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My thoughts about things. |
| A place to put my thoughts about various stuff. |
Well, it's that time of year again, the start to my favorite collection of holidays    The irony never escapes me of how a good portion of us (myself included) wish for the colder weather during the heat of the summer and then turn right around and wish for the heat when we are shivering our butts off. I've always enjoyed the fall and the lead up to the colder weather. I can say that as I am getting older, it's not so pleasant. But, I still love the change of the seasons. Halloween has always been fun. When I was younger, my older sister went all out for a few years. She took yarn and had a spider web on the front porch, with a painted cardboard spider on it. She made tombstones complete with 'scary' funny names and made ghosts that hung from the hooks where mom's potted plants had been during the summer. It was my older brother who helped me learn to cut out the shapes on pumpkins easier by doing them smaller pieces at a time, which still got the effect you wanted without breaking the surrounding pumpkin. Once they were up and out of the house, though, mom and dad weren't much for Halloween. I tried to keep things up for a time, but then it just faded away. Then, we had our kids. From little bitty costumes to ones that are now, partially at least, scary, I've gotten the chance to watch ours enjoy the holiday and have them experience our stories of past tricks or treats. This was our first year just handing out candy instead of walking around and, though there weren't nearly as many kids that came by, it was really nice to stay in one place. I've always enjoyed anticipating this time of the year and this time, I even started decorating the first week of September. Tomorrow will be fun, but also bittersweet because it's one holiday down already. New Year's is awesome, but it also signifies that another round of these is done and gone, never to return. I usually feel a little glum, but more so lately I give myself a kick in the pants to get on with it because all in all, we only have so many of these left and none of them are ever guaranteed. (Sounds depressing maybe, but it's what gives me my better perspective.) National Novel Writers Month Ok, how have I never heard of this before? They say 'right time, right place', but this October I guess I have had a pretty pointed experience of that occurring. (The other time in my life was when I met my wonderful husband.) I've done research on writing before but have never come across this website or that program. I guess I need to stop pondering over not seeing it prior to this and just get started! I have so many beginnings to different books that I've lost count over the years. There is one main storyline that has stuck through all of that time and a second one that has been formulating for a couple of years now. Tomorrow, I plan on picking one of those and dedicating myself to it for the month of November. What the heck, right? Maybe having that drive to meet the requirements will get me to actual make headway. I really, really hope so! I wish myself and everyone else out there the best of our abilities (luck, too, but hey - it's us that does the work, not the luck!) |
| Villains, Antagonists, BAD guys So, it's interesting to me how different villains can be depending upon the genre, or author, or time period that the work was produced, among many other things that affect them. They each have their own degree of 'bad guy'ness that is appropriate for their audience. We have our Bond villains - obsessed with taking out their prime nemesis and also (usually) bent on world domination. In the older movies, they can be quirky, even humorous at times. They are certainly memorable. There are the Shakespearian antagonists - malicious in their own right, but also very classy and refined in their speech and sometimes their methods. Et tu Brute? For me, these bad guys are relatable to the black and white movie gangsters that spray a barrage of bullets (producing no blood, but lots of dramatic deaths) and the 70s/80s villains that could kick, punch, or shoot straight and true and have the same effect (no blood, lots of twitching usually). They serve their purpose, usually delivering a lesson for the audience, but aren't all that scary. Disney villains! Let's see, Snow White was actually a pretty good depiction of a Grimm's Fairytale, in my opinion. There was nothing about the Evil Queen that made me think, "Hey, I can relate to her. She has a good point." That's what it feels like to me that most children's cartoons/stories have become. They tend to make every bad guy morally ambiguous, which certainly is not the case in real life. There are some real bad people who - for whatever reason - just want to hurt people. I think we could do with a little more Grimm reality and less "let's make an entire set of movies about the backstories of our villains so that we can understand them better". That being said, I mostly love the humor that has been injected into the new kid's movies. It makes them much more pleasant for the grown-ups! And no, I am not saying that we need to take adult level bad guys and stick them in cartoons - but I do think that we could find a better balance. Dystopian worlds - here we go for megalomaniacs and their cover stories of, "Do what I say because it's for the good of humanity, but really I'm doing this for my own amusement and because I want to control everyone and everything!" I mean at least the Bond villains are good enough to just come right out and say they want to rule the world. President Snow's games are in another realm compared to sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads. (sorry, had to do a 'nod' to Dr. Evil) Lastly (and ghastly), we have our horror story villains. From psychological to blood, guts and gore - these are the ones that I, personally, have no interest in watching or reading. I have never been a fan of horror and don't enjoy being scared. That being said, if I watched/read these, I would prefer the ones that are geared towards your mind rather than just slash 'em and hack 'em. I do prefer supernatural reasoning, too. Actually - I can say that I have watched