Shanna Swendson's Blog, page 192
October 24, 2013
Switching Gears
I survived the kids again last night, and now I have two weeks off before I have to face them again. Not that I'm counting. We made tissue ghost puppets -- wrap a Kleenex around a cotton ball, tie with string, then attach string to a popsicle stick -- and made them dance. Three of the little girls spent the entire time coloring their ghosts (the markers were for making faces, but if they wanted a pink ghost, then I guess that was okay). The boys made their ghosts attack the teen helper. She's a pretty good fit for me. A couple of weeks ago, she wore a Doctor Who t-shirt. Last night, she had to leave early to go to a booksigning. That's definitely behavior I want to encourage.
I think I got a good start on putting together a collection of mood music for book revisions, and I still have ideas brewing. I hope to maybe even get a start on reviewing the book and tackling some of the revision suggestions today, but I do need to do a grocery run, and I have to do some baking for a Halloween party this weekend. And meanwhile, I'm still frantically knitting to finish my cape before Octopodicon. A weekend immersed in steampunk at that convention should be good for getting me in the right mindset to plunge into revising the book in earnest, but I want to have at least the first chapter revised before the convention so I can have a closer to "final" version to read at the convention.
However, after what I hope will be a productive Friday afternoon, I'll get my good night of TV because I'll be finishing my rewatch of Grimm in time for the season premiere, and then there's Haven. I'm not planning to watch the NBC Dracula because I found the promo trailer boring. If you can't hold my attention for two minutes in what should be the highlights of the series, I don't have high hopes for that series. Even the Victorian costumes weren't enough to hold my attention.
Now to do some baking and then some writing work ...
I think I got a good start on putting together a collection of mood music for book revisions, and I still have ideas brewing. I hope to maybe even get a start on reviewing the book and tackling some of the revision suggestions today, but I do need to do a grocery run, and I have to do some baking for a Halloween party this weekend. And meanwhile, I'm still frantically knitting to finish my cape before Octopodicon. A weekend immersed in steampunk at that convention should be good for getting me in the right mindset to plunge into revising the book in earnest, but I want to have at least the first chapter revised before the convention so I can have a closer to "final" version to read at the convention.
However, after what I hope will be a productive Friday afternoon, I'll get my good night of TV because I'll be finishing my rewatch of Grimm in time for the season premiere, and then there's Haven. I'm not planning to watch the NBC Dracula because I found the promo trailer boring. If you can't hold my attention for two minutes in what should be the highlights of the series, I don't have high hopes for that series. Even the Victorian costumes weren't enough to hold my attention.
Now to do some baking and then some writing work ...
October 23, 2013
The Revision Process
I spent yesterday trying to switch mental gears from contemporary fantasy involving fairy folklore to steampunk (no pun intended with the "gears"). It's been a couple of years since I last worked on this book, so it took reminding myself about it. One thing that usually works to re-immerse myself in a project is listening to the book's soundtrack, but that didn't work because the soundtrack didn't ring a bell to me at all. For a while, I even thought it might have been a first draft soundtrack, before I changed my mind about a lot of stuff, but then I found in my notebook where I'd associated certain songs with certain scenes. This soundtrack was more about finding the particular emotion in each scene than about finding the overall sense of the book.
The trick is that it's hard to capture "steampunk" in music. There are steampunk bands, but they don't sound to me like this world. There's a band in my book that incorporates calliope with fiddle, guitar and drums, and to me, that's what a true steampunk band would sound like, but I doubt there's a real band like that anywhere (if there is, I must find it). I've mostly used Celtic music for mood setting, but then that doesn't help much in the gear switching because that's also what I used for the fantasy book I was working on, although that was more ethereal Celtic instead of acoustic party Celtic (Enya vs. traditional Irish music). I think I may need to do another pass through iTunes and create a "mood" soundtrack in addition to the scene-by-scene soundtrack. Yes, that does sound like Advanced Procrastination Methods, but all this time, I'm mulling over the editor's notes in the revision letter and thinking of how that would play out. I've already come up with some new ideas and how to implement them.
The revision phase of writing, especially when it's revision based on someone else's comments, is always a challenge. It's more about thinking than about execution because it requires changing your mindset. You wrote things a certain way in the first place because that seemed like the best idea at the time. Now you have to revisit those things, look at them from someone else's perspective, and be honest with yourself about whether or not there's a better way to go. Fixing something may be more about the scenes leading up to it rather than fixing that one scene. For me, I generally have to give myself a day or so of griping and whining to get that out of my system before I can look back and realize that the editor really did have a point. Yes, an editor can be wrong -- even empirically, as in a reading comprehension issue or having missed something that was directly stated -- but even so, if the editor could miss it, a reader could, as well, and the miscomprehension could still come back to being my fault. I've only ever had a couple of cases where it was a pure case of someone missing the obvious that was made very clear, and there was no need to fix anything.
One thing that's going to be tricky with this book is that it's an alternate history. Because of certain things that are different, events didn't play out the same way as they did in our timeline. Some of the same events are happening, but in a different time and place. The American Revolution didn't happen in the 1770s. It's taking longer to get to that point, so it's starting in the 1880s, but some of it is starting in a very similar way, just in the different time. I did a ton of research to find events I could morph and move to this point. But this is a young adult novel, and I can't expect teen readers to have the same level of historical knowledge that I have after extensive research. The editor suggested adding an author's note, which is a good idea and means that I don't have to find a way to have characters who don't know that they're in a different timeline talking about how their timeline is different. I may take a look at Scott Westerfeld's steampunk trilogy to see what his author's notes looked like (I remember them being in those books). I'll also probably add an extensive section on history to my web site when this book is released, with a list of books I read for research.
Today's choir day, so I won't have as much time to work. I have to do my lesson plan, make a sample of our craft project and rehearse some of my choir music. Meanwhile, my thighs are very angry at me because I apparently was a wee bit too enthusiastic in ballet class last night. Ow.
The trick is that it's hard to capture "steampunk" in music. There are steampunk bands, but they don't sound to me like this world. There's a band in my book that incorporates calliope with fiddle, guitar and drums, and to me, that's what a true steampunk band would sound like, but I doubt there's a real band like that anywhere (if there is, I must find it). I've mostly used Celtic music for mood setting, but then that doesn't help much in the gear switching because that's also what I used for the fantasy book I was working on, although that was more ethereal Celtic instead of acoustic party Celtic (Enya vs. traditional Irish music). I think I may need to do another pass through iTunes and create a "mood" soundtrack in addition to the scene-by-scene soundtrack. Yes, that does sound like Advanced Procrastination Methods, but all this time, I'm mulling over the editor's notes in the revision letter and thinking of how that would play out. I've already come up with some new ideas and how to implement them.
