A person peeing and a toilet flushing.
Have you ever noticed that for most overhears our brain eagerly seeks out an image to represent it? I overhear a mom reading to a toddler, and without even seeing it I picture the child sitting on the mom’s lap, maybe even eating a cookie or treat. I overhear a truck passing by with music blaring, and I picture what the driver looks like, including details like his pierced ear or mustache. But guess what? Sitting next to the bathroom at the DMV (for an hour and a half) I realized there are some things I really don’t want to visualize. A guy peeing happens to be one of them. It got me thinking: what other sounds would I not want to connect with an image? Of course there is the generally accepted, parents having sex, but what else? For me most bodily functions are off limits…. Changing a pad during a period, someone picking their nose (although I’m not sure what sound I would overhear associated with that one), and someone scratching their chest. But the thing is that as a writer, when I create my characters, I have to imagine them doing all of these things. Why? As readers (or viewers of media) we aren’t typically subjected to these images. But it doesn’t mean the character doesn’t do them. And no, before you call my husband in concern, I don’t mean that I believe my characters are alive. What I mean is that I have to take into account the fact that if my character has a cold they will, undoubtedly need to blow their nose. And, if I have set them someplace where there is no tissue handy (like in the woods,) well then they will pick their nose or wipe it on their sleeve. Do you remember the Amazing Race final episode where the sisters were racing for the finish line and one of them had to use the toilet, costing them the race? Was I the only person to imagine her simply peeing her pants? For some reason I am okay visualizing this. But ask me to picture her sitting on the toilet and I have a much more difficult time. Still, it was one of those rare time when as viewers we were had to participate in this bodily function that usually doesn’t make the final cut. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean I have to force myself to visualize these things in my daily world. Certainly I can tell you that next time I visit the DMV I will put more effort into picking my seat. Here’s to many journeys where you don’t have to sit next to the toilet for the whole trip. Don't forget - I just published Part one of my new Free Read THE PROMISE at: http://freereadsfromthegenre-istas.blogspot.com/2014/05/Birthday-Promises.html
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“My place or yours?”
What an amazing word ‘place’ is! Webster’s definition of place has twelve parts and is far too lengthy to copy here. And though it includes such descriptions as space, atmosphere, environment, time period, social standing, it still fails to capture the entire meaning of the word. I love writing about place. It encapsulates everything that goes into great writing: the people, the setting, the time period, the very essence of each story. Maybe it is because of this that Italy is such a simple example and wonderful place to write about. Italy received a brief cameo in my last novel, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, but claims the entire setting for my next one. Place is so important to my writing that it is even in my tagline, Journeys Inspired by Love. What is it about place that inspires me as a reader and a writer? It feels colorful to me, filled with food, and scenery and accents and architecture. The light is different in each location (think Picasso on the Riviera). The color of food is unique to place. I visualize the reds of pasta and wine in Italy versus the earth tones of spices in Morocco. All of these things can be used to show, rather than tell, about the place. Of course there is also accent or language, and in this authors are cautioned to be careful. I once read a fantastic guest post on Kristen Lamb’s blog, discussing dialogue. In it the guest, revealed the challenges of writing great dialogue. One of these pitfalls is using language that pulls the reader from the story and reminds them they are reading. Some examples of this are: overuse of a single word, like an endearment, using dialogue tags other than said, and overuse of a foreign language or local slang. I can recognize myself in this last one as I’ve had to edit 40 Ciao’s (said by my Italian heroine) out of my current manuscript. (And p.s., foreign language is always formatted in italics; a lesson I learned from one, kind, rejection letter.) Writing place takes in the scent of the foods, the color of the sky, the sound of the traffic and how to say goodbye (other than ciao.) Some of my favorite books which illustrate great use of place are- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows Chasing Cezanne by Peter Mayle (or anything else by this author) Around Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks Molto Mayhem (hopefully coming someday soon, by Deanne Wilsted:>) I hope you are swept away and find yourself in a new and exciting place. Buona Suerta, Deanne I am always looking for novels with a great sense of place. Do you have any good recommendations? I’d love to hear them and promise to share them! Leave me a comment and let me know. |
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June 2020
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