I borrowed the title line from an episode of SpongeBob where Plankton is trying to convince Patrick that SpongeBob is not his friend so that Patrick will compete against him in the Fry Cook Games. That line always makes me laugh.
Anyway, the next post down is a very interesting exercise I did with my friend Malystryx and I think I've discovered a great way to thoroughly understand my characters and to find new/unlikely villains by doing this exercise on other people I know (not on a public forum like Malystryx and I agreed to do but on my own.)
I learned that I have a pretty accurate understanding of Malystryx's personality and that I can shape his personality to fit either hero or villain, depending on his upbringing and morals.
I could do this with other friends and find what would motivate them and how they would act if they were evil...I can see a whole range of new possibilities on the character horizon in my books. Thoroughly understanding others and what shapes them, motivates them etc. is the foundation of writing strong characters.
This was fun and educational. I've discovered a new weapon in my writer's arsenal.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
If Malystryx Was Evil
Tonight at work, Malystryx and I had an interesting conversation about what we would be if we'd been raised in an environment devoid of morals, faith, or any sense of guilt/conscience. It started with us discussing a game where characters could choose a good quest or an evil quest and could use their particular skills/gifts to accomplish either end.
We decided to write a post on our respective blogs describing what the other would be like if, with the same personality, strengths, and weaknesses, we were the product of environments that turned us evil.
So, my job is to describe what Malystryx would be if he was evil.
Malystryx is a man of honor, integrity, pride, fierce competitiveness, a black and white sense of right and wrong, no room for error, calculating, likes to stand back and observe others, find their weaknesses, make a strategy and implement it at the maximum opportunity for success; he doesn't consider failure an option, he protects fiercely those he loves, he values his world view highly enough that other's opinions of him rarely influence his decisions, and once he's commited himself to a course of action, nothing stops him.
In short, he makes either an excellent hero or a coldly calculating villain.
For the sake of this exercise, I'll paint a picture of Malystryx as the coldly calculating villain.
1. He would kill for gain or for revenge but rarely would it be an act of passion. Instead, the act of murder would be well-thought-out and deliberate, with maximum advantage for success and minimal chance for blame to fall on him.
2. He would use a sniper's rifle or con someone else into doing the dirty deed for him so that the crime couldn't be tied to him. In the rare instance where he was forced to kill "up close and personal", he would use hand to hand combat or a small, deadly dagger and it would be over before the victim knew what hit him.
3. He would have few friends and his enemies would constantly try to outguess him and fail.
4. He would expect complete loyalty to him and disloyalty would be viewed as unforgivable.
5. He would act for personal gain and to prove to himself that he was the best at everything. No one would outcon, outsmart, or outmaneuver him because he would always play to win and would be willing to do whatever it took.
6. He would seem cold and distant to his enemies and to those who didn't know him well enough to see that behind the silent watchfulness lay a depth of thought and emotion.
7. He might start his "evil" career with petty crimes like theft or fraud but he would distinguish himself quickly by always stealing the biggest, the best, and the most dangerous and by commiting the most complicated, outrageous fraud. He would graduate quickly from that to major crimes or running a major crime syndicate because he would constantly crave more challenge. Once he knew he could beat everyone on the playing field, he would up the game to attract better players until he leveled every field and controlled the entire city/nation/world.
8. He would always have a plan. Always. And his plan would be seven steps ahead of where anyone expected him to be.
9. Stealing or hurting anything he labelled as "his" would require that the perpetrator be punished in a way that set an example to others thinking of taking him on.
In short, Malystryx's personality devoid of a conscience would make for a pretty scary villain. How could he be defeated?
By exploiting his pride, refusing to play by his rules enough to goad him into a careless display of emotion/weakness and being ready to take him out when his emotions clouded his judgment. It would take a very determined, competitive, "out of the box" thinker with the same "do anything it takes to win" mindset and a mile-wide streak of foolish courage to do it.
Want to see what one of my best friends thinks I'd be like if I was evil? Go to Malystryx's blog (link on the right) and see for yourself. =)
We decided to write a post on our respective blogs describing what the other would be like if, with the same personality, strengths, and weaknesses, we were the product of environments that turned us evil.
