Sensing Your Mind

Writers' Wednesday!!!

In many ways writing is meditation.  It helps us make sense of the swirling intangibles of our mind.  Vivid visualization feeds vivid writing feeds vivid visualization and so on.

Thoughts rattle off in rapid fire mode and (especially when they're really good) we let them flick around like a bad music video.  That type of visualizing is not helpful.  To write better, we need to hold on to one thought at a time.  Write it out thoroughly before letting it move on.

For example, if I told you that three ducks attacked a hedgehog, your mind would try to picture the action and the events surrounding it.  Break it out slowly before the ducks wind up in court.  What color are the ducks?  How effective are their attacks against the hedgehog?  What's the hedgehog's disposition?  Where are they?  Back alley?  Woodland stream?  Purple meadow?  What can you smell?  What is the weather like?  Are there any witnesses to the attack?

I've "slowed" your mind down to just the moment of the attacking.  Actually, I just added more detailed information about the attack.  It's still working just as fast.  Don't worry.

Obviously, not every moment of your writing need be as thorough, or you'll have a terribly slow pace.  (But, that's what editing is for.)

As you prepare to write, your senses become engaged in the ideas you organize.  Try to focus on them and build as complete a picture as possible before moving on.  You'll discover after utilizing this process that your mind becomes sharper in the mental images it creates.  And that makes describing it in words so much easier.

Coast To Coast

After nearly a week of driving across the country and unpacking in my temporary bungalow, the jet lag leaves a faint recognition of the absence of road hiss as it moves from behind my eyes and makes one last stand in the motivational center of my brain.  I could have sworn the reality of what I have done would sink in after I saw my belongings set up in a strange place without the bug, or wifey.

There's still the vacation-esque feel to the whole move.  I've decided that's hope telling me they will be able to move out here with me very soon.

In the meantime, frequent phone calls with the little bug voice filling in the background help me feel connected.  She has selected a new group of toys and settled into a nice daily routine with her recently "retired" mommy.  More flavored foods than not are greeted with gusto, chatter, and the rhythmic slamming of palms on the high-chair tray.  A few foods have been outright rejected.

I'm rather amused that after driving 2,800 miles and successfully navigating all over town I now have to wait at the DMV and be tested on my ability to drive.  Speaking of being amused, stay tuned and find out if I wound up failing that test.

Division Of Labor

Family on Friday!!!

We all have things we're good at and things that other people rush to do for us before they have to fix it after us.

You may take your shortcomings as a challenge to get better, or inner demons to conquer. I say let 'em go. (Unless you don't really have anything else to contribute.)

All households/families work best by capitalizing on the strengths of their individual parts. It may be that no one is particularly good at a few chores. Up to your family to decide how to tackle that. May I suggest outside help under some bartering arrangement?

The point is not to get hung up or twisted over someone failing to impress when they should be applauded for what they do do. And if one task has been designated to one person, no fair telling them how to do their job.

Furthermore, don't try to take on everything yourself. Delegating saves time, sanity, energy, and marriages. Martyring yourself in the bathroom is just plain creepy.

Finally, cross-training works best for ensuring duties can be covered by a tolerable back-up. Putting all your eggs in one basket can make an accident that much messier.

Thick, Rich Consistency

Writers' Wednesday!!!

You can probably name dozens, if not, hundreds of examples of inconsistencies you've found in your life. Books, movies, television, songs, and even commercials are full of them.

That doesn't make it okay for you to use them. The more fictional your story is, the more important the act of writing material you don't publish becomes. Don't be the writer who thinks s/he can just keep track of everything mentally. The mind has a way of contriving and conveniently changing facts when ever it realizes your hero should have been able to turn into a sconce all along. It's too late now.

And for the love of Tebow and everything that is Holy, do not be the writer who thinks everything s/he wrote to keep track of details and special rules needs to be included in the final draft. They have a name for this: exposition dump. Emphasis on the dump. If you suspect that a chunk of your writing might could be called an exposition dump, give yourself a swirly and say ten times, I am a waste of this water.

Where was I? Oh yeah ...

Don't worry about whether or not your rules are debatable if they are consistent. Some readers/audience want it spelled out, drawn in a picture, and wrapped in a bow. (Lite subtext, please.) I find that more people want to have enough information to put it together themselves. Makes them feel smart.

How do you know when there's enough information? Easy. Plenty of people will be reading your work before it gets published. Right? Right?! They will let you know when you don't have enough. But, they won't always know when you have too much.

I have five different notebooks going with separate purposes for the novel I'm writing. I refer to them and previous pages constantly. And I add to them regularly. I have no idea if any of that stuff will ever be published, but it sure is nice to have on hand.

For now, it's Wednesday in Oklahoma, but Tuesday in California? Should I wait to post? Can I feed my mogwai?