On Writing Advice: Acceptance

For my AP Psychology class, I have to do an assignment that involves reading a non-fiction book called Blink: the Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell.

Now, admit it. No matter what genre you like, that is a pretty intriguing title. It is all about the "adaptive unconscious", which is the part of your brain that makes snap decisions based on very little experience. It automatically processes all the information in a given situation and makes a decision on how to act. This means that things like predicting if your marriage will end in divorce or whether or not something is a fake can be found out not within months but minutes.

So I started reading it and answering the assigned questions, and I come across this section that would apply to writing incredibly well, in my opinion.

If you know what improv is, then you'll know how hard it would seem. Making up witty dialogue and a play on the spot; I don't know about you, but I'm more inclined to think about that sort of thing for hours, analyzing the options, the outcomes, and pretty much every possible scenario. Improv is the opposite.

There are rules to writing that lead you to be a better writer, no matter your skill level. It is what keeps writing from being a sticky pile of atrociousness. Well, improv also has rules, and one of these is something I don't see very often in books.

Let your characters accept what is happening to them.

 

I read a lot of books that come across as angsty and vapid because the MCs always complain that this can't be real: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - the MC thinks that there were no such things as fairies; Stoneheart by Charles Fletcher - the MC refuses to believe in the living statues; and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol - Alice believes this is all a wierd dream.

Now, these aren't bad - in fact, I find Alice endearing. But I find that when characters accept things, it opens opportunities. Who cares if your character is real because she can't accept magic? Make her real and inspiring by taking action.

Of course, no one is perfect. Your characters can have a respite; even Harry Potter didn't believe he was a wizard at first. But Harry Potter gets over his denial pretty quick.

Yes, my drawing skills are below average. The question is, though,

which would you rather read about? The one crying, or the one with her

hands raised in victory?

Let me give you an example. Say Mary (the stick figure on the left) is told she is a witch, and an evil magician is plotting to kill her. She denies, denies, denies. "What? That's crazy. I'm not a witch, There's no such thing as magic. I'm not worth killing." Blah blah blah. When the magician shows up at the door with a gun and shouts that he'll kill her, she starts crying, sticks her fingers in her ears, and says, "I can't hear you! You're not real." You can guess the next part.

Mary (the stick figure on the right) is told she is a witch, and an evil magician is plotting to kill her. She denies, denies, denies. But she realizes that if on the off chance this really was happening, then THERE WAS SOMEONE OUT TO KILL HER. She asks the person who told her she was a witch to train her in this so-called magic, and she realizes that not only is magic real, but it is the coolest thing ever. She becomes a pro in no time. The evil magician comes to her door, waving a gun, she laughs and levitates the gun out of his grasp. She twists it into a knot, and the evil magician runs crying to his mommy.

This is an extreme (and somewhat hilarious) example, I know. But do you see my point? Writing about the first Mary sort of stalled. There wasn't really enough opportunity to let her become the heroine she is in the second Mary. The first Mary was vapid. The second Mary was strong.

Now, this entire post may be biased, because I read and have read a lot of fantasy; if I suddenly gained magical powers, or was turned into a cat, I'd be ecstatic. Others might not be so pleased to grow fur. And denial is a natural reaction: he couldn't have died. They can't be killers. She can't be mentally insane.

But I think a character who gets over their denial and takes action is a character we can relate to and look up to. A realistic character who inspires is always better than just a realistic character.

So, to sum up this post: let your character accept his/her circumstances. It provides amazing opportunities for his/her to grow. Also, this book Blink is pretty mind-blowing. It's not a writing book, but you can probably expect more tips on writing from it.

What do y'all think? Acceptance or denial? Can you think of any characters who irked you because of this?

Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher

A city has many lives and layers. London has more than most. But not all the layers are underground, and not all the lives belong to the living. Twelve-year-old George Chapman is about to find this out the hard way.
When, on an otherwise normal day, George breaks the head from a stone dragon outside the Natural History Museum in a tiny act of rebellion, he inadvertently awakens an ancient power. The results are instant and terrifying: a stone pterodactyl unpeels from the wall and starts chasing George. He runs for his life, but the strangest part is, no one around him can see what he's running from. No one except Edie, who is also trapped in this same world.
Now that George has disturbed the fragile truce between the warring statues of London, he is forced into a race for survival, where nothing is what it seems, and it's never clear who to trust.
And this is just the beginning...

Printed copy, 450 pages
Published: 2006 by Hyperion Paperbacks for Children

This is an... interesting story.

