Writers tutorial entry; how to build subplots from multiple point views

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Multiple viewpoints provide diversion from, and<br /> contrast to, the protagonist’s perspective. They<br /> can deepen conflict, enlarge a story’s scope<br /> and add to a novel the rich texture of real life.<br /> Subplots carry those effects even further. In our<br /> workaday world, we do not live in isolation. Our<br /> lives intersect, collide and overlap. Subplots<br /> lend the same sense of connectivity to a novel.<br /> They remind us of our mutual need, our<br /> inescapable conflicts and our intertwined<br /> destinies.<br /> Subplots and multiple points of view are often<br /> linked by their very natures. When you<br /> introduce several point-of-view characters in<br /> your story, you will be presented with the<br /> choice to create subplots for these characters<br /> and weave them into the main plot. How many<br /> secondary characters and subplots you choose<br /> to create will ultimately affect the pacing and<br /> structure of your novel.<br /> Of course, subplots and multiple points of view<br /> make novels longer and more work, but<br /> rewards for that effort are there for writer and<br /> reader alike—that is, if they are successful.<br /> —By Donald Maass,<br /> author of The Breakout Novelist<br /> WHAT MAKES A SUBPLOT SUCCESSFUL?<br /> Choosing a subplot begins with choosing<br /> characters with which to work. Who among<br /> your secondary characters is sufficiently<br /> sympathetic and faces conflicts that are deep,<br /> credible, complex and universal enough to be<br /> worth developing?<br /> If none are to be found, it might be worthwhile<br /> to grow some of your secondary characters,<br /> depending on the nature of your novel. Do you<br /> intend it to be a sweeping epic? If so you<br /> certainly will want to construct a cast with<br /> plenty of subplot potential. Is it a tightly woven,<br /> intimate exploration of a painful period in one<br /> character’s life? In that case subplots will only<br /> pull you and your readers away from the main<br /> purpose. You may not even want to clutter your<br /> novel with multiple viewpoints.<br /> Subplots will not have the desired<br /> magnification effect unless there are<br /> connections between them. Thus, the main<br /> characters in each subplot need to be in<br /> proximity to one another; that is, they need a<br /> solid reason to be in the same book. Therefore,<br /> in searching for subplots, I recommend first<br /> looking to those characters already in the main<br /> character’s life: family, classmates, friends and<br /> so forth.<br /> One of the most difficult subplot tricks to pull off<br /> involves creating story lines for two characters<br /> who at first have no connection whatsoever,<br /> then merging those plotlines. For some reason,<br /> this structure is particularly attractive to<br /> beginning novelists. While such a feat can be<br /> pulled off, again and again I find that novices<br /> fail to bring their plotlines together quickly<br /> enough. Beginners often feel the need to<br /> present scenes from each plotline in strict<br /> rotation, whether or not there is a necessity for<br /> them. The result is a manuscript laden with<br /> low-tension action.<br /> A second requirement of subplots is that they<br /> each affect the outcome of the main plotline.<br /> Subplots widen the scope of the novel’s action,<br /> but if that is all they do, then, once again, the<br /> result is likely a sluggish volume.<br /> A third quality of successful subplots is that<br /> they range. In 19th-century sagas this often<br /> meant ranging high and low over the strata of<br /> society, from princesses to beggars, from the<br /> palace to the gutter. Social scale is a bit harder<br /> to pull off today. More helpful, I think, is to<br /> portray a variety of experience. Your setting<br /> may be restricted to one milieu, but ranging<br /> over that milieu in all its aspects will enrich the<br /> world of your novel.<br /> HOW MANY SUBPLOTS IS TOO MANY?<br /> Novels swimming in subplots can feel diffuse.<br /> Two or three major subplots are about all that<br /> even the long-<br /> est quest fantasies can contain. With more<br /> than three subplots, it becomes difficult to<br /> sustain reader involvement. Focus is too<br /> shattered. Sympathy is torn in too many<br /> directions.<br /> Readers of overcrowded novels frequently<br /> complain, “It was hard to keep the characters<br /> straight.” That is often due to the author’s<br /> failure to maintain strong character delineation.<br /> Great saga writers have a gift for creating large<br /> and varied casts, but it is a rare author who<br /> can make more than 20 characters highly<br /> individual and distinct. In truth, only giant<br /> sagas need that many characters. Novels<br /> begin to take on breakout expansiveness with<br /> little more than two points of view and as few<br /> as one or, possibly, two subplots.<br /> Proof of this can be found in some of our era’s<br /> greatest sagas. James Clavell’s 1975<br /> blockbuster Shōgun is a doorstop of a novel,<br /> almost 1,200 pages in paperback. It is a<br /> massive and immensely detailed journey<br /> through feudal Japan. Scores of characters<br /> appear, many of them with points of view. For<br /> all its heft, though, there are really only two<br /> principal points of view: John Blackthorne, the<br /> shipwrecked English pilot-major who saves the<br /> life of powerful daimyo Toranaga, and the<br /> beautiful and courageous married woman with<br /> whom Blackthorne falls in love, Mariko. Even<br /> so, most of the book belongs to Blackthorne.<br /> Similarly, Larry McMurtry’s 1985 sprawling<br /> cattle-drive of a novel, Lonesome Dove, tells<br /> dozens of colorful tales—of cowboys,<br /> prostitutes, swindlers and such—but without a<br /> doubt the novel’s primary focus is cattleman<br /> Augustus McCrae. James Jones’ gigantic 1951<br /> epic of World War II, From Here to Eternity, is<br /> built around just two men, Pvt. Robert E. Lee<br /> Prewitt and 1st Sgt. Milton Anthony Warden;<br /> this in a novel that fills 860 pages in its current<br /> trade paperback edition.<br /> What these master storytellers know is that a<br /> large-scale story is nevertheless still just a<br /> story. Overcomplicate it and you lose the<br /> essential simplicity of narrative art. Readers<br /> identify primarily with one strong, sympathetic<br /> central character; it is that character’s destiny<br /> about which they most care. Have you ever<br /> skimmed ahead in a novel to find the next<br /> scene involving your favorite character? Then<br /> you know what I mean. Enrich your novel with<br /> multiple viewpoints, but keep subplots to a<br /> minimum.<br /> The subplots you do include should absolutely<br /> amplify themes running through the main<br /> plotline. They should be supportive, not wholly<br /> separate. How can you be sure the subplots in<br /> your novel are doing their jobs? Here is where<br /> your purpose in writing your novel needs to be<br /> clear in your mind. Most authors launch into<br /> their manuscripts without giving any thought to<br /> theme. Breakout novelists, on the other hand,<br /> generally are writing for a reason. They have<br /> something to say. You cannot fully grasp the<br /> relationship of your subplots to your main plot<br /> until you know what they are really all about.<br /> If you do not know—if, say, you are an organic<br /> writer—then perhaps it is best not to plan<br /> subplots but simply allow multiple points of<br /> view into your story, then see which points of<br /> view grow into subplots. (In fact, it is not<br /> uncommon for organic writers to find that a<br /> minor story line has mushroomed out of control<br /> and has become their novel’s main plot.)<br /> Finally, it is worth repeating that not all novels<br /> need subplots. There are, for instance, a great<br /> many point-of-view characters in John<br /> Grisham’s The Partner. Yet out of perhaps a<br /> dozen major points of view, no character other<br /> than Patrick Lanigan has a truly separate story<br /> line. The entire novel is built around the<br /> desperation of this runaway lawyer with $90<br /> million in stolen money. Everyone else in the<br /> novel either supports him or tries to tear him<br /> down.<br /> The Partner feels like it is elaborately plotted,<br /> but in reality its structure is simple: It is about a<br /> man digging himself out of the worst<br /> imaginable trouble. To be sure, there are<br /> endless complications, but The Partner has no<br /> true subplots.<br /> It is perfectly possible to write a breakout novel<br /> from the protagonist’s perspective alone. So<br /> how do you know whether to include a<br /> particular subplot or let it drop? The answer lies<br /> in a subplot’s contribution to the overall novel.<br /> Is it mere diversion, as in the oft-attempted-<br /> but-rarely- successful “comic relief” subplot? If<br /> so, it should be cut.<br /> On the other hand, if it complicates, bears<br /> upon, or mirrors or reverses the main plot, then<br /> it adds value.<br /> None of the techniques I am talking about are<br /> easy. Adding subplots multiplies the work<br /> involved in writing a novel. But it can also<br /> multiply the rewards, both for the reader and<br /> the writer. Think big. It pays off in many ways.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkodEOii_0FMNHHneoBk7LnuJpYtw6anBRetO90y8Ir-XnAJQpbcH0ykpjZBXRJQY1oqikg8re2Q_GEFMOE804Ki4MasXiNFerkI8DGbylbhrowPRzrxn_NtptHrscjfNkDEQzeen9s9E/s1600/Writing-writing-27456811-1277-955.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkodEOii_0FMNHHneoBk7LnuJpYtw6anBRetO90y8Ir-XnAJQpbcH0ykpjZBXRJQY1oqikg8re2Q_GEFMOE804Ki4MasXiNFerkI8DGbylbhrowPRzrxn_NtptHrscjfNkDEQzeen9s9E/s640/Writing-writing-27456811-1277-955.jpeg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Writers tutorial entry; how to build subplots from multiple point views

Multiple viewpoints provide diversion from, and contrast to, the protagonist’s perspective. They can deepen conflict, enlarge a story’s s...

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Musical muse tutorial entry; 10 tips to help maintain your voice