The revision phase of writing, especially when it's revision based on someone else's comments, is always a challenge. It's more about thinking than about execution because it requires changing your mindset. You wrote things a certain way in the first place because that seemed like the best idea at the time. Now you have to revisit those things, look at them from someone else's perspective, and be honest with yourself about whether or not there's a better way to go. Fixing something may be more about the scenes leading up to it rather than fixing that one scene. For me, I generally have to give myself a day or so of griping and whining to get that out of my system before I can look back and realize that the editor really did have a point. Yes, an editor can be wrong -- even empirically, as in a reading comprehension issue or having missed something that was directly stated -- but even so, if the editor could miss it, a reader could, as well, and the miscomprehension could still come back to being my fault. I've only ever had a couple of cases where it was a pure case of someone missing the obvious that was made very clear, and there was no need to fix anything.
One thing that's going to be tricky with this book is that it's an alternate history. Because of certain things that are different, events didn't play out the same way as they did in our timeline. Some of the same events are happening, but in a different time and place. The American Revolution didn't happen in the 1770s. It's taking longer to get to that point, so it's starting in the 1880s, but some of it is starting in a very similar way, just in the different time. I did a ton of research to find events I could morph and move to this point. But this is a young adult novel, and I can't expect teen readers to have the same level of historical knowledge that I have after extensive research. The editor suggested adding an author's note, which is a good idea and means that I don't have to find a way to have characters who don't know that they're in a different timeline talking about how their timeline is different. I may take a look at Scott Westerfeld's steampunk trilogy to see what his author's notes looked like (I remember them being in those books). I'll also probably add an extensive section on history to my web site when this book is released, with a list of books I read for research.
Today's choir day, so I won't have as much time to work. I have to do my lesson plan, make a sample of our craft project and rehearse some of my choir music. Meanwhile, my thighs are very angry at me because I apparently was a wee bit too enthusiastic in ballet class last night. Ow.
October 22, 2013
Change of Plans
There's a saying that if you want to make God laugh, announce your plans. So, after I announced yesterday that I didn't have a deadline this fall and was going to allow myself to enjoy the season, I opened my front door this morning to get my newspaper and found a big package from my new publisher (I don't know when it arrived -- the UPS guy didn't bother to ring the doorbell). It was the edited manuscript for the book with a revision letter and a request that I get this round of revisions done in the next month.
I guess this means I'll be leaving my characters in the current project in jeopardy for the time being. I still intend to do as much Fall Fun Fest as possible. The key is balance. I don't have to go all-or-nothing. If I do quality work time on the days when I work, I can allow myself quality play time. At least, that's the theory. I think the focus today will be on getting back into the mindset of this book and thinking about the revision suggestions, and I can do that on the patio. I'm actually looking forward to digging into revisions because I love this book and enjoy playing in this world, and I appreciate the chance to make it better.
In other news, last night I did battle with a spaghetti squash, and I finally figured out how to win without a chainsaw. I may have to revive the old cooking blog to tell the story, but there are a few things I want to try with it first so I can have a full report.
Last week, I dug a book off the To Be Read shelf, since I was between library trips, and I was mildly pleasantly surprised. I've pretty much gone off romance novels, but this was a contemporary romance from the late 90s, and I liked it enough to remember why I used to like that sort of thing, It's really the market that's changed significantly, not me. This was the sort of thing I was trying to write when I was trying to write that sort of thing. There was a phase in the late 90s when the hot thing was contemporary romantic comedies. Most of them had cartoon-like covers rather than the clinch paintings you saw on historical romances or the landscape or single item of jewelry covers that had been on contemporaries. These still fit the "rules" of romance, but seemed to be a precursor to the chick-lit phase that came soon afterward.
Anyway, this book reminded me of something that stuck with me from an unlikely source. In the novelization of one of the Star Wars prequels, there's a description of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a lightsaber fight. The narrative goes on about various Jedi knights and their fighting styles and how they've incorporated this or that technique. But Obi-Wan didn't do any of these things. Instead, he was a master of the classic basics, with the point being that flawless execution of the classic form allowed him to fight well against anyone in any circumstances.
I think that often applies to entertainment. There's so much emphasis these days on "hooks" or gimmicks, putting a twist on things, that the basics have been forgotten when what might really work is flawless execution of the classic form. I wouldn't call this book flawless (I'm not even going to name it because it's long out of print), but it was a simple, basic romance that had interesting characters in a situation that generated conflict, and we saw their relationship grow and develop as they dealt with the conflict. No crazy hooks or gimmicks, nothing groundbreaking. Just a "if you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you like" book. I keep seeing articles on why romantic comedy films seem to be a lost art form, and I think this has a lot to do with it. They keep throwing in bigger and bigger gimmicks, to the point they've forgotten what the original point was, when what they really need is a basic story that fits the romantic comedy formula, with high-quality writing, acting and directing.
I also think that this has something to do with some of my challenges in finding reading material. There's so much focus on finding what makes something different than what's gone before that I think "classic" stories have a hard time getting published. Things have to be taken to extremes or given huge twists or gimmicks to get attention. But sometimes what I want is a really well-written classic romance, mystery or fantasy. I don't care if I've read a zillion quest stories. If you give me a very well-written one with characters I love, I'll enjoy it. I'd rather have that than something totally new and different that has shallow characters and weak writing.
Of course, "different" generally only means "the thing that's almost exactly like all the other 'different' things that are currently hot."
Ah well, who am I to talk when the book I'm revising is an alternate history steampunk fantasy? Talk about throwing in all the trendy terms -- but at heart, it's your basic romantic adventure.
I guess this means I'll be leaving my characters in the current project in jeopardy for the time being. I still intend to do as much Fall Fun Fest as possible. The key is balance. I don't have to go all-or-nothing. If I do quality work time on the days when I work, I can allow myself quality play time. At least, that's the theory. I think the focus today will be on getting back into the mindset of this book and thinking about the revision suggestions, and I can do that on the patio. I'm actually looking forward to digging into revisions because I love this book and enjoy playing in this world, and I appreciate the chance to make it better.
In other news, last night I did battle with a spaghetti squash, and I finally figured out how to win without a chainsaw. I may have to revive the old cooking blog to tell the story, but there are a few things I want to try with it first so I can have a full report.
Last week, I dug a book off the To Be Read shelf, since I was between library trips, and I was mildly pleasantly surprised. I've pretty much gone off romance novels, but this was a contemporary romance from the late 90s, and I liked it enough to remember why I used to like that sort of thing, It's really the market that's changed significantly, not me. This was the sort of thing I was trying to write when I was trying to write that sort of thing. There was a phase in the late 90s when the hot thing was contemporary romantic comedies. Most of them had cartoon-like covers rather than the clinch paintings you saw on historical romances or the landscape or single item of jewelry covers that had been on contemporaries. These still fit the "rules" of romance, but seemed to be a precursor to the chick-lit phase that came soon afterward.
