Building Blocks

This week I am covering Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools. Today, I want to look at some sentence structure basics that impact pace, meaning & connotation.

Subject/Verb Dichotomy - First the noun, then the action. What follows is the subordinate clause to create a "right-branching sentence."

Ex: Jodi ran, her heart pounded in her veins as she threw branches from her path.

The action is in the first two words; what follows comprises what the writer wants the reader to feel about the 'run'.

Ex: Jodi ran in measured steps to the beat of a song pulsing in her ears and to her feet as they glanced the pavement.

Alignment & Emphasis - Clark suggests the placement of strong elements at the beginning & the end with the weaker bits sprinkled in the middle.

Ex: Jodi ran, her heart palpitated as she mounted the steps & entered her son's school.

Yep, her little heart is a-racin', but placing the emphasis on the son & his school at the end brings new meaning, urgency & level of feeling. The action sets the tone; the ending stretches the tension. The middle gives the connective information that helps the reader identify with Jodi's emotional state.

Activation - Active verbs = action performed by subject. 

Passive verbs = the action happening to the subject. 

Connective verb = a form of to be.

Ex: Jodi ran.

Ex: The grocery cart ran into Jodi.

Ex: That grocery cart will hit Jodi if she doesn't get off her phone in time.

Sheesh, poor Jodi ran a marathon of emotional & other crises. I do freely admit that these sentences leave chunks to be desired, but I hope, ** (fingers crossed), that I got the meaning across the ether. 

Happy Writing,

Patti

Scholarly Pursuits

Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 8, 2011

philomath \FIL-uh-math\, noun:
A lover of learning; a scholar.

It is precisely for the philomaths that universities ought to cater.
-- Aldous Huxley, Proper Studies

It's nothing to laugh about, he says. "Strange things happen in this country -- things that philosophers and other philomaths had never dreamed of."
-- Tomek Tryzna, Miss Nobody

Philomath is from the Greek philomathes, "loving knowledge," from philos, "loving, fond" + mathein, "to learn, to understand."

As writers, love of learning is our stock in trade.

Happy Writing,

Patti

'Live By Love' Day

Yes, it's Groundhog Day & Writer's Digest has a cool obit prompt for poor Phil's untimely death. I have to say, it's -4 outside without the windchill. Hubby says it reminds him of his days in Anchorage & we're not even close to there. Lightning snow in Chicago, volcanic eruptions in Japan & a cyclone off the coast of Australia - yeah, 6 more weeks of winter would come as zero surprise in this camp.

But, instead, I want to focus on the love. My kids brought this to my attention. The deal-y - place a paper heart on your shirt. Every time someone says something hurtful, you're supposed to tear a piece of the heart away. But, whenever someone says something nice, you're supposed to write a positive message on the heart. At the end of the day, see where your heart stands.

While in theory, it sounds interesting. I am concerned, first because teenagers aren't exactly the most empathetic individuals. Second, what parent doesn't hope their kid comes home with a scribbled over, in tact heart. Of course, this brought me around to novel characters.

We nurture them, love them & then we tear their little aortic valves to shreds. Comes with the territory, but in fiction, we get to put them back together. New life, new love, new normal - it's a neat little package of "We can rebuild him/her." The $6M man & woman had an easier time, I think. But, it is the stock with which we peddle. Tear 'em up, tear 'em up, tear 'em real good - rah, rah, rah. Okay, obviously, I'm no cheerleader, but hey (shrug).

Live by love novel day would consist of the MC picking up the pieces of their broken life & putting them back together with super, heavy duty new-life glue. Not based on compliments, but choices & decisions, twists & turns, trauma & drama. No melodrama need apply.

How do you plan to spend your 'live by love' day?

Happy Writing,

Patti

Thinkin' Thursday - Say What?

James Scott Bell wrote a great article on dialogue. His tips to effective dialogue should be in everyone's revision first-aid kit. They will strengthen the words, the tension & the characterization.


Rollin' on the River - Bell suggests getting the dialogue on paper first. Go back later to add tags, spruce it up & mine for diamonds. Allowing the argument, revelation, introspection to roll off the fingers without interruption can lead to interesting bits that may or may not make its way to the final submission. But these conversations will aide in story flow.

Get it on stage - Act out the dialogue - in private. This always makes me feel more goofy than usual. Even when I'm the only one home. Hey, the neighbors could be nosing around that day! Inflection, body language, intensity - all of these will emerge as you move through the conversations between characters.

That's SO Obvious - People do not speak in complete sentences, or logical flow. I am a huge fan of redirection; not intentional for confusion, it's just the way my brain works. Something like this...