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Some people spend hours at the gym or<br /> pounding the pavement to keep their bodies in<br /> shape. But beyond singers and actors, who<br /> worries much about their voices?<br /> You should, say Norman Hogikyan and<br /> colleagues at the University of Michigan<br /> Health System.<br /> "Your voice is your ambassador to the outside<br /> world," Hogikyan contends. "It portrays your<br /> personality and emotions. People make<br /> assessments about you based on your voice,<br /> so it is very important when you're speaking or<br /> singing to think about what people are really<br /> hearing. Problems with your voice also can<br /> have a tremendous impact on your life."<br /> According to the American<br /> Academy of Otolaryngology.<br /> Hogikyan and colleagues have put together<br /> the following 10 tips to help keep your voice in<br /> shape:<br /> 1. Drink water to keep your body well<br /> hydrated, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Your<br /> vocal cords vibrate very fast, and having a<br /> proper water balance helps keep them<br /> lubricated. Important note: Foods containing<br /> large amounts of water are excellent<br /> hydration-conscious snacks, including apples,<br /> pears, watermelon, peaches, melons, grapes,<br /> plums, bell peppers and applesauce.<br /> 2. Allow yourself several "vocal naps" every<br /> day, especially during periods of extended use.<br /> For instance, teachers should avoid speaking<br /> during the breaks between classes and find<br /> quiet ways to spend the lunch hour rather than<br /> talking in a noisy staff room with colleagues.<br /> 3. Don't smoke, or if you already do, quit.<br /> Smoking raises the risk of throat cancer<br /> tremendously, and inhaling smoke (even<br /> secondhand smoke) can irritate the vocal<br /> cords.<br /> 4. Don't abuse or misuse your voice. Avoid<br /> yelling or screaming, and try not to talk loudly<br /> in noisy areas. If your throat feels dry or tired,<br /> or your voice is getting hoarse, reduce your<br /> voice use. The hoarseness is a warning sign<br /> that your vocal cords are irritated.<br /> 5. Keep your throat and neck muscles relaxed<br /> even when singing high notes and low notes.<br /> Some singers tilt their heads up when singing<br /> high notes and down when singing low notes.<br /> "The high notes are on the ceiling and the low<br /> notes are on the floor," Rosenberg says. "Over<br /> time, you'll pay for that"—not just with strained<br /> vocal muscles but also by causing future limits<br /> on the vocal range.<br /> 6. Pay attention to how you speak every day.<br /> Even performers who have good singing habits<br /> can cause damage when they speak. Many<br /> skilled singers don't continue their healthy<br /> habits when they speak; indeed, says Herseth,<br /> "many people—including singers—should have<br /> much more breath flow when they speak."<br /> 7. Don't clear your throat too often. When you<br /> clear your throat, it's like slamming your vocal<br /> cords together. Doing it too much can injure<br /> them and make you hoarse. Try a sip of water<br /> or swallow to quench the urge to clear. If you<br /> feel like you have to clear your throat a lot, get<br /> checked by a doctor for such things as acid<br /> reflux disease, or allergy and sinus conditions.<br /> 8. When you're sick, spare your voice. Don't<br /> talk when you're hoarse due to a cold or<br /> infection. Listen to what your voice is telling<br /> you.<br /> 9. When you have to speak publicly, to large<br /> groups or outdoors, think about using<br /> amplification to avoid straining your voice.<br /> 10. Humidify your home and work areas.<br /> Remember, moist is good for the voice.<br /> Further, warming up the voice is not just for<br /> singers, the researchers say. Think of it like<br /> stretching and loosening up before exercise.<br /> Easy, daily warm-ups for your voice:<br /> 1. Do lip or tongue trills in the morning (try it in<br /> the shower or on your drive to work) to<br /> facilitate better use of airflow and breath.<br /> 2. Perform gentle humming and cooing to<br /> warm up your voice in the morning.<br /> 3. If you do more vocally complex warm-ups<br /> too, such as vocal scales, do the simple<br /> warm-ups first.<br /> 4. Repeat these exercises throughout the day<br /> to reduce muscular tension in the neck,<br /> shoulders and jaw.<br /> 5. At the end of the day, perform a cool-down<br /> of the voice with similar vocal tasks.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfMgAd6ZHEY_zC15zhvJmZYB6x-78fwGi2lFUASGphYCMY5Y99hWinycFdtkVigcg6Aujju-dkmq1rFo1t_5k20XpH20SRjEeI-6TvDEWHbz5xnGJHX-BFOwhWukJdFNjElQb0nDE2PM/s1600/thevoice2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfMgAd6ZHEY_zC15zhvJmZYB6x-78fwGi2lFUASGphYCMY5Y99hWinycFdtkVigcg6Aujju-dkmq1rFo1t_5k20XpH20SRjEeI-6TvDEWHbz5xnGJHX-BFOwhWukJdFNjElQb0nDE2PM/s640/thevoice2.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Musical muse tutorial entry; 10 tips to help maintain your voice

Some people spend hours at the gym or pounding the pavement to keep their bodies in shape. But beyond singers and actors, who worries mu...

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Scenerymania entry; Predator and prey part 2

<p>The feast I had with Oduduwa was a wonderful one, but like I promised the rest of the events shouldn’t be hidden from you. So the hefty men continued, carrying a Falade oblivious of what his crimes are. They walked through endless paths until they reached an abandoned hut in the middle of a forest. There they dropped him like a bag of filled sack. The men left him still tied and gagged, they only slid the blind fold just over is moon so he could see. He saw them leave and for a long time nothing actually happened. Then later they return with a man, the man asked them to untie him and sit him down. Falade sat looking at the man, “Sir! I don’t seem to know you. How on earth have I wronged you?”<br> The man let out an annoyingly long chortle that echoed through the huge forest, “You of all people shouldn’t ask me that question, don’t you know me.”<br> “Sir, I don’t know you. Please how have I wronged you. I know I haven’t wronged so many people in my life, and even if I had, It shouldn’t be as terrible as to warrant being kidnapped. That is why I need you more than not to tell me my crimes. The man now drew out his own chair, faced Falade and said,<br> “I remember six months ago you revealed to your people that you had a dream that says that people should stop buying maize grains that come from the west that they are the major cause of the diarrhea that has been affecting your people for a long time. I being the greatest farmer from the west felt the greatest impact of your revelation as your people stopped buying maize grains from me. Now your being here means, you are going to spend a month with us as a warning so that when you return back home you’ll reverse your revelation, because if we grab you like this again. You might just disappear forever you know.”<br> “Falade was more shocked by the man’s words than scared. He wouldn’t imagine the little help he rendered for his people being his own headache. “Sir, I wouldn’t know how to reverse this to my people, since I made that revelation, the diarrhea incidence among my people has drastically reduced. However to go back there and tell them to resume buying maize grain from the west might not be a welcomed idea.”<br> “Mr Falade, I don’t care how you do it. Just ensure your people resume buying grains from me.”<br> “I won’t do that, my spirit even tells me it is your grains that specifically caused the diarhoea.”<br> “Mr Falade we shall see about that, just know you’ll be eating a great deal of the grains, durinh your stay with us.”<br> “And if I don’t?”<br> “Believe me you won’t have any choice.”<br> The man gave his men the nod and they strapped Falade to his chair and left him there to rest.<br> The six hunters on the kings’ team laid at the feet a big tree; resting. It was late in the evening and the deep gloom that now ruled the green environment was quite intimidating.  The men were utterly rough and exhausted; they swept through a large part of the forest and couldn’t even find a trace of the lion. While the others rested, Rali stood guard and looked out for trouble. Night crawled upon them gently, and the crescent moon that hung on the star-lit sky wouldn’t help as it sullen darkness kept the forest cryptic. The voices of the nights then joined in, the owls, frogs, crickets and other nocturnal noisemakers voiced out and their sounds reverberated all through the dark forest. Then towards midnight, with their camp fire slowly losing its strength and a wearied Raji about to summon his replacement; a roar erupted further down the forest. Every of the sleeping men were jeered back into consciousness and even though they saw not what roared, they so knew what did. They right then knew where their journey should take them the next day. So when cock crewed the men held tight their weapons, and they then headed south towards the sound source. As they advanced, they notice a thinning in the denseness of the forest. Fewer trees now existed replaced by the forage plants. The men further advanced until they found themselves in the middle of a rough terrain, the place was much bare with only patches of copses here and there; until they opened into a strange remoteness. This place was like a little spring surrounded by low highlands. The place was like a strange abandoned Eden, the lion evolved from a little cavern that sunk into the southern end of the highlands. The lion charged at the men, and they were so prepared for him that recurrent shots was fired at him, a combination of Dane gunshots, arrows and then spears. The lion dropped dead before it could actually strike down any of the men. The lion lay dead, its blood dripping into the thin spring creating a tiny stream of red. The men then went further into the cavern to check out if anymore lion hides within; however they only discovered an ancient cave of medieval witchcraft and idolatrousness. So they left the place making sure they carried with them the dead lion. At nightfall they were already back in their village with the village men welcoming them with chants of appraisals. The men headed to the king’s palace where they were rewarded and designated but when mid-night fell the worse actually occurred. The men unknowingly as they entered the tavern had violated the sanctity of the sacred place and the bounded evil spirits there within were given the freedom to roam the forests and free to roam beyond. So they found it easy to discover the little village and they ventured into it, ready to damn some more living souls. So that mid-night, the night shook with scary strange sounds, many a man were forced to  venture out to check out what went wrong, others were too scared to so they locked themselves in their homes waiting for the morning to come to their rescue. It was a long night and when finally morning came. Many bodies laid plagued, half dead half alive, on the dusty grounds of the village. The bodies were covered in dusty grimes and were only left with feeble heart beats. The king rose, toured through his land to evaluate the havoc that befell his people. He commanded his guards to collect the plagued bodies and carry them to the town most skilled medicine men. The medicine men were, baffled by the alienage of the disease. They couldn’t proffer any solution. They therefore reported their dead ends to the king who, out of frustration at not knowing what else to do remembered Falade’s warning. Now he wished he had listened to him. He commanded his messenger to summon Falade for him. Falade however was not found, he was unavailable and that further heightened the fear in the mind of the king. Night was rapidly approaching and the villagers knew soon, another session of horror begins. So they all made sure they were inside their homes even before nightfall and they all bolted up. Unlike the previous night, immediately night came the horrors took over the village.<br> Falade was tied legs and hand, he was given a mat to sleep on and as he slept, he dreamt again and this time, He had series of dreams, the first being that his kidnapper’s maize grains were not the cause of the diarhoea then, rather a natural, infection of the stream which later cleared, however the dream was meant to ensure the present situation he is in. The second dream revealed to him the ordeal his people are going through back home. The third dream directed him to a tree very close to his holding village and that tree, is a necessary ingredient for the ritual that shall drive the demons back home. The fourth dream revealed to him the abode of a powerful Ifa priest he needed to see to complete the request. The fifth dream then revealed to him the way to the ancient tavern. The next morning, less casualties were recorded in the village. Falade narrated his dream to the man and he also promised to help him out. They first went to the tree to get the leaves and then the Ifa priest next. Just as in the dream he was wearing the same cloth, he explained the situation on ground and the Ifa priest understanding the nature of the cleansing ritual followed them to the cave to perform the ritual. On getting to the sacred low land on whose end lies the tavern, he unveiled a calabash from his bag, and requested Falade hands him the leaves. He cupped out water from the little spring below their feet and squeezed the leaves and its green juice spread through the water. He after wards unveiled a fibrous sponge from his bag, then he led them all into the tavern. There, he located the ritual gouge, there he washed thoroughly with his drenched sponge. The priest afterward sprinkled the leaf-water juices all around the ritual room, in between which he chanted incantations. See,incantations are my fantasies, every Ifa priest knows this, the more he chants it, the more i'll be willing to help. Finally, when he was through with it, he asked everyone to face the exit and warn them non of them should look back. He threw back the sponge over his shoulder. They then left the tavern, though as they left, they could hear soft whispers and wails jamming together, but they’ve been warned not to look back so they all heeded. Falade thanked the Ifa priest adequately and promised his kidnappers that he’ll undo what he did by telling his new dream to his folk. Falade returned home to the arms of his fear-stricken village men, but then, Falade returned not just with a reassuring words, he rather returned with a guarantee that everything would be alright from then on.  That day, falade was nothing but a true hero. I always like happy endings like this. From that day on with our help Falade ensured his people remained alright, even when chaos threatens.</p> <div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPLkI-UN7mT4955ffqll4-kW-0P5Hc3paYOK0SLFU0jwdFa1u0RVClJr3ydDSPC7AkMaEESj5Fvr2iNfnteuUWbDPyEbZTRtIO7Qksu7bAf1PFT8fx25pMzmjWmcjwljZ_D8zhtyvFpc/s1600/african-warrior-joseph-harris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPLkI-UN7mT4955ffqll4-kW-0P5Hc3paYOK0SLFU0jwdFa1u0RVClJr3ydDSPC7AkMaEESj5Fvr2iNfnteuUWbDPyEbZTRtIO7Qksu7bAf1PFT8fx25pMzmjWmcjwljZ_D8zhtyvFpc/s640/african-warrior-joseph-harris.jpg" /> </a> </div>

Scenerymania entry; Predator and prey part 2

The feast I had with Oduduwa was a wonderful one, but like I promised the rest of the events shouldn’t be hidden from you. So the hefty men ...