So, my job is to describe what Malystryx would be if he was evil.
Malystryx is a man of honor, integrity, pride, fierce competitiveness, a black and white sense of right and wrong, no room for error, calculating, likes to stand back and observe others, find their weaknesses, make a strategy and implement it at the maximum opportunity for success; he doesn't consider failure an option, he protects fiercely those he loves, he values his world view highly enough that other's opinions of him rarely influence his decisions, and once he's commited himself to a course of action, nothing stops him.
In short, he makes either an excellent hero or a coldly calculating villain.
For the sake of this exercise, I'll paint a picture of Malystryx as the coldly calculating villain.
1. He would kill for gain or for revenge but rarely would it be an act of passion. Instead, the act of murder would be well-thought-out and deliberate, with maximum advantage for success and minimal chance for blame to fall on him.
2. He would use a sniper's rifle or con someone else into doing the dirty deed for him so that the crime couldn't be tied to him. In the rare instance where he was forced to kill "up close and personal", he would use hand to hand combat or a small, deadly dagger and it would be over before the victim knew what hit him.
3. He would have few friends and his enemies would constantly try to outguess him and fail.
4. He would expect complete loyalty to him and disloyalty would be viewed as unforgivable.
5. He would act for personal gain and to prove to himself that he was the best at everything. No one would outcon, outsmart, or outmaneuver him because he would always play to win and would be willing to do whatever it took.
6. He would seem cold and distant to his enemies and to those who didn't know him well enough to see that behind the silent watchfulness lay a depth of thought and emotion.
7. He might start his "evil" career with petty crimes like theft or fraud but he would distinguish himself quickly by always stealing the biggest, the best, and the most dangerous and by commiting the most complicated, outrageous fraud. He would graduate quickly from that to major crimes or running a major crime syndicate because he would constantly crave more challenge. Once he knew he could beat everyone on the playing field, he would up the game to attract better players until he leveled every field and controlled the entire city/nation/world.
8. He would always have a plan. Always. And his plan would be seven steps ahead of where anyone expected him to be.
9. Stealing or hurting anything he labelled as "his" would require that the perpetrator be punished in a way that set an example to others thinking of taking him on.
In short, Malystryx's personality devoid of a conscience would make for a pretty scary villain. How could he be defeated?
By exploiting his pride, refusing to play by his rules enough to goad him into a careless display of emotion/weakness and being ready to take him out when his emotions clouded his judgment. It would take a very determined, competitive, "out of the box" thinker with the same "do anything it takes to win" mindset and a mile-wide streak of foolish courage to do it.
Want to see what one of my best friends thinks I'd be like if I was evil? Go to Malystryx's blog (link on the right) and see for yourself. =)
Friday, July 13, 2007
Seen Any Black Cats Lately?
Today is Friday the 13th. Last night this sparked a conversation at work with several people and I was totally surprised to find myself alone in the view that superstitions were nothing more than self-fulfilling prophecies.
One girl said she thought most superstitions weren't true but she never walked under a ladder. Well, I never walk under a ladder either but that's only because with my lack of coordination, I would likely knock it over and injure the person balancing on the top.
One guy said he always threw salt over his shoulder, was terrified to break a mirror, and that black cats gave him chills.
I never throw salt - and encourage my children to throw food over their shoulders? I don't need that headache, thank you very much. If broken mirrors caused bad luck, my Dad will be miserable until he's 160 as he's broken every cosmetics mirror my mother ever bought. (You see I come by my lack of grace naturally)
As for black cats causing bad luck, my Taz is very pleased to hear that she gives someone chills but honestly, she's brought nothing but good to me.
Another girl said that she was leery of stepping on cracks in the sidewalks. I'd like to take her to downtown Nashville some afternoon and watch her walk. It must be a sight. I can't believe that a modern-day girl would honestly believe she could cripple her parents by stepping on a sidewalk crack.
If I believe in luck at all (and I really don't), I believe we make our own. I believe we get out only what we put into our lives, our passions, our relationships. And I don't think the bad things that happen to us are caused or could be prevented by avoiding black cats. I think that's a way of feeling like maybe we have control over our fates when we rarely do.