"She didn't even wave? Wow. I thought she was nicer than that."
"Yeah, it's okay though. She probably didn't see me coming out of the bookstore. Wanna see what I bought?"

It's a bit convoluted, but I hope the point comes across. People's minds flit. Dialogue isn't concise. Cut the obvious, don't answer the rhetorical unless it's pertinent.

The Sound of Silence - We all know how it goes. We're writing along, the dialogue singing & singe-ing. Sometimes, it's what a character doesn't say. And, when they don't say it.

"Do you know why? I do. Tell me, go ahead, give it your best lie."
I stared at my father and refused to answer. I knew he would give me my reasons for disobeying him. And he would be wrong.

The point here is what the reader learns from the lack of response. Not saying anything can be just as, if not more powerful, than any dialogue that could be written.

Too many diamonds blind ya - Bell suggests one gemmy dialogue bit per quarter of the book. The real zinger that sticks long after the story is closed. Whether its Rhett Butler's parting shot to Scarlett, the Terminator's "I'll be back" which cannot be performed without Arnold inflection, or Oliver Twist's plaintive starved plea; these are sparse. Too many & the story degrades.

Confront the past - The use of dialogue as delivery system. Back story plagues us one & all; 30 pages, 50 pages, 100 pages. Whatever rule suits the writer, it's sometimes difficult to include that information without pulling the reader out of the tale. A confrontation between 2 characters can aid in delivering the past in micro-bites. These provide character motivation in a way that doesn't detract from the show.

Drop kick - This is a tricky technique. Drop a word here or there; which word, when, will it work? As we talk, so should we write. Different people require different information; your doctor doesn't care about the color of your hair dye. Your best friend will care about the doctor & the hair dye.

"Tests?"
"Standard girl stuff."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, no biggie."
"Oh, you'll let me know though, right?"
"Yeah, are you gonna help me dye my hair or what?"

The banter adds a layer to the relationship between the two. The reader doesn't need to know, he/she may already know or it will be revealed later. Suffice to say, not spilling all the beans & kicking a few under the kitchen table adds authenticity to the exchange.

I am a dialogue heavy kind of gal. I'm much more comfortable writing it than I am description. And, I rely on it more so than any other technique. But, I still find myself leaving the reservation at times. When this happens, I pull these band-aids out of the kit & apply carefully. No mummified dialogue needed.

Que-y: How do you keep the dialogue moving? Do you use any or all of these techniques? Which do you find most beneficial?

Happy Writing,

Patti

Real Men DO Cry

Last night, as we prepared for dinner, my son decided to sit in the dark by himself. When I went in to ask him to join us, he had tears rolling down his face. Immediately I knew the reason.

"Did you guys break up," I asked in my serious but sympathetic mommy voice.

"I don't want to talk about it. You'll just want to drag it all out. Leave it alone."

So sad, but true. Yes, he's almost 16 & he needs to learn about these things, work them out in his own way. But, I'm his mother; it's my job to drag it out of him. Examine it. And then come up with some witty observation to make him laugh or at least stem the flow. He didn't give me the chance. And that, of course, turned the wheels for this post.

Back off - Characters need love, understanding, sympathy. But, they also need the room to find the answers for themselves. You can lead characters to the water cooler, but you can't make them gossip or drink from those little paper cups. And, male characters sidle, examine, deride & then belly up all on their own.

Real Emotion - I've said it before, crying on the page doesn't translate. But, emotional restraint when the character wants to scream, throw things, blow his/her lava of hurt & anger - that creates palpable connection to the moment. Male characters are no less emotional than their female counterparts; it's how they deal that demonstrates their depth.

To Heal or Not to Heal - Female characters tend to dust off & throw themselves back in. Males, on the other hand, brood, build walls of disenchantment & become endearing, memorable characters. Rhett Butler, Mr. Darcy; these guys stick in the gullet of classic literature. Whether they take the healing plunge is up to them. We can't coddle; they'll not appreciate it.

This morning, a different attitude emerged from my son. He smiled, laughed. But, he dressed all in black. Of course I commented on this current ebony period. He didn't take the bait. I have been exiled to the sidelines of his emotional distress. As both a mother & a writer, it is the best vantage point from which to watch his progress, wait for the open door, then sit back & wait for the next time. Another girl; another opportunity.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Where Has All the Toilet Paper Gone?

Yesterday, I had to use my kids' bathroom. Normally, this isn't a huge deal; they are required to clean it top to bottom every weekend. But yesterday, there was no tp on the roll. Nope. It sat, forlorn on the counter next to its holder. The two are supposed to work in tandem, darn it.