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Scenerymania entry; predator and prey part 1

<p><br> Predator and prey <br> <br> Men, they would never stop amazing me with <br> their disbeliefs. My name is Orunmila and if you <br> should ask a Yoruba man who I am, he would <br> ask you to ask the next Ifa priest you see. So <br> that faithful afternoon the sun that glared across <br> the dense forest that I peeped at was a real <br> bother. Falade was there, at the lighter entrance <br> of the forest. He was pointing to the dense <br> undergrowth, just beneath a tall dongoyaro tree; <br> “the lion shall appear from there,” he told them. <br> They looked at where he pointed, it was barely lit, <br> and the undergrowth only got a fraction of the <br> initial sunlight from above. Then beyond the <br> thick denseness were further darkness, it wasn’t <br> that dark further inward as the undergrowth <br> faded, but see, nobody dared explored as falade <br> mention of a lion scared everybody. Falade was <br> indeed a demi-god as we made him one, the <br> skeptical minds of humans, believes only a man <br> born of a god can be a demi-god, but see; we <br> can bestow a common man the power of a demi- <br> god and he becomes one. I remember that <br> meeting that we held at the god’s chamber at the <br> beautiful rainbow cloud, I remember I and <br> orunmila merging our powers to create a light, <br> however it was not just any light but a visionary light. <br> So we looked through our telescope and saw <br> falade, he was sleeping in his room and we saw <br> nothing short of his heart of good. We imagined <br> that if he wields that power he would do nothing <br> but help a whole lot of people out of their earthly <br> mysteries. So that night, as he slept calmly in his <br> room, we let the visionary light descend upon <br> him, it impacted him, merged with his soul and <br> behold; a new demi-god was born. He himself <br> didn’t know except from then on, he had dreams <br> that came true. So everyone saw him as some <br> kind of shrink, and visions as you know are not <br> always positive and when he had those negative <br> visions and he let them be known, Confused men <br> thought he was their source of bad luck, like his <br> imaginations somewhat created their reality. So <br> even with his very good heart Falade began <br> having enemies. They seemingly waited for the <br> right moment to get at him. The three men <br> though founding falade’s procurement to be <br> ridiculous as the existence of any lion within that <br> area ought to have been reported long ago. They <br> yet couldn’t help it but want to see it through, so <br> they waited patiently even though the soon <br> falade claimed was getting too long to be soon. <br> The sign falade was waiting for was the fall of a <br> huge brown leaf and the sign had already shown <br> thirty minutes ago. In his dream the lion showed <br> like just five minutes away from the falling of the <br> huge leaf. However what he failed to realize is the <br> fact that the time frame in a dream land is so <br> disproportionate and is often graded with our <br> own imagination. So, one minute in a dreamland <br> could be actually more or less depending on how <br> we assumed it was when we wake. The sky was <br> getting a mild overcast and the resulting gloom <br> was getting the waiting men on an edge but see; <br> They couldn’t see what I see as the lion was <br> already nearbyas it showed its mane leaden <br> face, in pursuit of a very big mole. The men, <br> seeing the lion was actually surfacing screamed <br> and took to their heels and the startled lion too <br> dashed to the comforting gloom of the forest. <br> Falade however stood his ground, he knew there <br> would be no causalities, however he needed to <br> show some of his village men what dangers <br> impends in the forest and that they needed to be <br> careful when they venture into the forest. So after <br> the day’s event, Falade receded home to enjoy <br> the comfort of its serenity. The next day however <br> he was awaken by the sound of the village <br> square gong. <br> Falade rose grudgingly from his bed and headed <br> straight to the village square, the village square <br> gong was hardly sounded but when it was, <br> important information was to be passed across <br> to village men. He found himself among some <br> hundred men and he was quite indifferent from <br> the others as his shabbily look adequately <br> pointed to the fact that most off the men were <br> actually woken by the sounded gong. <br> The village king, the old man with the golden <br> crown; everybody respects him, especially as he <br> serve his men heartily. However we the gods <br> aren’t that pleased with him as he was of low <br> beliefs. He ascended the village square’s VIP <br> platform, a raised platform built by the village <br> youths, out of the oak trees that filled the forests <br> surrounding the village. He found the royal <br> corner, where stood a fancy crane chair which he <br> heaved into to face his village men. <br> “My people,’ his royal voice rattled, It was <br> brought to my attention that a vicious animal <br> now roam the forest of Igando. The animal we all <br> call lion. Therefore I had arranged for a team of <br> hunters that will help us hunt down this animal.” <br> He swiveled his head left to the sturdy Otun, he <br> then signaled somewhat to him. The robust man <br> simply signaled and of course the men he <br> signaled to understanding him perfectly walked <br> out of the crowd to ascend the platform. “Here <br> they are; he said pointing to the armed men <br> standing in a line facing the crowd. The men were <br> all middle aged and Raji, the most skillful of the <br> men was a respected hunter as he had hunted <br> down several big animals in the past. Everybody <br> cheered the men that stood in front of them <br> except Falade, He blamed himself for risking the <br> life of the little lion. “Tomorrow, he continued. <br> The team will set out on the hunt. All they need from <br> you are your good wishes. May they return safe <br> and victorious. <br> “Amen” the crowd echoed. <br> The king returned to his palace, the team <br> descended and the crowd dispersed. Minutes <br> later Falade was back home, but see; this young <br> man was very troubled. He was still bitter about <br> the king’s decision. Obviously, our claim that he <br> holds a heart of good is now what turns vivid to <br> you. He exposed the existence of the lion only to <br> save his people, however he didn’t expect them <br> to hunt down a lion that’s done nothing wrong <br> yet. <br> That night, Falade dreamt again, he saw the lion <br> being killed and then certain darkness, crawling <br> upon the village. That scared him; the next day <br> he was the first to knock on the king’s door. The <br> man was on his throne, enjoying the company of <br> his royal entertainer, he gave Falade a deserved <br> audience, though personally he didn’t like Falade <br> that much. He once thought and many more <br> times; that what if one day, Falade approached <br> his people and tell them about a dream that <br> claims his reign would bring sorrows to his people <br> eventually, what if? <br> “So Falade, what brings you to my palace this <br> morning? You want to give a send forth gift to the <br> departing team?” <br> “No your highness, I actually come to warn you <br> about the danger involved in this hunt, you <br> see…………..” <br> “Oh! I understand your fear, but this team is quite <br> capable. The men are up to the task.” <br> “No! I didn’t mean that your highness but rather <br> that killing the lion will bring unexpected chaos <br> into the land.” <br> “How do you mean?” the king inquired. <br> “Your highness, I had this dream that after your <br> men killed the lion that a terrifying darkness took <br> over our community.” <br> “A dream! Falade haven’t you learned that not all <br> dreams are visions, even if like we all know you <br> actually do receive those visions; what if this <br> one is purely your imagination?” <br> “This is no imagination your highness, I feel <br> certain boisterousness when I get these visions. <br> Your highness, you got to trust me on this like <br> you’ve always does.” <br> “I’m sorry Falade, but you’ve given me no <br> adequate reason to want to call my team off. I <br> see no way in which killing a lion would cause a <br> chaos.” <br> I felt where I was, a certain jostle of my crimson <br> cloud, now I realized I’ve almost forgotten that <br> Oduduwa invited me to a feast. I smiled; my <br> humble cloud is always there to remind me. So <br> soon, I shall leave for the feast. Falade though <br> sees some of these visions; however it is not in <br> his power to seek the details. He only knows the <br> little we want him to know. In as much as we’ll <br> prefer a good time for our mortals and all, yet we <br> must let destiny and fate have their stay. <br> Falade left the king’s palace utterly disappointed, <br> if you’ve got good eyesight, you’ll see those <br> worry gather on his face. Falade wished he could <br> actually just find a way to reach out to the lion <br> and warn him. However he didn’t know his <br> greatest of worries was yet to come. He could <br> her drums, gongs and the villagers ‘songs as <br> they send off the hunters. Not long after they left, <br> he heard a knock on his door. “come in,” he said. <br> Then three hefty strangers came in, they had <br> bare chests and had linen-cotton underpants <br> tapered by raffia leaves. The heftiest of the men, <br> grabbed him like a little piece of log and flung <br> him unto his muscle leaden shoulder another of <br> the men held his kicking legs and then the third <br> gagged his mouth very tightly and blindfolded <br> him afterwards. The third man handed the <br> second a tape with which they tied his leg and <br> Falade was then carried off on the first shoulder. <br> My cloud trembled again I smiled at the events <br> down below me, I’ll go for the feast now. When I <br> return, you shall get the rest of the event. <br> To be continued………………………………………</p> <div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStisQHhKVFwQ5Eg86hPxfHM5W-z2QrLw5mp5JvbqqOs4-k4OSi9rlx8oD2tOLF4jBr33gWV6axWi3grfX0HFwxpMPBq7o6PylzdukAJfufjVlGN49jPO7Hp5IKmAsxTvV-wEBcIwJePM/s1600/african_warrior_by_zolucan-d4160cn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStisQHhKVFwQ5Eg86hPxfHM5W-z2QrLw5mp5JvbqqOs4-k4OSi9rlx8oD2tOLF4jBr33gWV6axWi3grfX0HFwxpMPBq7o6PylzdukAJfufjVlGN49jPO7Hp5IKmAsxTvV-wEBcIwJePM/s640/african_warrior_by_zolucan-d4160cn.jpg" /> </a> </div>

Scenerymania entry; predator and prey part 1

Predator and prey Men, they would never stop amazing me with their disbeliefs. My name is Orunmila and if you should ask a Yoruba ...

