To meet my own challenge, here are the 25 things I put in my list. There were alot of other things I could have included, too.
1. Rain. Rain that darkens the sky and rolls in dark waves to the clap of loud thunder and under the dance of lightening. I like rain to last all day and keep the sky gray and low and heavy.
2. The way music triggers memories. I love the way any early Red Hot Chili Pepper's song makes me remember one decadent, wild weekend in San Diego or the way MLK by U2 makes me recall all the bittersweetness tied to the one who got away. Or the way Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses by U2 takes me back to a specific question in a specific moment from a specific guy.
3. High heels. All kinds, all colors. Well, not 5-inch platforms. Classy elegant high heels. I love the way I feel in them – tall, beautiful, powerful, elegant, sexy.
4. My dogs. Maggie, Alice, Rex, and Cipy. I love laying in a big puppy pile in the floor with them – part of them touching part of me so that we're connect as pack.
5. Margaritas. They should be made with Patron or Cuervo Gold. They really need Cointrea, Grand Marnier, and a splash of OJ. They should be shaken until frothy and served in a salt-rimmed glass over ice with a slice of lime. (I mean, if you're going to have one, do it up right.)
6. Saturday mornings. Early. When the rest of the family are still sleeping and the sun is just rising and I have the whole pot of coffee to myself to enjoy in the silence without having to rush to go anywhere.
7. Red wine. Specifically Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Sangiovese that feels dry and warm on my tongue and that's enjoyed glass after glass by old friends who feel more like family than those with whom I'm connected by blood.
8. The movie trailer of a long anticipated movie. One that causes my heart to flip with excitement as the music and clips tease my imagination. Most recently – The Golden Compass and The Jane Austen Book Club.
9. Turquoise. I love all its shades and faults. I love it in big chunks set in sterling silver.
10. Coffee. Deep, bold, rich coffee with the perfect amount of sugar and cream (the real stuff) ready before you get up in the morning so that its smell rather than the alarm wakes you.
11. The Technicolor blues and greens of the world around me just before a thunderstorm hits. The greens of the trees and grass against the vivid blue of the sky are almost blinding.
12. French fries. The kind made from real potatoes with the skins still on, fried up in long strips with lots of salt and free-flowing ketchup. Oh, and they have to be hot out of the fryer.
13. The way the Kindergarten, first, and second grade choir at the prep school where I work sing the theme song from each of the five branches of the U.S. armed services every year at the school's Veterans' Day production. Veterans from all over Central Florida attend and they are asked to stand when the song from their branch is sung. Stooped old men, who fought to preserve freedom, tremble as they lean on canes to remain standing tall and straight and proud of their service. The audience claps and cheers and many of the men and audience tear up. It is beautiful and sobering and awe-inspiring.
14. My birth family – the mom and dad and brother I grew up with. I love them even though they don't get me and I don't get them. I just wished we did sometimes.
15. My family – husband and step kids. I love that I found enough of my own wisdom to trust my heart, not my head, and to follow my heart into my husband's arms – instant family and all.
16. My kitchen. I slaved for over a year on it, meticulously drawing, measuring, and redrawing, carefully choosing materials, searching for the pieces of it that I imagined until I found them just as I'd seen them in my dreams.
17. The view from my backyard. The small lake and lots of conservation area where birds and otters and bats and rabbits live.
18. Mountains. The majesty of looking up into them, the grandeur of scenes from the top of them, the joy of hiking or skiing in them.
19. Books. All books. Their smell, the feel of their covers, the words on their pages, the sweat and tears poured into them by their authors.
20. Fine dining in a swank restaurant with my husband or friends over great wine, delicious food, and amazing service.
21. My writing group. They are so much more than that.
22. Writing. Putting words to paper in a cadence that is particular to me.
23. My house in all its finished and unfinished glory. I love that from the back yard, it almost seems as if I have no neighbors. I love to lock it up and leave for awhile to travel. And I love coming home to it.
24. Paint. Particularly Ralph Lauren Paint in all its beautiful, bold colors and all its subtle, nuanced colors. I love to pick the perfect color for a wall and watch it transform a room.
25. Love stories and tear jerkers and romantic comedies. I love to cry and laugh and feel the deep emotions of love found and love lost. I love so many – The Notebook, The Bridges of Madison County, Sweet Home Alabama, Hope Floats……
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Katrina Loves...
Rising to Macy's Challenge, here is my list of 25 things I love. These are in the order they came to me, but not necessarily how I'd rank them.
1 - Rain outside my window when I'm curled up in my warm bed with no place I need to be, or when I'm cozy on the couch with a good book. Rain soothes my soul.
2 - My mom's hot crispy fried chicken and her German potato salad with a hint of vinegar, pieces of bacon and huge chunks of warm potato. They must be served together. Yum.
3 - My black Alfani fluttery skirt. It hangs like silk and hugs the curves just right, and when I walk it flips a little in a flirty way.
