Writing

God Found in the Everyday / Writing — 2 Comments
25
May 10

Tension — unmet desires. Where did Jack Bauer go?

 

Tension.

Writing the word gives me a headache.

Style and tension were the subject of my writing class on Monday.

Not going to blog about style. With all the Sex in the City 2 hype, the only image I have is Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha swathed in fabric striding some sand mountain.

Tension.

Every good story has to have it. A writer’s job is to create it from the first scene and build it, weave it — keep it rising on a string up to the climax. The moment when the conflict is resolved.

This includes creating empathic characters with deep motivations. Their motivations manifest themselves into desires and wants. Good writers block and impede the fulfilment of these desires until two-thirds to three-quarters the way through the story — the climax

That creates tension. The more tension, the more compelling the novel.

Why do we like to read stories filled with so much conflict — yet no one can live that way very long in good mental and physical health?

Our lives might seem pretty lame on the surface.

Granted there is lots of activity. Work, school, volunteering, baking cupcakes for end of school party, battling against the creatures that are shredding my collards.  Nothing is as life shattering as the drama that unfolded in the finales of Lost or 24. Thank God. But why don’t we feel peace?

Jack Bauer is a tough *@###*. If I ever have to battle international terrorists I hope he is on call wherever he has run off to.

You never know. I might find a nuclear zucchini planted in my garden.

It might not be as sexy as a John Grisham thriller, but our inner selves are mega-repositories of tension caused by unmet motivations.

That must be why I religiously run, but that only releases physical manifestations. It doesn’t go to the root of the motivation that’s not being met.

I’ve been studying Galatians. Been working  through Chapter 5 this week. The war of the flesh and the Spirit.

Very interesting stuff.

Galatians 5:22.

I really am going to miss Jack Bauer. Don’t tell my husband because all I did was talk about how violent that show was.

But have to admit, tension looked good on Jack.

Writing — No Comments
17
Mar 10

A deadline. Please pass the laundry detergent.

woman in the 1920s doing laundry

Deadlines.

It’s amazing how much laundry gets done when there is writing to do.

Anyone reading this regularly knows I’d rather vomit 48 straight hours than do a load of laundry. It’s top of my time waste list.

Except when there’s work to be done.

I could sit here and analyze why I wash and dry and fold when I need to be writing.

Those truths must remain locked deep in my subconscious for another time and a professional. Today I write.

I’m setting a goal. First draft done before I can get up. Before fingers removed from keyboard.

This does not include reheating coffee. For my body must  function to write.

Potty breaks must coincide with reheating coffee.

I can do this.

Here’s to a very green productive day and piles of stinking gym clothes over my left shoulder.

Writing — 2 Comments
17
Jan 10

Writers at the Round Table. Well, it’s kind of round and in the corner.

Photobucket

Today over lunch I met with my writing group. We haven’t met in quite some time. Starting December I sent around an e-mail saying I missed them…and it took a over a month, but we collected again over lunch.

I pulled up late…as usual. They sat at same table and even though it had been over six months since we met, immediately it was like old times. Except only better.

Roger passed around a letter saying an editor so loved his book, after he made changes she couldn’t wait to pass it around to agents. She wrote of his dialogue (He does have way with dialogue), loving his characters in his flashbacks to Vietnam, on and on. All true. So happy for him because I had read lots of his stuff when we used to meet regularly before life got in the way.

Tracy had a crazy, crazy story about her agent (who is no longer her agent). Hate it when that happens. But she is working on another book, vampire romance thing which I read today while on elliptical (first four chapters) and it had me interested…though did question the hero’s (are vampires heroic?) use of “Jesus” and “Christ” as expletives. Are vampires able to do that without poofing away?

Then Kelly, who is a great writer, but stays busy trying to help everyone and everything. I think I made a huge break through today convincing her that she would be aweseome editor, and she needs to get paid doing this stuff.

I gave them the start of a new novel. Roger asked what happened to my old novel…did the protagonist have the affair?

I said that she didn’t have the affair; her husband did. And no, I wasn’t working on her story anymore ~ it wasn’t going anywhere. On second thought, maybe she should have been the one with the affair? Maybe that’s why it was RIP at this point?

No, that isn’t the point. The point is that he even remembered her and her story when I hadn’t thought her in a year. That was cool. (Very cool.) It was wonderful to be with my dear friends again, none of whom I would ever had known if it hadn’t been for this writing thing.

I am so much richer because of that meeting today…

What group in your life have you been missing? What is keeping you from emailing and scheduling a lunch or dinner?