Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Romancing Reality

Today's Mood: Scattered. Today's Music: Simon & Garfunkel. Today's Writing: Black Dragon. Today's Quote:
"Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible." -Paul Klee

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How do you romance your characters? Or your subject for those of you without characters. Do you immerse yourself in it? When I was writing Free Lunch I took up running because my main character was a runner. I decided it was much easier to write about running and the love of it than it was to do. My character in IFFY is into yoga. I've joined a yoga class--which I'm happy to say I enjoy much more than running. Wasn't hard to immerse myself in Black Dragon. Dangerous, yes. Hard to un-immerse, yes.

Listening to music is probably one of the best ways for me to romance my character--draw her closer, find out all about him, learn all his little mannerisms, likes and dislikes. I also like to paint or draw the character--or cut out pictures from magazines. I even cut out clothes that I think he/she would wear.

But most of all I need to think about him/her all the time--like if I was (to use my students' term) "crushing" on him/her. I invent conversations, I put him/her into different situations and try to imagine how he/she would react.

It's on my mind right now because I need to get to know Tobin better. He seems a bit shy--either that or I don't want to "ruin" him so I keep him nebulous. Self-defeating behavior, I know, but I'm not sure what to do about it--other than the things listed above. Maybe it really is a bit like my roommates idea of impossible lust. She insisted we all need to have AT LEAST one impossible lust--someone we lusted after who we would never-in-no-possible-way-ever connect with. (For example, one of mine is Johnny Depp) The joy of this was that you would never find out that they snored, had a terrible temper, were racist, or had a flatulence problem--none of that real life stuff. I think maybe I'm doing that a bit with my character. I want him to be perfect, and if I start writing about him, maybe I'll find out he's not.

Hmmm, I started this thinking about romance, and now I'm thinking I need a dose of reality instead of romance. Nobody is perfect. It's okay if my character aren't either.

Anyone else as neurotic as I am? Stand up and wave your hand. Reality--gotta love it.

3 comments:

Mike said...

Sarah,

You said the magic word with 'music'; for me, at least, music is a big key. I will often create soundtracks for my writing or for specific scenes. And playing the music will absolutely enhance my writing. Interesting, some writers say they have to write in silence, but that doesn't work for me. In my new mystery novel I put on the soundtrack to Kundun (Phillip Glass) to create suspense; then I put on the new solo album by Wilco guitarist Neil Cline (Coward) for unnerving scrawking guitar that puts me properly on edge. For a very emotional scene in Everybody Dreams I played a particular John Barry composition as a loop for the soundtrack.

outdoorwriter said...

Sarah;

WOW!! Can I relate to the romance!! I like women with throaty voices, I think, because I had the biggest crush on June Allyson when I was a kid--I mean like 10. She was probably old enough to be my mother. Now, Dana Delaney and Ellen Barkin trip my trigger.

But the movies in that era always ended with the guy getting the girl. I discovered the reality as a high-school freshman that everything doesn't always work out in matters of the heart. And while it hurt, I would not have missed the experience. I have been a hopeless--or perhaps clueless--romantic my whole life.

It finds its way into my writing, even though I don't have characters. I would have loved to have seen the prairie when the country was new or hung around an Indian village as a Mountain Man. I wish everyone played the game not to win at any cost--I'd be a horrible politician--but just to be happy to have played, even with a zero to zero score. Critters have outsmarted me far more often than viceversa. They have taught me to laugh at myself. Maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental.

My favorite music is the plaintive barking of Canada geese, the quiet twitter of wings, cardinals whistling at dawn, Mr. Bob White's namesake song, the gurgle of small strams and the roar of waterfalls.

smcelrath said...

Mike- the two soundtracks sound great. I like Wilco, and I could definitely use something to 'put me on edge' (in my writing, that is.) I'll have to give those two a listen. It's interesting that I have a hard time writing to the jazz you gave me. Maybe because jazz is somewhat new to me, I find myself listening too much. : )

Larry- I get the romance in your writing. Makes me see the landscape more like a lover. Thanks for that.