Anyway, this book reminded me of something that stuck with me from an unlikely source. In the novelization of one of the Star Wars prequels, there's a description of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a lightsaber fight. The narrative goes on about various Jedi knights and their fighting styles and how they've incorporated this or that technique. But Obi-Wan didn't do any of these things. Instead, he was a master of the classic basics, with the point being that flawless execution of the classic form allowed him to fight well against anyone in any circumstances.
I think that often applies to entertainment. There's so much emphasis these days on "hooks" or gimmicks, putting a twist on things, that the basics have been forgotten when what might really work is flawless execution of the classic form. I wouldn't call this book flawless (I'm not even going to name it because it's long out of print), but it was a simple, basic romance that had interesting characters in a situation that generated conflict, and we saw their relationship grow and develop as they dealt with the conflict. No crazy hooks or gimmicks, nothing groundbreaking. Just a "if you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you like" book. I keep seeing articles on why romantic comedy films seem to be a lost art form, and I think this has a lot to do with it. They keep throwing in bigger and bigger gimmicks, to the point they've forgotten what the original point was, when what they really need is a basic story that fits the romantic comedy formula, with high-quality writing, acting and directing.
I also think that this has something to do with some of my challenges in finding reading material. There's so much focus on finding what makes something different than what's gone before that I think "classic" stories have a hard time getting published. Things have to be taken to extremes or given huge twists or gimmicks to get attention. But sometimes what I want is a really well-written classic romance, mystery or fantasy. I don't care if I've read a zillion quest stories. If you give me a very well-written one with characters I love, I'll enjoy it. I'd rather have that than something totally new and different that has shallow characters and weak writing.
Of course, "different" generally only means "the thing that's almost exactly like all the other 'different' things that are currently hot."
Ah well, who am I to talk when the book I'm revising is an alternate history steampunk fantasy? Talk about throwing in all the trendy terms -- but at heart, it's your basic romantic adventure.
October 21, 2013
Fall Fun Fest Begins!
I had to make an emergency yarn run this morning because either the yarn company lied about how much yarn was in the skein or the pattern lied about how much yarn was needed for the project. According to the pattern and the yarn label, I bought more than I should have needed, but I came up way too short -- and not even in the range where it could be individual variations in knitting style. And wouldn't you know it, it's not a yarn that the craft store down the block sells, so it meant driving to the store in a nearby city. But while I was at it, I got some other supplies for the upcoming steampunk convention. Now I have to knit frantically to finish this cape in less than two weeks. When I ran out of yarn last night, I got started on a Christmas present project, so at least I got something accomplished, but the next couple of weeks are going to be a knit-a-thon.
Meanwhile, I survived the first time for my choir to sing in church. Problem Child wasn't there, which made it a little easier. They did a good job and were ridiculously cute, and fortunately, they saved all the waving at parents and calling out "Hi, Grandma!" for after they sang rather than while they were singing. They were actually reasonably focused while they were singing. Then in the later service, I got to help out with the choir my kids from the last two years are now in because one of their directors wasn't there. I helped corral them and get them in robes. And I got lots of hugs from them.
We had perfect Texas fall weather this weekend -- crisp and cool in the morning, just slightly warm and sunny in the afternoon. I spent much of the weekend outdoors, doing some wandering around a festival in my city and then visiting a nearby town for some more touristy wandering around on Saturday and then taking a really long walk around my neighborhood on Sunday. This is my favorite time of year and since I'm not on deadline, I'm going to make enjoying it a priority instead of pushing myself to stay inside and write. For the past ten years, I seem to have spent the fall holed up inside, writing. This year, I'm going to get out more.
Meanwhile, I survived the first time for my choir to sing in church. Problem Child wasn't there, which made it a little easier. They did a good job and were ridiculously cute, and fortunately, they saved all the waving at parents and calling out "Hi, Grandma!" for after they sang rather than while they were singing. They were actually reasonably focused while they were singing. Then in the later service, I got to help out with the choir my kids from the last two years are now in because one of their directors wasn't there. I helped corral them and get them in robes. And I got lots of hugs from them.
We had perfect Texas fall weather this weekend -- crisp and cool in the morning, just slightly warm and sunny in the afternoon. I spent much of the weekend outdoors, doing some wandering around a festival in my city and then visiting a nearby town for some more touristy wandering around on Saturday and then taking a really long walk around my neighborhood on Sunday. This is my favorite time of year and since I'm not on deadline, I'm going to make enjoying it a priority instead of pushing myself to stay inside and write. For the past ten years, I seem to have spent the fall holed up inside, writing. This year, I'm going to get out more.
October 18, 2013
Characters in Jeopardy
I got back in the writing game in a big way yesterday, almost getting up to what I consider my usual standard of production. I hope to make even more progress today, but I have to make a library run and do some laundry, as well. I've already done my library browsing online via the electronic catalog, so I know what I want and where to find it, and I know that it's available (or was when I checked). I'm in a kind of weird reading mood, where I'm not entirely sure where to go next. I don't know quite what I want to read now. I'm currently reading something off the To-Be-Read shelf and enjoying it far more than I expected, but I don't know that I'm in the mood for more of that sort of thing. This is the time of year when I usually dig into the mysteries and epic fantasies. I found a few things in my little notebook of books to look for that I've been saving for this time of year, so I'll get a variety of books and see what sticks.
I may turn the library trip into a kind of Day Out. I haven't stopped by the coffee shop there in a while, so I may get some tea and do a brainstorming session there. The lady who runs the coffee shop may be wondering what happened to me. It's a potentially drizzly afternoon, so I guess I won't be sitting on the patio. They've approved an expansion and remodeling of the coffee shop, so it will be interesting to see what becomes of it (the city owns the library building, and the coffee shop leases space in the building -- it's a synergy thing).
In the current book, I've managed to get all my characters in all three parallel plot lines in jeopardy at the same time. That's rather fun. Of course, I know that one of them isn't really in danger because I know what happens next, but readers shouldn't know at this point. This is when I cackle and rub my hands together with glee.
Meanwhile, I've got another project to tackle that's more administrative and marketing. To get the writing, this other work and the knitting done and still make time for Fall Fun Fest, I suppose I'll have to be more efficient.