I did what you're supposed to do. I put the white cotton layers on their dispenser. And then placed it in its silver delivery system. In that moment, I had this crazy little thought. Proper placement of toilet paper has a direct correlation to writing.

Two-ply Please - Three if it were possible - dimensions that is. Cardboard hurts character development. Characters need layers, sheets. The thicker the skin, the greater the character depth & development.

Placeholders are important - Just as tp doesn't belong on the bathroom counter; characters need to be immersed in their environment. Where they are determines how they react, the decisions they make & the dangers they encounter.

Hang it - In order to unravel a character's world, it is necessary to rip the tp from under their feet. Drop them on their backsides and write them through the dust off. That can't be accomplished if the paper isn't hung on the zip line.

Characters aren't fluffy white, nor can they be bought in packs. It's the rough edges and their exposure that create memorable characters. And, although MCs need support, equi-measured rolls from the same lot will not provide the ensemble needed to incite change. Don't forget to put the tp where it belongs. And make sure it hangs just right.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Water, Soil & Growth

I love plants. Especially when they're new. Before I've had a chance to degrade their soil, forget to water or disregard them as another part of the furniture. When I realize they're droopy, slouchy & pale, guilt sets in. I grab the water, whisper sweet nothings in their leaves & promise to pay more attention. Alas, time lapses & most will eventually return to the soil a shriveled, withered mess of single vine - the one hold out who begged in vain.

The brain is much the same as that houseplant - hydration, information & connectivity. Virna DePaul wrote an article in the latest RWR magazine about this very topic. Growing the writing works in tandem with growing the brain. Shears optional.

Light a Fire - Find what you are passionate about; write it. Topics that make the heart race, the breath shorten are those worth pursuing. When envisioning a new tale, autonomic responses fuel the brain & imagination takes over.

Know the Destination - Road trips & writing have similar characteristics. A road map, a plane ticket; both delineate the final destination. Know where you're going with the story, agent procurement, publication, career, etc. & the work has a defined purpose without the crooked mile to distract the brain.

Get Proactiv(e) - One of the hardest things for me is identifying the blemishes in my own novels. Working with a critique group, beta readers, a spouse/friend that pets the ego but isn't afraid to point out the big zit on page 55 - these help improve the work & the brain at the same time. No fumble, no foul & the brain remembers how to avoid the oozer in subsequent writing.

Reward Thyself - No Pavlovian maneuvers here. Slobbering isn't attractive anyway. Break points in the process deserve chocolate or other treats. I'm a fan of chocolate. All those positive, feely-good endorphins swirling into my tummy. Who could pass on that? Not me. Besides, what makes the innards happy works for the brain as well. Happy brain = better words.

The brain & the writing work in tandem. Tired brains write lazy prose. Happy brains sing through the fingertips & onto the page. Feed the brain, build the skills.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Thinkin' Thursday - 212 degrees

I'm back to Orson Scott Card's Characters & Viewpoint today. Building tension engrosses the reader & aids them in the course of caring for the characters we invent. There are 5 methods writers employ to do just this.

You wound me, sir - Make them suffer; emotionally &/or physically. The story & characters determine which is appropriate. Whichever the characters are enduring needs to follow the believability predetermined by the author. And, the reader needs to be able to bear the pain alongside the character. However, there is a fine balance between too little & too much. Rhett Butler's departure at the end of Gone With the Wind is the last wound we know Scarlett cannot bear. But, rather than expound on how she fumbles through life, Mitchell leaves the rest to the reader's imagination.

Bring in the lamb - Sacrifice. Either the MC is throwing themselves down the pit or another character. Or, a minor character sacrifices him/herself for the greater good of the hero/heroine or another ideal. All sacrifice is relative to the choices characters make. When Boromir throws himself into the protection of Frodo, the reader is more emotionally involved because of his earlier deception. He is redeemed through his sacrificial choice.

This is Jeopardy! - Anticipated pain, suffering & loss. The level of jeopardy is directly tied to the amount of pain - a double sharp edge that will cut both ways. In Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, the reader is carried through the story with a radio that will cut off the MCs connection to the world. As fear mounts, irrational thought creeps in the back door building tension & increasing the level of emotional involvement.

My, aren't you attractive - The building blocks of sexual tension; even when it's not about sex. Not every romance results in the sheet-twist. But, it does provide a story line readers enjoy. A perfect example of how not to go to bed on the page/screen is Shrek & Fiona. It is the anti-attractive romance because ogres ain't pretty. But, viewers find the feeling genuine & invest in the pairing & believe in the attractiveness of the pair. They have kids, but they don't engage in sex. And, that, can be just as escalating as the act itself.

