Reflection

“No, Mom!” Mister yells.

I remove my hand from the bathtub drain lever.

“My toys are still in here. And please don’t let the water go down now. That will scare me.”

I nod, even though we’ve talked about him not being able to fit down the drain a gazillion times. I make a mental note to drain the tub after he’s asleep and to read I’m Not Afraid of Anything to him again.

I’m Not Afraid of Anything is the picture ebook I wrote a few years ago that was published by MeeGenius. It was recently featured on the MeeGenius blog as a book to help kids conquer their fears, especially the fear of the doctor.

It’s recent feature got me thinking about Mister and his fears. I find it funny that, even though I wrote it inspired by my own childhood fear of the vacuum, and even though Mister wasn’t even close to being born yet at the time I wrote it, the book still nails one of Mister’s fears. So, this week’s question is:

What book(s) do you find to be a reflection of your life? What about the book is familiar?

 

Impact

“Welcome to the National League Division Series. Here are your Pittsburgh Pirates,” the announcer booms. “Starting in center field…”

Through wells of tears, I watch a blurry Andrew McCutchen turn to point to the fans before high-fiving his way down the line of coaches to take his space on the field.

As my other favorite players are announced, I can’t hold back my tears. The city has been waiting a long time for this. My family has been waiting a long time for this. And it is finally here.

Looks like the rally towel give-away is going to come in handy in more ways than one.

Okay, so it might not exactly be normal to be moved to tears at a baseball game, but, if you’ve been paying attention to sports at all lately, the Pirates making it to the NLDS is kind of a big deal. What is something you’ve experienced lately that has had a particularly strong emotional impact? How can you draw on that emotional experience to enhance your writing?

 

 

Brains on Paper

Experiencing emotional situations and narrating them at the same time, isn’t exactly a super power, but it does come in handy for writing. There are a few things that I do that are a little, well, odd in the context of real life that also work really well for writing.

For example, I picture most people I meet, and even some I just see in passing, as picture book characters. A man with long, curly hair and sunglasses became the saxophone player for an audience of cats. A smiling older gentleman in the post office became a neighbor who teaches a young boy about imagination. A librarian who helped with a stuck door was…a librarian (funny how some people just fit, isn’t it?). A little weird, maybe, but there might be some picture book ideas just walking around out there. I’ll never know if I don’t look around.

I also steal physical traits, body language or ways of speaking from real people to later use for my characters. A teen girl walking with her hands in her sleeves and shoulders slightly slumped I’ll give to a character with self-esteem issues. And I’ll take a little one’s tendency to always walk on tiptoe and give it to a picture book character who is filled with wonder and curiosity.

I even revise my own speech. I’ll say something and immediately think of a better way to word it. It’s like living with the curse of a delayed comeback all of the time. Odd? Yes. Good for writing? Definitely.

All of these things mean that even when I’m not sitting down and writing, my brain is thinking about writing. It’s almost like having a sixth sense: a writing sense. And all of the above examples help to keep mine active.

I’m not sure if all writers do the things that I do, but I do know that writers’ brains work just a little bit differently. They have to. After all, most of our effort revolves around trying to put our brains on paper.

Related Links:

Sara Jane Townsend’s reflections on a writer’s brain: http://dianedooley.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/a-writers-brain-guest-post-from-sara-jayne-townsend/

Blog post by Caleb Pirtle III about where two novelists get their stories: http://venturegalleries.com/featured-vg-blog/where-does-the-mind-of-a-writer-go-for-a-story/

Daily routines of famous writers: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/11/20/daily-routines-writers/

 

Eavesdropping

“Let’s play ‘I Spy,'” I say loudly, trying to talk over the family bickering on the next bench. “I spy with my little eye, something red.”

“That’s why you get whooped,” the mother on the next bench yells, “I tell you and tell you and you don’t listen. That’s why you get whooped.”

“Did you find something red?” I ask Mister.

“An American flag,” Mister answers casually. “Mom, is that boy going to get whooped?” At least the family stops bickering. But now I’m scared of getting whopped.

Has a child ever embarrassed someone by eavesdropping? Did you ever embarrass someone else as a child?

 

Tiniest Thing

I don’t have very much luck. I get a lot of red lights, especially when I’m late. I don’t win raffles or drawings. The only time I played the lottery, I was off my one number. I’m never chosen for “look under your seat to see if you’re the winner” kind of things. I don’t even win scratch-off tickets.  