I may turn the library trip into a kind of Day Out. I haven't stopped by the coffee shop there in a while, so I may get some tea and do a brainstorming session there. The lady who runs the coffee shop may be wondering what happened to me. It's a potentially drizzly afternoon, so I guess I won't be sitting on the patio. They've approved an expansion and remodeling of the coffee shop, so it will be interesting to see what becomes of it (the city owns the library building, and the coffee shop leases space in the building -- it's a synergy thing).
In the current book, I've managed to get all my characters in all three parallel plot lines in jeopardy at the same time. That's rather fun. Of course, I know that one of them isn't really in danger because I know what happens next, but readers shouldn't know at this point. This is when I cackle and rub my hands together with glee.
Meanwhile, I've got another project to tackle that's more administrative and marketing. To get the writing, this other work and the knitting done and still make time for Fall Fun Fest, I suppose I'll have to be more efficient.
October 17, 2013
Classical Music for Kindergarteners
Choir went a little easier last night because Problem Child wasn't there. The choir is singing in the early service Sunday morning, and is it bad that I'm hoping he won't be there because he didn't get the reminder yesterday? I can only imagine what he might do to act up when he's got that kind of audience. The focus last night was on the "dress rehearsal." My latest attempt at exposing them to music appreciation, Gregorian chant (to show them what people sang in church a long time ago), didn't go over so well. They aren't fond of anything slow or quiet. They say it makes them sleepy. But one of the kids did ask for the Chopin again, so some of the brainwashing may be working. I figure it's like introducing new foods to kids -- do it often in small amounts, until it becomes familiar enough to tell if they don't like it because it's different or if they really don't like it. I think next week we may make tissue ghosts and make them dance to "Danse Macabre" or "Night on Bald Mountain," then talk about scary stuff and sing the song in our curriculum about not being afraid and what to do when you're afraid. Because of various special events and holidays, I only have to prepare for four sessions between now and Christmas. For Christmas, I may introduce them to Renaissance music and jazz. The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is a good intro to jazz, and I've got some Baltimore Consort Christmas music.
Meanwhile, in adult choir we're starting work on pieces from Messiah, and then the women are doing the "Lift Thine Eyes" piece from Mendelssohn's Elijah. I've sung it before, but I was doing the first soprano part at the time. Now I'm having to learn the second soprano part. But since we're now heavy in second soprano (and not all the firsts can actually do the top notes), watch me have to switch as soon as I learn it.
I got off track with writing yesterday because by the time I had things ready for choir, it was almost time to go. I may have been slightly sidetracked by knitting. I got my own copy of the Victorian lace book from Amazon (finally), so I can return the library copy when it's due Friday and still finish my current project. I got to the tricky bit yesterday, and it took me a few tries to figure it out, but now that it's started, it's going along pretty well. I'm making a lace capelet for steampunk convention wear, and it's knitted first with the body in a kind of modified fan and feather scallop pattern. Then you go around all the edges, knitting on a frilly border. I'd finished the body and had to start on the border, and it took me some playing with it to get it going in the right direction. I'm about to round the first corner, which will be a challenge. Since this is for a convention and will be part of promoting the next book, it's easy to tell myself this counts as "work." It is good for something to do when I get stuck. Today I have some errands to run, but I hope to get back to the writing, too.
Meanwhile, in adult choir we're starting work on pieces from Messiah, and then the women are doing the "Lift Thine Eyes" piece from Mendelssohn's Elijah. I've sung it before, but I was doing the first soprano part at the time. Now I'm having to learn the second soprano part. But since we're now heavy in second soprano (and not all the firsts can actually do the top notes), watch me have to switch as soon as I learn it.
I got off track with writing yesterday because by the time I had things ready for choir, it was almost time to go. I may have been slightly sidetracked by knitting. I got my own copy of the Victorian lace book from Amazon (finally), so I can return the library copy when it's due Friday and still finish my current project. I got to the tricky bit yesterday, and it took me a few tries to figure it out, but now that it's started, it's going along pretty well. I'm making a lace capelet for steampunk convention wear, and it's knitted first with the body in a kind of modified fan and feather scallop pattern. Then you go around all the edges, knitting on a frilly border. I'd finished the body and had to start on the border, and it took me some playing with it to get it going in the right direction. I'm about to round the first corner, which will be a challenge. Since this is for a convention and will be part of promoting the next book, it's easy to tell myself this counts as "work." It is good for something to do when I get stuck. Today I have some errands to run, but I hope to get back to the writing, too.
October 16, 2013
Dark Heroes and Anti-Heroes
I'm still talking about heroes and the different kinds of them. In today's market, the dark hero or anti-hero is very popular. If you want to get technical, according to most of the writing books I have, an "anti-hero" is someone who would usually be a villain in the role of protagonist. That would be something like a story about a pirate in which we're encouraged to cheer for him evading the Royal Navy, a bank robber in which we're hoping he'll elude the police, mobster stories, heist and caper stories, etc. But people often use the term anti-hero to describe a hero who does things that aren't generally considered "heroic" -- the hero who's more violent than he should be, who breaks the law or bends the rules in the name of the greater good. I'd generally consider that a "dark" hero, but the lines get blurry, and some characters cross over the lines, so I'll discuss both in the same post.
If we're going by the technical definition, I think the main dividing line between a dark hero and an anti-hero would be whether the hero is doing what he's doing for the greater good. A dark hero might be doing illegal things, but he's doing so because they're necessary for a cause outside himself. Or he might be breaking the law of an unjust government. Robin Hood might be an example. He's a thief, but he's targeting the corrupt and redirecting their wealth to the needy. An anti-hero would be stealing for his own gain. An example of that might be the con-man hero of the movie Catch Me If You Can, who until the end of the movie is using his considerable skills to move himself up in the world and make his own life more luxurious and exciting.
But a character can sometimes be both. One good example might be Mal Reynolds from the TV series Firefly. He was a thief, scavenger and smuggler. In some episodes, he and his crew were openly pulling criminal heists. Their usual victims were the corrupt government or corrupt individuals, but the profits from these jobs went to the crew, not to any kind of aid to poor people. But then Mal was also a sucker for an underdog and had a habit of taking "jobs" for no real pay in order to help someone who needed help. He was on the wrong side of the law, but only sometimes was he a true anti-hero.
Then there are the pseudo anti-heroes, the characters where their illegal background is more about character development than plot -- the bad boys with hearts of gold. There's Han Solo in the Star Wars movies, who was a smuggler before his entry into the story. We see the consequences of his criminal background, but once he's in the story, he doesn't really do anything criminal. A similar example would be Duke Crocker on the TV series Haven. He's a criminal and smuggler, and there are references to his criminal activity throughout the series, but he isn't really an anti-hero because his role in the story isn't about his criminal life -- it's not about him pulling off a job that we hope he gets away with. His criminal life is character development and a source of conflict when circumstances force him to team up with his childhood friend, who's now a cop, in order to save the town.