The birds, crows & owls - A sign of things to come. A character's connection to his/her universe creates strong descriptors for that world at rest & embroiled in chaos. My favorite example of this is The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy's race to beat the twister; which does triple duty to re-order her world, her view & her place in it all. Without that single event, Dorothy wouldn't be thrust to change or Oz for that matter. Readers & viewers care because while the story is fish-out-of-bowl, it is also coming-of-age. And, we identify with her plight, her journey & her eventual change through the use of the natural/unnatural world to teach deeper internal lessons tied directly to Dorothy's apron strings. The signs are all around her & the reader.

Tension is built to increase reader involvement & to push characters to their change point. This change point is not unlike the boiling point of water. The seconds just before the roil begins are just as important as the build & spill when the pot gets too hot to handle without mitts.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Opposing POV

So, it's finals week at our house. And an interesting little experiment is being conducted betwixt me not so little ones. Here's the lay of the clothing debate....

The boy has decided that wearing a dress shirt & tie will help him perform better. Because, according to his 15 1/2 years on the planet, when you dress nicer you feel smarter. Only the grades will tell. However, it is an interesting premise & he has laid out his clothes for the entire exam schedule - color coordinated to the exams of the day. Black & grey shirt with music tie for Math & Science; grey shirt/grey & white striped tie for English & Spanish; multi-colored flannel & purple tie for Industrial Tech & Art.

The girl, on the flip side, has embraced the pony tail, sweat pants, t-shirt trifecta of exam happiness. Her theory being that the more relaxed, the less the performance anxiety. Again, we'll wait for the results. I'll be lucky if girly doesn't pull wrinkle-dimpled sweats out the dirty clothes the morning of. It's alright though; I don't have to sit next to her all day. And, in her defense, she did do all of her laundry this weekend.

Reminds me of those 'Goofus & Gallant' shorts I read in the doctor's office copy of Highlights. Not exactly, but I'm just sayin'. What opposing forces inspire you & your characters?

Happy Writing,

Patti

Remember When

In light of yesterday's holiday, I started thinking about all of the things my kids & their generation take for granted. Martin Luther King Day didn't exist when I still carried a blankie. It became a holiday when I entered high school.

As my oldest is in the high school home stretch & will graduate in June, she is itching to get out there on her own. And, of course, I am looking forward to watching her spread her little winglets & start paying her own bills. Because, right of passage events can sometimes be funny - realizing electricity comes from a box & you have to call to set it up or not all apartments come with water, trash, cable, phone, etc. Or, when you learn there is no bedtime; which you pay for the entire next day while sitting at work trying to pry your eyes open with mechanical pencils. And, of course, there is no refrigerator fairy.

My youngest, sliding into sophomore year, has other granteds. Socializing is defined as sitting in caveman posture, typing to 400 of your closest online buddies & schoolmates all while maintaining the pasty white visage you were born with. And, his iPod is now his constant companion; he can tune in & tune the rest of the world out. As I recall, WalkMans did not fit in pockets - you carried them; because they were bigger than a wallet. Of course, now-a-days with pants pockets at the knee caps it could work. Ooh, & miniature golf is actually played at outdoor places where waiting in line for the party ahead of you to finish allows for actual interaction. Say it ain't so; where'd the Wii remote go?

When you tell your kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews, "When I was your age...," what do you remember most fondly? What items, ideas have translated into your writing?

Happy Writing,

Patti

7 Ready Dwarfs

 Jacob M. Appel wrote another highlighted WD article; 'Better Starts for Better Stories'. Of course, these aren't hard & fast, like most writing rules. But, they are chock full of great info & direction.  Here goes.


Timeless Rule - "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Jane Austen 'Pride & Prejudice'

Then, the story works to prove the proposition. With this premise, the male MC had best be on the hunt.

Just the Facts - "I sat on a large rock on a hillside and fought my rope restraints." Robert Gleason & Junius Podrug 'Gary Jennings' Apocalypse 2012'

Simple. To the point. And, a great hook to keep the reader reading.

Better in Twos - "As Mickey Stillson stared at the gun in his hand, he absentmindedly reached up and adjusted the fake ear that was his entire disguise and wondered how a born-again Christian like himself had wound up in the middle of a bank robbery." Noah Boyd 'The Bricklayer'

This actually introduces two & then two more. Expected-unexpected, repeat. The power of the words is increased as each pair is revealed.

Simple, yet Significant - "Everything has a beginning." Luis M. Rocha 'The Holy Bullet'

It is simple, octo-syllabic & packed with promise. Yes, it is a universal truth - beginning at the beginning.