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Writers tutorial entry; How to make your novel emotionally come alive

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I know I overdo the smiles and sighing etc.<br /> Could you give me an example of showing<br /> internal workings rather than expressing<br /> something external such as a sigh or<br /> blush? – Samantha, Australia<br /> There are lots of ways that writers slip into<br /> ‘telling’ (external) rather than<br /> ‘showing’ (internal), especially when it<br /> comes to emotion. There are the obvious<br /> phrases such as:<br /> Bob held the photo of his old friend, and he<br /> was sad.<br /> That’s telling. The writer is stating the fact,<br /> telling the reader what emotion Bob is<br /> feeling. Usually it is much more effective to<br /> show Bob’s emotions rather than just stating<br /> the fact.<br /> Sometimes when a writer wants to show the<br /> emotion, she will use an external sign of an<br /> internal response. Some examples of these<br /> external signs include smiles, frowns, sighs,<br /> shrugs, blushes, looks (such as stares and<br /> glares), and my all-time least favorite, the<br /> furrowed brow. I’m not even sure what a<br /> furrowed brow looks like or what it means,<br /> but I seldom see a manuscript that doesn’t<br /> deploy at least two furrowed brows. If I’m<br /> editing your work, you can bet I will strike<br /> through it or suggest you find a different way<br /> to say it. I’ll probably furrow my brow as I<br /> strike through that phrase.<br /> Bob stared at the photo of his old friend. He<br /> sighed, furrowed his brow and began to cry.<br /> This is now describing Bob’s facial<br /> expressions, body language, gestures and<br /> other external physical responses to<br /> illustrate Bob’s sadness. It’s better than<br /> saying ‘Bob was sad,’ at least most of the<br /> time.<br /> Most of the time this happens when the<br /> writer is trying to show rather than tell, but<br /> it’s only a halfway step. The writer is ‘telling’<br /> the reader what facial expressions the<br /> character is giving, and those facial<br /> expressions then ‘show’ the emotion. It’s still<br /> a step or two removed from the readers.<br /> There’s nothing inherently wrong with that,<br /> just like there is nothing inherently wrong<br /> with ‘telling’ the reader some things. It’s all<br /> in when and how something is told or shown<br /> that makes the reader engage with the story<br /> and character. Sometimes “Bob was sad” is<br /> exactly the right sentence. Sometimes “Bob<br /> frowned” may be exactly the right sentence.<br /> Showing will generally take a lot more<br /> words, and maybe it’s not important enough<br /> to spend any more than three words on the<br /> fact that Bob was sad.<br /> But if Bob being sad is an emotional moment<br /> in which readers need to empathize with<br /> Bob, it’s worth a few more words. Describing<br /> facial expressions, sounds or body language<br /> alone doesn’t bring the reader into the<br /> character’s emotions. Adding physical<br /> actions and responses can help show the<br /> emotion.<br /> Facial expressions are external signs of<br /> sadness. It could also be written with<br /> physical actions and responses:<br /> Bob’s hand shook as he stared at the photo.<br /> He thought of his old friend, and his<br /> shoulders heaved with a sob.<br /> Better, but it’s still missing something – it’s<br /> flat. It describes the physical actions and<br /> response. This sentence is part showing and<br /> part telling. The writer tells the reader that<br /> Bob’s hand shook, that he stared at the photo,<br /> and that he started crying, all of which<br /> creates a ‘showing’ scene. The reader is<br /> seeing the scene, better than “Bob was sad,”<br /> but the reader isn’t feeling it first-hand. The<br /> reader is seeing the scene from the external,<br /> not the internal.<br /> So let’s revise again, and write the sentence<br /> from inside Bob’s skin, inside his head,<br /> showing the scene through Bob’s eyes.<br /> The photo trembled in his hand as Bob<br /> remembered his old friend, and the image<br /> blurred behind his tears.<br /> Not saying this is Pulitzer Prize stuff, but this<br /> last version shows the reader that Bob is sad.<br /> It paints a scene in the reader’s mind, and<br /> the reader can feel Bob’s reaction – his<br /> internal response. The external has almost<br /> been completely eliminated. This last<br /> version doesn’t tell me if Bob is frowning or<br /> sighing. It doesn’t even directly tell me that<br /> he is looking at the photo or that his hand is<br /> shaking or that he started crying. Those are<br /> external actions. Yes, all of those actions are<br /> there, but they aren’t ‘told’ or stated as a fact<br /> for readers. This version explores the<br /> internal response. It puts the reader inside<br /> Bob as his hand trembles, he remembers,<br /> and the photo blurs.<br /> These can be trickier, but also easier to<br /> resolve, when writing in first person. The<br /> main thing to remember is that a first-<br /> person narrator does not see her own face to<br /> describe her smiles, her frowns, or her<br /> furrowed brows. A first-person narrator,<br /> like all of us in real life, don’t usually notice<br /> when we sigh. But in first-person, or in a<br /> tight third-person, the character’s thoughts,<br /> feelings, and internal monologue can be<br /> used to show emotions.<br /> Below are a few examples from a<br /> manuscript draft with the original wording<br /> and suggested edits. All suggested edits are<br /> mere examples of one way the sentence<br /> might be revised. There are many different<br /> ways of saying something, and it’s always up<br /> to the writer to come up with the best way<br /> that fits the writer’s style, voice and story.<br /> ORIGINAL:<br /> I shot her daggers and refused to dignify her<br /> remark with a response. She knew how<br /> important my career was to me.<br /> REVISE:<br /> I refused to dignify her remark with a<br /> response. She knew how important my career<br /> was to me.<br /> Sometimes the external signs of an emotion<br /> can be eliminated completely, as the<br /> internal thoughts, actions and dialog show<br /> the emotion. I eliminated the ‘shot her<br /> daggers’ phrase (a reference to the character<br /> giving a sharp glare). It’s not needed. The<br /> rest of this paragraph carries the full weight<br /> of the emotion, the character’s irritation.<br /> ORIGINAL:<br /> The security guard looked me up and down.<br /> ‘You his mother or something?’<br /> I glanced down at my suit, then back up at the<br /> guy. ‘Oh, sod off!’<br /> REVISE:<br /> The security guard eyed my business suit.<br /> ‘You his mother or something?’<br /> ‘Oh, sod off!’<br /> I moved the reference to what she is wearing<br /> to the guard’s actions rather than the<br /> character glancing down at her clothes. She<br /> already knows what she’s wearing. Her<br /> words convey her reaction without her<br /> reviewing her own attire.<br /> ORIGINAL:<br /> I blushed the same way I did every time David<br /> quasi-flirted with me, then realized how<br /> inappropriate it was to be reacting this way<br /> with a dead guy just meters away.<br /> REVISE:<br /> Every time David quasi-flirted like this, it<br /> awakened the giggly, embarrassed twelve-<br /> year-old who still lived inside me, completely<br /> inappropriate with a dead guy meters away.<br /> The revise eliminates the blush but describes<br /> from an internal perspective what she was<br /> feeling, perhaps in a way that readers can<br /> relate to. It also eliminates the filter that tells<br /> readers the character ‘realizes’ something<br /> rather than just letting the realization come<br /> through naturally.<br /> ORIGINAL:<br /> I felt my forehead crease with surprise that<br /> the cop appeared to know me, and took a<br /> closer look at him. I may have come across<br /> him in my work, but nothing stood out.<br /> REVISE:<br /> How did this cop know me? I gave him a<br /> closer look. Maybe we’d crossed paths before,<br /> but nothing stood out.<br /> This revise replaces ‘I felt my forehead<br /> crease’ with the internal thought, ‘How did<br /> he know me?’ That expresses her surprise<br /> from her internal thought rather than telling<br /> readers she was surprised and having the<br /> character describe the feeling of her own<br /> facial expression.<br /> ORIGINAL:<br /> I sighed, slipped off my heels and trudged into<br /> the living room.<br /> REVISE:<br /> I slipped off my heels and trudged into the<br /> living room.<br /> A simple elimination of the sigh. Slipping off<br /> her heels and ‘trudging’ (a great verb in this<br /> sentence) captures her mood. One thing to<br /> remember is that most of the time, a person<br /> doesn’t know when they sigh. Also, people<br /> sigh for a variety of reasons – sad, happy,<br /> satisfied, perplexed, confused, resigned, etc.<br /> Stating that a character sighs doesn’t really<br /> say anything without some additional<br /> information to show the emotion. And once<br /> the additional info is there and the emotion<br /> is shown, the sigh becomes unnecessary.<br /> ORIGINAL:<br /> I flashed him what I hoped was a beguiling<br /> smile.<br /> REVISE:<br /> None. This is a very specific action that the<br /> character does consciously for a reason. It is<br /> her conscious action of flashing a particular<br /> type of smile that is the important point of<br /> the sentence. There are always exceptions,<br /> like this one, where a smile, sigh, or a blush<br /> is the important action rather than only<br /> serving as an external sign of an internal<br /> emotion.<br /> The bottom line – get inside the character’s<br /> skin, inside his or her head, and tell the story<br /> from the inside out, internal thoughts and<br /> emotions and perspective, rather than<br /> external only. Make your readers feel it as if<br /> they are the character rather than watching<br /> the character or being told about the<br /> character. It draws readers into your<br /> character and your story much more<br /> convincingly.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12W9BtooELKi1yEhi9mLHRkcAERo8oQ7zHHJQtH0zkyLz-0vFxE6wdelqbU63yOa0lLJv3uKkRrLd7YRrQhqlqkMbBY84LniKCd64PsaXz4M6VsUw3UGLn1DWEY7NCO8LkvieGm841Hs/s1600/alive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12W9BtooELKi1yEhi9mLHRkcAERo8oQ7zHHJQtH0zkyLz-0vFxE6wdelqbU63yOa0lLJv3uKkRrLd7YRrQhqlqkMbBY84LniKCd64PsaXz4M6VsUw3UGLn1DWEY7NCO8LkvieGm841Hs/s640/alive.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Writers tutorial entry; How to make your novel emotionally come alive

I know I overdo the smiles and sighing etc. Could you give me an example of showing internal workings rather than expressing something e...

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Thesaurus entry; happiness

<p>Happiness is a lovely rest stop and a lovely<br> emotion, but it’s not the only emotion you<br> need. Each of your emotions has a specific<br> purpose and a specific place in your life.<br> One of the biggest tricks to learn with<br> happiness is to let it come and go — and to<br> not treat it as better or more important than<br> your other emotions. Every emotion has its<br> place.<br> If you treat happiness as your go-to emotion,<br> you’ll suffer unnecessarily when your other<br> emotions arise. You need anger, fear,<br> sadness, jealousy, envy, guilt, grief, shame,<br> and even depression (etc.) at times. If all you<br> know and all you want is happiness, you’ll<br> tend to avoid, ignore, suppress, or mistreat<br> your other emotions, and then guess what?<br> You won’t be happy very often.<br> What I notice in working appropriately with<br> the supposedly “negative” emotions is that<br> when we work with them skillfully, we often<br> feel happy, contented, or pleased afterward.<br> It is as if happiness arises to tell us, “Good<br> job! You’re getting the hang of emotions<br> now, aren’t you?”<br> I separate happiness into three<br> categories: Happiness, Contentment, and Joy.<br> In this list, we’ll look at them all together,<br> just as we did with Anger and Fear.</p> <p>Soft Happiness<br> Smiling ~ Upbeat ~ Peaceful ~ Calm ~<br> Amused ~ Open ~ Friendly ~ Encouraged<br> ~ Hopeful ~ Inspired ~ Jovial</p> <p>Mood State Happiness<br> Happy ~ Glad ~ Content ~ Optimistic ~<br> Cheerful ~ Joyful ~ Satisfied ~ Lively ~<br> Delighted ~ Rejuvenated ~ Pleased ~<br> Gratified ~ Excited ~ Gleeful ~ Merry ~<br> Playful</p> <p>Intense Happiness<br> Elated ~ Exhilarated ~ Manic ~ Giddy ~<br> Euphoric ~ Awe-filled ~ Blissful ~<br> Enthralled ~ Rapturous ~ Jubilant ~<br> Ecstatic ~ Overjoyed ~ Radiant<br> In the area of intense happiness, I included<br> mania to remind us that there can be<br> difficulty in the area of happiness. Intense<br> euphoric experiences are excellent and<br> fleeting, and they can change your entire<br> outlook on life. However, they tend not to<br> mesh well with activities that lead to your<br> everyday happiness and security, such as<br> attending to your relationships, working<br> toward difficult goals, and paying the bills.<br> Intense euphoric happiness is excellent in its<br> place, but part of its beauty is that it is (or<br> should be) comparatively rare.</p> <div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoZReialY5KxO6OF1zdsD6aY1IokiSwLHvnwXVOzo2efDqFHYRDlqey37klAt8bRPRKtRaLIqT5OiutFO2uJRED0YnsVU1u1LI68NhefdlFFanL4WpiAanofjIiEbfqRSn5wc7NWTFmY/s1600/happy-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoZReialY5KxO6OF1zdsD6aY1IokiSwLHvnwXVOzo2efDqFHYRDlqey37klAt8bRPRKtRaLIqT5OiutFO2uJRED0YnsVU1u1LI68NhefdlFFanL4WpiAanofjIiEbfqRSn5wc7NWTFmY/s640/happy-dog.jpg" /> </a> </div>

Thesaurus entry; happiness

Happiness is a lovely rest stop and a lovely emotion, but it’s not the only emotion you need. Each of your emotions has a specific purpos...