A dark hero might be someone who behaves like a villain, even as he works toward the greater good. He might be violent, he might not care about collateral damage, he might be a generally nasty person, but he's putting himself on the line against evil. Urban fantasy is full of this kind of figure.
Dark heroes and anti-heroes are really popular right now, and there don't seem to be a lot of limits as to how dark you can go. If someone can pull off a serial killer as a hero, you've got a lot of room to work with. But you still have to make the audience identify with and believe in these characters. They have to be human beings. Show a variety of their relationships. Give them people they care about, and who care about them. If someone we like loves these people, we can see that they're lovable. Or maybe they've lost someone they loved, and we see their pain over that.
Give them motivation or some explanation for why they're the way they are. Going back to Catch Me if You Can, we saw the way that young man was brought up and how unhappy his life became when everything fell apart, so we understood his need to escape into a fantasy world, even if that world was created with illegal acts. The bank robber doesn't necessarily have to be getting money for his mother's lifesaving operation, but we need to see why he's willing to go to these lengths to get money. Mal Reynolds in Firefly was desperately trying to maintain his independence by having his own ship and his own crew, and he would do anything to keep his ship running and to provide for his crew.
You can also gain audience sympathy by making a character like this charming and highly skilled. We like caper stories because they bring together a team of people with specialized abilities who are usually the best at what they do. It's fascinating watching them work, even if we don't sympathize with what they're doing.
These days, it may actually be more difficult to make audiences love a truly good hero than a dark hero. There are ways to do it, though, and I'll talk about that next time.
If we're going by the technical definition, I think the main dividing line between a dark hero and an anti-hero would be whether the hero is doing what he's doing for the greater good. A dark hero might be doing illegal things, but he's doing so because they're necessary for a cause outside himself. Or he might be breaking the law of an unjust government. Robin Hood might be an example. He's a thief, but he's targeting the corrupt and redirecting their wealth to the needy. An anti-hero would be stealing for his own gain. An example of that might be the con-man hero of the movie Catch Me If You Can, who until the end of the movie is using his considerable skills to move himself up in the world and make his own life more luxurious and exciting.
But a character can sometimes be both. One good example might be Mal Reynolds from the TV series Firefly. He was a thief, scavenger and smuggler. In some episodes, he and his crew were openly pulling criminal heists. Their usual victims were the corrupt government or corrupt individuals, but the profits from these jobs went to the crew, not to any kind of aid to poor people. But then Mal was also a sucker for an underdog and had a habit of taking "jobs" for no real pay in order to help someone who needed help. He was on the wrong side of the law, but only sometimes was he a true anti-hero.
Then there are the pseudo anti-heroes, the characters where their illegal background is more about character development than plot -- the bad boys with hearts of gold. There's Han Solo in the Star Wars movies, who was a smuggler before his entry into the story. We see the consequences of his criminal background, but once he's in the story, he doesn't really do anything criminal. A similar example would be Duke Crocker on the TV series Haven. He's a criminal and smuggler, and there are references to his criminal activity throughout the series, but he isn't really an anti-hero because his role in the story isn't about his criminal life -- it's not about him pulling off a job that we hope he gets away with. His criminal life is character development and a source of conflict when circumstances force him to team up with his childhood friend, who's now a cop, in order to save the town.
A dark hero might be someone who behaves like a villain, even as he works toward the greater good. He might be violent, he might not care about collateral damage, he might be a generally nasty person, but he's putting himself on the line against evil. Urban fantasy is full of this kind of figure.
Dark heroes and anti-heroes are really popular right now, and there don't seem to be a lot of limits as to how dark you can go. If someone can pull off a serial killer as a hero, you've got a lot of room to work with. But you still have to make the audience identify with and believe in these characters. They have to be human beings. Show a variety of their relationships. Give them people they care about, and who care about them. If someone we like loves these people, we can see that they're lovable. Or maybe they've lost someone they loved, and we see their pain over that.
Give them motivation or some explanation for why they're the way they are. Going back to Catch Me if You Can, we saw the way that young man was brought up and how unhappy his life became when everything fell apart, so we understood his need to escape into a fantasy world, even if that world was created with illegal acts. The bank robber doesn't necessarily have to be getting money for his mother's lifesaving operation, but we need to see why he's willing to go to these lengths to get money. Mal Reynolds in Firefly was desperately trying to maintain his independence by having his own ship and his own crew, and he would do anything to keep his ship running and to provide for his crew.
You can also gain audience sympathy by making a character like this charming and highly skilled. We like caper stories because they bring together a team of people with specialized abilities who are usually the best at what they do. It's fascinating watching them work, even if we don't sympathize with what they're doing.
These days, it may actually be more difficult to make audiences love a truly good hero than a dark hero. There are ways to do it, though, and I'll talk about that next time.
October 15, 2013
Last Weekend's Reading
This morning is gloomy and gray, and when I got my newspaper off the front porch, I was reminded of another reason I'm fond of this time of year. My neighbor's lights were on, so his house had a kind of warm glow in the murky gloom. That made me think of when I was in high school and lived in the country, so I had a very long rural bus ride to school -- for a while, it was more than an hour and I had to catch the bus before 7 a.m. At this time of year, when the days were getting shorter but Daylight Saving Time hadn't yet ended, it was still dark for much of the bus ride, and I made the most of an otherwise miserable experience by looking at the houses we passed. I couldn't see through the windows, but in places where the lights were on, the windows had a yellow glow, the way small children draw windows as yellow squares when they draw houses. The homes looked warm, cozy and inviting, and I liked imagining that they were the kinds of homes you'd stumble upon while lost in the woods in a fairytale world. Your mind plays funny tricks on you when you spend an hour early every morning bouncing down barely paved country roads in an old school bus. Fortunately, midway through my sophomore year my dad started teaching at my school, so I always had a ride to and from school and no longer had to take the bus. Still, even now when I see lights coming through a window on a dark morning, I'm instantly transported back to that bus.
I mentioned that I spent the weekend reading, so here's some discussion of what I was reading. First, there was The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker. This is another one of those books that straddles the line between fantasy and literary/women's fiction. I got it from the library, and they stuck a unicorn sticker on the spine, but my guess from the publisher/imprint, the authors giving endorsement blurbs and the "other customers also bought" books on Amazon that it's published as literary/women's fiction rather than as fantasy (since I no longer have a convenient local bookstore, I can't see where it's shelved). A graduate student goes on a walk, finds a mysterious old graveyard, reads the poem on a tombstone, then gets lost when she tries to walk back from the graveyard, finding herself at a fabulous house where a beautiful woman invites her to stay and enjoy the party she's having. Our heroine finds herself caught up in the glamorous world of the fae, but the glamour starts to fade and turn into real danger. When she escapes, instead of finding herself back in her own world, she's in a world out of a fantasy novel, under the protection of a sullen wizard (who gave me the slight impression that someone was writing Professor Snape fanfic). To survive in this world and maybe find her way back home, she'll have to learn to do magic, herself.