I don't judge those who believe these things. Heavens knows, with the things this life can throw at you, I can't fault anyone for grabbing at something that seems to help. For me, I find it more useful to stop worrying about the next bad thing that's coming (because it is, someday down the road...that's the nature of this life). I'd rather celebrate what I have now and know that when tragedy or hardship strikes, I have a well of strength from Christ, from my family, and from my friends that I can draw on.
So, I was alone last night at work in saying that Friday the 13th doesn't even phase me. It's just one more day full of potential waiting to be filled. Besides, it's a Friday. What could really be wrong with that?
One girl said she thought most superstitions weren't true but she never walked under a ladder. Well, I never walk under a ladder either but that's only because with my lack of coordination, I would likely knock it over and injure the person balancing on the top.
One guy said he always threw salt over his shoulder, was terrified to break a mirror, and that black cats gave him chills.
I never throw salt - and encourage my children to throw food over their shoulders? I don't need that headache, thank you very much. If broken mirrors caused bad luck, my Dad will be miserable until he's 160 as he's broken every cosmetics mirror my mother ever bought. (You see I come by my lack of grace naturally)
As for black cats causing bad luck, my Taz is very pleased to hear that she gives someone chills but honestly, she's brought nothing but good to me.
Another girl said that she was leery of stepping on cracks in the sidewalks. I'd like to take her to downtown Nashville some afternoon and watch her walk. It must be a sight. I can't believe that a modern-day girl would honestly believe she could cripple her parents by stepping on a sidewalk crack.
If I believe in luck at all (and I really don't), I believe we make our own. I believe we get out only what we put into our lives, our passions, our relationships. And I don't think the bad things that happen to us are caused or could be prevented by avoiding black cats. I think that's a way of feeling like maybe we have control over our fates when we rarely do.
I don't judge those who believe these things. Heavens knows, with the things this life can throw at you, I can't fault anyone for grabbing at something that seems to help. For me, I find it more useful to stop worrying about the next bad thing that's coming (because it is, someday down the road...that's the nature of this life). I'd rather celebrate what I have now and know that when tragedy or hardship strikes, I have a well of strength from Christ, from my family, and from my friends that I can draw on.
So, I was alone last night at work in saying that Friday the 13th doesn't even phase me. It's just one more day full of potential waiting to be filled. Besides, it's a Friday. What could really be wrong with that?
My Writing Process - Part Two
My critique partner just said something in an email that sparked the idea behind this post.
Conflict.
That is an essential element to any book I write and anything I like to read. I start with a basic idea of conflict and then ask myself:
What could complicate this?
What could stop the positive outcome?
What could distract my heroine from her mission?
What could cause my heroine to lose her purpose?
What internal conflicts existed in her before she faced this external conflict? Do they need to be resovled before she can be victorious?
I love to layer the internal and external conflict to the point where the reader can't see how my heroine could possibly triumph (and often I can't either until I get there...usually at 3 am). If a reader can accurately predict the ending to the story and the road I'll take the get there, what would be the point of reading?
All good stories have strong conflict, vivid characters, a clear setting, and a central theme or two to tie it all together.
This is how I approach conflict. Right now I have Alexa in a situation where her incredible hunting skills won't save her because what she hunts isn't human. She needs the help of a warrior who can teach her to track with her other senses but she won't pay the price he wants for the help he offers. She has two Alpha males living under her roof, ostensibly to protect her, though she feels anything but safe. Her interferring neighbor has joined forces with her best friend to marry her off and the one man she wants, she doesn't think she can have, especially when he realizes what she is truly capable of doing. Finally, she is convinced that to stop her enemy, she'll have to kill him and though she's willing to kill to protect those she loves, she isn't sure she can live with herself afterward.
Conflict.
That is an essential element to any book I write and anything I like to read. I start with a basic idea of conflict and then ask myself:
What could complicate this?
What could stop the positive outcome?
What could distract my heroine from her mission?
What could cause my heroine to lose her purpose?
What internal conflicts existed in her before she faced this external conflict? Do they need to be resovled before she can be victorious?
I love to layer the internal and external conflict to the point where the reader can't see how my heroine could possibly triumph (and often I can't either until I get there...usually at 3 am). If a reader can accurately predict the ending to the story and the road I'll take the get there, what would be the point of reading?