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Writers tutorial entry; Novelist guide to writing only what they know

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> In my novel One Amazing Thing, nine<br /> characters are trapped by an earthquake in the<br /> basement of a high-rise building. When they<br /> realize there’s no escape, they begin in their<br /> panic to lash out at one another. After a bad<br /> fight that brings down chunks of the ceiling, a<br /> student named Uma urges them to focus their<br /> energies on something positive by each sharing<br /> a story from their lives, something they’ve<br /> never told anyone. When one of the other<br /> women protests, saying she doesn’t have a<br /> story, Uma insists that everyone has at least<br /> “one amazing thing.”<br /> I, too, believe that we all have stories,<br /> wonderful, amazing ones floating around us—or<br /> even inside us—like magical spores. I have long<br /> relied on “found” stories—or snippets of them—<br /> to create my fiction. I’m not alone in this. Most<br /> of us bump up against amazing things more<br /> often than we realize. If we can remain in a<br /> state of openness, ready for the great story that<br /> might come to us any moment, and if we can<br /> learn to identify these moments of power, we’re<br /> off to a great start. But how to transform these<br /> moments into successful fiction? To create<br /> stories that are ours , that ring with authenticity,<br /> that have personal depth—but that are not<br /> restricted by the autobiographical? I’m going to<br /> share with you three techniques that have<br /> worked for me.<br /> —by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni<br /> 1. Meld disparate experiences into an<br /> unlikely fictional unit.<br /> Sometime back, while on a visit to Kolkata, the<br /> Indian city of my birth, I went to see a friend in<br /> the old, northern part of the city. As we were<br /> chatting over tea, I heard a series of explosions.<br /> My friend explained that the old Chatterjee<br /> mansion on the corner was being demolished,<br /> to be replaced by an apartment complex. We<br /> went to the balcony to look at this beautiful,<br /> dilapidated home, with its aged marble exterior<br /> and its green-shuttered, floor-length windows.<br /> Even as we watched, a wrecking ball shattered<br /> a wall. Generations of families—grandparents,<br /> parents, widowed aunts, married sons with<br /> their wives and offspring—had loved and<br /> quarreled and outsmarted one another in that<br /> house. Its demise signaled the end of a way of<br /> life.<br /> That night I lay in bed and imagined residing<br /> within such an orthodox home as a girl. What<br /> would I have loved? How might I have felt<br /> restricted? What might have caused me to<br /> rebel? A single protagonist alone could not<br /> express all the reactions one could have to this<br /> world-within-a-world, filled with traditions and<br /> secrets. What if there was another girl, a<br /> cousin? What if she responded vastly differently<br /> to the same rules? What if she discovered a<br /> secret too terrible to tell her beloved cousin?<br /> These what-ifs (crucial to the writing process)<br /> fired up my imagination. I didn’t get any sleep<br /> that night, but by the time the hawkers on the<br /> street below started calling out their wares, I<br /> had the idea for my novel Sister of My Heart .<br /> During the rest of my visit, I went to as many<br /> old homes as I could. I mystified relatives by<br /> asking to see prayer rooms or storage areas<br /> under the stairs or old-style bathrooms with<br /> claw-footed tubs. I stood on terraces and<br /> recalled the games my cousins and I used to<br /> play. I looked down on the street below and<br /> tried to imagine how a young woman, restricted<br /> by orthodoxy, might feel as she viewed life<br /> passing her by. But in spite of all my field<br /> research, I still didn’t feel ready to write the<br /> novel. Something was missing, something<br /> pungent and powerful, a conflict that would<br /> impel the story forward.<br /> Back in the U.S., I continued searching for that<br /> missing something in newspapers, in<br /> magazines, in my daily interactions with<br /> people. A frustrating year passed. Then one<br /> day I came across a TV program that<br /> discussed the problem of fetal sex selection, a<br /> significant issue in India that had troubled me<br /> in the past. Pregnant women (often coerced by<br /> their in-laws) would go to prenatal centers to<br /> learn the sex of the unborn child. If the fetus<br /> was a girl, it would often be aborted. As I<br /> watched the grainy footage of dimly lit centers<br /> where women kept their faces averted, I began<br /> to imagine those faces—and how the women<br /> they belonged to might have felt. In my mind,<br /> suddenly, a face came into clearer focus: that<br /> of one of the cousins in Sister of My Heart.<br /> What would happen if she found herself in such<br /> a clinic? Who could she turn to? If her only<br /> choices were to have the abortion or to walk<br /> out of the marriage, what would she do? And,<br /> just like that, the missing chunk of the plot fell<br /> into place. Two very disparate experiences<br /> from my life, one personal and emotional, one<br /> objective and intellectual, had merged into an<br /> unlikely fictional unit.<br /> To take one personal experience that is<br /> meaningful to you and let it inspire or inform<br /> your work can be powerful. To translate more<br /> than one of them into a single work can be<br /> exponentially more so. After all, while you will<br /> likely come across many people who can relate<br /> firsthand to any one of your life’s experiences,<br /> only you have lived them all. Find innovative<br /> ways to revisit and reinvent these meaningful<br /> moments in your fiction, and you quite literally<br /> will be writing the story that only you can write.<br /> 2. Take sides—against yourself.<br /> Sometime before I wrote “Mrs. Dutta Writes a<br /> Letter,” now my most anthologized short story,<br /> I had become aware of a growing problem in<br /> my community: the reluctant immigration of<br /> aging parents to the U.S. from India. Deprived<br /> of their familiar support systems, these<br /> immigrants did poorly in their new environment,<br /> often becoming depressed or ill. The issue<br /> made me uncomfortable. I knew I’d face a<br /> similar situation soon—my own widowed<br /> mother in India no longer had immediate family<br /> there. Indeed, a few months later, she came to<br /> our home on an extended visit.<br /> It was not a success. My mother found it<br /> difficult to adjust and resented being expected<br /> to change lifelong habits at her age. She was<br /> bored and lonely when my husband and I went<br /> to work—and sad, though I didn’t realize it<br /> then.<br /> I, too, was full of resentment. My life was<br /> disrupted by her demands. In addition to my<br /> work responsibilities, I ran around doing things<br /> for her all day—or so it seemed. By evening, I<br /> was too exhausted to even think of writing.<br /> Worst of all, nothing I did made her happy.<br /> When she returned to India, declaring that she<br /> would rather die there than live here, I felt both<br /> angered and guilty.<br /> To heal myself, I decided to write a story about<br /> the experience. I had an arsenal of details: How<br /> my mother would criticize me for asking my<br /> husband to share the household chores. How<br /> she would rise before dawn and clatter around<br /> the house, waking us all. How she refused to<br /> use the washer and dryer and would instead<br /> drape her hand-washed saris over the<br /> backyard fence, so that I lived in fear of<br /> complaints from our neighbors.<br /> But the more I dwelled on these facts, the<br /> worse I felt—not just as a person but as an<br /> artist. The characters in my story were wooden<br /> and unsympathetic. The mother was a<br /> harridan. The daughter was self-righteous and<br /> whiny. I threw away draft after draft in<br /> frustration. But I had to write this story! Go<br /> where the pain is , a writing teacher had once<br /> told me, and I knew from experience that she<br /> was right.<br /> I finally realized that the story wasn’t working<br /> because I had an agenda: to prove that I (thinly<br /> disguised as the fictional daughter) was a good<br /> person who had done her best with her<br /> unreasonable mother, the story’s villain. But in<br /> doing this, I was misusing the story form.<br /> Stories are for understanding the nuances of<br /> life, for empathizing with characters in spite of—<br /> or perhaps because of—their exasperating<br /> frailty. If I wanted my story to succeed, I had to<br /> give up my identification with the daughter and<br /> become the opponent.<br /> It was when I made old Mrs. Dutta the point-<br /> of-view character that the story came together.<br /> It wasn’t easy. But I forced myself to plunge<br /> into her homesickness for India. I finally began<br /> to feel her loneliness, her bafflement at being<br /> trapped in a country where the rules had<br /> changed overnight. And the story came to life. I<br /> understood this, too: The story did not need a<br /> villain; most stories don’t. Mrs. Dutta’s<br /> situation was compelling enough by itself.<br /> Your real-life conflicts are full of riches to be<br /> mined for your fiction. After all, conflict is what<br /> drives plot. But you may find, as I did, that<br /> you’re too close to the subject matter of your<br /> life’s battles to achieve the objectivity you need<br /> to tell the story with the complexity it deserves.<br /> Try stepping into your adversary’s shoes with<br /> honest empathy, and you may find the fresh<br /> perspective your story needs.<br /> 3. Use your secret expertise.<br /> When I was planning my first novel, I knew I<br /> wanted it to be about immigrant life in America,<br /> its challenges and joys. The subject fascinated<br /> me because I was living it myself; it surrounded<br /> me on every side in my Indian-American<br /> community. But I didn’t want a realistic<br /> documentation of daily life to portray the ways<br /> in which we were changing America and being<br /> transformed by it. I’d already done that in my<br /> debut collection of stories, Arranged Marriage .<br /> This time I wanted something unusual and<br /> unexpected, something to astonish readers into<br /> delight and attention.<br /> The answer came to me one day when I was<br /> cooking. As I opened the steel container that<br /> held my spices and their pungent smells rose<br /> up to greet me, I thought of how recipes<br /> containing them had been passed down<br /> through generations of my family—not just to<br /> gratify the palate, but for their medicinal<br /> properties and lucky powers. I knew that<br /> turmeric was a germ killer that could be<br /> smeared on fish to preserve it until frying time.<br /> Considered sacred, it was also used in prayer<br /> ceremonies. Fenugreek soaked in water<br /> soothed stomach ailments. Red pepper thinned<br /> the blood, mitigated colds and guarded against<br /> the evil eye. All of this was common knowledge<br /> in my ancestral village. But here in America, this<br /> information was rare, even exotic. What if I<br /> created a character who truly understood<br /> spices? Who had studied them all her life and<br /> now used her knowledge to help her<br /> community? Where would I place her?<br /> It came to me that one of the most magical<br /> places I have encountered in this country is the<br /> Indian grocery store. Stepping into one is like<br /> stepping into a separate world. The shadowy<br /> aisles are crowded with mysterious substances<br /> —mysterious, that is, unless you possess a<br /> special knowledge. I visualized a woman<br /> walking the aisles, plunging her arm into a bin<br /> of coriander, tucking a stick of cinnamon into a<br /> lonely customer’s turban to bring him friends.<br /> That was how the idea, protagonist and setting<br /> for my first novel came to me: Tilo, the owner of<br /> the spice store, had special powers. She could<br /> look into her customers’ hearts; she could<br /> commune with the spices and ask them to do<br /> her bidding; in exchange for this power, she had<br /> promised never to fall in love. Suddenly I could<br /> see the plot structure: Many people would<br /> come to Tilo for assistance, and their problems<br /> would help the reader understand the<br /> immigrant community. I also had my conflict:<br /> Tilo would fall in love with one of the customers<br /> and be forced to choose between her power to<br /> do good and the love she craved. The resulting<br /> novel, The Mistress of Spices , became a<br /> bestseller.<br /> The things that are second nature to you, or<br /> that have fascinated you since childhood, can<br /> be some of your most authentic, amazing<br /> things—and yet authors often overlook them,<br /> hidden in plain sight. In fact, drawing on your<br /> secret expertise is perhaps the most natural<br /> way of all to write what you know.<br /> These techniques have helped me take the raw<br /> material of my life and shape it into fiction that<br /> no one else could have written. I am confident<br /> that if you experiment with them, you will be<br /> equally pleased with the results.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbGdHJKMT4p2WquuAB_-tk9czfWHAEZhh6xmPl-KT1CMlBWUCZ3pU1Ice41Fb876CqLP8bdqrAX0Gi2OMUOvYE_hXBsYNiwnWV2TtZlzLawN8Fym5HIeBNBi4GxE_IEoqJwf2GX9z4xI/s1600/thinking-man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbGdHJKMT4p2WquuAB_-tk9czfWHAEZhh6xmPl-KT1CMlBWUCZ3pU1Ice41Fb876CqLP8bdqrAX0Gi2OMUOvYE_hXBsYNiwnWV2TtZlzLawN8Fym5HIeBNBi4GxE_IEoqJwf2GX9z4xI/s640/thinking-man.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Writers tutorial entry; Novelist guide to writing only what they know