The spits are statues with a sentient "soul", where their maker has put a purpose in them. They are at war with taints, who are statues with a "lack" of soul or purpose. Normal people's brains cannot comprehend and therefore reject the sight of this warring, impossible life.

Obviously, this is why I picked up the book. Statues coming to life + war = awesome premise. Even I can understand that basic math.

Nevertheless, I was a little disappointed with this. The main character, George, was a bit... what's the word... tasteless. Selfish. Weak? I didn't really have much patience for him, or at least not until he pulled through in the last 50 pages or so.

Edie, his new friend, was also disappointing. She was supposedly a tough girl with a mysterious past, but the only two roles she seemed to play were George's supporter and the victim. I can recall at least two instances where she was captured and had to be rescued. In fact, she and George were rescued numerous times: bailed out of danger by spits.

The best character, by far, was the Gunner. He is a spit, of a WW1 soldier, who saves the children's lives on more than one occasion. He was decisive and always did what he could, even though there was no reason to. He probably should have left snivelling little George to fight things out, but the Gunner seemed a kind protector, the type of person to give to the unfortunate from the bottom of his (metal) heart.

The Gunner and the premise were pretty much the best things about this book. Oh, and the impressive amount of British jargon - I was narrating this book in my head with a British accent. What a lovely change from the normal my-voice narrative.

What I didn't like, as I mentioned, were the main characters. They spent a disproportionate amount of time running. There were few food breaks - I thought that that much running constituted more than a chocolate bar, a sandwich, and some chips; but what do I know of running? - while there was plenty of confusing, mysterious statues conveniently handing out the information.

Actually, Edie had a horribly fascinating talent that could be added to my list-of-good-things-about-this-book: she was a "glint", a person who could see into the distant past by touching an ancient item. It was usually a painful, nauseous ordeal, but still: pretty epic talent.

So, to clarify this confusing post...

Things I like:
-the Gunner.
-the premise (warring statues of London).
-Edie's Glint talent.
-British jargon.
-the villain was pretty cool. The Walker: a man cursed to walk forever, who's desperately seeking a way to end it, even if it means a certain boy is cursed instead. *hint, hint*

Things I don't like:
-the main characters, George and Edie.
-the handing out of information.
-too much running, not enough food or action.
-This isn't fair, but I don't like cities. Especially popular ones, like London and NYC. They are, in my opinion, way too often the settings for books.

I give this book a three. It's pretty balanced. I might recommend this book to a person wishing for an in-between book (a not-completely-serious book, one to pass the time. Maybe just before a book you've been dying to read arrives on shelves).

  
*By the way, Happy Suicide Awareness Day! Not happy about people wanting to die, but happy that you have the power to help. To show you care. Tell someone suffering they're beautiful! Take them out for ice cream or to do something they love. Or if you're stuck inside, make them something cute, and compliment them. Show them some love. Even a little makes a big difference.*

Weekend Melodies #3: Restless

Weekend Melodies is a weekly feature here at Inky Melody, in which I choose a random word and a song that relates to it. You are welcome to join in with your own song in the comment section!

This week's word is: Restless

[How This Connects]

This one is pretty obvious. Belle wants adventure, more than her normal life. She's restless in this tiny French village. In case you didn't know, I love Disney movies: Mulan, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King... Beauty and the Beast is my fourth or fifth favorite.

[My Favorite Line]

With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book...

(Doesn't that describe me so well? Haha.)

Have a lovely, blessed weekend!

Follow Friday #14

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. This week's question is...

Q: What are you reading right now? How do you like it?

I am reading Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher. It's about the statues of London at war with each other. *Meep!* I am liking it so far. You can expect a review on Monday.

My goodness, this was short. I think I'll post a haiku I wrote earlier today in Creative Writing.

A candle flame burns
wishing to be a bonfire
But content for now.

Have a lovely, blessed Friday! Keep reading/writing/staring at the wall this weekend!

Wednesday Musings

So, today was my second day of school. I'm officially a junior.

I am taking three AP classes (all on the same day, if you can believe it). I have a ton of homework. So, what do I do? I go look through my little blogger inbox and read blog posts, and I post something myself... you know.

So this is going to be a short, update post, until Friday when I can breathe.

First of all, my novel is coming along poorly. I've written maybe the first sentence. I need encouragement; I feel like I've talked about this before, but I may have read someone else's post on motivation. My mind is fuzzy. I really need a way to stick to my writing, and I hope that by filling that creative well in my mind I'll either be driven crazy or to writing. Anyone have any ideas for a girl with minimal supplies, no money, and no driver's license?