All good stories have strong conflict, vivid characters, a clear setting, and a central theme or two to tie it all together.
This is how I approach conflict. Right now I have Alexa in a situation where her incredible hunting skills won't save her because what she hunts isn't human. She needs the help of a warrior who can teach her to track with her other senses but she won't pay the price he wants for the help he offers. She has two Alpha males living under her roof, ostensibly to protect her, though she feels anything but safe. Her interferring neighbor has joined forces with her best friend to marry her off and the one man she wants, she doesn't think she can have, especially when he realizes what she is truly capable of doing. Finally, she is convinced that to stop her enemy, she'll have to kill him and though she's willing to kill to protect those she loves, she isn't sure she can live with herself afterward.
My Writing Process - Part One
I was thinking it would be interesting to do a series of posts in the next week or so about my writing process. (and the great thing about having MY blog is that if I think it's interesting, I can do it.)
It's fascinating to me to see the differences in the writing process of successful authors. Stephen King locks himself in his office and writes for as many days as it takes to finish the book (usually 2-3). If you've experienced the size and complexity of his novels, this is completely mind-boggling. Of course, I'm sure it's a rough draft and he does a lot of editing and polishing but - still.
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb approaches her writing like it's her job - she writes from 8-5 Monday-Friday and she does 3 entire drafts of each book. Celeste Bradley lets a book run around in her head for weeks until she can clearly hear her characters and see the story arc and then she writes each scene, later putting them in the order that works for that novel.
I write novels, poetry, and songs and my approach to each is different but there is one key element to all of my writing: an idea or emotion that grabs my attention and blooms into something larger than life.
I don't need much of an idea to get started. A spark of something that speaks to me, inspires me, captivates me, or upsets me is enough. I use that small piece of emotion or that speck of an idea as a springboard to more.
For example, when I write songs, I often start with a single phrase or an isolated emotion and then explore it/experience it with words. I know right away if I can write about it or not. For me, my songs either pour out in less than 20 minutes or they never happen at all. There is no rough draft, starting and stopping etc. Either I am captivated and it all flows, or it dies.
My song lyrics tend to seem extremely personal, sometimes dark, sometimes painfully honest. Sometimes that really is an accurate reflection of me. Often it's only a piece of something in me (or something that was once in me) that I use to translate the original idea/emotion that grabbed me.
Trying to understand me and know me through my collection of lyrics is as useful as trying to see how my life mirrors Alexa's. Some of them are pieces of my soul on paper. Some of them having nothing to do with me beyond the initial spark of emotion.
It's fascinating to me to see the differences in the writing process of successful authors. Stephen King locks himself in his office and writes for as many days as it takes to finish the book (usually 2-3). If you've experienced the size and complexity of his novels, this is completely mind-boggling. Of course, I'm sure it's a rough draft and he does a lot of editing and polishing but - still.
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb approaches her writing like it's her job - she writes from 8-5 Monday-Friday and she does 3 entire drafts of each book. Celeste Bradley lets a book run around in her head for weeks until she can clearly hear her characters and see the story arc and then she writes each scene, later putting them in the order that works for that novel.
I write novels, poetry, and songs and my approach to each is different but there is one key element to all of my writing: an idea or emotion that grabs my attention and blooms into something larger than life.
I don't need much of an idea to get started. A spark of something that speaks to me, inspires me, captivates me, or upsets me is enough. I use that small piece of emotion or that speck of an idea as a springboard to more.
For example, when I write songs, I often start with a single phrase or an isolated emotion and then explore it/experience it with words. I know right away if I can write about it or not. For me, my songs either pour out in less than 20 minutes or they never happen at all. There is no rough draft, starting and stopping etc. Either I am captivated and it all flows, or it dies.
My song lyrics tend to seem extremely personal, sometimes dark, sometimes painfully honest. Sometimes that really is an accurate reflection of me. Often it's only a piece of something in me (or something that was once in me) that I use to translate the original idea/emotion that grabbed me.
Trying to understand me and know me through my collection of lyrics is as useful as trying to see how my life mirrors Alexa's. Some of them are pieces of my soul on paper. Some of them having nothing to do with me beyond the initial spark of emotion.