In my novel One Amazing Thing, nine characters are trapped by an earthquake in the basement of a high-rise building. When they realize t...

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Featured profile entry; Tom Clancy (RIP)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Thomas Leo Clancy was born in Rosedale, Maryland, U.S on the 12th of April 1947. He was a reknown novelist in the genres Techno-thriller, crime fiction, non-fiction and spy fiction, from 1969 until 2013 when he died. He wrote several novels 17 of which were best sellers. His latest novel was due to release this december. He was a joint partner in the establishment of Red Light Entertainment later bought by Ubi soft which saw to the release of the classic Tom Clancy games which includes:<br /> The Rainbow six series <br /> The Ghost Reckon series <br /> The H.A.W.X series<br /> The Splinter Cell series and<br /> The EndWar series.<br /> Death<br /> Clancy died on October 1, 2013, after a brief<br /> illness at Johns Hopkins Hospital , near his<br /> Baltimore home. Clancy is survived by<br /> his wife, Alexandra; their daughter, Alexis;<br /> and four children from a previous marriage<br /> to Wanda King: Michelle Bandy, Christine<br /> Blocksidge, Kathleen Clancy, Ph.D., and<br /> Thomas Clancy III.  The Chicago Tribune<br /> quoted Pulitzer Prize-winning author<br /> Stephen Hunter as saying, "When he<br /> published The Hunt for Red October he<br /> redefined and expanded the genre and as a<br /> consequence of that, a lot of people were<br /> able to publish such books who had<br /> previously been unable to do so." <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3H6JqjsTbz5mnsrhLDn4SzasrFsuiLy8DlVyXeLxDOf_8QAYBTSD-0LmuWDX-Y_zQLoyjrHi-2dAkTQ6s2VGVgHIBZ_iHWECzKHzck2kRQVbEyFxFjRg3I7w20ziQHVGW4_zuY-23Oo/s1600/220px-Tom_Clancy_at_Burns_Library_cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3H6JqjsTbz5mnsrhLDn4SzasrFsuiLy8DlVyXeLxDOf_8QAYBTSD-0LmuWDX-Y_zQLoyjrHi-2dAkTQ6s2VGVgHIBZ_iHWECzKHzck2kRQVbEyFxFjRg3I7w20ziQHVGW4_zuY-23Oo/s640/220px-Tom_Clancy_at_Burns_Library_cropped.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Featured profile entry; Tom Clancy (RIP)

Thomas Leo Clancy was born in Rosedale, Maryland, U.S on the 12th of April 1947. He was a reknown novelist in the genres Techno-thriller, c...

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Writers tutorial entry; Use character signatures to make minor characters memorable

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> One secret of crafting a great story is to make<br /> your characters strong and memorable. That's<br /> no trick when you're introducing a major<br /> character or 'protagonist'. But what about<br /> those little people?<br /> When introducing minor characters, especially<br /> in a novel or long story, give them a ‘character<br /> signature ’ on their first appearance. This helps<br /> the reader to remember them later.<br /> When we first meet a person in the flesh, we<br /> note their physical shape, face, dress, manner<br /> of speech and behaviour. And usually in that<br /> order . Involuntarily, we tend to ‘file’ our<br /> memory of that person by the characteristics<br /> that we first noted.<br /> Of course, as we get to know that person - as in<br /> the case of a major character in a story - our<br /> first impressions are overwritten by all manner<br /> of other things. The character ‘develops’.<br /> But if we rarely or never meet that person<br /> again, as with a minor character in fiction, our<br /> initial memory sticks. That is a ‘character<br /> signature’. Here are some ideas for crafting one:<br /> a. Physiognomy or body shape.<br /> Be imaginative in your ‘signature’. Readers are<br /> unlikely to remember, merely from your<br /> description at the outset, that a person is tall,<br /> short, thin or fat. But they will remember ‘he<br /> heaved into the room, as massive as a bank<br /> vault door’.<br /> You can then remind them of his bulk later with<br /> variations on that signature eg: ‘he eased his<br /> weight into the chair’; ‘he smiled, and the vault<br /> creaked open; ‘his face slammed shut’, etc.<br /> b. A facial quirk.<br /> In his Dr Thorndyke stories, Austin Freeman<br /> makes his amiable inventor Polton<br /> unforgettable with one word. Every time Polton<br /> appears, his eyes or face ‘crinkle’.<br /> c. A habit of dress.<br /> We tend to prejudge people by their clothes. (If<br /> we didn’t, the fashion industry would collapse.)<br /> So any peculiarity of dress can give our<br /> characters a ‘signature’ eg: ‘her scarf was a<br /> piece of chewed string’. If the woman appears<br /> later, we need only make a reference to<br /> someone wearing a ‘chewed-string scarf' to<br /> identify the character.<br /> d. A tic of speech.<br /> Almost all of Dickens’s minor characters have<br /> some oddity of speech. Remember Sam<br /> Weller’s Cockneyisms and his pronunciation of<br /> ‘v’ as ‘w’? Perhaps one of your minor characters<br /> could reiterate a distinctive phrase eg: ‘it<br /> cannot be denied’ (with later variants like ‘it is<br /> undeniable’, ‘nor can I deny it’, etc).<br /> I once gave a dotty old squire the<br /> catchphrase ‘as you say’ so that his<br /> friends could mercilessly lampoon him by<br /> echoing it: ‘as you say’, ‘would you say?’,<br /> ‘do I say, sir?’, etc. Someone would only<br /> have to whisper with a wink 'as you say' -<br /> and the reader would know that the squire<br /> was about to appear!<br /> To make a character repulsive, of course, you<br /> could have him or her mindlessly repeat the<br /> word ‘whatever’. (Or whatever...).<br /> e. Some oddity of behaviour.<br /> How would you feel if a colleague at work,<br /> whom you’ve known for twenty years, greeted<br /> you every morning with a handshake? Gratified<br /> or nonplussed? It depends on your culture.<br /> What similar foible of behaviour might -<br /> instantly - add a personality (or cultural) trait<br /> to a minor character? A habit of chewing their<br /> beard? Of inspecting their nails? Of covering<br /> their mouth while they speak? Of invading<br /> another person’s body space, intentionally or<br /> not? Of backing away from other people? Of<br /> avoiding eye contact? Etc.<br /> Add this 'signature' to a minor character - and<br /> echo it whenever they appear - and the reader<br /> will be reminded of their personality.<br /> Just be careful not to overdo 'signatures' when<br /> portraying major characters. The key players<br /> in a story should quickly become so rounded<br /> and individual, like Sam Weller, that the reader<br /> will be unable to forget them!<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQffWrLSloNhZsemvHOcaKnwuqcfh5u1LoaqnpRHlNngMvNUzbTe3IdUSQSbEBwg_o70KcvDbiLVPYh56GTYwc0Pf6hLYmtOmtNHxZ2FmRkUpZT5rgLWGfYVwj4AtkXIQQ7JGKjE8YA50/s1600/%25252521Luton_GluttonCRX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQffWrLSloNhZsemvHOcaKnwuqcfh5u1LoaqnpRHlNngMvNUzbTe3IdUSQSbEBwg_o70KcvDbiLVPYh56GTYwc0Pf6hLYmtOmtNHxZ2FmRkUpZT5rgLWGfYVwj4AtkXIQQ7JGKjE8YA50/s640/%25252521Luton_GluttonCRX.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Writers tutorial entry; Use character signatures to make minor characters memorable

One secret of crafting a great story is to make your characters strong and memorable. That's no trick when you're introducing a m...