4 - Books. New books especially. I love the smell of the crisp pages and all that promise before me of a good story or interesting philosophy or just something to learn. I buy them when I know I already have too many to read, but resistance is futile. I must have them for my own.
5 - The painting I bought of a canal and gondola when in Venice last year. The buildings are done in rich burgundy tones, colorful pink flowers hang in window boxes, and the light glistens off the water in a hazy green hue. I had it set in a thick mahogany frame and it's hanging over my defunct fireplace like a window back to Italy.
6 - See's luscious melt-in-your-mouth-it's-so-wonderful peanut brittle. The buttery taste and creamy texture always make me want to eat the whole box, but I ration it instead to avoid the sugar crash that would result from bingeing.
7 - Music. Sexy Latin beats that get my heart and hips moving. Snappy Jazz that wakes up my senses. And sultry seductive R&B that makes me want to dance slow and close in the strong arms of a good man. I love the stories songs tell and a beautiful melody can reach deep inside past all my defenses.
8 - Feminine nightgowns with elegant accents, soft pajamas in blacks and pinks, and flirty sexy babydoll lingerie, even if I'm the only one who sees me in it. A roommate once accused me of having a pajama fetish, but a fetish would mean I'm turned on by pajamas wouldn't it? And I'm not. I mean, some women love shoes. I love sleep wear. Hmm. I'm not sure that proves my point. :)
9 - Cold, smooth, Haagen Daaz vanilla malts so thick you can barely suck them through the straw.
10 - Snowflakes drifting down in heavy clumps, blanketing the city in a heavenly cloud of silence.
11 - Sunsets that paint the sky in deep shades of lavender, pink and orange.
12 - A crisp dark night out in the country where I can sit back and get lost in a starry sky that stretches on to forever.
13 - The clumsiness, exuberance, playfulness and unabashed friendliness of large-footed retriever puppies.
14 - The cool, sparkly citrus taste of Orangina.
15 - A good deep massage by someone with great hands who knows what they're doing, finds the tight spots and works on them until I feel limp, relaxed and satisfied. (Sigh. I think I feel some muscles that need some attention.)
16 - A crisp British accent on the tongue of a clever British guy. He could wax on about anything from auto parts to complex mathematical equations and I'd hang on every word, putty for the shaping. It's really very comical.
17 - Traveling near and far. I love discovering new places. Exotic, ancient, scenic or big city. It fuels my imagination and excites my soul.
18 - Water. The crash of ocean surf as it rushes to shore only to wash gently over my bare feet. The sight and sound of a creek hurrying over stones on its way to somewhere. The glassy surface of a lake in the early morning before the world awakes.
19 - The lush green landscapes of a thick forest of tall pine, damp, cool and quiet, except for the rustling of a breeze through the trees and the cheerful birds overhead.
20 - Eggs Benedict. With the english muffins toasted golden and perfect, a slice of warm ham, eggs poached just right, all drowned in tangy buttery hollandaise sauce. My mouth is watering.
21 - Pedicures. I love the pampering. The buffing. The foot rub. The off with the old, on with the new. I especially love my toenails freshly painted in Malaga Wine and topped with the sparkly shade of Ruby Pumps. Think Dorothy's shoes only on your toes.
22 - The wit and brashness of Jennifer Crusie novels. The characters are wounded and funny and she can deliver a line that cuts right to the heart. And not necessarily in an emotional way. I just love how she turns a phrase.
23 - My family. My mother for realizing who I am and encouraging me in my dreams. My sister for making family a priority, even if she doesn't call much. My nephew, Nick, for giving me hugs even though he's 15 now and too cool for that. My nephew, Alex, for his sense of humor and for knowing the right thing to say. My niece, Holly, for the mutual delight that exists when we see one another. Oh, and my brother-in-law, Greg, for his sharp wit and kindness.
24 - Being creative. Whether it be creating characters or stories that move people, designing a bright flower arrangement, taking photographs that capture a mood, or trying my hand at oil painting. I love having a creative outlet. Although the writing is the most fun, and the most work.
25 - The freedom to pursue what I dream in my heart or what I can't even imagine yet. The freedom to change if I can figure out how. The freedom to explore the world. The freedom to believe what my heart dictates when it comes to religion. The freedom to express myself. Funny, but with all this talk of freedom, I still feel restricted by old nagging voices from the past. To be truly free would be to live as I wish in spite of those influences. I'm hoping that day is coming.
1 - Rain outside my window when I'm curled up in my warm bed with no place I need to be, or when I'm cozy on the couch with a good book. Rain soothes my soul.
2 - My mom's hot crispy fried chicken and her German potato salad with a hint of vinegar, pieces of bacon and huge chunks of warm potato. They must be served together. Yum.
3 - My black Alfani fluttery skirt. It hangs like silk and hugs the curves just right, and when I walk it flips a little in a flirty way.
