Writing Originality and Politics--I'm Not Impressed

 A writer does not want her characters to be stereotyped or cliched. She wants her characters original.

That's why the tool of listing is used. Put some traits generally associated on the surface of your character, then the complete opposite of that trait in the other column.

Like with Gretel from the folktale, Hansel and Gretel.

First                                            Second                                     

Follower	Leader
Intelligent/smart	Dull/slow/apathetic/awkward
Emotional	Put-together
Patient	Impatient/nervous
Courage	Coward
Determined
Shy	Outgoing
Good	Misbehaving
Naive	Street smart, thinks on feet
Trusting	Suspicious
	Protective
	Clever
Younger	Immature/reckless Older

So I mix up what people think of the character Gretel and make a new, more interesting character. Instead of the younger sibling, she is the older. She is still smart and determined, but impatient and immature. Hansel has to be protected by her, so she is clever through her recklessness.

There is more than one way to switch her up. I could only change her age and keep everything else. Change her so much she is no longer recognizable as the icon of Gretel. There are extremes of sameness and complete difference.

I guess that's where I feel right now. Two extremes without the middle ground. I am the middle ground. Why isn't there a place for me? All the yelling around me only makes me angry and clam up.

Today's politics are bipolar. You are only this or only that. There are a set of requirements for that political party and goodness--none of them should fall into what the other party is fighting for! Yes or no. No compromise. No easing up to it, then finally getting your position done. Let's just alienate one-half of the population.

And I'm in the bloody middle.

Why are there single issue voters? Well, what does that mean? It means they believe in something so much, they are willing to take the heat from the other side. Willing to live in a less-than-ideal situation themselves because they believe so much that their cause is more important than themselves. 

Compromise. Change it up. Don't alienate. Grow up.

Oh yeah, and I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Excited.

All I want to do is get it written down. It is all there. Why is it so hard to move forward???

7378

So I have gotten pretty far in the background of the story by this point. Unfortunately, none of it is written down on my computer in actual story-form. More like, sketches and outlines in my sketchbook. All the information is clarification of the generations before the actual storyline, though. I have to remember to not get too caught up in the stories of the grandparents...

6244

The Dying Accidents

Just some thoughts.

My siblings love to watch Psych. With Netflix, they can watch all the seasons. None of us watched it when it aired, so that's a lot of episodes to catch up on. I got bored after the second season, but they continue.

Something got me thinking in a recent episode they watched. Lassiter's sister was taping the investigation for her grad project or something. He let slip that she was a "accident baby." Not planned. You know, the odd kid out of a family at the end of the line of the planned kids. Unexpected. Whoops. Like the twins in Cheaper by the Dozen. She was surprised by this (apparently, no one told her), but he could not take it back.

For whatever reason, this struck me odd. Why should she be surprised? Is it a bad thing to be a whoops baby? Now, I know this was a less than 10 second exchange, but it got me thinking. She was an unplanned kid at the end of how many kids the Lassiter's had. If she had been conceived before the planned kids, would she even be there?


Right. 10 second snip. I'm sure the writers were not even considering the baby of the Lassiter family being a candidate for abortion, but with the mentality some people have on abortion, she really was in the red. That sucks for her. The writers needed her, though, so I guess she can live.

Is the issue only relevant when a couple is starting off, no children involved yet? The keeping of the freedom? With all these 'accidents' being planned out of people's lives, I'm not sure the terminology of 'whoops baby' will be relevant in the future.

That brings me to my thoughts on Anne of Green Gables, too. I've had that in my head for a while now, actually. But I suppose that's a post for another day.

Hoping to get some time in on my book this weekend. Planning to stay up late because I can sleep in!! :D

6244

It has been almost a month since I last posted. That is sad. Since this blog is my self-help to get myself motivated, obviously this month was a bust. Sad to say, it was expected, starting summer work in the factory. Good money and hours, but horrible creative-draining conditions. Since I have tomorrow off, I am doing my best to let as much creativity flow.

Which is testament to the fact I am still awake, wide awake, at 12:30 at night. Draw until I fall off the table! That's tonight's motto. So far, so good. I have a few skit interactions between my lost, but beloved characters. Re-imagining and reminding myself of who they are. I will continue until further notice.

6244

Officially been a fail since I last wrote. I started my summer job this week. Though it has not be life-suckingly-boring, I have not had time to write. Due to graduations and hang-time with family, writing has just not happened. I want to do at least the whole "300-words a day" thing, because at least then I will get the book done in a year. Truly, I just want to sit down and write straight through until it is finished. I don't seem to have that in me, though...

4899

Aaaauuggghhhh! Why does it get so difficult to write???

Even when I identify the problem/distraction, I can never seem to follow through with modifying what I'm doing to be productive. The word count thing is helpful (I did get some more writing done in the last few days, with a new 'main character'), but 'goals' have never cut it out for me. Goals when other people are involved get me started and finished in record time, but for myself, I fall short.

I know I have a story to tell, and I know bits and pieces of that story. As I write, more pieces come into play and make sense.

In hopes of being somewhat productive, I started doing sketches for a children's book I picked up for a coworker. This was two years ago, and I have only thought about it with no concrete exploring. It has been fun researching children's books by rereading the ones we have in our basement. To bad I am no good at children's-book-styles. Suppose there's always a time to learn...

This rant has been written without interruptions. Is there hope for me yet?

4899