Details....Shmetails...

                Details are the backbone of a story.  They breathe life into it, evoke emotions, and even memories.  They are the difference between making a good story into a great story.

                Natalie Goldberg, the writer of “Writing Down the Bones”  [1]  describes details in terms of “specifics,” and she even makes that one of her “Rules of Writing Practice.”  “Be Specific.”  An example of this would be instead of saying “Car,” one should say, “1995 Camaro Z28.”   Another example, “Oak” instead of “Tree.”  If you want more specific, then you could add “Cherry red, soft top.”  So it would look something like this:

                                “My friend Chris bought a cherry red Camaro Z28 soft top today for her birthday.”

                Or, the description of a Ohio summer would not be complete without the, “…cloying scent of honesuckle wrapping itself around me and pulling me into nirvana.” 

               

Details make a story vivid.  The scenes are more ‘alive.’   I can bring them to my minds eye, and appreciate the story more.    The importance of detail was brought home to me by a speech I once heard at the Hawaii Writers Conference (formerly Maui Writers Conference) several years ago by Erik Larsen, author of “Devil in the White City; Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America”  [2]

In this speech, he talked about statistics, details about the population of Chicago during the time frame of the 1893 Worlds Fair.  He told of the numbers of humans, horses, and other domestic animals;  plus he additionally talked about the industries that were highly polluting the city, the stock yards, etc.  He even estimated the amount of excrement, urine, and other bodily wastes that permeated the entire city, and you could smell the place as he described it.  Those details were vivid and definite.  They made the story all that more interesting.  And this is actually a true story!  The story is told about 2 men, of totally different backgrounds, that only have the Fair in common.  One is an architect who actually was on the Titanics Sister ship the day Titanic went down.  The other a common man who becomes a serial killer.  It’s really worth reading. 

                Lastly, the details remain in your soul long after the last page is turned.  The story is in our memory banks forever.  If you don’t believe me?  Then try reading  “Devil” or even fictional Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  These will be with you for the rest of your days.  I know they will be with me until the end of mine. 

---

[1] Natalie Goldberg, “Writing Down the Bones”  c.  2005 2^nd edition.  Shambhala Publishing

[2] Erik Larsen, “Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America: ”  C. 2004 Vintage Publishing.  

Guest Post

As promised, my friend Heidi Nicole Bird has published her first novel, "Through the Paper Wall."  It was released on Valentines Day.  I've had a chance to read the first couple of chapters, and really thoroughly enjoyed the story.  And now, a Character sketch from her book:

Jesse (main character)

Jesse was born in San Diego and grew up as an only child. From the very first time he stepped onto a beach he knew it was where he belonged. When he started Kindergarten he attended a class that met just off the beach, which enhanced his love for the sand and ocean waves even more. In Kindergarten he met Spencer, who became his best friend, and soon the two of them were inseparable.

Jesse grew up with a very comfortable life, going to school with his best friends, taking surfing lessons, and taking advantage of everything San Diego has to offer. His father had a steady job, but it was really his mother’s well-known prowess as a chef that helped the family live so comfortably. Growing up in a large and spacious house and having the beach only seconds away, Jesse came to believe that his world was perfect and that he couldn’t be happier.

Things changed right before Jesse’s twelfth birthday though, when his mother passed away quickly due to illness. Jesse’s world was turned upside down, but with his friends by his side he was able to go on living, even though Dad was much more distant. On the eve of Jesse’s thirteenth birthday, his Dad announced that they were moving to Oklahoma because they needed change. Eventually Jesse’s theory was proved right – they moved so Dad could date Jessica, a girl he had dated in high school.

Newly thirteen years old, Jesse finds himself in a new place he never could have imagined. No beach, no sand, not even a lake – Just miles and miles of sage brush and dirt. Forced to leave behind everything he had ever known, including his friends, Jesse grudgingly accepts his new home in Oklahoma, but only after he makes a new friend and they make a discovery that changes both of their lives forever. 

Outwitting Steve

Note:  And no, this is not my friend Steve, or my friends Son Steve.  :)

You've hit a dead end.  You wrack your brain figuring out how the heck you've gotten to this suddenly insurmountable barrier; one that not even Superman could leap, or Spidey climb!
Now you're stuck, and feeling trapped, you are in almost physical pain, and you cannot see a way out.
You can either see it two ways; as a positive or as a negative.  Pessimistically "Oh woe is me!  I'll never be able to write again!" Or as a positive, "Why am I blocked?  What are the muses/writing God's/esses trying to tell me?"
Sometimes that is all writers block is.  What am I supposed to be looking at?  What am I supposed to be learning?  Or is this just my brain telling me to take a break?  Usually it is the last thing when I get it.  And yes, I do get it.

