I'll admit it, I've never read the full unabridged version of Little Women. I made it through about half of it, and then someone gave me the abridged version. What can I say, sometimes I'm weak.
But I am familiar with Little Women: the Musical. (Beware. Impending **Spoilers**). In the song "Weekly Volcano Press", Josephine March tells her friends how she took a story of hers that no one will publish and went straight to the editor of the Weekly Volcano Press to read it to him so he would publish it. (video)
Discontent with the editors to whom she offers her story telling her to "leave it right there on the pile," Jo marches to the office of the editor of the Weekly Volcano Press, and when he tosses her story on the slush pile, she jumps on a chair and offers him a dramatic reading of it.
Long story short, Henry Dashwood, the editor, falls to his knees and begs for the story. In fact, she gets a job writing more stories for the newspaper.
God, I wish getting published were that easy.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Deus Ex Machina de Bois
Once upon a time, my high school drama club put on a production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare. At the end of the play entire conflict is resolved by a new character named Jaques entering the scene and announcing that the combined forces certain to bring around the doom of the main character have halted due to the various oddities of fate. So, all eternal threats were canceled by nothing that anyone got to see. That character became known to cast and crew as Deus Ex Machina de Bois.
Deus Ex Machina is a plot device in which a person or thing appears from nowhere to save the main characters from seemingly impossible odds. The term itself dates back to Ancient Greece. The expression comes from the Ancient Greek practice of lowering the actor playing a god onto the stage with a crane. Euripides used Deus Ex Machina as the end to half of his plays. Yikes.
What's my problem with Deus Ex Machina? It's boring.
Think about it. How interesting would the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone have been if instead of Harry getting stone through the goodness of his heart and fighting Quirrel, instead McGonagal had shown up from nowhere and defeated Quirrel for him while Flitwick retrieved the stone? Not interesting.
The fun of the story is how the MC (you know, the person that the reader actually cares about) works out how to fix the problem/get the girl/save the world. No one wants to watch Deus Ex Machina de Bois do it (Here's a hint: He's new. No one cares about him.)
The only reason Shakespeare pulls it off at all (and just barely) is that the main characters themselves work out all of the personal conflicts that the audience has been watching. Deus Ex Machina, in that case, is only used to resolve that external conflict the audience hasn't been watching. If de Bois had tried to resolve the relationship conflicts at the same time (or worse, if he had actually succeeded in doing it) the audience would probably have thrown down their programs and stormed out.
Let's face it, not even Shakespeare or Euripides could really pull it off. Who wants to spend hours rooting for a character only to have him not resolve the problems on his out?
Deus Ex Machina is a plot device in which a person or thing appears from nowhere to save the main characters from seemingly impossible odds. The term itself dates back to Ancient Greece. The expression comes from the Ancient Greek practice of lowering the actor playing a god onto the stage with a crane. Euripides used Deus Ex Machina as the end to half of his plays. Yikes.
What's my problem with Deus Ex Machina? It's boring.
Think about it. How interesting would the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone have been if instead of Harry getting stone through the goodness of his heart and fighting Quirrel, instead McGonagal had shown up from nowhere and defeated Quirrel for him while Flitwick retrieved the stone? Not interesting.
The fun of the story is how the MC (you know, the person that the reader actually cares about) works out how to fix the problem/get the girl/save the world. No one wants to watch Deus Ex Machina de Bois do it (Here's a hint: He's new. No one cares about him.)
The only reason Shakespeare pulls it off at all (and just barely) is that the main characters themselves work out all of the personal conflicts that the audience has been watching. Deus Ex Machina, in that case, is only used to resolve that external conflict the audience hasn't been watching. If de Bois had tried to resolve the relationship conflicts at the same time (or worse, if he had actually succeeded in doing it) the audience would probably have thrown down their programs and stormed out.
Let's face it, not even Shakespeare or Euripides could really pull it off. Who wants to spend hours rooting for a character only to have him not resolve the problems on his out?
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Saturday Analysis
(Inwardly, I cringe at the dullness of that title, except it's probably the most accurate.)
This week, I broke 20k!
This is, undoubtedly, the result of my Mini Goals, which, I am proud to say, I have been keeping. Mostly.