Writing Songs
Here is a song I recently wrote. My inspiration came in part from watching the Elektra video and in part from some music (no words) I was listening to.
Break
Blood red spills
Across the sky
And I
Am not afraid
I see the lie
Beautiful disguise
Would you die
Just to bring me shame?
Don’t let me be
Don’t let me breathe
Or I might scream
I will take what’s left of you
And drown it down below my skin
I will stake my life on you
Never seeing what I truly am
I’ll break you
I’ll break you
Did you forget?
You asked for it
Crimson regret
Bleeding on this ground
Now all has changed
It’s rearranged
I’m far too sane
To let you keep me bound
Don’t let me be
Don’t let me breathe
Or I might scream
I will take what’s left of you
And drown it down below my skin
I will stake my life on you
Never seeing what I truly am
I’ll break you
I’ll break you
I can lie here
I can cry here
Till you turn your back on me
I can take it
You can’t make it
You won’t make it away from me
The following song was inspired by some music that reminded me of an emotion/experience in my own life years ago. I followed the trail of that memory and produced this:
Out of Darkness
I can see inside of me
The darkness that I’ve tried to hide
Claims my heart, every part
Though I swear to you I’ve tried
Forgiveness stays miles away
I swallow bitterness instead
It sinks within, beneath my skin
Until I’m left here for dead
I’m left here for dead
I am bleeding
Not believing
Anyone can heal what’s been done
You are reaching
Still believing
You can save anything I’ve become
I am broken; it’s unspoken
But we both know its true
The price is paid; I’m so afraid
I am lost to all but you
I breathe the anger; know the danger
When death looks like release
It’s so tempting, nothing preventing
Me from finding peace
I’m finding peace
I am bleeding
Not believing
Anyone can heal what’s been done
You are reaching
Still believing
You can save anything I’ve become
You can save me
You save me
I’m lost without you
You can love me
You love me
I’m found inside you
Both approaches (one personal, though not real for me at the moment and one not personal at all) work for me.
Break
Blood red spills
Across the sky
And I
Am not afraid
I see the lie
Beautiful disguise
Would you die
Just to bring me shame?
Don’t let me be
Don’t let me breathe
Or I might scream
I will take what’s left of you
And drown it down below my skin
I will stake my life on you
Never seeing what I truly am
I’ll break you
I’ll break you
Did you forget?
You asked for it
Crimson regret
Bleeding on this ground
Now all has changed
It’s rearranged
I’m far too sane
To let you keep me bound
Don’t let me be
Don’t let me breathe
Or I might scream
I will take what’s left of you
And drown it down below my skin
I will stake my life on you
Never seeing what I truly am
I’ll break you
I’ll break you
I can lie here
I can cry here
Till you turn your back on me
I can take it
You can’t make it
You won’t make it away from me
The following song was inspired by some music that reminded me of an emotion/experience in my own life years ago. I followed the trail of that memory and produced this:
Out of Darkness
I can see inside of me
The darkness that I’ve tried to hide
Claims my heart, every part
Though I swear to you I’ve tried
Forgiveness stays miles away
I swallow bitterness instead
It sinks within, beneath my skin
Until I’m left here for dead
I’m left here for dead
I am bleeding
Not believing
Anyone can heal what’s been done
You are reaching
Still believing
You can save anything I’ve become
I am broken; it’s unspoken
But we both know its true
The price is paid; I’m so afraid
I am lost to all but you
I breathe the anger; know the danger
When death looks like release
It’s so tempting, nothing preventing
Me from finding peace
I’m finding peace
I am bleeding
Not believing
Anyone can heal what’s been done
You are reaching
Still believing
You can save anything I’ve become
You can save me
You save me
I’m lost without you
You can love me
You love me
I’m found inside you
Both approaches (one personal, though not real for me at the moment and one not personal at all) work for me.
Fourth of July Cake (blown to pieces)
My hubby hasn't finished the video of making his 4th of July cake yet but here is the video of our friends blowing up the top layer. We had to quickly rescue the rest of the cake before they decided to blow up the whole thing.
I think we've found a new holiday tradition.
I think we've found a new holiday tradition.
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