The Delight of Humdrum Details
As I reach the last two or three chapters of my novel, I find that I don't have trouble writing when it comes to the exciting parts. What I do have trouble with are the scenes of humdrum everyday life, moreso if they're of contemporary life.
Yet these relatively boring bits are necessary, I realized. Victor Hugo I believe once said that the quiet moments were just as important as the dramatic ones and I think I know why now. Life is made up of more times like these than the thrilling ones.
A good analogy is a relationship. The courtship phase is exciting--surprise presents, first kisses, extravagant gestures--but it's the everyday things that make up the real fabric of your life together. I always wonder about those relationships in books where the couple gets together when the guy saves the damsel in distress. Just because a guy is heroic is no guarantee you can live with him.
My having trouble writing such scenes may tie in with my difficulty in making small talk, at least with people I don't really know. If I do really know a person, I am quick to make small talk, which is not really small to me, because I do really care about the little details of their lives--their family, their work, their favorite movies and food and such. And that, I realize, is what I have to do when I don't know how to proceed in filling up the details of daily life. Take the time to get to know the characters more. Right now I'm writing a scene set around Christmas, so I decided to reflect on what presents people were giving and getting. I think this will help to get things moving along again.
I'm finding checking a calendar when I get stuck to be helpful. I always checked timelines when I got stuck in writing historical scenes and always found something that I could build upon. Well, it works for everyday scenes as well. What's after Christmas? New Year's, Chinese New Year, prom season, Valentine's--all of which are relevant to my characters and story. And just thinking about what people do at such times helps me a lot in coming up with the small details I need to develop and embellish my story.
Yet these relatively boring bits are necessary, I realized. Victor Hugo I believe once said that the quiet moments were just as important as the dramatic ones and I think I know why now. Life is made up of more times like these than the thrilling ones.
A good analogy is a relationship. The courtship phase is exciting--surprise presents, first kisses, extravagant gestures--but it's the everyday things that make up the real fabric of your life together. I always wonder about those relationships in books where the couple gets together when the guy saves the damsel in distress. Just because a guy is heroic is no guarantee you can live with him.
My having trouble writing such scenes may tie in with my difficulty in making small talk, at least with people I don't really know. If I do really know a person, I am quick to make small talk, which is not really small to me, because I do really care about the little details of their lives--their family, their work, their favorite movies and food and such. And that, I realize, is what I have to do when I don't know how to proceed in filling up the details of daily life. Take the time to get to know the characters more. Right now I'm writing a scene set around Christmas, so I decided to reflect on what presents people were giving and getting. I think this will help to get things moving along again.
I'm finding checking a calendar when I get stuck to be helpful. I always checked timelines when I got stuck in writing historical scenes and always found something that I could build upon. Well, it works for everyday scenes as well. What's after Christmas? New Year's, Chinese New Year, prom season, Valentine's--all of which are relevant to my characters and story. And just thinking about what people do at such times helps me a lot in coming up with the small details I need to develop and embellish my story.
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