Okay, Thursday, I wrote basically nothing. I didn't have any ideas, so I needed to think. But, yesterday, I was ready to go, hop, skimp, and jump. I actually got caught up all the way, which made me feel incredible, even if it does not leave me feeling sleepy. (Why is it that the only ever time I feel I can get things done is at night?)
I can attribute this tremendous progress yesterday to one of two things: I have suddenly become a ferocious writer capable of spinning out 2500 words a day without trouble or the internet was down yesterday, so I couldn't be distracted. While I'd like to think it's the former, I think it would taste a lie to claim I've done more than recognized my chief time-vampire.
The internet? Really? A time-vampire? Actually, I'm not surprised, though I think I'll pretend I am. Not having the internet, though it pained me (I'm a bit of a web junkie), did free up a lot of time and creative juices for my writing. It's almost enough to make me want to encourage my sister to take up internet scrabble again, so as to permanently block my access to the computer. Almost.
How was your week? What's your time-vampire?
This week, I broke 20k!
This is, undoubtedly, the result of my Mini Goals, which, I am proud to say, I have been keeping. Mostly.
Okay, Thursday, I wrote basically nothing. I didn't have any ideas, so I needed to think. But, yesterday, I was ready to go, hop, skimp, and jump. I actually got caught up all the way, which made me feel incredible, even if it does not leave me feeling sleepy. (Why is it that the only ever time I feel I can get things done is at night?)
I can attribute this tremendous progress yesterday to one of two things: I have suddenly become a ferocious writer capable of spinning out 2500 words a day without trouble or the internet was down yesterday, so I couldn't be distracted. While I'd like to think it's the former, I think it would taste a lie to claim I've done more than recognized my chief time-vampire.
The internet? Really? A time-vampire? Actually, I'm not surprised, though I think I'll pretend I am. Not having the internet, though it pained me (I'm a bit of a web junkie), did free up a lot of time and creative juices for my writing. It's almost enough to make me want to encourage my sister to take up internet scrabble again, so as to permanently block my access to the computer. Almost.
How was your week? What's your time-vampire?
Friday, August 7, 2009
Julie/Julia
Today, I saw the movie Julie/Julia. I absolutely loved it. I must admit, I did not read the book, but I did have my sister, who loved the book, next to me to intone her opinions about the differences between the two at semi-regular intervals.
I liked very much the interplay between Julia Child's life and that of Julie Powell. According to my sister, a stickler for detail in some things, there was less Child in the book than in the movie. But, then again, I that's probably why they said the movie was based both on Julie Powell's memoirs and a Julia Child biography.
Maryl Streep was adorable, and Amy Adams did a great job of turning a woman I couldn't find interesting (I did give the memoir the old college try but just couldn't get into it) into a character I found myself rooting for by the end.
All in all: A+
Also, there were some moments in the film portraying Powell's experience as a blogger that I think those who blog will appreciate very much.
I liked very much the interplay between Julia Child's life and that of Julie Powell. According to my sister, a stickler for detail in some things, there was less Child in the book than in the movie. But, then again, I that's probably why they said the movie was based both on Julie Powell's memoirs and a Julia Child biography.
Maryl Streep was adorable, and Amy Adams did a great job of turning a woman I couldn't find interesting (I did give the memoir the old college try but just couldn't get into it) into a character I found myself rooting for by the end.
All in all: A+
Also, there were some moments in the film portraying Powell's experience as a blogger that I think those who blog will appreciate very much.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Slump
Today, I've come just a little short of my mini goal. I think my problem is an idea slump.
I always knew sort of what I meant to have happen in this portion of the book, but the outline in general of it was more than a little vague. Without my outline to depend upon, I am left to pull the ideas together in my head. I need to create a sort of mini outline for the middle portion of the tale (it's always the middles that present the problem, isn't it?) and outlines usually take me time.
Usually, I kick the whole idea around in my head until it's ordered enough for the paper. I feel like I need to kick this middle part around in my head some more so that I can get a better feel for it.
I do know one subplot I hope to include during this portion of the book; however, since the idea only come to me (via the inspirational force known as my best friend), I'm still not sure how that's going to play out.