4 - Books. New books especially. I love the smell of the crisp pages and all that promise before me of a good story or interesting philosophy or just something to learn. I buy them when I know I already have too many to read, but resistance is futile. I must have them for my own.
5 - The painting I bought of a canal and gondola when in Venice last year. The buildings are done in rich burgundy tones, colorful pink flowers hang in window boxes, and the light glistens off the water in a hazy green hue. I had it set in a thick mahogany frame and it's hanging over my defunct fireplace like a window back to Italy.
6 - See's luscious melt-in-your-mouth-it's-so-wonderful peanut brittle. The buttery taste and creamy texture always make me want to eat the whole box, but I ration it instead to avoid the sugar crash that would result from bingeing.
7 - Music. Sexy Latin beats that get my heart and hips moving. Snappy Jazz that wakes up my senses. And sultry seductive R&B that makes me want to dance slow and close in the strong arms of a good man. I love the stories songs tell and a beautiful melody can reach deep inside past all my defenses.
8 - Feminine nightgowns with elegant accents, soft pajamas in blacks and pinks, and flirty sexy babydoll lingerie, even if I'm the only one who sees me in it. A roommate once accused me of having a pajama fetish, but a fetish would mean I'm turned on by pajamas wouldn't it? And I'm not. I mean, some women love shoes. I love sleep wear. Hmm. I'm not sure that proves my point. :)
9 - Cold, smooth, Haagen Daaz vanilla malts so thick you can barely suck them through the straw.
10 - Snowflakes drifting down in heavy clumps, blanketing the city in a heavenly cloud of silence.
11 - Sunsets that paint the sky in deep shades of lavender, pink and orange.
12 - A crisp dark night out in the country where I can sit back and get lost in a starry sky that stretches on to forever.
13 - The clumsiness, exuberance, playfulness and unabashed friendliness of large-footed retriever puppies.
14 - The cool, sparkly citrus taste of Orangina.
15 - A good deep massage by someone with great hands who knows what they're doing, finds the tight spots and works on them until I feel limp, relaxed and satisfied. (Sigh. I think I feel some muscles that need some attention.)
16 - A crisp British accent on the tongue of a clever British guy. He could wax on about anything from auto parts to complex mathematical equations and I'd hang on every word, putty for the shaping. It's really very comical.
17 - Traveling near and far. I love discovering new places. Exotic, ancient, scenic or big city. It fuels my imagination and excites my soul.
18 - Water. The crash of ocean surf as it rushes to shore only to wash gently over my bare feet. The sight and sound of a creek hurrying over stones on its way to somewhere. The glassy surface of a lake in the early morning before the world awakes.
19 - The lush green landscapes of a thick forest of tall pine, damp, cool and quiet, except for the rustling of a breeze through the trees and the cheerful birds overhead.
20 - Eggs Benedict. With the english muffins toasted golden and perfect, a slice of warm ham, eggs poached just right, all drowned in tangy buttery hollandaise sauce. My mouth is watering.
21 - Pedicures. I love the pampering. The buffing. The foot rub. The off with the old, on with the new. I especially love my toenails freshly painted in Malaga Wine and topped with the sparkly shade of Ruby Pumps. Think Dorothy's shoes only on your toes.
22 - The wit and brashness of Jennifer Crusie novels. The characters are wounded and funny and she can deliver a line that cuts right to the heart. And not necessarily in an emotional way. I just love how she turns a phrase.
23 - My family. My mother for realizing who I am and encouraging me in my dreams. My sister for making family a priority, even if she doesn't call much. My nephew, Nick, for giving me hugs even though he's 15 now and too cool for that. My nephew, Alex, for his sense of humor and for knowing the right thing to say. My niece, Holly, for the mutual delight that exists when we see one another. Oh, and my brother-in-law, Greg, for his sharp wit and kindness.
24 - Being creative. Whether it be creating characters or stories that move people, designing a bright flower arrangement, taking photographs that capture a mood, or trying my hand at oil painting. I love having a creative outlet. Although the writing is the most fun, and the most work.
25 - The freedom to pursue what I dream in my heart or what I can't even imagine yet. The freedom to change if I can figure out how. The freedom to explore the world. The freedom to believe what my heart dictates when it comes to religion. The freedom to express myself. Funny, but with all this talk of freedom, I still feel restricted by old nagging voices from the past. To be truly free would be to live as I wish in spite of those influences. I'm hoping that day is coming.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Alyson loves . . .
Yesterday, Macy issued a challenge and basically volunteered me to go first, ha, so here's my list of loves. I'm not really so worried about whether anyone will love the same things or think I'm odd, but I do like to remind people that this was stream-of-consciousness listing with no editing.
I love . . .
10. Huge, old trees especially in autumn when the leaves turn color or after the first snow, which is sorta funny given my love of wood furniture and books. Around here, I’m partial to oaks and willows. In the south, I love live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. I’m in awe of majestic redwoods.
