has released evil into the world, then introducing us to a young girl who will become the target of this evil. We identify first with the archeologist’s alarm – who among hasn’t made a terrible mistake? – then we empathize with a mother fear for her daughter’s safety. And we … want to know what happens.

Humor, intrigue, the suggestion of romance—these promise an emotional ride. But it takes a writer’s artistry to makes readers feel these emotions.

To this end, be tough on your characters. Nothing should come easy.

Make your readers laugh. Make them cry. Every time your hero takes a step, something or someone knocks him back. Build your outline as an emotional ride and readers will close your book yearning for more.