But even when I don’t have luck, I’m still very lucky. How can that be? Well, I have the usual: a caring husband, a healthy child, a nice house in a safe neighborhood, an involved family, goals and dreams I’m passionate about, and so, so much more.

But sometimes, like I did with Mister at the train station, I forget to see those things. 

Salsanpeeps shared a comment along the same lines:

I think watching my wife and son walk on the beach. Prior to that, it was watching them walk together pulling a wagon with his stuffed bear in it.

Sometimes, like salsanpeeps did, it takes stepping back from your situation to find the reasons you are lucky. I find that writers are good at this, probably because finding the things that make you feel lucky is a lot like finding story ideas. It means noticing the little things. 

The other day, Mister was fussing at nap time. “Can’t you carry me up the stairs, Mom?” he asked.

“I can’t,” I said, “Mom hurts too much today.” (I’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, see this post for more)

“What hurts?” he asked.

“My hands, my shoulders, and my knees,” I told him.

Slowly and gently, which is difficult for a kid who doesn’t do anything slowly or gently, he kissed each one of my “boo boos.” Those kisses showed me that, even with a chronic illness, I’m lucky to having a loving and understanding family to help me through it. 

And that gave me an idea. There are lots of other kids with family members with chronic illnesses like mine. So far I’ve only seen one book for them (When Pete’s Dad Got Sick).

If I keep this up every day for weeks at a time, I might only come up with one or two or five usable story ideas, but those ideas, and the perspective I gain in finding them, are so worth it.

Think about what makes you lucky, even if it is the tiniest thing, because that thing might just be your next story idea.

Related Links:

Blog post (with some beautiful photos) about a mom who started noticing things after she had kids. http://www.kellehampton.com/2012/09/observance-and-writing.html

Tips for finding those all-important details and story ideas: http://www.youngupstarts.com/2012/03/02/eight-ways-to-retrain-your-brain-to-notice-the-little-things/

 

Can’t Believe

Mister is so excited he drops the quarter I asked him to hold. I stomp on it before it rolls off the train platform and check to see if the train is coming for the gazillionth time before I bend down to pick up the quarter. No train in sight. We’re going to be late.

“Now when the train comes,” I prep Mister, “we’re going to put our money in quickly and find a seat. Then we’ll ride the train to meet Daddy.”

“Okay,” he says. “But, Mum, what does this do?” He asks, pointing to the route map and touching each stop like it’s a button.

Then it hits me. I am so focused on our end destination, that I’m forgetting how exciting just the trip is for Mister. He’s only ridden this light rail train one other time in his life. With new patience, I explain the map, the rails and the wires, the poles and lines on the platform, and the most exciting part of the station: the port-o-potty.

When we step on the train, I let Mister put the money in even if it takes a little longer and we’re already late. I let him choose our seat even when he isn’t quick to decide. When he finally settles in, the only thing he can say is, “I just can’t believe we’re here.”

“I know, buddy. We’re so lucky,” I say, but I’m the really lucky one.

What moment made you feel really lucky lately? Why?

 

A Lull

In the midst of icing cupcakes like hydrangeas (for my sister’s bridal shower…I’m no Martha Stewart), re-facing my fireplace, and making sticky-note collages of my walls (see Monday’s post), I’ve been beating myself up a little bit. That’s because, while I was trying all sorts of new things and getting a lot accomplished, I wasn’t getting anything written. Or revised. Or brainstormed. Or even thought about planning to write down maybe some day.

It wasn’t writer’s block. Or that I was too busy (I mean, I was, but I did that to myself). Or that I didn’t have anything to write about.

I just hit a writing lull. That was something new.

A few years ago, I took a writing course from the local community college. The teacher called me one of the most prolific writers he’s ever met. With a few members from that course and a few more picked up at conferences along the way, I started a critique group. We meet every three weeks and at almost every meeting, I have something new to critique. Until lately. This lull was very new. And, for me, new things can be a little scary.

So I tried to let my brain figure out what was going on while I busied my hands. I did things like removing the crumbling mortar from my basement’s foundation block and filling it back in, buying a number of used doors and refinishing them for the basement (which is not even close to door-ready), and volunteering for a leadership position in Mister’s play group. These things were new. But they didn’t scare me. Instead, with each new thing my hands did, my energy renewed. 

