Fiction

On smells

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

Smells rarely get used in descriptions, or, at least, I’ve never truly noticed any good ones. The smells are usually blandly described, like “acidic” or “acrid” or “nice.”
So, today’s prompt is simple. Describe the smell of the room around you (or one you’ve recently visited). I’ll go first.

As I opened the bathroom door, I was hit with the brutal reek of mint mouthwash. The smell soured my nostrils, but I counted my blessings. It could have been worse–it could have been the heavy, sickly sweet mint masking half-dry vomit.

On inspiration

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I get inspiration from everything, but lately my classes have been knocking me over the head, idea wise. I’m taking one on the Prophets and Prophetic Literature in the Bible, and another on human nature.
I find that my writing and characters are taking on some more religious vibes because of the first course, and a wee bit philosophical because of the latter.
The themes that my religion class explore are really fascinating; the enduring ideas of righteousness and justice (plus fun little things like royal theology and, of course, prophetic poetry). Reading this different kind of literature is interesting: it provides a different way to look at things, and has some wonderful turns of phrase.

Human nature is casting a shadow on my work as well. I’ve learned about the philosophical bigwigs–Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Hobbes, Marx…and their ideas are creeping into my work and thought process. Its easier to create characters with different world views after learning about different philosophies. I may try creating characters that embody different philosophers’ ideas. But that may be a wee bit pretentious of me.

On second drafts

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

My novel’s been sitting as a printed out pile of paper covered in red scribbles for a few weeks. I finished the first draft back in November and set it aside, so I could read the story without too much attachment. And guess what? The first draft was awful.

After several attempts to start the second draft, I feel a bit stuck. I’ve decided to change the time period (moving it from 1970 to 2008), and the point of view (from first person to third). So, essentially this second draft will be a total rewrite of the first.

This is a really daunting experience. I really had a case of, phew, I wrote a novel, now what? which has turned into I wrote a novel, holy crap.

So, any advice for a first time novelist getting through the later drafts?

On Robin Hood

General Geekiness

Apparently, Robin Hood wasn’t a very nice guy. He was a nasty dude, robbing from EVERYONE.

There goes my childhood. I spent it watching the Disney animated Robin Hood, practically idolizing the fictious(?) hero. I pretty much just wanted to be a badass archer, but I loved the stories, too.

Still, it makes for an intriguing story; this echoes the storyline from one episode of Firefly, “Jaynestown.” The character Jayne screws up a robbery and upon returning to the planet, he’s remembered as a hero of Robin Hood proportions.

So, a writing prompt or two.

1. Write a story about a man/woman who is anything but a hero, but interpretted as such.

2. Write about a person who is robbed by this individual.

On character developement (part I)

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I found this while traversing about the internet. I’ve divided it up into 10 parts, and will be posting each part on a different day. I’m thinking every Friday.

I will be filling this out for my character Will! As always, my answers are in italics.
Creating Your Character

The Character Physically

1. What is the character’s stature and build? Are they overweight or lean? What is their height and weight?

He is on the short side, 5’7″. He’s lean.

2. How old are they?

19

3. Describe their posture; is it good? Do they carry themselves well? Are they crooked, straight, or handicapped?

His posture is decent and he carries himself well.
4. Are they in good shape or out of condition? Are they muscular, weak, or strong? Any special abilities or super powers?

He is in good enough shape. He goes to the gym, but mostly just to keep weight off. He has defined muscles, but not anything special.
5. How is their health? Any illnesses or conditions?

His health is good; he is allergic to cats, dogs, and the environment, so he sneezes a lot.
6. Are they physically active or sedentary? A fast or slow mover?

He’s a deliberate mover; every movement has a purpose and he won’t go out of his way to do something. For example, if he leaves something in the basement and is sitting in his room, he’s not going to walk down two flights of stairs to get it. He can move quickly when he needs to.
7. Are they clumsy, awkward, or graceful when they move, walk, or run?

He’s actually rather graceful, and blames it on his mother’s attempts to make him the next Fred Astaire when he was in elementary school.
8. Would you describe the character as good looking, pretty, beautiful, average, plain, ugly, disfigured?

He rates his looks as average; he has a “Townshendesque” nose
9. How does the character regard their physicality? Are they proud, ashamed?

He wishes he were taller, and is a bit ashamed of how short he is, especially since his sister is probably going to surpass him in height. All of the men on his dad’s side of the family are over six feet tall.

10. Describe their complexion and skin. Dark, light, clear, marked, tattooed, branded?

He is very pale, and he has a slight acne problem.
11. Describe their hair, coloring, styling. Is great care taken in upkeep, or disregarded as a nuisance?

His hair is wavy, but he wears it short so he doesn’t have to do much. He washes it regularly.
12. How is their dexterity? Do they have good hands? Can they manipulate and create or repair?

He has good hands–he is a pianist.
13. Is he physically tense or relaxed, nervous, controlled?

He is controlled enough, but feels very tense when back home.
14. What part of their body would you notice first?

His nose.
15. How is their eyesight? Wear glasses, blind, going blind? Color?

His eyesight is 20/20, but he says that he will need glasses by the time he’s 30.

So, there you have it. A short questionaire regarding the physical characteristics of your character. This will be helpful in describing how your character moves, how he looks, etc.

Enjoy! I would love to see what everyone else comes up with. Look for the next one on Friday the 20th!

On notebooks

General Geekiness, The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I’m a sucker for notebooks. Not the spiral bound, 70 pagers that you pick up at Shaws or Wal-Mart in your frantic back-to-school shopping, but a real, archival quality paper, beautifully bound notebook.

These, unfortunately sometimes with the word “Journal” sprawled across the cover, are my favorite things to write on. Yes, I know a cheap spiral bound college ruled notebook would do just fine, and they have. There’s something special about writing on good quality paper.

When I was in Italy in April 2007 (has it really been that long?), the first thing I bought while I was there was a leather bound notebook. That was the only souvenier that I knew I needed to have. I’ve filled it, but writing on its pages brought me back to Florence and Rome.

My current notebook was a gift from my grandma. It’s red with faux gold foil on the cover. The paper is thick so the ink from my pen doesn’t run through (except when I accidentally fell asleep while writing. There’s a big ink spot going through four pages. Oh well, that adds character.

At Christmas, my parents gave me a beautiful notebook, also from Italy, that’s yellow with pink and blue flowers with gold vines all over it. I’m looking at it right now and smiling.

The thing about these notebooks is they hold specific memories of when I received them. Those spiral bound notebooks do not. They are boring, identical in every way. Plus, those spirals get caught in everything.