I mostly read this for market research because I'm trying to find where they draw the line between women's fiction with magic in it and fantasy with women's fiction elements, so it was hard to just read this as a book while turning off the analytical part of my brain. I think this one comes down to being more "women's fiction" because the focus is on the experience rather than on the plot. A fantasy novel would probably be more focused on a specific goal and driving toward that while this was about what it was like to live in that world and how it was affecting the heroine. I found myself imagining the book club discussion guide questions as I read. That might make it a little frustrating to fantasy readers who want someone to do something, but then those who get frustrated with fantasy novels because they want to spend more time just reveling in the world instead of rushing about on quests might really enjoy it. I found the title a bit misleading because I expected a title like that to go on a funnier, more satirical book. This book isn't meant as a comedy. I suppose all this sounds like a lukewarm recommendation. I didn't think it was a bad book at all, and I was engrossed in it. It's a "portal" book about someone from our world in a fantasy world, which is one of my favorite things. I just didn't love it the way I wanted to, based on the title and general description. Now I kind of want to write the book I thought it would be. Too bad the perfect title for it is already taken.
Then for something completely different, there was possibly the most unique romance novel I've ever read, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. What makes it so unique? It's a romance novel whose narrator is a man with Asperger's Syndrome, and it maintains that voice throughout in both hilarious and heartbreaking ways. Don is a geneticist who lives a very ordered, regimented life based on maximizing efficiency in everything. But he's lonely and has decided to find a mate in the most efficient way possible, ruling out things that he considers dealbreakers with a detailed questionnaire. Of course, no real woman can live up to the standards in his survey, so he gets a colleague to help him sort through the "maybe" responses from online dating, singles mixers, etc. When a woman shows up at his office saying the colleague sent her, he assumes she's part of the project, then is thrown totally off-balance when she's everything he said he didn't want -- and then when he finds himself wanting to see her again. Fortunately, he has an excuse. She's trying to find her biological father, and he's a geneticist. He offers to help her test the various candidates. Along the way, the two of them have all kinds of adventures, and he finds himself realizing that optimizing his life for efficiency has left out room for things like fun.
This is a really sweet, charming, funny book that I practically read in one sitting. I'm impressed with the consistency of the narrative voice and the way that clues the narrator doesn't pick up on but that the reader does kind of leak around the edges. Supposedly, this is in development as a movie, and I think it would make a good romantic comedy, if they do it well. The lead role will be tricky, though.
The scary thing was how much I identified with the narrator. I'm way too empathetic and emotionally sensitive to have Asperger's, but I do have a thing for efficiency and routine. I like to say I don't follow a set routine, but watch me twitch if a guest in my house uses the glasses that are supposed to be used for milk at breakfast for iced tea at lunch or if someone calls me at a time designated for something else and disrupts my schedule. It doesn't hurt for all of us to remember to make time for fun.
Speaking of schedule … I think I'm back on track with the writing and moving ahead, though I did hit a minor roadblock yesterday. I've got two parallel plots going on, and while I have one figured out, the other mostly exists to get the other character in place, so I have to figure out what she's going to be doing, without making it a re-tread of what was in the previous book. I think I have that figured out now, too, and we'll see in this afternoon's writing session.
I mentioned that I spent the weekend reading, so here's some discussion of what I was reading. First, there was The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker. This is another one of those books that straddles the line between fantasy and literary/women's fiction. I got it from the library, and they stuck a unicorn sticker on the spine, but my guess from the publisher/imprint, the authors giving endorsement blurbs and the "other customers also bought" books on Amazon that it's published as literary/women's fiction rather than as fantasy (since I no longer have a convenient local bookstore, I can't see where it's shelved). A graduate student goes on a walk, finds a mysterious old graveyard, reads the poem on a tombstone, then gets lost when she tries to walk back from the graveyard, finding herself at a fabulous house where a beautiful woman invites her to stay and enjoy the party she's having. Our heroine finds herself caught up in the glamorous world of the fae, but the glamour starts to fade and turn into real danger. When she escapes, instead of finding herself back in her own world, she's in a world out of a fantasy novel, under the protection of a sullen wizard (who gave me the slight impression that someone was writing Professor Snape fanfic). To survive in this world and maybe find her way back home, she'll have to learn to do magic, herself.
I mostly read this for market research because I'm trying to find where they draw the line between women's fiction with magic in it and fantasy with women's fiction elements, so it was hard to just read this as a book while turning off the analytical part of my brain. I think this one comes down to being more "women's fiction" because the focus is on the experience rather than on the plot. A fantasy novel would probably be more focused on a specific goal and driving toward that while this was about what it was like to live in that world and how it was affecting the heroine. I found myself imagining the book club discussion guide questions as I read. That might make it a little frustrating to fantasy readers who want someone to do something, but then those who get frustrated with fantasy novels because they want to spend more time just reveling in the world instead of rushing about on quests might really enjoy it. I found the title a bit misleading because I expected a title like that to go on a funnier, more satirical book. This book isn't meant as a comedy. I suppose all this sounds like a lukewarm recommendation. I didn't think it was a bad book at all, and I was engrossed in it. It's a "portal" book about someone from our world in a fantasy world, which is one of my favorite things. I just didn't love it the way I wanted to, based on the title and general description. Now I kind of want to write the book I thought it would be. Too bad the perfect title for it is already taken.
Then for something completely different, there was possibly the most unique romance novel I've ever read, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. What makes it so unique? It's a romance novel whose narrator is a man with Asperger's Syndrome, and it maintains that voice throughout in both hilarious and heartbreaking ways. Don is a geneticist who lives a very ordered, regimented life based on maximizing efficiency in everything. But he's lonely and has decided to find a mate in the most efficient way possible, ruling out things that he considers dealbreakers with a detailed questionnaire. Of course, no real woman can live up to the standards in his survey, so he gets a colleague to help him sort through the "maybe" responses from online dating, singles mixers, etc. When a woman shows up at his office saying the colleague sent her, he assumes she's part of the project, then is thrown totally off-balance when she's everything he said he didn't want -- and then when he finds himself wanting to see her again. Fortunately, he has an excuse. She's trying to find her biological father, and he's a geneticist. He offers to help her test the various candidates. Along the way, the two of them have all kinds of adventures, and he finds himself realizing that optimizing his life for efficiency has left out room for things like fun.