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Musical muse tutorial entry; Musical frustration

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Are you musically frustrated with yourself? Are<br /> you not the musician that you want to be? Or<br /> not as good as you could be or should be? Do<br /> you look with envy at other musicians who are<br /> doing what you wish you could be doing? Does<br /> reaching your musical goals seem out of reach?<br /> I think just about everyone has had these<br /> thoughts go through their mind from time to<br /> time. Fortunately, you are not alone and there<br /> are things you can do to combat the negativity<br /> of frustration. Many of the great masters of<br /> music have been frustrated at times with their<br /> own musical abilities. I've provided four (4)<br /> examples from famous classical composers:<br /> 1. Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) worked<br /> for long periods of time on his compositions<br /> before completing them. He revised his pieces<br /> over and over again, reworking them, doubting<br /> his original efforts. This was almost unheard of<br /> in Beethoven's time. Many of you may already<br /> know that Beethoven gradually became deaf<br /> later in his life. Because of this, Beethoven quit<br /> performing as a pianist in 1814 (13 years<br /> before his death). He stopped composing in<br /> 1815.<br /> 2. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was so<br /> frustrated with his composing abilities that he<br /> spent twenty-one (21) years composing his<br /> first symphony! He felt as if he could never<br /> compose a symphony as well as Beethoven.<br /> Brahms kept starting over with his symphony,<br /> revising it, abandoning it, starting over,<br /> reworking it, etc.<br /> 3. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) (master of<br /> symphonies), revised his symphonies and other<br /> works after having doubts about what he had<br /> composed originally. Mahler kept revising his<br /> works until his death. It must have been<br /> frustrating to keep revising pieces that were<br /> already published.<br /> 4. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) actually stopped<br /> composing for about 30 years because he felt<br /> that he had run out of new musical ideas. He<br /> doubted his abilities to compose anything<br /> worthwhile at the height of his popularity. He<br /> worked on new music for those 30 or so years,<br /> sketching his ideas during the day and<br /> throwing them away every time. That is some<br /> very serious frustration!<br /> Beethoven began composing again in 1817.<br /> Many of his most important compositions are<br /> from this last period in his life. Beethoven broke<br /> new ground and had done things never before<br /> done in music once he began working again.<br /> Had he continued to let the frustrations of his<br /> deafness paralyze him musically, Beethoven<br /> would not be as highly regarded as he is to this<br /> day.<br /> After the twenty-one (21) period of composing<br /> his first symphony, Brahms felt relieved. The<br /> shadow of Beethoven was lifted enough to<br /> allow Brahms to move forward. He finally found<br /> a way to move on and deal with his<br /> frustrations. He completed his next symphony<br /> in less than one year.<br /> Frustration can be help you or hurt you<br /> depending on how you deal with it. As you can<br /> see, Beethoven and Brahms eventually found<br /> positive ways to deal with their frustration and<br /> overcame it. Unfortunately, Sibelius never did.<br /> He is perhaps the most extreme example of a<br /> person who let frustration destroy him<br /> musically. Sadly, he died without finishing any<br /> substantial music compositions during the last<br /> 30 years of his life!<br /> When I was a teenager, some friends of mine<br /> (all guitar players) and I went to see Yngwie<br /> Malmsteen perform in Chicago. After the<br /> concert had finished, some of my friends made<br /> comments about how they felt depressed after<br /> hearing Yngwie and that they just wanted to<br /> quit playing guitar completely. We were all<br /> young and knew how much better Yngwie was<br /> as a musician than we were. The main<br /> difference between their reaction and mine was<br /> they let their awe for Yngwie frustrate them to<br /> the point of feeling hopeless in their efforts to<br /> become better players. Many of my friends<br /> stopped playing their guitars for several days,<br /> one of them actually did quit completely.<br /> My reaction to the event was quite different. I<br /> used my awe for Yngwie as a massive positive<br /> inspiring force. I was so inspired that I went<br /> straight home and practiced through the night<br /> until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.<br /> The point here is not to seek to avoid<br /> frustration, but to use it to your advantage. I<br /> have always turned my own musical<br /> frustrations as the biggest source of<br /> motivation. I was always looking for other<br /> players to jam with that were better than I was.<br /> Of course that was easy to do when I was a<br /> beginner and became increasingly more<br /> difficult over the years that followed. I got a lot<br /> out of those experiences.<br /> In a past article I wrote on perseverance, I<br /> wrote of the importance of believing in yourself<br /> and not giving up. I don't want to be too<br /> redundant here, but those points are worth<br /> mentioning briefly again.<br /> Too often players don't ever reach their own<br /> potential because they feel they couldn't<br /> measure up to other players or their own<br /> expectations. Why compare yourself to others.<br /> Does it really matter if you are, or are not, as<br /> good as someone else? Of course not. Music<br /> should not be thought of as a competitive<br /> sport. It is, and should be, an art. All that really<br /> matters is how well you are able to express<br /> yourself. Therefore the only question should be<br /> this: Do you currently have the skills to express<br /> yourself fully in music?<br /> As much as I have never liked or respected<br /> Nirvana's singer/songwriter/guitarist Kurt<br /> Cobain, I must admit that he was able to<br /> express himself fairly well. Despite the fact that<br /> Kurt's musical skills were primitive and very<br /> limited, one could hear his personality come<br /> through his music. It didn't matter that he was<br /> not a good guitarist. It didn't matter that his<br /> knowledge of music theory was probably close<br /> to zero. It also didn't matter that he played out<br /> of tune and had an absolutely sloppy guitar<br /> technique. Fortunately for him, what he wanted<br /> to express didn't require any of the skills that<br /> most musicians generally consider to be good<br /> and necessary. Had Kurt wanted to express<br /> anything more significant or complex he would<br /> have been extremely frustrated because he<br /> didn't have a lot of musicianship skills beyond<br /> what could be heard in his music. So in the end,<br /> it worked out well for him and my guess is that<br /> he probably wasn't very frustrated with himself<br /> musically because he wasn't trying to be a<br /> better guitarist, songwriter or singer than<br /> anyone else. He didn't make those types of<br /> comparisons between himself and the rest of<br /> the music world.<br /> This is, in my opinion, the only significant thing<br /> to that we can all follow. Of course Kurt<br /> Cobain's approach to not caring about those<br /> comparisons is certainly not a new idea,<br /> countless others before and after him have also<br /> done so. He is used here as an example<br /> because most everyone during our time knows<br /> him.<br /> In my own life, the thought of quitting guitar<br /> early on did occur in my mind (although never<br /> very seriously). As a teenager, I too was<br /> frustrated when I thought I may never become<br /> a virtuoso guitarist (like Yngwie or Jason<br /> Becker) and may never become a master<br /> composer (like Bach or Chopin). When I<br /> stopped trying to compete with everyone else<br /> and made new goals of self-expression,<br /> everything changed. I stopped making<br /> comparisons to other guitarists, composers<br /> and songwriters, because with my new goal,<br /> those comparisons did little or nothing to serve<br /> my new quest to simply express myself fully<br /> through music. I felt liberated from the burden<br /> of having to compete with the rest of the world.<br /> Beginning in the early 1990s, my only focus<br /> was on gaining more of the skills, tools, etc.<br /> that I would need to express what I had inside<br /> me.<br /> In my case, what I want to express does<br /> require a high level of guitar and compositional<br /> virtuosity, musical complexity and integrity, etc.<br /> Because I need those skills, my journey to<br /> reach a higher level of musicianship has taken<br /> a lot more time, effort, studying, etc. than it did<br /> for someone like Kurt Cobain who had very<br /> different needs to express himself than mine.<br /> Most musicians who will read this will have<br /> much greater musical ambitions than Kurt<br /> Cobain and so for you, you will feel frustrated<br /> whenever you feel limited by your abilities. The<br /> key is to use that as a positive force in the form<br /> of motivation and inspiration. Masters of all<br /> types of art have gone through what you are<br /> going through. Today you are at whatever skill<br /> level you are at. Through your frustration and<br /> motivation, you will eventually reach your<br /> current goals. As you reach those goals you<br /> will probably still feel frustrated because your<br /> desire to improve even further will make you<br /> establish new goals for yourself. And so the<br /> cycle will go on and on. But you too are<br /> progressing and improving on and on.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNmW4aFpWPDmyoaZxCQk4WVQ_BfWjPgSFKomJaR60u0mW3iMDooJrMFQi_rc2TruhM63d1oZ57fXVBGqdcMHxdaFbRByN4z8KvVUyLgLkoi7ExlP3WGdb6U-z7Vutr-6jIjT3dL_Mflo/s1600/200px-Guitar_Hero_series_controllers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNmW4aFpWPDmyoaZxCQk4WVQ_BfWjPgSFKomJaR60u0mW3iMDooJrMFQi_rc2TruhM63d1oZ57fXVBGqdcMHxdaFbRByN4z8KvVUyLgLkoi7ExlP3WGdb6U-z7Vutr-6jIjT3dL_Mflo/s640/200px-Guitar_Hero_series_controllers.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Musical muse tutorial entry; Musical frustration

Are you musically frustrated with yourself? Are you not the musician that you want to be? Or not as good as you could be or should be? Do...

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Musical muse tutorial entry; How to play a flute

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Buy or rent a flute from a music<br /> store . When first starting to play an<br /> instrument, you should consider<br /> renting to be certain that you enjoy<br /> it enough to purchase. If you're<br /> sure you are going to enjoy it, rent-<br /> to-own or buying are good options.<br /> If you are taking lessons, it would<br /> be a good choice to consult your<br /> teacher about the right type and the<br /> positioning of the flute for you.<br /> Flutes can cost from 100 to 1000+<br /> dollars, but good quality student<br /> flutes sell at around the 300 mark.<br /> Beginners should get a closed-hole<br /> student flute, of a good, reputable<br /> brand, as many cheap flutes are<br /> poorly made, and hard to play as a<br /> result. Expensive, professional<br /> flutes, mostly open-holed, are for<br /> more experienced flute players and<br /> are also often hard to play, but for<br /> different reasons. Before you buy,<br /> get some advice from other players<br /> and/or teachers to help select the<br /> right instrument for you.<br /> Click <a href="http://m.wikihow.com/Play-the-Flute">here</a> to read more<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPhmI1FYmFYkm5inXIFBnnjnZ257dAYK7dOvXLEz7iVnW2vI89yP49tuINNvABtcx32K4EL5z0hpnDvCsofpnWWPFiQ8JdipZclMwpwvkBZfFGjfF-MkHlS_btXpGT9-jUnbEw7p6CMc/s1600/250px-Play-the-Flute-Step-8-Version-3_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPhmI1FYmFYkm5inXIFBnnjnZ257dAYK7dOvXLEz7iVnW2vI89yP49tuINNvABtcx32K4EL5z0hpnDvCsofpnWWPFiQ8JdipZclMwpwvkBZfFGjfF-MkHlS_btXpGT9-jUnbEw7p6CMc/s640/250px-Play-the-Flute-Step-8-Version-3_3.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Musical muse tutorial entry; How to play a flute

Buy or rent a flute from a music store . When first starting to play an instrument, you should consider renting to be certain that you e...

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Musical muse entry; Musical frustration