(By minimal, I mean my mom's craft supplies: popsicle sticks, maybe pipe cleaners, foam stickers, those little pom-pom balls. Stuff you find in a little kid's artroom, except way less of it.)

(I also don't mean do my homework. It's the first week of school, for goodness sake.)

It's been hectic, but I might post a short spiff next Wednesday. A sample of my writing, if you wish to call it that. Beyond that, I don't know.

I have a picture quote with some penguins on it. Yay. :)

 I used a sample picture from my computer and added a quote to it.

I have... really nothing else to say. How do you stay motivated when writing? Do you have any ideas to get my creative well... welling up again? (What a pitiful metaphor. Oh goodness.) Comment or link to a post with a good answer, please.

Have a blessed Wednesday, and I hope you don't get eaten by tigers!

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Jennie feels the tingling prescence of something unnatural in the house now that Will is dead.
Her heart aches without him, and she still doesn't know how he really died. It seems that everywhere she turns, someone is hiding yet another clue. As Jennie seeks the truth, she finds herself drawn ever deeper into a series of tricks and lies, secrets and betrayals, and begins to wonder if she had ever really known Will at all.

Printed copy, 258 pages
Published 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire

Honestly, I didn't expect much from this book. Romance, a girl obsessively sniffing out other people's secrets... I actually picked this up on Saturday because I didn't want to be seen with it at school. Shameful, I know.

I was surprised at how well it was written. The main character, Jennie, was an outcast in this prissy house, with filthy clothes, running about, getting engaged at sixteen. Her twin brother, who had died in the Civil War, had always wanted to be a spy, and after his death she took to sleuthing about, stealing things to put in her scrapbook.

One thing I was confused with at first was Will. Apparently, Will is both Jennie's fiance and cousin, which I figured out after the first chapter or so. Being the person I am, I accepted this and moved on (the Ancient Egyptians married full brother/sister, even father/daughter; why not two cousins?).

Another thing I couldn't tell was where this story takes place. I know it's during the American Civil War, but are they Yankees or Southerners? It took me a good half of the book to realize they were from Massachusetts.

I liked the pictures, though. in my printed copy, there are pictures at the end of each chapter that foretell the next chapter. It made it feel somewhat middle-grade, despite the fact that she's sixteen, but I did feel that it helped my opinion of the book. I'm a sucker for pictures.

Also, there is a good deal of research on photography: really early photography from this time period, which involved lots of chemicals, and exposure to the right amount of light, and so forth. This is called tintype photography, I believe. I know next to nothing about this early process, and don't feel like Googling it, so I'll take its word.

I debated at first between rating this 2 and 3 stars. I felt that a lot of this could've been solved with a simple conversation, and that the authors were simply avoiding getting these characters to talk. And then when the Conversation happened, the romance happens, too, within that one conversation. As in, Jennie figures out pieces of things from Will's spirit, and confronts this boy about it. (I'm not spoiling it.) Then, when he confesses this story about Will's shameful death, they kiss, and she realizes this boy - who she's known forever - might be the one she loves. They end up engaged, before Will's funeral.

Even to my asexual eye, romance does not happen like that. And who gets engaged before their ex-fiance is buried (metaphorically, since his body wasn't even recovered)?

I wanted to smack Jennie up the head. She starts bathing and looking pretty for him. Ick. But then, something happens that turns this story on a dime. And all of a sudden, she realizes the full truth, the boy she engaged herself to is a psycho, and just everything changes. This bumped my opinion of it up quite a bit.

Overall, it was somewhat good. The bad and the good weighed about the same. I give it three stars.

(By the way, Happy Labor Day! And to those who don't celebrate it, Happy Monday!)

Weekend Melodies #2: Accusation

Happy first day of September! Don't you just love the uncertain feeling in the air, as if nature is wavering between the end of summer and the beginning of fall?

Weekend Melodies is a weekly feature here at my blog, started because of a love of words and music. Over the weekend (depending on how busy I am on Saturday), I share a random word and a song that connects to this word in some way. Anyone can comment on this post with a link to the song they thought of.

This week's word is: Accusation.

(I created a list of words a few weeks ago as a writing prompt, and I'm pretty much following that. It's not that I actually feel like making accusations. :D)

[How does this connect?] This song is sort of an accusation against a king. It asks this king, "what will people think of you when you're gone? I know they'll think of me as a hero." Heather Dale has such a beautiful voice and sings these rather fabulous songs about medieval times. This one stands out to me as speaking up against someone in power and accusing them of what they're doing wrong. [My favorite Line] I know what they'll remember in the words of every song What will they say about you... when I'm gone? What song do you think of? I love feedback!