the new It movies. I read most of the book but ending up putting it down - no offense to Mr. King, he's a terrific author - because it wasn't worth it for me to finish it any longer. My time is better spent towards pursuits I prefer. It was an intriguing concept and definitely a genuinely disturbing version of a villain - one that cannot be reasoned with, preys on its victims in ways that cannot be readily anticipated and cannot be defeated by traditional means. Throw in the fact that its preferred prey is kids, he came up with one seriously unique and memorable character. Also, it had the thing I want the most - the bad guy gets it in the end! For my own personal writing experiences, I have to admit that I do not like writing a villain's part, especially if told from a first-person point of view. It doesn't go with my personality and can be a challenge. I have been told I can write their part well, but quite frankly, it always leaves me feeling bad and I have to distance myself from it for a while to get back my balance. Maybe that's an indication that I am successful at it? I do know that I want to be true to all of my characters. I want the audience to feel a part of the story and that requires breathing life into these two-dimensional beings that we shape with letters and spaces on a page, even the ones that make you itch to reach the finale, so you can end the miserable existence of the life you created for them. |
| Support Characters Often times when we first envision our new story or book, I think we probably focus on our main characters. It is natural to feel as though they are the ones that drive the story and steer it to its conclusion, since the beginning and end of our tale depends on their success or failure. It is essential that we have them foremost in our mind because they are who are readers will likely focus on the most. However, I think it is just as important to pay close attention to our support characters. The second most important person to the protagonist is called a deuteragonist. This character often has many similar qualities as our main good guy but has a different point of view of the situation. A classic example is that of Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes. Holmes tends to analyze the facts without emotion, while Watson provides a kinder and more compassionate approach. We get the impression that while Holmes could certainly solve the mysteries on his own, he would not fare nearly so well in life without Watson at his side. Watson helps Holmes evolve over time by remaining loyal to him and showing him a different perspective of the world. Holmes is not always kind to Watson, but the doctor stays. That speaks to Watson's character certainly, but it also speaks to that of Holmes. We trust Watson and if he feels that Holmes is worthy of his loyalty, then that encourages the reader that our main character will achieve his potential growth. In the Lord of the Rings, Sam stays with Frodo through the entire journey, at times more sure of the importance of their quest than Frodo. We can even have the question of - why not pick Sam instead of Frodo? He seems to be even more dedicated and has a greater inner strength than our main character, wouldn't he have been the better choice? I think the answer to this is that perhaps our main character needs to have the more obvious flaws, the necessity for growth, in order to make the story more interesting and relatable. Though it may seem like the story is centered around getting the ring back to Mordor - and certainly that is a main point of the plot - it is also about Frodo's personal journey. Sometimes the importance of our deuteragonist is that they are (arguably) stronger than our protagonist, so that their support helps the main character succeed and grow. An interesting dynamic that can be explored is the role of Darth Vader as a villainous deuteragonist to Luke Skywalker's protagonist role. I think this can only be labeled as such if we are only looking at the initial trilogy that was released. Luke is the lead character for that set of books/movies, but in truth the overall story arch really has Anakin (Vader) as the true main character (in my opinion). I definitely think that the way the trilogies were released was correct. It was much more of a hook to come in with Luke as the protagonist facing this larger than life enemy. The role they both play in helping one another to progress as characters is interesting in its complexity. I could go on and site more examples, but the overall point here is that our main characters (for the most part) definitely benefit from having strong supporting characters. In fact, often times it is the inner strength of our deuteragonists that help our protagonists achieve their goals. Why don't we have our secondary characters be the main ones, then? Because starting out with a 'perfect' character isn't going to be a very entertaining story, is it? Most times our stories are not just purely for entertaining the audience. We also want them to learn a lesson through situations that they can relate to and that requires growth of imperfect characters. At times, we can even have our characters help one another and have a different angle for each of them on how they are becoming better individually. |
| Dystopian Worlds A popular genre (though some type it as a sub-genre) of more recent years has been dystopian worlds. I've had the chance to read and/or watch a few. They have their own appeal for different reasons. Rooting for characters that have the deck stacked against them. Comparing the made-up world to the one we live in to see what message the creator is trying to relate to us. Maze Runner, Hunger Games, the Divergent Series These are all favorites of the younger generations today. They may highlight some problems that we have today and paint a bleak landscape, but I believe that is the surface of what they are. **Was interrupted by life. TBC tomorrow** Ok, so I'm back today to finish what I started last night. The point I was trying to make yesterday is that I when I read dystopian books or watch the movies, I don't tend to get mired in the sadness that purveys the landscape they are painting for us. I am biding my time, waiting for the burst of rebellion