This is a really sweet, charming, funny book that I practically read in one sitting. I'm impressed with the consistency of the narrative voice and the way that clues the narrator doesn't pick up on but that the reader does kind of leak around the edges. Supposedly, this is in development as a movie, and I think it would make a good romantic comedy, if they do it well. The lead role will be tricky, though.
The scary thing was how much I identified with the narrator. I'm way too empathetic and emotionally sensitive to have Asperger's, but I do have a thing for efficiency and routine. I like to say I don't follow a set routine, but watch me twitch if a guest in my house uses the glasses that are supposed to be used for milk at breakfast for iced tea at lunch or if someone calls me at a time designated for something else and disrupts my schedule. It doesn't hurt for all of us to remember to make time for fun.
Speaking of schedule … I think I'm back on track with the writing and moving ahead, though I did hit a minor roadblock yesterday. I've got two parallel plots going on, and while I have one figured out, the other mostly exists to get the other character in place, so I have to figure out what she's going to be doing, without making it a re-tread of what was in the previous book. I think I have that figured out now, too, and we'll see in this afternoon's writing session.
October 14, 2013
Good Things
It was so delightful having a quiet weekend with nothing going on. That may give me stamina for the next few weekends, which are going to be busy and social. There are festivals, parties and conventions pretty much until Thanksgiving, though I do have one November weekend whose calendar squares are currently blank. It didn't rain as much as I hoped on Saturday, and it was hot and muggy, but that was balanced out by an excellent (and quite unexpected) outcome for the Texas vs. Oklahoma football game. (Hook 'em!)
I did finish that scene on Friday. Yay! It turned out that my problem was that I'd written the wrong scene in the first place. It was a good scene, but it didn't fit the story. Rewriting it meant negating the good scene I'd already written. Thus, the resistance. I needed enough distance from what I'd written to start over. It probably still needs some tweaking, but the bones are there. I'm now at the point of moving on into the future rather than rewriting what was there, and today is delightfully cool and rainy, so it should be a good writing day. I have to do some thinking and brainstorming first, but then I hope to plunge forward.
I forgot to mention on Friday that I watched the premiere of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. I think the jury's still out on that one. There's the potential for lots of stuff that I might love, but there's also the potential for lots of stuff that I could hate. I do like the grown-up Alice we see in this. Apparently, the actress is trained as a dancer/gymnast/acrobat, and it shows in the action scenes, where she's quite good at throwing herself around. It's the Summer Glau effect of someone who really does have a well-trained body doing things like that, so you can believe that she really can prevail. The more I learn about dance, the more I know that you do not want to mess with a ballerina. The thing that worries me is the potential romantic triangle. Basically, the story is that when no one believed her about her adventures in Wonderland, Alice kept going back to try to find something she could use as proof. She was still a regular visitor as a teen/young woman, and that's when she met (and apparently freed) a genie. She and the genie fell in love, but then the evil red queen killed him. Back home, Alice's father had her locked up in Bedlam Asylum, and they're on the verge of giving her a lobotomy to stop her from believing that all this Wonderland stuff is real (and she's kind of hoping to forget her broken heart). But then the white rabbit sends the Knave of Hearts to get her because her genie has been seen alive. Now she's back in Wonderland on a quest for her true love.
Unlike most of the Internet, I actually like her genie love. He seems to be the "good boy" in this potential triangle. However, they haven't really developed him or the relationship yet. In the parent show, they have a bad habit of telling us a relationship is "true love" and expecting us to just accept that, so I don't know that we'll get more than that. Then there's the Knave, who's a classic TV "bad boy," complete with black leather jacket and British football hooligan attitude. Because I have watched TV before, I can already see the triangle developing, with Alice falling for him while on her quest for her true love (something most of the Internet seems in favor of). Then again, the whole True Love thing is big on these shows, so maybe not. If they bother telling us why the True Love is the True Love and dare have her not distracted by the charming bad boy, then this could be fun for me. Then again, the villains are pretty awful (and not in a good way) and the level of CGI is distracting. It's basically entirely greenscreen, probably because Wonderland is too weird to be played by any real place on earth. Basically, at this point I'm watching, but if it dies of low ratings (a distinct possibility), I won't be engaging in any "save our show" campaigns.
In other geeky TV news, it's nice to have my love for something validated, and this weekend the cast of Haven did possibly one of the craziest things done during a convention panel. They performed a wedding for two of their fans at New York ComicCon. One cast member performed the ceremony (which probably was more symbolic than legal), another provided the music on guitar, and the third played matron of honor. On paper, this is a dark and spooky show, but it has this fun undercurrent of lunacy and humor that probably comes from the cast members. Judging from the documentary on the making of an episode that was on the last DVD set, I might even be willing to watch a reality show about the making of this series because everyone involved in the show is insane in a good way, seems to like each other, and seems to be having a blast. They apparently amuse themselves in their free time while shooting in a small Nova Scotia town by having singalongs/jam sessions, and that turned into an actual band.
So, if anyone wants to get married during one of my convention panels, I can sing "Ave Maria" pretty well. I've never been a bridesmaid, so I'd be honored to do that, too. But no ugly dresses, please.
Oh, speaking of music, I got a huge "aw" moment at church Sunday. They were talking about the importance of children's programs and showed a video that included clips of kids at church and little interview segments from the kids. I remember when they were shooting the interviews back in the spring because they were pulling kids out of my choir. They were asking the kids what they like most about church, and one of them very confidently, with no hesitation, said children's choir. She was in my choir at the time and had been in my choir for two years. So I must be doing something right.
I did finish that scene on Friday. Yay! It turned out that my problem was that I'd written the wrong scene in the first place. It was a good scene, but it didn't fit the story. Rewriting it meant negating the good scene I'd already written. Thus, the resistance. I needed enough distance from what I'd written to start over. It probably still needs some tweaking, but the bones are there. I'm now at the point of moving on into the future rather than rewriting what was there, and today is delightfully cool and rainy, so it should be a good writing day. I have to do some thinking and brainstorming first, but then I hope to plunge forward.