Testing - "Sunday, another dictionary cuddling Sunday." Patti Struble 'Cross Words'

Shameless, I know. But, it is the demonstration of voice that I'm going for. The opening line introduces the voice that has to lead the charge.

Moody - "Something moved beneath the kitchen wallpaper." Rhodi Hawk 'A Twisted Ladder'

Ominous, maybe even a little freaky. Definitely cringe-worthy. If the wallpaper moves, something more terrible best be afoot.

Picture Frames - "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...."

Okay, it's Shrek, but it fits. It leads the reader to an expectation of bygone days & an unexplored region of make-believe.

The list here represents only 7 possibilities. As a writer, each must find his/her own.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Komedy Rules

Humor. 'Tis the lifeblood of society because without it the economy would cause an eruption of epic teary proportion. We laugh until it hurts so the actual 'it' doesn't hurt anymore.

I've read hundreds of books & articles, all of which talk about the comedic relief character, sarcasm as cope mechanism & even one that said women are not sarcastic on paper. Now, I don't know about any of ya'll; but, I'm a female with a facetious bent. And no subject is sacrosanct - myself included.

In my weekend perusal, I plucked another WD article. This one from Leigh Anne Jasheway. The topic is non-fiction funny, but I think it can be applied to fiction as well. Subtle ain't my middle name, but it is my unequivocal belief that the 'rules' she gives can be applied to all types of writ.

"K?" "K." - Guttural sounds such as 'k' & hard 'g' denote a funny all their own. Garagantuan, gorill-ll-ll-ll-a, kismet, character - as stand alone words, maybe not so much. But they can be played with. This is a subtle way to introduce humor without a banner to scream - "Hey, this is the punch line!!!! Get it???"

Triads - The power of three. As a general rule, people remember the first & last things they hear. When I did employee evaluations, I sandwiched the negative inside two positives. This made the process a little less hair teasing for me. The key here is to pair 2 congruent items & then throw a curve ball - 'coffee, tea or me.'

Compare Me - "Yes, officer, I could have used my turn signal. But, then the traffic cam would have known my intention. I couldn't risk that kind of exposure to 'Big Brother.'" Okay, not my finest, but it does the trick. This is the same metaphorical trip writers take everyday - the simple, the complex & the surprising. Take a metaphor, pass it around & she never comes back with the same dress you sent her out in - mix it up & you might find a bit of the funny stone in there.

Cliché It Ain't So - How many times have we read, don't do it? More times than Larry King's been married I'd say. But, you can take the mundanities of the English language & spin them like a top-knot. You know the old adage, "It's not the destination but the journey,"; well, flip that puppy, pet its belly & then spit on it. "When your destination is the 'Bates Motel', who cares about the freakin' journey?" 

What's your story? - Real life is funny. It is the water cooler fodder for which we all live, especially when it happens to someone else. Of course, we jazz it up, sass it up, way up. So, this one time at... the grocery store.... Take it away, Gil. Because, let's face it, I'm tone deaf & band camp would have been clishay.

We all have a bit of the funny in us. And, peppering the tale with it provides tension breaks, stinging cakes & whittle sticks.

Happy Writing,

Patti

 

Brain UN-Freeze

My brain is finally back from hiatus. I don't know if it happens to you, but when the kids go on break & the holidays descend like a blizzard in June, my brain & I seem to suffer a parting of the idea ways. Yesterday, with their return to school looming, a seed fell from the ether & I ran with it.

Of course, now that I have a trail, I have to connect to the bread crumbs. Next comes the living in my head faze. Stories germinate, grow & move to their conclusion.

Schedule. Must get back. Blog, write, repeat. Of course, there is also, e-mail, reading, solitaire or some other game. Not to mention, the domesticities - laundry, vacuuming, dusting, cooking. None of which are my forte. Suzie Homemaker is not my friend; I do not like her. Greetings I do not send.

Here goes nothing. The rote of writing - write, rite, write. Which is the gig, right?

Do you find it difficult to work during the holidays? How do you balance the fam, the daze & the work?

Happy Writing,

Patti

Cutting the Holiday 10

During the holidays, I give myself permission to eat what I want & not worry about the consequences. This year was no different, except that I made a concerted effort to be a little more conscious about my choices. I love chocolate & pumpkin pie & all the other goodies. They like me too - my hips, my thighs, my salt & pepper shakers. Here's what I did or didn't.

Raw Organic Sugar - For Thanksgiving, I made a Pumpkin Pie Crumble Cake. The best of both worlds - cake & pie in one dish. With one difference, no refined sugar. Tastes the same, but provides a healthy balance between sugar abandon & conscious choice.