All in all, I feel like beating my head against my notebook.
Ever hit an idea slump? How do you regroup when things start getting hairy?
I always knew sort of what I meant to have happen in this portion of the book, but the outline in general of it was more than a little vague. Without my outline to depend upon, I am left to pull the ideas together in my head. I need to create a sort of mini outline for the middle portion of the tale (it's always the middles that present the problem, isn't it?) and outlines usually take me time.
Usually, I kick the whole idea around in my head until it's ordered enough for the paper. I feel like I need to kick this middle part around in my head some more so that I can get a better feel for it.
I do know one subplot I hope to include during this portion of the book; however, since the idea only come to me (via the inspirational force known as my best friend), I'm still not sure how that's going to play out.
All in all, I feel like beating my head against my notebook.
Ever hit an idea slump? How do you regroup when things start getting hairy?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Goal Setting
There's one thing I tend to do really well in the planning stage: set goals.
The thing I don't do so well:live up to those goals.
Don't get me wrong. I respond well to deadlines, when they're imposed by someone else. If I'm the one setting the regulations, I often feel quite comfortable ignoring myself. Apparently, one side of myself loves the sound the deadlines make as they woosh by.
My current Big Goal: Finish my first draft (or, at least, reach intended finished up word count) by August 29th, which is my last day before I must head to Boston.
Sounds like a good enough goal to me. And, in my mind, the best way to reach Big Goals, is to have lots of Mini Goals that go along with them, so you can track progress en route.
Current Mini Goal: Write 1300 words a day. (I know the number probably sounds a little random, but that's what I'd have to do to round things up, at least in theory.) This is actually rather ambitious for me, but I'm dreaming big.
Today, second day in a row, I have met my mini goal. Actually, yesterday, I exceeded the mini goal, and was very proud of myself. So, so far, so good.
1300 words is a bit past what I usually can do. It's sort of like working to muscle fatigue. So, I'm careful to spread the effort out over a period of several hours. I just need to be weary of idea fatigue. I don't want to miss Shiny New Ideas just because I'm pushing a bit much.
I'll keep you posted on my goal progress.
What kind of goals do you set for your writing? Ever set goals of how many words/scenes/chapters you are going to finish by a certain date or time? What's your current goal/mini goal?
The thing I don't do so well:live up to those goals.
Don't get me wrong. I respond well to deadlines, when they're imposed by someone else. If I'm the one setting the regulations, I often feel quite comfortable ignoring myself. Apparently, one side of myself loves the sound the deadlines make as they woosh by.
My current Big Goal: Finish my first draft (or, at least, reach intended finished up word count) by August 29th, which is my last day before I must head to Boston.
Sounds like a good enough goal to me. And, in my mind, the best way to reach Big Goals, is to have lots of Mini Goals that go along with them, so you can track progress en route.
Current Mini Goal: Write 1300 words a day. (I know the number probably sounds a little random, but that's what I'd have to do to round things up, at least in theory.) This is actually rather ambitious for me, but I'm dreaming big.
Today, second day in a row, I have met my mini goal. Actually, yesterday, I exceeded the mini goal, and was very proud of myself. So, so far, so good.
1300 words is a bit past what I usually can do. It's sort of like working to muscle fatigue. So, I'm careful to spread the effort out over a period of several hours. I just need to be weary of idea fatigue. I don't want to miss Shiny New Ideas just because I'm pushing a bit much.
I'll keep you posted on my goal progress.
What kind of goals do you set for your writing? Ever set goals of how many words/scenes/chapters you are going to finish by a certain date or time? What's your current goal/mini goal?
Duh
Today, I read a comment over at the Literary Lab that mentioned the importance of emotions carrying from one scene to the next. I almost slapped myself in the face. Duh!
It just occurred to me now that in my previous scene my MC was way to happy. I mean, she just had to leave her best friend behind when she moved and doesn't know when she will see him again. That has to have an effect.
Excuse me while I got bang my notebook on my head for my foolishness.
It just occurred to me now that in my previous scene my MC was way to happy. I mean, she just had to leave her best friend behind when she moved and doesn't know when she will see him again. That has to have an effect.
Excuse me while I got bang my notebook on my head for my foolishness.
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