I forgot to mention on Friday that I watched the premiere of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. I think the jury's still out on that one. There's the potential for lots of stuff that I might love, but there's also the potential for lots of stuff that I could hate. I do like the grown-up Alice we see in this. Apparently, the actress is trained as a dancer/gymnast/acrobat, and it shows in the action scenes, where she's quite good at throwing herself around. It's the Summer Glau effect of someone who really does have a well-trained body doing things like that, so you can believe that she really can prevail. The more I learn about dance, the more I know that you do not want to mess with a ballerina. The thing that worries me is the potential romantic triangle. Basically, the story is that when no one believed her about her adventures in Wonderland, Alice kept going back to try to find something she could use as proof. She was still a regular visitor as a teen/young woman, and that's when she met (and apparently freed) a genie. She and the genie fell in love, but then the evil red queen killed him. Back home, Alice's father had her locked up in Bedlam Asylum, and they're on the verge of giving her a lobotomy to stop her from believing that all this Wonderland stuff is real (and she's kind of hoping to forget her broken heart). But then the white rabbit sends the Knave of Hearts to get her because her genie has been seen alive. Now she's back in Wonderland on a quest for her true love.
Unlike most of the Internet, I actually like her genie love. He seems to be the "good boy" in this potential triangle. However, they haven't really developed him or the relationship yet. In the parent show, they have a bad habit of telling us a relationship is "true love" and expecting us to just accept that, so I don't know that we'll get more than that. Then there's the Knave, who's a classic TV "bad boy," complete with black leather jacket and British football hooligan attitude. Because I have watched TV before, I can already see the triangle developing, with Alice falling for him while on her quest for her true love (something most of the Internet seems in favor of). Then again, the whole True Love thing is big on these shows, so maybe not. If they bother telling us why the True Love is the True Love and dare have her not distracted by the charming bad boy, then this could be fun for me. Then again, the villains are pretty awful (and not in a good way) and the level of CGI is distracting. It's basically entirely greenscreen, probably because Wonderland is too weird to be played by any real place on earth. Basically, at this point I'm watching, but if it dies of low ratings (a distinct possibility), I won't be engaging in any "save our show" campaigns.
In other geeky TV news, it's nice to have my love for something validated, and this weekend the cast of Haven did possibly one of the craziest things done during a convention panel. They performed a wedding for two of their fans at New York ComicCon. One cast member performed the ceremony (which probably was more symbolic than legal), another provided the music on guitar, and the third played matron of honor. On paper, this is a dark and spooky show, but it has this fun undercurrent of lunacy and humor that probably comes from the cast members. Judging from the documentary on the making of an episode that was on the last DVD set, I might even be willing to watch a reality show about the making of this series because everyone involved in the show is insane in a good way, seems to like each other, and seems to be having a blast. They apparently amuse themselves in their free time while shooting in a small Nova Scotia town by having singalongs/jam sessions, and that turned into an actual band.
So, if anyone wants to get married during one of my convention panels, I can sing "Ave Maria" pretty well. I've never been a bridesmaid, so I'd be honored to do that, too. But no ugly dresses, please.
Oh, speaking of music, I got a huge "aw" moment at church Sunday. They were talking about the importance of children's programs and showed a video that included clips of kids at church and little interview segments from the kids. I remember when they were shooting the interviews back in the spring because they were pulling kids out of my choir. They were asking the kids what they like most about church, and one of them very confidently, with no hesitation, said children's choir. She was in my choir at the time and had been in my choir for two years. So I must be doing something right.
October 11, 2013
An Enchanted Anniversary
Today is a Getting Things Done Day. So far, I've taken care of several errands, including taking out the recycling, getting weatherstripping for the front door at Home Depot, doing a Target run and picking up a few grocery items for planned menus. One of the things I got at Target was an extendable microfiber duster. I was going to get one of those Swiffer extend things, but there was a much sturdier one with a longer reach and a washable/reusable duster, so I went with that instead. I've already used it to dust the ledge where my suit of armor stands, and I made a start on the bizarre ledge in my bedroom where the bathroom has a partial ceiling but the area between it and the sloping roof ceiling is open. I got some epic dust bunnies down from there, which could explain my constant allergies and the reason that room gets so dusty all the time. I barely got started before I had to wash the duster. Maybe some other time I'll bring the big ladder in from the garage so I can see what I'm doing. At the very least, I must have made some dent in it with just the stepladder, and I may be able to keep the worst of it down if I do this on a regular basis. Then at the grocery store, I scored a manager's special deal on some fresh tamales, and there was some fun mutual rejoicing with the other lady who found them at the same time. I restrained myself from stocking up because my freezer is already full.
My next Getting Things Done task will be to finally write the scene I've been procrastinating about for more than a week. I seem to have some kind of block regarding this scene because although I have a pretty good sense of what happens, I can't seem to make myself write it. I'll just stare at the computer, then get distracted, then come up with some task I really need to do before I write it. But I have decided that it will be written today. I'm going to set an alarm for 3 this afternoon, and at that point, I have to sit down and write this scene, and not get up until it's written. Before that, I can brainstorm, mind map, try to create a musical soundtrack for it, find the theme song, do housework, post on the Internet, or whatever. But at 3, I WILL write this scene. I'm not sure why I'm procrastinating, other than that it's a pivotal scene and I want it to go right.
Then I'll let myself enjoy the weekend. I actually deserve some kind of celebration this weekend because Sunday marks the 10-year anniversary of the day I started writing Enchanted, Inc. Before that, I'd done research, outlining, character development, plotting and had even written the first few lines. But October 13, 2003, was the day I sat down and started writing pages. According to my calendar, I wrote 18 pages that day.
This could explain why I currently don't have ideas for more stories. Ten years is a long time to work in a single universe, a long time to spend with a group of characters. I love that story and those people, but I'm ready to move on. For now. It's possible that I'll come to miss them and want to revisit them.
Now to go get a few more things done before the Writing Hour strikes.
My next Getting Things Done task will be to finally write the scene I've been procrastinating about for more than a week. I seem to have some kind of block regarding this scene because although I have a pretty good sense of what happens, I can't seem to make myself write it. I'll just stare at the computer, then get distracted, then come up with some task I really need to do before I write it. But I have decided that it will be written today. I'm going to set an alarm for 3 this afternoon, and at that point, I have to sit down and write this scene, and not get up until it's written. Before that, I can brainstorm, mind map, try to create a musical soundtrack for it, find the theme song, do housework, post on the Internet, or whatever. But at 3, I WILL write this scene. I'm not sure why I'm procrastinating, other than that it's a pivotal scene and I want it to go right.
Then I'll let myself enjoy the weekend. I actually deserve some kind of celebration this weekend because Sunday marks the 10-year anniversary of the day I started writing Enchanted, Inc. Before that, I'd done research, outlining, character development, plotting and had even written the first few lines. But October 13, 2003, was the day I sat down and started writing pages. According to my calendar, I wrote 18 pages that day.
This could explain why I currently don't have ideas for more stories. Ten years is a long time to work in a single universe, a long time to spend with a group of characters. I love that story and those people, but I'm ready to move on. For now. It's possible that I'll come to miss them and want to revisit them.
Now to go get a few more things done before the Writing Hour strikes.