11. Tulips. Multi-colored fields of them. Red, Yellow, Purple, Blue, Pink, White.
13.
14. Bodies of water—oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, creeks, waterfalls. Water.
15. Sandy beaches with balmy breezes and a good book in hand. I love a good trek along the beach, too, walking right along the shore, footprints being washed away by the waves.
16. Funky cross necklaces, especially handmade.
17. Large, centuries-old catholic churches with stained glass windows and amazing art, especially in
18. Bright, colorful sixties and seventies clothes and memorabilia.
19. Aha moments.
21. The feeling after a good work out, especially yoga but anything that releases tons of toxins works.
22. A good cause, which for me usually means it’s a cause that promotes social justice, freedom, children’s rights, women’s rights, human rights, access to quality education, literacy, animal rights, PEACE and/or protects the environment.
23. Animals, especially dogs, deer and horses. Imperial stags with 14 point antlers take my breath away.
24. Okay, I just can’t NOT include my family. My immediate family, including my dogs, who are lovable, loyal mutts and my larger crazy, lovable, extended family. And in general, I love families because they provide roots and wings and these little microcosms of the world, which is good, bad, easy, difficult and everything in-between.
25. Breaking bread together with family and friends, especially warm, artisan breads fresh out of the oven, so warm the butter melts as soon as you spread it on, and especially around a big round table so everyone can see each other and talk.
Alyson
Friday, August 17, 2007
Voice challenge
It may look as if we've been on hiatus lately. We haven't. Not really. Well, maybe a bit on the blogging end of things. However, on the writing front, we've been moving along.
Between the voice class that 5 of the 6 of us are in, the famous author mentor one of us has, the kids 4 of us have, the bill-paying jobs 4 of us have, the home-schooling one of us does, the research work one of us does, the MIPs we're all working on, and one Oregon trail trip, we've been a tad bit busy.
Of everything listed, I think voice -- learning about it, discovering it, developing it, claiming it, accepting it -- is what's demanding our time now. Voice is a hard-to-define quality that is crucial to be a successful novelist. We're in week 2 of a 6 week exploration.
The article Voyage to Voice contains some tips for finding your voice. One that validated the exercises in which we are currently engaged said that "stream-of-consciousness writing is a necessary exercise for any author who wishes to fully comprehend their voice. When we write without concern for the mechanics, we free the voice locked within us. As with a toddler, these first steps will be awkward, shaky, and we may land on our derrieres, but as with a child, the more often we use those muscles, the stronger we become."
Writing with the internal editor turned off, pen to paper, is what we are doing now. As a matter of fact, one of the exercises for this week is to list 25 things we love -- to really describe them.
But sometimes we sensor ourselves. What if everyone thinks I'm a freak because of something I love? And that, of course, is the other big area to overcome -- fear.
So, here's what I propose, over the next week I'm challenging the authors of this blog to post a blog. Make it your list of 25 things you love. Put it out there and don't be afraid.
If you're a reader of this blog, post your 25 things in a comment.
Do it.
I'll post mine as soon as I'm done. I know Alyson is done already. Maybe she'll go first.
Be brave. Find your cadence. Embrace your destiny. Own your voice.
Macy
Between the voice class that 5 of the 6 of us are in, the famous author mentor one of us has, the kids 4 of us have, the bill-paying jobs 4 of us have, the home-schooling one of us does, the research work one of us does, the MIPs we're all working on, and one Oregon trail trip, we've been a tad bit busy.
Of everything listed, I think voice -- learning about it, discovering it, developing it, claiming it, accepting it -- is what's demanding our time now. Voice is a hard-to-define quality that is crucial to be a successful novelist. We're in week 2 of a 6 week exploration.
The article Voyage to Voice contains some tips for finding your voice. One that validated the exercises in which we are currently engaged said that "stream-of-consciousness writing is a necessary exercise for any author who wishes to fully comprehend their voice. When we write without concern for the mechanics, we free the voice locked within us. As with a toddler, these first steps will be awkward, shaky, and we may land on our derrieres, but as with a child, the more often we use those muscles, the stronger we become."
Writing with the internal editor turned off, pen to paper, is what we are doing now. As a matter of fact, one of the exercises for this week is to list 25 things we love -- to really describe them.
But sometimes we sensor ourselves. What if everyone thinks I'm a freak because of something I love? And that, of course, is the other big area to overcome -- fear.
So, here's what I propose, over the next week I'm challenging the authors of this blog to post a blog. Make it your list of 25 things you love. Put it out there and don't be afraid.
If you're a reader of this blog, post your 25 things in a comment.
Do it.
I'll post mine as soon as I'm done. I know Alyson is done already. Maybe she'll go first.
Be brave. Find your cadence. Embrace your destiny. Own your voice.
Macy
Friday, August 10, 2007
Sci fi, fantasy, and romance
It’s Friday night and I should be working on MIP, but I’m tired. It’s been a long stressful week. And, I watched a screenwriting video by Michael Hague and I need to process it so I thought I’d do it here.