So I approached my writing with the same idea: try something new. I applied for the Rutgers One-on-One Plus conference. It was something I’d never done before. And I got in. I tried a different technique for revision. And it is helping. I even had a scene for a new story idea in a totally new genre (YA probably) eek out (gulp).

My hands seemed to know what my writing brain didn’t: to get out of a lull, I need to try something new.

So I’m trying something else new. I’m not going to beat myself up when my writing isn’t as productive as I’m used to. I’m going to go with the flow, let it work out, and try something new.  

Related Links:

6 Ways Out of a Writing Slump by Darcy Pattison: http://www.darcypattison.com/writing-life/6-ways-out-of-writing-slump/

Blog post on when to stop writing by K. M. Weiland: http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2013/05/5-reasons-you-should-stop-writing.html

 

 

 

Not Normal

So I tried something new this week. Water Pong Wednesday. And it flopped. Granted, I think I chose too hard of a challenge. As much as I love palindromes, it is hard to come up with them off the top of your head! I would like to try another Water Pong Wednesday next month, because I do think it could be fun, but I’ll just have to choose a better challenge. Thanks salsanpeeps (otherwise known as Husband) for thinking of the palindromes. You win! And Mary, the Keep Calm and Paddle On (answer: KAYAK) magnet is yours if you’d like it.

If you’re curious, here are the five-, six-, and seven-letter palindromes (if not, scroll down for the Friday post on discovering new characters):

Five-

civic

kayak

level

madam

radar (this one actually has an interesting history, starting as an acronym, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar

refer

rotor

sagas

sexes

shahs

solos

tenet

Six-

pull-up

redder

Seven-

deified

repaper

reviver

rotator

Now on to the response to Monday’s post.

My characters introduce themselves to me. Sound nuts? It probably is. And I love it. Here’s how it works:

Usually while my hands or my brain is busy with something else, I’ll hear an unmistakable voice from somewhere inside my own head. I rush to grab something to write on and with and write furiously. I try not to think or move, except for my hand on the page. I’m not even sure I breathe until the character is “finished.”

My first character, Mabel, introduced herself in a college course. I wrote this in the margins of my class notes:

Sometimes there are rules.  They aren’t written down or hung on the wall, but you still have to follow them.  One is not using your school scissors to cut someone’s hair.  Also, girls like pink and dolls.  I don’t follow that rule.  I don’t follow most rules actually.  I’ll tell you more about that later.

I am a tomboy, and you can spot a tomboy from a mile away.  I’m always the one in what some moms would call play clothes: comfortable pants with room to move around; layered shirts for hot and cold control; tennis shoes ready for a race at a moment’s notice; and never, ever any tights.  The tomboy uniform helps me do things like move with lightning fast speed, hit a home run, or climb a tree.

I held on to this introduction for three years before trying to write the story. So even after the character is introduced, the hard work isn’t done. In fact, I’m still revising this story.

After I wrote Mabel’s book, I was afraid that her voice might be the only one I’d ever hear. Then Biz came along. Here is her introduction: 

My name is Elizabeth, but as long as I can remember, everyone has called me Biz. Not Liz or Izzy or Beth. Just Biz. My mom says it fits because I’ve always been busy and Biz sounds like busy. I try to tell her that doesn’t work because busy is B-U-S-Y and Biz is B-I-Z. She tells me I’ll understand what she means someday. I don’t know when someday is but I’m already tired of waiting. Someday my slightly used little sister will be old enough to do more than drool in my books. Someday I’ll be able to ride the bus to school like a normal kid and I won’t have to vacuum the ants off my sister Marcy’s front seat before I get in. Someday, if I’m lucky, I might get to use my brain to do something more than just ace history tests. But it isn’t someday. It’s just Tuesday and I’m just Biz.

I think Biz is becoming the main character of a mystery I’ve been taking notes on and finally just started (I’m 139 words in! Only tens of thousands more to go!)

