Year: 2017

Character Introductions

So the other day we watched Dr. Strange, mostly because of Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton.

I thought they did a particularly good job of introducing the character of Dr. Strange and his desires.  You see a glimpse of his normal life before his world is upended. This glimpse tells us all we need to know about the character and why he is so driven to try anything to regain his motor control after a horrible accident. This desire drives every action and decision he makes.  There’s the old saw of giving your character a desire, even if it’s for a glass of water (Bradbury, among others, recommends this).  Not only do we know Dr, Strange’s desire, we know why he has it.

He also, pointedly, keeps reminding people that his title is doctor when they try to address him by anything else.  This serves to remind us of his chosen identity – he is a doctor, is known for being a doctor, and wants to keep being a doctor.

Interestingly, I think they also erred in a way a lot of beginning novelists err – in starting with action without context. It’s hard to know who we’re cheering for or why we should cheer at all when we’re dumped in the middle of something.  Yes, the special effects were cool – but while I enjoyed them I was also frustrated.

Is this a perfect movie?  No. I think they tried to cram too much into it, with the thought that more, bigger, faster always equals better (spoiler: it doesn’t). But there are certainly lessons to be learned from it.


Kicking off the year with the Kansas Writers Association

This Saturday I speak at the Kansas Writers Association meeting about editing.  I’ve jotted a bunch of notes in my journal, and am now in the process of creating handouts (which I will post later).  I am currently planning to do a series based around those handouts.  Of course, even though I’ve been working on my thoughts since I was invited to speak, the idea of connected posts only occurred to me this week.  There won’t be quite enough time (there never is) to cover everything, so a series seems like a great way to go more in depth.

I’ve been a member of KWA since 2006 (if not earlier).  It’s gone through a lot of changes with the advancement of the internet.  Less people attend, which I think is a shame.  I’ve learned a lot – but to me it’s about meeting local writers.  Most of the friends I have made as an adult have come from KWA – either I met them there or I met them through someone I knew from KWA.

I’ve met fascinating people from a variety of backgrounds.  KWA is a group for all genres that attracts all levels of writers, and because of that it’s easy to find people with knowledge of just about anything.  You can learn something from everyone.

So, stay tuned for a series!  And join your local writer’s groups.  Really.  Nothing beats having a writing friend to call up and discuss writing with over coffee (or something stronger).

Hope to see you there!

 

The Kansas Writers Association typically meets the third Saturday of every month at Rockwell Library in Wichita, KS.  For more information, visit http://www.kwawriters.org or look them up on Facebook.