When I think about favorite movies, I think about sci fi like The X-Men series, Lord of the Rings, Blade, etc. I also think about love stories like Pearl Harbor, Titanic, The Holiday, and Sweet Home Alabama. I love different things about both.
One thing I’ve noticed is that, although, I love sci fi, I frequently am not quite satisfied after the movie. Something is missing. I usually want my next movie, after a sci fi, to be a romance.
Michael said that stories driven heavily by plot and action frequently don’t explore the character arcs and romance as much.
I think that’s what I find missing from the Sci Fi. The ending might be good. Good beats evil. But does the guy get the girl? Not always.
You know, what I really want to be able to do is combine the fantasy element that intrigues me so much with satisfying character arc and romantic elements that I love in romances.
I want to create stories that combine all that I love. I wouldn’t mind if they became movies, either.
What kind of story do you really, really want to write?
macy
When I think about favorite movies, I think about sci fi like The X-Men series, Lord of the Rings, Blade, etc. I also think about love stories like Pearl Harbor, Titanic, The Holiday, and Sweet Home Alabama. I love different things about both.
One thing I’ve noticed is that, although, I love sci fi, I frequently am not quite satisfied after the movie. Something is missing. I usually want my next movie, after a sci fi, to be a romance.
Michael said that stories driven heavily by plot and action frequently don’t explore the character arcs and romance as much.
I think that’s what I find missing from the Sci Fi. The ending might be good. Good beats evil. But does the guy get the girl? Not always.
You know, what I really want to be able to do is combine the fantasy element that intrigues me so much with satisfying character arc and romantic elements that I love in romances.
I want to create stories that combine all that I love. I wouldn’t mind if they became movies, either.
What kind of story do you really, really want to write?
macy
Monday, August 6, 2007
Research?
Some writers go to great lengths to do research for their novels. Take the lovely and talented Roxy Fontaine, for example. She's currently at a convention, exploring the Oregon Trail. Not only did she go on an overnight covered wagon ride, camp in thunder storms in a tent that kept collapsing on her and climb chimney rock, but she also lost her luggage, adding to the overall experience of "roughing it." She's reliving her character's experience!
I mentioned Roxy's trip to the dear husband and sighed. "I really ought to write novels that require more research."
I was thinking novels requiring adventures and travel to exotic places-- Greece, Istanbul, Rome, Venice, Stonehenge, the Outback, Fiji, Africa, a safari, an Alaskan cruise. But, alas, I write contemporary romance set in Chicago, where I happen to live. I have a three and a half year old son, four unruly dogs and a husband with a business that keeps him close to home much of the year (except for the occasional rugby trip to Wales for the weekend, but I digress.)
Tonight, my husband handed me a VHS tape and smiled.
I asked, "What's this?"
"Research. "
After the child went to sleep and the dh headed out to band practice, I popped the tape in the VCR.
"What's on it?" you ask with bated breath. "Something romantic? Erotic? Lovely? Kinky?Adventurous?"
Heck, no. Taped episodes of three new VH1 shows-- Scott Baio is 45 and Single, The Pick Up Artist and Rock of Love.
But still, I gotta love that man. It's not exactly what I was daydreaming about, but I had a heck of a good time tonight. Why? Cuz people are so darned funny, and you can get ideas from these crazy reality shows. Seriously.
You all know who Scott Baio is, right? Chachi from Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi. Charles from Charles in Charge. Playboy extraordinaire. Heck, I admit I thought he was a little cutie way back when. As the promo for the show points out, Scott Baio has lived a life that most red-blooded American males would sell their big screen TVs, cars and souls for, boasting a jaw-dropping roster of bodacious blonde ex-girlfriends including, but not limited to, Heather Locklear, Pam Anderson, Denise Richards, Nicole Eggert and Nicolette Sheridan. Plus, a slew of playboy playmates.
Not bad for a little squirt who feels other guys bust his balls by calling him Chachi, which, by the by, he hates. HATES.
At 45, he finds himself wondering why he's still unable to settle down and commit to a substantial, meaningful relationship. So, he hires a life coach and agrees to be celibate for eight weeks while he does a series of activities including confronting his old flames. First up on the old flame front, a married ex named Susie and Joanie from Happy Days fame. He discovers he is and always has been on the lookout for someone, something more or better.
In the third episode, his life coach tries to determine why he only dates beautiful, blonde, busty women. She wants to see how he does on a date with someone compatible on a basis other than looks alone. So, a matchmaking service sets him up with his "perfect match" for a date and he discovers he has a tendency to nitpick to shreds every woman he encounters, even the perfect woman for him.
Baio's stated ultimate goal? A meaningful, stable, healthy relationship, possibly with his current girlfriend, Renee.
The man has issues, but he's likable. And, boy, does he have some characters for friends. Well, actually I'm thinking of one guy in particular.