And just last week, another character introduced herself. As I told my husband, she is a tough one (I deleted her profanity for the sake of the blog):

It is bad enough that I’m a teenager with a baby sister. It’s worse that she was born nine months from my birthday. Exactly. Like I can’t count. I can just picture my parents being all like “aww remember when she was conceived and now she’s a young lady.” Puke. What’s even worse is that my mom thought the occasion would be a good time to have “the talk.” Yeah. That talk. About eight years too late, I think. And she kept using words like “beautiful” and “holy”. She wouldn’t last ten minutes in the back of the bus.

This was the first character whose introduction came more in the form of question and answer. I still have a lot of questions to “ask” her and I have no idea what her story is, but I think she’s got a lot of potential.

It amazes me that all three of these voices, and all three of these characters, came from me. And, at least in the case of Mabel so far, that I can keep “hearing” the unique voice for the duration of an entire manuscript. Maybe I’m not normal. Then again, maybe I am.

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said: “Writers aren’t exactly people … they’re a whole lot of people trying to become one person.”

And E.L. Doctorow said: “Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.”

Well, at least if I’m not normal, then I’m in good company.

Related Links:

An interesting pondering about writing and voices from Vivienne Courtoise: http://viviennecourtoise.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-hear-voices.html

A guest post from Susan Bearman on the Write it Sideways blog on harnessing the voices: http://writeitsideways.com/hearing-voices-maybe-youre-a-writer/

 

 

 

Another Voice

“I got another voice,” I tell Husband while plugging my laptop back in on the desk.

“What?” he asks.

“I got another voice,” I repeat. “Another character introduced herself to me. And she’s a tough one.”

“Oh, so you don’t mean a physical voice?” he asks, sounding relieved.

“No…but sort of,” I reply. I’m sure that didn’t help. He must think I’m nuts.

So far all of my characters for my longer stories have introduced themselves to me (I’ll share more about how this happens on Friday). I feel very lucky to discover characters this way, but I also want to know if anyone else is a little nuts like me. So, the prompt for this week is:

How do you get an idea for a new character? What do you do after you get the idea?

 

The Heart of It

Beating out of my chest.

In my throat.

On my sleeve.

In my pocket. 

In my mouth.

Home.

People often talk about their hearts being in a place other than the chest, so much so that some have even become cliché. But thinking about the location of your characters’ hearts (or your own heart, for that matter) can be pretty revealing.

I’ve come up with some definitions, by the location of the heart of course, for the way characters reveal their feelings:

The Back Pocket Character: You hate to see them go but you love to watch them leave. And when they do, the reader can finally figure out what they are all about. This character keeps his or her heart hidden until the end of the story, making for a pretty dramatic climax/resolution.

The On the Tip of my Tongue Character: Things are tougher than a year-old piece of bubble gum. That’s because this character is on the cusp of self-discovery, but can’t quite put a finger on what it is…yet.

The Elbow to the Gut Character: This character’s emotions are a weapon, and revealing them is a major blow to other characters. This works well for antagonists out for revenge.

The Charlie Horse Character: This character’s emotions are causing a serious cramp…in his or her development, that is. One the character works out what is really going on, he or she can change.

The Cold Shoulder Character: This character is introverted to the extreme, only because he or she is keeping something from everyone else. Melting the cold shoulder can be the quest or the resolution.

The Bun in the Oven Character: It may not be a baby, but this character is growing something warm inside. Maybe this character is finding self-confidence or falling in love.

The Stamp on the Forehead Character: Scorned, distrusting, or self-doubting, this character might as well have his or her emotional situation stamped on the forehead. This character is probably involved in more of an emotional plot than an action plot. The drama can come from the character discovering that the stamp doesn’t quite fit. Or from following what the stamp means.

Do you know where your character fits? Or, if your character doesn’t fit any of these, can you come up with your own (I’d love for you to post it in the comments)?

Where our characters’ hearts lie is only the beginning. Gold, divided, black, warm, broken, purple, cold…there’s so much more to our characters’ hearts. And discovering that can help us find the heart of our stories.

More About Heart:

Rachel Ballon shares some great exercises for injecting emotion into your story: http://www.writersstore.com/the-emotional-and-psychological-world-of-you-and-your-characters/

A fun quiz to discover which fictional character you are most like (I’m Juliet…oh great): http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Community/Featured/LiteraryCharacterQuiz/character-quiz.shtml

Malcolm R. Campbell discusses getting to know your characters so well that you know what they’re doing before and after your story: http://knightofswords.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/its-late-do-you-know-where-your-characters-are/