or the spark of life that refuses to be squelched to show itself. Then begins the arduous task of the protagonist trying to fight for everyone's future, while still facing their own problems. I guess maybe that is where I am choosing to guide my life these days. I don't want to be one of the ones swept into a crowd of apathetic individuals that are ready to accept that we're all doomed to fail, so why even try? There's too much of that these days and not enough of looking for the silver lining in the dark clouds. That's not to say that I don't have my down times or difficult days, I do. We have to experience the downs to have the ups, but our goal should be to not dwell for long on the downs. The main characters of those stories are doing just that - fighting to keep going and make things better. I thought of a few more stories like these last night before falling asleep - the Mad Max Series from the 80s, Gamer, and Ready Player One (the book - loved it - hated the movie, but it's still an example). So, this post turned into a very disjointed meandering of my thoughts on the subject, but I guess that's the way it goes sometimes! |
| Motives. When I hear the word 'motive', my mind immediately turns to crime stories. That's a natural occurrence since motives are often associated with why criminals commit a crime. But motives aren't just something that criminals have. Motives are the things that motivate (gee, those two words look similar  ) everyone - antagonists, protagonists, everyone from the main character to the support characters that appear but are only seen once and don't even have any lines! Nearly anything can be a motive for a character, but the best ones are related to the things that matter to them most. Having a background story will definitely help clearly define the main motivation for a character, but keep in mind that as the story progresses, motives can change or be dependent upon the given situation. Some motives could be: love, greed, power, revenge, jealousy, fear, approval, rebelliousness... It is important to have these firm in our minds as we write because having a character not behave true to their motivation could cause discontinuity to the story. If it is worked correctly though, it could be a sign of growth for the character. |
| Surprise elements. I think these are essential to almost every story, no matter what genre it is. Just like it is important to have a good hook to capture the reader's attention and leave them wanting to know more about your story, it is likewise just as - maybe even more - important to allude to things throughout the book and keep them wanting more. It is a tenuous balance for a writer to achieve to keep a reader interested, but not so confounded that they do not want to continue the book. As a reader, I dislike having everything spelled out for me. Why do we read new stories if not to have something of interest that we have never experienced? I have always loved reading mystery/romance books, but lately it feels like the plot of every new one that I read is following the same outline and I can pretty much guess what is going to happen (including who the bad guy is) before it happens and prior to the end of the story. That's when I find myself turning away from those books to go and write. If I want something new, then why not create it for myself? Some of the writers that I love their books have been writing in that genre for decades. I imagine that the books they are writing today might still surprise readers who have not previously read their books, maybe the next generation of readers or someone who is new to the genre. For me, I have favorites of theirs that I pull out to reread and I will always love those. That had me thinking, why those then? I actually know the plot points, the characters, and the ending of those. Why would I want to reread a few instead of reading the new ones? What keeps me coming back is the characters and sometimes the setting, also the humor and definitely experiencing those twist elements that (although no longer a surprise) still bring back a ghost of the feeling I had when I read them for the first time. They actually caught me off guard so well that the feeling still lingers in my memory and has me return to experience it again. |
| Character backgrounds - these were brought up recently on the newsfeed. The question there was how can we tie our characters back to their childhoods. My comment was about how some characters can have a behavior that is in direct defiance of a childhood fear, for example being a skydiving instructor when they used to be afraid of heights. I think one of my epitomes a long time ago when I first contemplated wanting to write and eventually be published was that all characters must have flaws in order to make them feel real to the reader. I was fairly young at the time and as silly as it may sound, that had not occurred to me. I mean the good guy is supposed to be all good, right? Wrong. Heroes/Heroines that never have doubts are two-dimensional, they fall flat for us and the reader. It does strike me funny that it doesn't necessarily work the other way. We hardly expect to see any good in a villain. However, I can say that some of the more realistic ones are those that are shown to have a 'normal' family life and they are bad guys for a living. Here they are with a wife or husband and some little kids and then they are this horrible person as well, but the family doesn't know that. I do feel that there is a line that can be crossed with heroes/heroines where even something they are just considering, but never actually do, would wreck them in the eyes of the author and the reader. So, wrapping this around to background stories (wow, I am tired tonight). Fleshing out a character's background can help us know their flaws, weaknesses and doubts. These can help predict how they might react to a situation or another character. We shouldn't be afraid to have our protagonists show weakness because this gives us a plot point for them to come back from and makes them feel more real. I never seem to have trouble coming up with background stories. In fact, I feel like I could get lost just writing them. I remember reading somewhere that Robert Jordan had whole notebooks filled with the entire life stories of his characters. It made them more real to him to write their history and it was a hard copy reference for him while writing his books. As I am struggling to keep my eyes open and brain cells firing tonight, I will bring this entry to a wrap. |