Sure, it's edited and contrived, like all reality shows. But it gets my imagination kicking!
On to The Pick Up Artist.
The theme of the show is transformation for eight dating misfits (or "hapless horndogs") who live together and learn how to pick up women from a pick up guru, who calls himself Mystery, as they compete for the title of "Master Pick-Up Artist." Each week one misfit is eliminated.
There are weekly lessons after which Mystery's awkward apprentices put theory into practice, hitting "the field" --bars, clubs and coffee houses -- in an attempt to make a love connection. Via hidden cameras, Mystery is always watching to see who's got potential and who's got to go.
Mystery has two wing men, and apparently, all three of these guys were once dating geeks until they put the "Mystery Method" into practice. These methods have interesting names and tag lines like "3 second rule", "set", "peacocking", "indicator of interest", "indicator of disinterest", "last minute resistance", "routine", "neg hits", "canned material" and so on.
Now, as odd as this may sound, the mystery method makes sense to me. The rhetoric borrows heavily from evolutionary psychology. I find it interesting, and I'm hooked. There's only been one episode so far.
Rock of Love is a dating show, not unlike The Bachelor but the bachelor in this show is Bret Michaels, the blue-eyed lead singer of Poison. (Remember his sex tape with Pammy, the ultimate rock groupie?) Women around the world have thrown themselves at Bret Michaels, but, apparently, the demands of life-on-the-road for the ultimate rocker have taken a toll...on his love life. He's looking for the perfect "Rock Star Girlfriend."
That puts a slightly different twist on the escapades that go on in the house. For example, it appears there's already been one menage a quatre. Yep, really. But the girls on the show are giving me all kinds of ideas for characters and character traits and internal conflicts.
Oops. Gotta go. The dh is back from band and I have to get back to my research. I'm hoping he can demonstrate "peacocking."
Hey! Get your mind of out of the gutter:)
Cheers and happy writing,
Alyson
I mentioned Roxy's trip to the dear husband and sighed. "I really ought to write novels that require more research."
I was thinking novels requiring adventures and travel to exotic places-- Greece, Istanbul, Rome, Venice, Stonehenge, the Outback, Fiji, Africa, a safari, an Alaskan cruise. But, alas, I write contemporary romance set in Chicago, where I happen to live. I have a three and a half year old son, four unruly dogs and a husband with a business that keeps him close to home much of the year (except for the occasional rugby trip to Wales for the weekend, but I digress.)
Tonight, my husband handed me a VHS tape and smiled.
I asked, "What's this?"
"Research. "
After the child went to sleep and the dh headed out to band practice, I popped the tape in the VCR.
"What's on it?" you ask with bated breath. "Something romantic? Erotic? Lovely? Kinky?Adventurous?"
Heck, no. Taped episodes of three new VH1 shows-- Scott Baio is 45 and Single, The Pick Up Artist and Rock of Love.
But still, I gotta love that man. It's not exactly what I was daydreaming about, but I had a heck of a good time tonight. Why? Cuz people are so darned funny, and you can get ideas from these crazy reality shows. Seriously.
You all know who Scott Baio is, right? Chachi from Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi. Charles from Charles in Charge. Playboy extraordinaire. Heck, I admit I thought he was a little cutie way back when. As the promo for the show points out, Scott Baio has lived a life that most red-blooded American males would sell their big screen TVs, cars and souls for, boasting a jaw-dropping roster of bodacious blonde ex-girlfriends including, but not limited to, Heather Locklear, Pam Anderson, Denise Richards, Nicole Eggert and Nicolette Sheridan. Plus, a slew of playboy playmates.
Not bad for a little squirt who feels other guys bust his balls by calling him Chachi, which, by the by, he hates. HATES.
At 45, he finds himself wondering why he's still unable to settle down and commit to a substantial, meaningful relationship. So, he hires a life coach and agrees to be celibate for eight weeks while he does a series of activities including confronting his old flames. First up on the old flame front, a married ex named Susie and Joanie from Happy Days fame. He discovers he is and always has been on the lookout for someone, something more or better.
In the third episode, his life coach tries to determine why he only dates beautiful, blonde, busty women. She wants to see how he does on a date with someone compatible on a basis other than looks alone. So, a matchmaking service sets him up with his "perfect match" for a date and he discovers he has a tendency to nitpick to shreds every woman he encounters, even the perfect woman for him.
Baio's stated ultimate goal? A meaningful, stable, healthy relationship, possibly with his current girlfriend, Renee.
The man has issues, but he's likable. And, boy, does he have some characters for friends. Well, actually I'm thinking of one guy in particular.
Sure, it's edited and contrived, like all reality shows. But it gets my imagination kicking!
On to The Pick Up Artist.
The theme of the show is transformation for eight dating misfits (or "hapless horndogs") who live together and learn how to pick up women from a pick up guru, who calls himself Mystery, as they compete for the title of "Master Pick-Up Artist." Each week one misfit is eliminated.