Writing is the same. The raw, organic distillation of story that grows from one action to the next. No white wash; no over-dramatization.

Buttah - I love butter. Two paper towel popcorn is just right in my book. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, turkey basting, biscuits slathered in slabs. Everything pretty much tastes better with butter. But, as with all things, moderation.

All natural, no salt added butter. Sounds boring, I know. But, it is the building block of good writing. Description - physical, landscape, world building. All are spread in even pats throughout the tale.

Candy - Chocolates, ribbon candies, sugared slices. Fruit cake need not apply. Eating them ain't the issue; it's walking away from the bowl that I have trouble with. In years past, I have made chocolate suckers, decorated cookies & even ventured into the candy making realm. This year, I restrained myself!

Sweets are good; they are the ebb & flow of story. Screwing characters into a light bulb & watching them crawl out - that's good reading. Tying all the ribbons satisfies the reader & keeps them close to the bowl waiting for the next round of candies the writer places in it.

And that's it. I didn't gain 10 extra stones. I am not left with holiday remorse. The writing follows the same pattern. Better story, less editing, more satisfaction. That's what it's mostly about.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Thinkin' Thursday - If You Really Knew Me

I'm not an MTV junkie. I was there when it launched; when all they showed was the same 10 videos every hour. Tennis racket in hand, I became the lead guitar while my siblings made up the rest of the band. Those days are looooonnnnggg gone. I can't play Guitar Hero & the only Rock Band instrument I can handle is the microphone. Which is made even sadder by the fact that I am completely, and I mean completely, tone deaf.

But, I do have teenagers. And, I got sucked into a few episodes of 'If You Really Knew Me'. And, just so ya know, I bawled like a beauty queen on crowning eve every single time. I can't help myself. Kleenex is my only defense against the emotional onslaught.

This got me thinking. As we fashion are characters, we detail their individual biographies. We know everything about them. But, we don't spill it onto every page. There are things that are never translated. So, if you were to pick a character, who would it be? And, what one thing would you want readers to know that is never typed into the tale?

As for me, one of my characters has a quirk where she pinches the inside of her palm whenever she gets stressed. This is borne out of her insecurities & a need to exert emotional control.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Level Up

For the last week, I have been reading Orson Scott Card's Characters & Viewpoint. Mondays post as well as today's are based on me learnin'.

When writing our novels, there are a host of characters that come along for the ride. They increase the level of realism, create greater connection to the story & keep readers moving through to the end. The level of importance placed on each determines where they fall in the pecking order.

Third String - The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. These are the stereotypical people who serve drinks, open doors, drive carriages, or perform some other inane function. They do nothing more than provide the impetus for moving through to the next part. They don't have names. They do their job & then fade into the wallpaper.

Second String - These folks are good for one or two simple acts that twist or drive the plot in a small way. They make a difference but readers don't get emotionally connected to them. They can be eccentric, exaggerated or obsessive. It's all about playing time; the more time on the field, the more important the player.

Heavy Hitters - These are the emotional investments. These are the heroes/heroines, the movers & shakers & heart of the story. They make choices & are powerful motivators in the tale. The lens is in focus on them, their actions & their reactions. They take up the bulk of the piece. They are active participants. If the reader cares, the reader dares. It's all in the POV; narrator or POV character, these are the actors that bear the most weight.

From the page to the busty barmaid to the knight errant, writing involves a cast of people that populate the pages. The more we are devoted to them, the more readers will care about them. And, a writer's level of focus will determine the a reader's level of emotional investment.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Proso What??

Prosopography – try saying that 10 times fast. It is the study of collective groups based on biographical data. There are several volumes dedicated to the information gathered from ancient cultures. It looks at appearance, occupation, personality traits, etc. It then extracts statistical data in order to define groups of people.

This word found its way to my inbox yesterday & I couldn't help myself. I had to look it up. Which led to the reading of 2 dissertations; which led to blurry vision & a minor headache. But, I survived.

Now, I love statistics & I have the MBA to prove it. I love it for 2 reasons; numbers are empirical & the data can then be skewered any way ya want. We are all familiar with Gallup Polls – same thing, different goal. And, of course, there is always the variation disclaimer. For this exercise, and because our sample group is miniscule, we can assume tremendous +/- percentiles. 

Another thing I love - Arthurian legend. I have read Mallory, Whyte & others. I have seen the movies. Of course, Captain Picard as Round Table guy is only freaky when viewed in retrospect. Although, I am a big fan of Gwen as strong female rather than cheater. And then, there is the Sam Neill mini-series & the SyFy Merlin. So, here we are, looking at some interesting possibilities from the early to mid 500s.

