I love to watch people. Especially in an airport. Yes, I admit I compare myself to others (it’s a woman thing, I think), and I discovered that it’s a great way to reveal the emotional landscape of a character. See, we often project how we feel in how we might describe a character. Consider this description from the POV of our test subject, Darla, a woman who is afraid to fly. She sees this woman in the gate area: Across from her, a woman’s sandaled foot tapped to unheard music, her eyes closed, her hand draped over her carryon bag. In her other hand, an empty coffee cup from Starbucks – had she passed a Starbucks on the way in? — as if she’d started her morning early. Sure, fatigue […]
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Conversations: Techniques for layering emotion into a scene – Storyworld!
“So, I see that you missed me last week, now, tell me how to write those emotional layers.” I sat down at the coffee shop and Sally was already there, pen in hand, drinking a tall latte. “You read my blogs from last week?” “I don’t appreciate you having coffee without me, but yes,” Sally said, but she wink. “You talked about the different layers of emotions, and drilled down to the last layer, the Soul Deep layer, or a Word picture/Symbolic layer. So…how do I write that?” She lifted her pen, poised it over her notebook and raised an eyebrow. I laughed. “There are 3 ways to work in that symbolism into a scene. Today we’ll talk about the first: Storyworld! Here’s is a passage from my current historical, […]
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Endless Summer, Part Three: One Last Fling
Doesn’t that just sound fun? Not to mention mysterious and just a bit naughty. After all, you’re a responsible adult, right? You must always be in control. One last fling sounds so, so inappropriate. That could not be farther from the truth. Here’s why. It unplugs you. More so than any time in your life, pulling the plug is vital to your emotional health and happiness. You have to disengage from the rigors and responsibilities of your daily routine. It energizes you. Taking the time to have one last fling is like taking a Sunday afternoon nap. The nap gets you ready for the busy week. The fling gets you ready for a season of writing. It releases your creativity. To laugh and play frees your brain up to freely […]
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TEE’s What and Why: Writers Conference
I’ve used the words “What” and “Why” to unpack different terms from the MBT glossary like “Story Question” and “Dark Moment” and “Black Moment.” Today I’m using “What” and “Why” to tackle the term “writers conference.” As a writer, you’ve either attended a conference or you want to so badly you’re saving up by digging loose change from between your couch cushions – as well as your closest friends’ couches. What are friends for, if not to donate spare change to a good cause? So what is a writers conference? What: A conference involves tossing a bunch of clothes into a suitcase the night before a way-too-early morning flight to attend workshops where we learn about craft, while deep-breathing through 15-minute editor and agent appointments, and finally meeting people we’ve […]
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