Ways of getting through that wall, or taking it down rather.

I.  Making Friends with Your Block.

Asking it what it wants?  Call it Steve if you want ("Over the Hedge" Reference BTW).
Seriously, ask it why it is there?  Ask for the reason it has chosen to spring up at this time?  My blocks are usually a sign my mind is rebelling.  It's having a temper tantrum of Katie Kaboom proportions (cartoon reference)
I'm ADD as well, so I have a very short attention-Squirrel-Oh where was I?  Ok-shiny-oh right, SPAN.  Which makes my brain even more unruly sometimes.
I have a hard time making a set schedule, or even deadlines (which adds to the writers block, and I love to wave at them while they pass by).  ahem.

Which leads to...

II.  Writing Warm Ups.

Writing is an exercise, and much like running, requires stretching the correct muscles.  A good way to even stop a block from even forming in the first place, is writing practices, consult Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bone," for more info.  Ten minute writing sprints in which you just keep your pen moving across the page without censoring, or editing.  Going with first thoughts, going for the jugular.  Taking no prisoners!
Doing a couple of these before you start your "Real Writing," can help your mind focus better, and I find my writing flows better.
Handwriting your practices is also good as it uses a different part of the brain.  Also I recommend using a notebook, cheapo spirals are good.  Once you have filled one, re-read what you have written in practice, highlighting what you liked, what was most powerful.  These can be whole paragraphs, sentences, or even words.  These can become prompts or ideas for future projects.  You can also move these to a catalog (I suggest a spreadsheet) which has references to where they came from, i.e. May 2010 notebook, date, and which prompt it is from.
If you choose to go route 1, then I recommend "Writing from the Inside Out!  Transforming your Psychological Blocks to Release the Writer Within," by Dennis Palumbo, MA, MFT, C 2000 by Wiley & Sons.  Dennis Calumbo wrote screenplays for "My Favorite Year," and numerous other TV shows and pilots; as well as the novel, "City Wars."  What is great about this is he works with creative people/writers.
If you go with 2, than either Natalie Goldberg's, "Writing Down the Bones," and "Wild Mind," are excellent.  And also "Outwitting Writers Block,' by Jenna Glatzer is also really well done.
Whatever method you choose, good luck, and let me know how you get around/through/over/or under your writers blocks!
        Jack Heffron, also has some writing prompt books, and also look at Writers Digests Writing Prompts.   There are a ton of prompt books out there, and check your local library for any of the above.
                                                Happy Writing!

PROCRASTINATION STATION

Before I get to my blog, I wanted to make an announcement.  I have my first Guest on February 20th.  More details to follow...



Procrastination is the act of avoiding an unpleasant task.  At least that is my definition of the word.  I've created an art form out of it!  I guess I was just born with a genetic predisposition for this.
When you procrastinate, you pretend anything and everything is more important than the task which must be done!  The usual culprits of procrastination:  Gaming, Television, housework (Yes, I've done that to avoid something more unpleasant).  Another way of procrastinating, is to go off on tangents.  There have been many times when I have been researching for something, and something catches my eye, and I am looking at  that new stuff.  You use the following rationale for keeping after the new piece of information, saying, "I can use this later on."  But, of course, you don't.
So ways of getting around this "Affliction."   I make a schedule, or a "To do" list.  I just got this long horizontal tablet with each day of the week written on it, with a box under each day.  At the top right it says, "Things to avoid," which is really cute.
But what I did was to make a to do list and then divvie it up during the week, so that it is more manageable for me.  I use games to reward myself (though they also fall under procrastination warnings category as well).
Though when you boil it all down, you still have to make yourself avoid the pitfalls.  Deadlines do help as well.  That way you have more push to finish what you need to.

Fictional Reality: A Review of the Movie, "Life of Pi."

Would you rather have a fictional story be true, than a true story being fictional?  I ask myself this question now as I uncover deeper meaning in the movie "The Life of Pi."  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, if only for the stunning cinematography.  Usually I catch things in movies, like the symbolism.  In "Sixth Sense"; I did not catch onto the fact that Bruce Willis was actually dead, until the ring rolled on the floor.  But you look back when they are showing things, and it made absolute sense.

In Life of Pi, it was somewhat different.  Now this is a spoiler alert, so if you do not want to find out, then don't read from here...though even so, you might not get anything from what I'm about to say.

And was it that I am trying to say?  Well, this movie worked on several different levels for me, there was the "Man vs. Nature," where Pi had to fight with the animals and himself to survive.  Then there was "Man Vs. God," where Pi from a very young age, tried various different paths to God.  But that is not really where I'm focusing the point of my "review."