Town - Camolodunum (aka – Camelot)

Biographical Data	Art	Lance
Ethnicity	Anglo-Saxon/Celt (just guessing)	Gaul (French)
Occupation	King	Knight
Marital Status	Yes – 2 deceased, 1 committed	Yes
Children	1 (incestus accidentus)	1 (Galahadicus redemptus)
Religion	Celtic/Christian (depending)	Christian
Social Standing	Supa-stah	Bestie
Cause of Death	War/Heartbreak	Heartbreak/War

So, from this very small sample & based on myriad sources, what can we extract? Hmmm, well, let’s peek. Two different regions; not much there. Career – lifelong commitment after ascending the food chain. These people are definitely in the marriage business. But, they don’t appear to have many children – this would of course require more study. Religion may or may not be important. As for social standing, it looks like being these two pays, sorta. Last is cause of death, and here is where some might be inclined to fall off the cliff; because, war & heartbreak seem to being leading causes during this time period. Now, I don’t know if this means these guys are saps, if the heart is a highly guarded commodity or what. But it is interesting nonetheless.

What does all this have to do with writing & characters? Well, whether we are writing historical, contemporary or futuristic, there exists a stock of background characters necessary to the enrichment of the environment. And, prosopography provides interesting tidbits from which we can weave realism into our characters & tales.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho - 6 Character Mines

Characters populate novels, short stories, jokes, etc. Where do writers find them? Everywhere. The world around us is populated with snippets of character that spark full flying ideas. Here are 6 places to uncover a cast of characters.

I'm just not that interesting - OH, but you are! Your life is fraught with your perspective. And from this, you can draw a host of character puzzle pieces. The crazy uncle, the tee-totalling aunt with the hidden Scotch, that family vacation gone wrong, Christmas with the whole fan-damily. There is an endless supply of ideas from the people in your life. Get out your pick axe & start scratching.

Stranger Danger - Not too long ago, I took my mom-in-law to the doctor's office. Writing book & highlighter firm in my lap, I happily studied along. And then, out of the ether, 2 of the ladies behind the counter began talking. I didn't pay attention at first, and then one of them said, "Her little legs were pumping so fast, flames shot off her heels." Wow! Perfect strangers, to me, carrying on about who knows what. But, I whipped out a pen & paper & wrote it down. Why was she running so hard? Who was she? Where was she going? Sports, in trouble, danger; what could it be? No pick axe handy, I plotted the land to be excavated.

Hey, I know you - Brothers, sisters, spouses, friends - all the peeps in our coop. I'm not suggesting a character study of your hairdresser, but there are events that deserve a little more investigation. Problems arise when we try to dictate the happening rather than allowing it to spark an idea that grows far beyond the person it happened to. Mine events, not your loved ones.

There's this great analogy - I've never killed anyone, but I've hurt people's feelings - intentional, unintentional doesn't matter. The result is the same. I took something that I can't give back. And, from that I can imagine why someone would murder another human being. Why revenge is cold porridge. How a person works to make amends. See, no Colonel Mustard in the library with the knife; but I can dream. Utilize the mining tools, find the situational commonality & from there a character will emerge.

Yeah, I don't remember that - If I have learned anything in this life, it is the universal truth that distance alters perspective. Events from my childhood are simply that, but the host of experiences garnered along the way mold & reshape those. My perspective changes as I grow. Characters start out in Crapville, work their way down the gilded highway, only to emerge in Happy Place, Alrighty Town, or back in Crapville. There are rare gems deposited in our memories; extract at will.

I create my own reality - Whilst traveling down memory parkway, take a minute to stop & investigate the events. Walk around them, feel them & then take them out of context. For instance, in college, I met a really super-smart gal. We became good friends. We had several classes together & thus developed a competition of sorts. Grade comparison ensued. What made us do it? That is the beginning of character development. A driving need to win, to be smarter than, to prove something to ourselves. Anyone of these provides some interesting characters, traits & goals/motivations. Blast the memories to smithereens only to create newbies.

Characters abound. Writers mine for the right one - natural gas, coal, diamonds. We fashion them from the raw to the exceptional beauties they are.

Happy Mining,

Patti

Meat & Potatoes

From cardboard to real food, characters are built from the framework to the flesh. When I think of this, I envision one of those Victorian dressmaker's forms. The wire frame has a simplistic beauty all its own, but when the layers are added, a beautiful gown begins to emerge.

Mr. Corbett laid the framework for the garment; we have pinned it together. Now, it is necessary to add the thread that binds, the buttons the fasten, the embellishments that style & flair. We can look at these additions in terms of yesterday's Scrooge character example.