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Are you musically frustrated with yourself? Are<br /> you not the musician that you want to be? Or<br /> not as good as you could be or should be? Do<br /> you look with envy at other musicians who are<br /> doing what you wish you could be doing? Does<br /> reaching your musical goals seem out of reach?<br /> I think just about everyone has had these<br /> thoughts go through their mind from time to<br /> time. Fortunately, you are not alone and there<br /> are things you can do to combat the negativity<br /> of frustration. Many of the great masters of<br /> music have been frustrated at times with their<br /> own musical abilities. I've provided four (4)<br /> examples from famous classical composers:<br /> 1. Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) worked<br /> for long periods of time on his compositions<br /> before completing them. He revised his pieces<br /> over and over again, reworking them, doubting<br /> his original efforts. This was almost unheard of<br /> in Beethoven's time. Many of you may already<br /> know that Beethoven gradually became deaf<br /> later in his life. Because of this, Beethoven quit<br /> performing as a pianist in 1814 (13 years<br /> before his death). He stopped composing in<br /> 1815.<br /> 2. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was so<br /> frustrated with his composing abilities that he<br /> spent twenty-one (21) years composing his<br /> first symphony! He felt as if he could never<br /> compose a symphony as well as Beethoven.<br /> Brahms kept starting over with his symphony,<br /> revising it, abandoning it, starting over,<br /> reworking it, etc.<br /> 3. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) (master of<br /> symphonies), revised his symphonies and other<br /> works after having doubts about what he had<br /> composed originally. Mahler kept revising his<br /> works until his death. It must have been<br /> frustrating to keep revising pieces that were<br /> already published.<br /> 4. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) actually stopped<br /> composing for about 30 years because he felt<br /> that he had run out of new musical ideas. He<br /> doubted his abilities to compose anything<br /> worthwhile at the height of his popularity. He<br /> worked on new music for those 30 or so years,<br /> sketching his ideas during the day and<br /> throwing them away every time. That is some<br /> very serious frustration!<br /> Beethoven began composing again in 1817.<br /> Many of his most important compositions are<br /> from this last period in his life. Beethoven broke<br /> new ground and had done things never before<br /> done in music once he began working again.<br /> Had he continued to let the frustrations of his<br /> deafness paralyze him musically, Beethoven<br /> would not be as highly regarded as he is to this<br /> day.<br /> After the twenty-one (21) period of composing<br /> his first symphony, Brahms felt relieved. The<br /> shadow of Beethoven was lifted enough to<br /> allow Brahms to move forward. He finally found<br /> a way to move on and deal with his<br /> frustrations. He completed his next symphony<br /> in less than one year.<br /> Frustration can be help you or hurt you<br /> depending on how you deal with it. As you can<br /> see, Beethoven and Brahms eventually found<br /> positive ways to deal with their frustration and<br /> overcame it. Unfortunately, Sibelius never did.<br /> He is perhaps the most extreme example of a<br /> person who let frustration destroy him<br /> musically. Sadly, he died without finishing any<br /> substantial music compositions during the last<br /> 30 years of his life!<br /> When I was a teenager, some friends of mine<br /> (all guitar players) and I went to see Yngwie<br /> Malmsteen perform in Chicago. After the<br /> concert had finished, some of my friends made<br /> comments about how they felt depressed after<br /> hearing Yngwie and that they just wanted to<br /> quit playing guitar completely. We were all<br /> young and knew how much better Yngwie was<br /> as a musician than we were. The main<br /> difference between their reaction and mine was<br /> they let their awe for Yngwie frustrate them to<br /> the point of feeling hopeless in their efforts to<br /> become better players. Many of my friends<br /> stopped playing their guitars for several days,<br /> one of them actually did quit completely.<br /> My reaction to the event was quite different. I<br /> used my awe for Yngwie as a massive positive<br /> inspiring force. I was so inspired that I went<br /> straight home and practiced through the night<br /> until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.<br /> The point here is not to seek to avoid<br /> frustration, but to use it to your advantage. I<br /> have always turned my own musical<br /> frustrations as the biggest source of<br /> motivation. I was always looking for other<br /> players to jam with that were better than I was.<br /> Of course that was easy to do when I was a<br /> beginner and became increasingly more<br /> difficult over the years that followed. I got a lot<br /> out of those experiences.<br /> In a past article I wrote on perseverance, I<br /> wrote of the importance of believing in yourself<br /> and not giving up. I don't want to be too<br /> redundant here, but those points are worth<br /> mentioning briefly again.<br /> Too often players don't ever reach their own<br /> potential because they feel they couldn't<br /> measure up to other players or their own<br /> expectations. Why compare yourself to others.<br /> Does it really matter if you are, or are not, as<br /> good as someone else? Of course not. Music<br /> should not be thought of as a competitive<br /> sport. It is, and should be, an art. All that really<br /> matters is how well you are able to express<br /> yourself. Therefore the only question should be<br /> this: Do you currently have the skills to express<br /> yourself fully in music?<br /> As much as I have never liked or respected<br /> Nirvana's singer/songwriter/guitarist Kurt<br /> Cobain, I must admit that he was able to<br /> express himself fairly well. Despite the fact that<br /> Kurt's musical skills were primitive and very<br /> limited, one could hear his personality come<br /> through his music. It didn't matter that he was<br /> not a good guitarist. It didn't matter that his<br /> knowledge of music theory was probably close<br /> to zero. It also didn't matter that he played out<br /> of tune and had an absolutely sloppy guitar<br /> technique. Fortunately for him, what he wanted<br /> to express didn't require any of the skills that<br /> most musicians generally consider to be good<br /> and necessary. Had Kurt wanted to express<br /> anything more significant or complex he would<br /> have been extremely frustrated because he<br /> didn't have a lot of musicianship skills beyond<br /> what could be heard in his music. So in the end,<br /> it worked out well for him and my guess is that<br /> he probably wasn't very frustrated with himself<br /> musically because he wasn't trying to be a<br /> better guitarist, songwriter or singer than<br /> anyone else. He didn't make those types of<br /> comparisons between himself and the rest of<br /> the music world.<br /> This is, in my opinion, the only significant thing<br /> to that we can all follow. Of course Kurt<br /> Cobain's approach to not caring about those<br /> comparisons is certainly not a new idea,<br /> countless others before and after him have also<br /> done so. He is used here as an example<br /> because most everyone during our time knows<br /> him.<br /> In my own life, the thought of quitting guitar<br /> early on did occur in my mind (although never<br /> very seriously). As a teenager, I too was<br /> frustrated when I thought I may never become<br /> a virtuoso guitarist (like Yngwie or Jason<br /> Becker) and may never become a master<br /> composer (like Bach or Chopin). When I<br /> stopped trying to compete with everyone else<br /> and made new goals of self-expression,<br /> everything changed. I stopped making<br /> comparisons to other guitarists, composers<br /> and songwriters, because with my new goal,<br /> those comparisons did little or nothing to serve<br /> my new quest to simply express myself fully<br /> through music. I felt liberated from the burden<br /> of having to compete with the rest of the world.<br /> Beginning in the early 1990s, my only focus<br /> was on gaining more of the skills, tools, etc.<br /> that I would need to express what I had inside<br /> me.<br /> In my case, what I want to express does<br /> require a high level of guitar and compositional<br /> virtuosity, musical complexity and integrity, etc.<br /> Because I need those skills, my journey to<br /> reach a higher level of musicianship has taken<br /> a lot more time, effort, studying, etc. than it did<br /> for someone like Kurt Cobain who had very<br /> different needs to express himself than mine.<br /> Most musicians who will read this will have<br /> much greater musical ambitions than Kurt<br /> Cobain and so for you, you will feel frustrated<br /> whenever you feel limited by your abilities. The<br /> key is to use that as a positive force in the form<br /> of motivation and inspiration. Masters of all<br /> types of art have gone through what you are<br /> going through. Today you are at whatever skill<br /> level you are at. Through your frustration and<br /> motivation, you will eventually reach your<br /> current goals. As you reach those goals you<br /> will probably still feel frustrated because your<br /> desire to improve even further will make you<br /> establish new goals for yourself. And so the<br /> cycle will go on and on. But you too are<br /> progressing and improving on and on.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNmW4aFpWPDmyoaZxCQk4WVQ_BfWjPgSFKomJaR60u0mW3iMDooJrMFQi_rc2TruhM63d1oZ57fXVBGqdcMHxdaFbRByN4z8KvVUyLgLkoi7ExlP3WGdb6U-z7Vutr-6jIjT3dL_Mflo/s1600/200px-Guitar_Hero_series_controllers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNmW4aFpWPDmyoaZxCQk4WVQ_BfWjPgSFKomJaR60u0mW3iMDooJrMFQi_rc2TruhM63d1oZ57fXVBGqdcMHxdaFbRByN4z8KvVUyLgLkoi7ExlP3WGdb6U-z7Vutr-6jIjT3dL_Mflo/s640/200px-Guitar_Hero_series_controllers.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Musical muse entry; Musical frustration

Are you musically frustrated with yourself? Are you not the musician that you want to be? Or not as good as you could be or should be? Do...

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Writers tutorial entry; consistent story points

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> In a story, the major plot points are either<br /> driven by decisions or actions. While a story<br /> may naturally ebb and flow between both, when<br /> all is said and done, one of these will be seen<br /> as the primary driving plot force in a story. This<br /> is because meaningful stories are really just an<br /> argument and effective arguments have a<br /> pattern they must adhere to.<br /> An author picks either an action or a decision<br /> to set the wheels of inequity into motion. In<br /> doing so, the argument of the story is begun.<br /> Choosing whether an action leads to a decision<br /> or a decision leads to an action is essentially<br /> telling an audience “This sort of thing leads to<br /> that.” This pattern is now set up as the pattern<br /> of logic that will be examined in the Objective<br /> Story. An author then concludes her argument<br /> with the meaningful bookend, “No. Actually, this<br /> sort of thing leads to that.”<br /> Meaningful stories are really just an<br /> argument<br /> This is a simplified look at the mechanics in a<br /> story, but is essential towards understanding<br /> why the story driver must stay consistent.<br /> If the major plots are different or are changed<br /> halfway through a film, the integrity of a story<br /> falls apart. The author ends up making an<br /> argument that sounds something like this:<br /> “This sort of thing leads to that. Well…no.<br /> Actually, that sort of thing leads to this.”<br /> The author who does this has, in essence,<br /> begun a completely new argument. The context<br /> has been spun around on an unsuspecting<br /> audience.<br /> We, as an audience, were originally examining<br /> the logical effects of decisions leading to<br /> actions, or actions leading to decisions. This<br /> was the pattern that was being appraised. If we<br /> were looking at why certain decisions lead to<br /> problematic actions, we’d like to know what<br /> kinds of decisions would lead us away from<br /> those problems (or towards more if the overall<br /> story ended in failure). Likewise with actions<br /> leading to problematic decisions.<br /> The fantastic thing about knowing the plot<br /> driver of your story is that you never again<br /> have to suffer from that awful question, “What<br /> happens next?” An action-driven story requires<br /> an action to spin the story in a different<br /> direction. A decision will do nothing to further<br /> the story. The same with decision-driven<br /> stories. In order for a decision-driven story to<br /> progress the story requires a decision to be<br /> made. Trying to force an act-turn with an<br /> action simply won’t work.<br /> Star Wars was driven by actions (Death Star<br /> created, Death Star destroyed), while The<br /> Godfather was driven by decisions (Don<br /> Corleone decides not to support the drug<br /> running, Michael decides to become the new<br /> Godfather). Toy Story was driven by actions<br /> (Buzz arrives in Andy’s room, Buzz and Woody<br /> “land” in Andy’s car), while Searching for<br /> Bobby Fisher was driven by decisions (Josh<br /> decides to hold on to the chess piece instead of<br /> the baseball, Josh decides to offer a draw to<br /> Jonathan).<br /> Countless other great films stay consistent in<br /> the type of plot point that drives their story<br /> forward. At the very least, the two most<br /> important plot points - the Inciting Incident and the Concluding Event - need to be either both. based on actions, or based on decisions.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgby1OIsikfAMaV6NfjG0nn3VmSP_HaCSHgs6Df8TGNHznSMC-4mec-bEqqDIDAE2sXMhyVHcQdX5Ih1_bj-SWp2nEN2WakkNYXQJcxBR-PE9AAyDn4CEiyjAuQwDZMzM-A-b5aMhgMGzo/s1600/scroll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgby1OIsikfAMaV6NfjG0nn3VmSP_HaCSHgs6Df8TGNHznSMC-4mec-bEqqDIDAE2sXMhyVHcQdX5Ih1_bj-SWp2nEN2WakkNYXQJcxBR-PE9AAyDn4CEiyjAuQwDZMzM-A-b5aMhgMGzo/s640/scroll.jpg" /> </a> </div> </div>

Writers tutorial entry; consistent story points

In a story, the major plot points are either driven by decisions or actions. While a story may naturally ebb and flow between both, when ...

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