There are weekly lessons after which Mystery's awkward apprentices put theory into practice, hitting "the field" --bars, clubs and coffee houses -- in an attempt to make a love connection. Via hidden cameras, Mystery is always watching to see who's got potential and who's got to go.
Mystery has two wing men, and apparently, all three of these guys were once dating geeks until they put the "Mystery Method" into practice. These methods have interesting names and tag lines like "3 second rule", "set", "peacocking", "indicator of interest", "indicator of disinterest", "last minute resistance", "routine", "neg hits", "canned material" and so on.
Now, as odd as this may sound, the mystery method makes sense to me. The rhetoric borrows heavily from evolutionary psychology. I find it interesting, and I'm hooked. There's only been one episode so far.
Rock of Love is a dating show, not unlike The Bachelor but the bachelor in this show is Bret Michaels, the blue-eyed lead singer of Poison. (Remember his sex tape with Pammy, the ultimate rock groupie?) Women around the world have thrown themselves at Bret Michaels, but, apparently, the demands of life-on-the-road for the ultimate rocker have taken a toll...on his love life. He's looking for the perfect "Rock Star Girlfriend."
That puts a slightly different twist on the escapades that go on in the house. For example, it appears there's already been one menage a quatre. Yep, really. But the girls on the show are giving me all kinds of ideas for characters and character traits and internal conflicts.
Oops. Gotta go. The dh is back from band and I have to get back to my research. I'm hoping he can demonstrate "peacocking."
Hey! Get your mind of out of the gutter:)
Cheers and happy writing,
Alyson
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Can you feel the love (and all those other emotions, too)?
I guess I wasn’t alone this week in thinking about the emotional aspect of the stories we read and write.
I missed the AotP chat this week. (Darn it! I really love that chat!) However, in reading the transcript, I discovered that emotion and adding it to your writing came up in the chat, too.
Katrina made the following comment in the chat: “This article I read said the stories that really suck you in are the ones where you FEEL what the characters feel. You cry when they do, you feel their pain, and their joys. And I thought about the stories I love and realized she's right.”
I actually got there by thinking about character first and how I love those moments in books where my heart gets that rollercoaster jolt. You know the one – you feel like the car you’re riding in just crested the top of the hill and is now plummeting down a steep embankment with a sharp turn at the bottom. Your stomach drops and your heart races. And, really, you haven’t done anything except sit quietly and read a really great book.
So, yeah, it’s all about character – the most important part of a book (in my humble opinion). But it’s more than that – it’s about the emotion with which you imbue your characters.
Later in the chat, Samantha said, “the underlying emotional conflict is always more compelling than external conflicts.”
Again, I think that’s true. Some stories have great plots, but the characters don’t quite resonate. I’d like to hypothesize that those stories are missing some link in the internal conflict.
And then Roxy said, “The external problem causes the internal/emotional problems.”
And Katrina said, “Maybe the internal/emotional problems make dealing with the external conflict more difficult. They complicate things.”
Yes and yes and yes! I completely agree.
I thought I’d throw out a few examples.
In the novella Sun, Sex, and Sand, Linda Lael Miller’s story is called One Last Weekend. In it, the couple are on the brink of divorce and agree to spend one last weekend together at their beach cottage at the request of their lawyer, a long time family friend. When they become stranded, their long squelched passion erupts. At this point, Linda has done a good job of setting up their emotional conflict – not a marriage where they don’t love anymore, but rather one that’s been sorely neglected. Before they make love, the hero (Teague) looks at the heroine and implores, “Don’t be quiet, Joanna. Please don’t be quiet.” The words alone are powerful, but you can feel all the passion they’ve lost because they just let life get in the way. And readers can relate to the pressures that can cause married couples to coexist rather than exist together. (If you don’t know the difference between the two, you haven’t been married long enough.) And what's more, we can feel what Teague feels -- that desire to know they can both still live out loud and his doubt about it and his begging her to prove he's not wrong.
Another example is from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, if you haven’t finished the book, STOP. Spoiler ahead.
Late in the book, Harry is dead (as far as anyone knows) and Voldemort has told the battle survivors to bow before him. And then one of my favorite characters, Neville, comes forward.
Let me pause for an aside here. I LOVE Neville. In the beginning of the Harry series, he’s a dumpy talentless boy. But as we progress, we see that he works hard and has talents others overlook. He is not an orphan but rather the child of parents who sacrificed their lives to fight Voldemort’s evil. Rather than the blessing of death at the hands of evil torture, they are spared to live inside minds destroyed by the evil lord’s most faithful servant. Neville is the heir of heroism, but he’s still just a dumpy kid who has to work harder than everyone else.
Now, if that doesn’t pull at your heart strings, you need to… well, stop reading because emotion has no impact on you.