| Lesson learned - if you can't finish your post before you have to walk away, write it in another program and then copy/paste here because I lost mine from yesterday. Ugh. I know better. Quick recap for yesterday - rough start to the day, but good ending! Energy and inspiration were so very low to start the morning. When struggling, remember to focus on even the smallest of good things and build from there. Got to work in the yard  and go to the gym  - both great things! Rolling story ideas through my head while doing yard work and reading a favorite book (Nora Roberts - Northern Lights) while at the gym. Good for the body, soul and heart.  Also - I won the Writer's Cramp contest and the Bones Roll!! WOW  Ok, so on to today. I've been thinking of what to do with my blog other than just write about my day (which is fine if I just need to do that). I've had the thought that I want to do themes for each day and put together a loose list. Thursday - THESAURAS  In my own experience, writers tend to have a surplus of words to use on a daily basis. How each of us uses those words is quite different. I find that if I get mine out creatively it bodes well for those that live with me. If I don't get to write, it feels like they build up until I'm more likely to overflow and drive everyone in the house nuts (including the pets some days). But... having a surplus doesn't mean we always have the words we want at our disposal. Some words don't fit certain situations or maybe we keep having the same word pop up as a description. That's when we need to access our dino dictionary, otherwise known as the thesaurus *RWAR* My word to choose for today's selection: WALK (verb) – hike, jaunt, step, stroll, march, pace, ramble, traipse, tramp, stride, schlepp, saunter Why walk when we can… *insert synonym here* Walk is simple term that most readers are, of course, going to recognize, but it is so plain. It gets the job done, but doesn’t help move the story along. Some of those other words that can be substituted do so much more! They give us not only motion, but mood, intent, even perhaps describing the location. With a quick jaunt, Sally crossed the street on her way to the bakery. Eric traipsed along wishing that he was anywhere but the gymnasium of his school. Sauntering into the kitchen, Matt snagged a chocolate chip cookie off the plate on the counter. |
| So, so much to learn. Ugh. I love learning, really, I do, but sometimes it can feel like it bogs down my time. Like a toddler seeing something shiny and wanting to grab it and run, I have to remind myself that I'm older (definitely) and wiser (arguably) and need to take the time to learn. My current thing to learn? Writing.com - its ins and outs, authors, published pieces, how to be a successful author here and publish my pieces What does it have to offer me? What do I have to offer it? The resounding answer to both is A LOT. I've had the thought since I found this place recently, why in the world didn't I find it sooner? It's been here 22 years and I'm just now stumbling across it?? *sigh* But here's the thing. I really believe that everything happens for a reason. The good, the bad. The ugliness that haunts us at 2am. The beauty that makes our breath catch, just when we seem to need it. It also happens in its own good time. It doesn't matter if you believe in a higher power (I do), the universe at play, or nothing at all... we can't force things, we can't stop things. What we can do is appreciate what we have when we have it. Make our plans but be flexible. If I had found this place 22 years ago, I might not have stayed focused on that which needed my devoted attention all those years. Now, when my life is beginning to shift again, I found it. So, I'm grateful for the chance to experience it. Also, a reminder to self - SLOW DOWN, enjoy the view, smell the coffee (sorry flowers, coffee wins), touch some hearts (not literally), taste the cake batter (yes, literally), and listen to the voice inside that is cheering you on in encouragement (flick that other mean little sucker into the trash where it belongs). ~ Learn from the Past, Plan for the Future, Live in the Present ~ |
Good morning Monday! (Coffee is on board, so I can say it like that  )It always seems like the alarm goes off earlier on Monday than any other day of the week. Of course, my current alarm is a chocolate lab that has it stuck in her head we must get up at 5:00 or earlier. Hopefully, she learns to enjoy sleeping in sooner rather than later! Though it can be aggravating to climb out of that comfy bed, her bouncy joy is contagious and I end up being excited with her. Fall is my favorite time of the year. After the excitement of Spring and Summer, I love the feeling that nature is winding down and preparing for a nap. It is also the time before some major holidays in our life and those get me feeling nostalgic and happy to decorate the house. For some, this is a difficult time of the year. In our realm of the world, gray clouds can blanket the sky more days than not and even the blue sky days get bitterly cold. I feel lucky that I enjoy this time of the year and try my best to do things to help those that have a hard time with it. I’ve been reading a lot of different works on here and enjoying all of them. I admit that not all of them are of genres that I would normally read, so it can be challenging, but it’s definitely been inspiring. I see others who are struggling, seeking, reaching for their best and sometimes they hit the nail right on the head. Other times, they smack their thumb with the hammer, say a few choice words about the hammer and its parentage, and then they get right back to building. In my times of doubt, I remind myself I am not alone in my struggles. I hope that my current and future works here serve the same role for others. Now, to go get work done, so I can move on to fun - writing! ~ Today’s triumphs Were once yesterday’s Challenges. ~ |
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