The Naked Dream - This is the moment of your character's greatest fear. For Scrooge, loss is his greatest fear. Doesn't matter the object. He wants the cake, the fork & the full belly. But, in choosing one object over another, he continues to lose & suffer.

I'm sorry, so sorry - Sorrow, a deep abiding emotion the elicits deep sadness. Scrooge's misery transforms him into a depressed, angry little man holding on to the only thing he can - his moolah. In defining his greatest sorrow, I would opt for the girl. When he lets her go, his life becomes deflated & driven by the need to gather unto himself. This leaves little room for anything positive in his gray miniscule existence.

Happy, Happy, Happy - Joy, 'tis the season & there are a multitude of reasons. Scrooge's joy is captured when he survives the night & discovers he hasn't missed Christmas. Color invades his world. His cheeks grow rosy, his heart light.

Epic Fail - The worst of failures are not what define us or our characters; it's how we deal with those cards. Hold 'em or fold 'em - this is the true failure test. Scrooge's worst failure? Choosing finance over love. All are tested, not all choose wisely & Scrooge is no exception.

The man behind the curtain - Shame. Dishonor, profound embarrassment. Scrooge cringes away from Marley. He knows he's done him wrong & facing him is tantamount to facing his deepest shame. Every single person on the planet has those moments they don't want exposed to the light; so too do our characters.

Off with her head - Guilty, guilty, guilty. Coupled with shame is the guilt that drags its ugly butt in the back door. Scrooge's profound guilt is demonstrated in his reconcilliation with his nephew & his embracing of the Cratchit family. Were it not for his amends, the reader would be left feeling he learnt nothing.

Pardon me - Redemption & forgiveness. Yes, we can forgive ourselves, but it is those we have wronged whose forgiveness we most desire. In order to escape his self-made prison, Scrooge needs his nephew to welcome & embrace him. He needs the Cratchit family to allow him to help - what good is all that money if he can't help poor Tiny Tim. But, it is through the generosity of others that Scrooge is released because he is finally ready to let the light shine in.

And there we are, the 7 dwarfs of momentous character development. The more fully developed the character before the words are written, the more believable, fluffed out people color our pages.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Don't Eat Cardboard

In this post NaNo world & with my lessons firmly in mind, I came across David Corbett's article in the January issue of Writer's Digest. Rather than create 2D, cardboard, paper doll characters, writers need to develop fully formed individuals that live, breathe, eat, go to the bathroom people. One way to get from pale to compel is to employ the Emotion-Driven Method. Here's the shopping list....

I Vant Somezing - Characters need a need. The primary goal is the driving force for the individual. Take Ebeneezer Scrooge. In the opening scene, he wants to be left alone with his misery. He desires the status quo & is not a friend of change. As he moves through his ghostly encounters, change becomes his goal. He changes because his ambitions change. The transformation story.

I'm not telling - Secrets. We all have secrets & so too our characters. This secret can be a character flaw or a past event whose revelation brings about change or not. Ebeneezer brings us both. His flaw - greed. His secret - lost love. The 1st is revealed through action & dialogue. The 2nd is demonstrated by the Ghost of Christmas Past. However, the two are connected; his lost love transforms into greed due to his fear of loss.

Flip-flops - The human condition is fraught with contradiction. The single mother who gives her last dollar to a homeless person on the street. The sports star with the nasty habit. When the stress is spinning the roulette wheel to a high crescendo, then these contradictions come to light. When Bob Marley first appears, Scrooge cowers & whimpers. For all the tough exterior, he is a man afraid - deep inside. As he trips through the night, he overcomes his fear. By the 3rd ghost, he's all, "Fine, bring it on. What ya got?" Of course, Dickens said it better.

I don't need your help - A wounded bird, a trapped deer, a lost puppy. The vulnerability of these creatures draws on our emotional strings. And, wounded characters make for intense connection. When Scrooge first hits the page, we don't feel for him. We feel for Bob Cratchit; poor guy working for that jerk! As the story unfolds, Dickens shows us the vulnerability at the heart of Scrooge. By the time he hits the Cratchit's, we take a measure of pride in seeing him through.

I loved paper dolls as a kid, but really I loved Barbie better. Aside from her unrealistic nature, she had all the cool stuff. The penthouse, the convertible, the hot tub. And of course, that hanger-on, Ken. Then came sister Skipper - jeez, she needed more furniture for these couch surfers! When it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, she got a host of kids. Personally, I always thought her affair with GI Joe was the reason, but hey, Ken stuck it out. Besides, Joe had his missions, wink-wink. And there you have it - a need, a secret, some flip-flops & a sugar daddy.

Happy Writing,

Patti