Anyway, Neville comes forward and Voldemort disarms him. However, Neville still stands before him defiant. Even when the dark lord plays to Neville’s ego and flatters him, Neville isn’t interested. Through a short series of unfolding events, Voldemort sets Neville on fire, and chaos ensues. Neville proceeds to kill Nagini – the one request Harry made of Neville if anything were to happen to Harry. Neville doesn't seek life or vegence. He seeks to honor his word and to do the right thing.
What bravery! I got teary eyed just writing this. There are many more examples of flawed characters making sacrifices and choices that could and do have extreme consequences.
Rowling and Miller and a host of other writers, whose books litter my keeper shelves, roll the emotion into their books. They weave it tightly to character and plot and story arc so that we love, and laugh, and cry right along with characters we love.
So, yes, I’ve been noting the emotion in everything I read, noting the methods authors use to saturate their stories, and noting where it could have been done better.
And, yes, praying a little, too – praying that my books will make people laugh and cry and keep them turning pages all night long.
Macy
I missed the AotP chat this week. (Darn it! I really love that chat!) However, in reading the transcript, I discovered that emotion and adding it to your writing came up in the chat, too.
Katrina made the following comment in the chat: “This article I read said the stories that really suck you in are the ones where you FEEL what the characters feel. You cry when they do, you feel their pain, and their joys. And I thought about the stories I love and realized she's right.”
I actually got there by thinking about character first and how I love those moments in books where my heart gets that rollercoaster jolt. You know the one – you feel like the car you’re riding in just crested the top of the hill and is now plummeting down a steep embankment with a sharp turn at the bottom. Your stomach drops and your heart races. And, really, you haven’t done anything except sit quietly and read a really great book.
So, yeah, it’s all about character – the most important part of a book (in my humble opinion). But it’s more than that – it’s about the emotion with which you imbue your characters.
Later in the chat, Samantha said, “the underlying emotional conflict is always more compelling than external conflicts.”
Again, I think that’s true. Some stories have great plots, but the characters don’t quite resonate. I’d like to hypothesize that those stories are missing some link in the internal conflict.
And then Roxy said, “The external problem causes the internal/emotional problems.”
And Katrina said, “Maybe the internal/emotional problems make dealing with the external conflict more difficult. They complicate things.”
Yes and yes and yes! I completely agree.
I thought I’d throw out a few examples.
In the novella Sun, Sex, and Sand, Linda Lael Miller’s story is called One Last Weekend. In it, the couple are on the brink of divorce and agree to spend one last weekend together at their beach cottage at the request of their lawyer, a long time family friend. When they become stranded, their long squelched passion erupts. At this point, Linda has done a good job of setting up their emotional conflict – not a marriage where they don’t love anymore, but rather one that’s been sorely neglected. Before they make love, the hero (Teague) looks at the heroine and implores, “Don’t be quiet, Joanna. Please don’t be quiet.” The words alone are powerful, but you can feel all the passion they’ve lost because they just let life get in the way. And readers can relate to the pressures that can cause married couples to coexist rather than exist together. (If you don’t know the difference between the two, you haven’t been married long enough.) And what's more, we can feel what Teague feels -- that desire to know they can both still live out loud and his doubt about it and his begging her to prove he's not wrong.
Another example is from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, if you haven’t finished the book, STOP. Spoiler ahead.
Late in the book, Harry is dead (as far as anyone knows) and Voldemort has told the battle survivors to bow before him. And then one of my favorite characters, Neville, comes forward.
Let me pause for an aside here. I LOVE Neville. In the beginning of the Harry series, he’s a dumpy talentless boy. But as we progress, we see that he works hard and has talents others overlook. He is not an orphan but rather the child of parents who sacrificed their lives to fight Voldemort’s evil. Rather than the blessing of death at the hands of evil torture, they are spared to live inside minds destroyed by the evil lord’s most faithful servant. Neville is the heir of heroism, but he’s still just a dumpy kid who has to work harder than everyone else.
Now, if that doesn’t pull at your heart strings, you need to… well, stop reading because emotion has no impact on you.
Anyway, Neville comes forward and Voldemort disarms him. However, Neville still stands before him defiant. Even when the dark lord plays to Neville’s ego and flatters him, Neville isn’t interested. Through a short series of unfolding events, Voldemort sets Neville on fire, and chaos ensues. Neville proceeds to kill Nagini – the one request Harry made of Neville if anything were to happen to Harry. Neville doesn't seek life or vegence. He seeks to honor his word and to do the right thing.
What bravery! I got teary eyed just writing this. There are many more examples of flawed characters making sacrifices and choices that could and do have extreme consequences.
Rowling and Miller and a host of other writers, whose books litter my keeper shelves, roll the emotion into their books. They weave it tightly to character and plot and story arc so that we love, and laugh, and cry right along with characters we love.
So, yes, I’ve been noting the emotion in everything I read, noting the methods authors use to saturate their stories, and noting where it could have been done better.
And, yes, praying a little, too – praying that my books will make people laugh and cry and keep them turning pages all night long.
Macy
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