Which is that I ended up liking the fiction better than the reality.  And I came to the conclusion that the first story was the fictional one, because when the storm first hit and the alarms sounded, I believe his family would have been able to get to where the lifeboats were; except for maybe the father, who had polio thus a pronounced limp.  So I think the part about the alarms etc was true, it just was changed in Pi's mind slightly, perhaps to forget the reality.

I do think that making him divulge the "Truth" to the Japanese Inspectors was horrible in the extreme.  I say allow him his fantasy, because the  "truth" he told them was just too terrifying to bear.

The Power of Words


I love words.  I love the sound of them, the smell of them, the feelings of profound attachment that I have to them.  Which comes in handy as I'm a writer you know.  But there were two words that made me cringe every time I heard them.  For a long time, if someone were to say the one, I would wait for the other shoe to drop for the other. Now granted, these two words did not come up in every day normal conversation.  No, they were more out of the ordinary.

But when I did hear them, it made me clench up in revulsion and disgust for a long time.  The reason behind this is a long story.  But the shortened version is that a friend of mine, fell in love with her roommate who did not have feelings for her.  Though you could have fooled me.  Anywho, be that as it may, he had very limited experience at 27 with the opposite gender, more book learned then common sense learned.

So he thought by saying these two words would push her away.  Instead it had the opposite.  She started working out, trying to match the looks of the girl he had lost (well, never really had).  But the two girls were just way too different, it would never have been possible, but she tried.  She would say those two words as a mantra, so much so that I grew sick of hearing them.

He then threw the teenage affair at her to push her away, that really backfired.  Then he said something so hideously stupid, that I had to step in.  He was my friend as well, and even though I had to break a rule of mine...never get in the middle of two friends, I did so.  I told him off first of all, and told him all he was doing was putting hoops in front of her, so that if she jumped through, she would win his affection.  The last one was so unfair to say, it was insurmountable.  I slammed him good for that one.

So I told him, "Look, just say NO.  Tell her, no, I'm not interested....no, I am not interested.  She'll get it."

So he did, and it worked.  She stopped trying to beat herself up about it, and trying to browbeat him into being with her.  She's doing okay now, and sees that they never would have worked.

It took me around 15 ish years to get over the revulsion to the two words, and I think it was a gradual lessening, though it was also so out of the ordinary that I didn't hear it as often, so that might have had something to with that.

ARGH...yea, I hear you, I still haven't said the two words....and maybe I shouldn't...why inflict pain upon my readers?  Why tell you the 2 words that had me cringe in revulsion every time I heard them together....well, why not.  Maybe I should share the wealth.


"Aesthetically Pleasing."

There, I've used them....enjoy!

New Years Resolutions...Why I Hate them with Every Fiber of my Being! Well, maybe not EVERY fiber of my being...Just most fibers.

        Who am I kidding?  Why do I even bother even THINKING about making these things called, "Resolutions?"  And who's bright idea was it to make such things, that are doomed to failure even as I write them down?
So I did a bit of research, through my faviorite research tool (and no, it is not Wikipedia).  I pulled up Google, and was very surprised at how old this tradition is.
Before 153 BC early Romans used March as the beginning of the year as it was Spring, and planting season.  In 153 BC.  King Janus (mythical), was purportedly able to look backwards on past events, and forward to the future.  During this time, many Romans sought forgiveness from their enemies, and exchanged gifts before the new year.  To seek forgiveness was looked upon favorably by Janus.
Fast forward to Julius Caesar in 46 BC when the Calendar we use today was created, which more accurately reflected the changing seasons (The Julian Calendar).  This was when January 1, became the New Year.  Before then, it had changed many times depending on who was Caesar at the time. King Janus, well he was promoted to God status.  He had two faces, one on the front of his head, and one on his back.  On December 31 at midnight, it was believed that God Janus could see both the last year just passed, and see into the future simultaneously.  It is on the 31st that Romans made promises to him, so that he might help them with those promises.
If that was not enough of a position, he was also the God of beginnings, and guardian of doors and entrances.  January is named after old Janus.  Early gifts included branches off of sacred trees, then nuts and coins were embossed with the face of Janus.
In the middle ages these practices were stopped by the rise of the Christian faith, and the change of the first of the year to Dec. 25 (the birthdate of Christ).  This was changed later back to January first by Pope Gregory XIII, but the Catholic Church eradicated all traces of Janus from the celebrations, though the return of resolutions emerged.
Though I will not go into the other cultures of the world, I find it fascinating that different cultures celebrate the new year differently at different times.  So the next "New Year" I will do a blog for it as well.  This will be the Chinese New Year.
Oh, and my resolutions?  Well, the only one I'm going to say is that I resolve to get one of my Nano Novels finished, and to do a blog every week, at least once a week.