Yup, that's my next tip. Find the absurdity in the little things.
I've blogged before about how I think writers should go big when they're drafting. This is somewhat related.
Sometimes your story is just chugging along. Plot Point A led to Twist B led to Revelation C just like you had planned. But even the most tightly plotted story can feel boring if there isn't a little bit of WTF thrown in for good measure.
Take Gone Girl for example. (Spoilers to follow)
...
...
...
What if Gone Girl had just been a story about a wronged woman who set out to frame her husband for her own murder? What if every scheme had been perfectly executed, and then deliciously foiled, with Amy and Nick cleverly outmaneuvering and remaneuvering (not a word and I'm keeping it) each other at every turn?
Would it still be as compelling?
Maybe ...
The thing is, when you ask people what they remember from Gone Girl, I bet they mention a couple of key elements.
1. The Cool Girl Speech
2. Amy's reference to women "cleaning and bleeding" in commercials, and how she thought about that when she was mopping up her own blood
3. The Amazing Amy books and Amy's deluded, enabling parents
4. The oddball relationship between twins Nick and Margo (her licking the rim of his dirty stein in their bar and saying, "Here you are, my prince" will be forever stuck in my brain)
5. The bonkers ending
...
...
...
(End of spoilers)
The twists and turns of Gone Girl are what kept people up at night, turning page after page, but it was the weirdness that made it stick.
Personal story time: A few weeks ago, I went to Aspen for a lawyer conference. As part of this conference, there was an optional service project. This is pretty par for the course with these types of conferences -- after all, who doesn't love to give back? Most of us signed up.
We were going to be cleaning a school and on Saturday morning we loaded up into a few vans and took off. A friend of mine, who had been on the committee organizing the conference, confided that when folks had begun researching potential service projects in Aspen, they quickly discovered that Aspen was pretty well set on that front. (Who knew? When you're a crazy expensive resort town, you tend to not have too many needy residents.)
So we drove to a slightly-less-wealthy town and pulled up to this preschool. And it took about five minutes to realize that, no, this was not a school for lower income kids. This was just ... a nice, private preschool. For middle class and wealthy children.
As the parent organizer handed out rakes and brooms, she explained that the parents really appreciated the help as most of them had two jobs and just didn't have the time to volunteer themselves.
So 20-30 young lawyers and their conference guests dug holes (for what reason?), moved rocks (again, why?), washed windows, and raked a Japanese Zen garden into the sandbox while a few kids zipped around on their trikes and their parents genially supervised our work.
And we grumbled about the fact that these parents probably should have just organized a weekend cleaning party themselves. Or hired one maintenance guy and patted themselves on the back for being "job creators."
And we grumbled about the fact that we'd taken vacation time from our jobs helping wealthy people to ... help different wealthy people, but for free.
As Diego and his boyfriend swept the road from the gate up to the playground (they were asked to sweep the road. really.), a woman came by with a water bottle in her hand and said, "Oh thank you! You have no idea what it's like to walk up this dusty road every day."
Even the woman realized what a ridiculous statement that was because after a beat of awkward silence, she turned around and walked away.
And when we were done, we packed our dusty, slightly sweaty selves back into the van and went back to our hotel to listen to an hour-long panel discussion about motion practice in court.
You know what makes this mildly amusing anecdote worth telling, in my opinion?
Its sheer ridiculousness.
It would be kind of funny if a group of teenagers had to rake leaves at a wealthy kids school for a punishment. It's REALLY FUNNY when lawyers do it because they were under the impression that it was a service project.
It would be a little funny to ask someone to sweep dust off a road--it's REALLY FUNNY when a woman in Hoity Toity, Colorado (pop 13,000 and not a real place) thinks walking on a dusty road is a hardship.
It's kind of funny if a service project was so unnecessary that organizers asked volunteers to dig random holes and move random rocks, but it's REALLY FUNNY when the volunteers have enough time to rake a Japanese Zen garden in a sandbox.
Those moments in life when things have gotten so ridiculous, you just want to laugh?
Remember those moments, and then look for places to put them into your story. It's the weirdness that will make it feel real.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
unconventional writing tip
This weekend as I was doing some yard work, I was thinking about comedians.
If you haven't ever listened to an entire comedy show, I would recommend it. There's this thing that really great comedians do. Say they start their show with a joke about honeycrisp apples, and then they move into this topic, and that topic, and something else -- and then suddenly, they bring everything right back to honeycrisp apples in a way that is both completely logical and totally unexpected.
I think good writers also do this.
Take Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell for example. On pages 35-36, the reader learns that Cath's twin sister Wren is a bit boy crazy.
"Wren usually lost interest in a guy as soon as she'd won him over. The conversion was her favorite part. 'That moment,' she told Cath, 'when you realize a guy's looking at you differently--that you're taking up more space in his field of vision. That moment when you know he can't see past you anymore.'"
The narration then goes on to explain that Wren's last high school boyfriend never really converted, which threw off her game.
A funny, clever little way to describe the way a teenage girl views love, yes?
Until you get to page 362, and a new boy enters the story:
"Jandro didn't say much besides, 'It's nice to finally meet you, Cath. Wren talks about you all the time. When you post your Simon Snow stories, I'm not allowed to talk to her until she's finished.' He looked like most of Wren's boyfriends--short hair, clean-cut, built to play football--but Cath couldn't remember Wren looking at any of them the way she looked at Alejandro. Like she'd been converted."
Between pages 36 and 362, the concept of "conversion" in regard to love is not brought up again, but suddenly in one paragraph the whole concept is both called back and the reader instantly understands why Wren's relationship with Jandro is so special. In my opinion, little moments like this are what make a good book a Special Book.
So that's my unconventional writing tip for the day: Listen to comedy shows. Figure out how comedians do it.
Reading right now:
Article: The Righteous Anger of Girls
Book: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
If you haven't ever listened to an entire comedy show, I would recommend it. There's this thing that really great comedians do. Say they start their show with a joke about honeycrisp apples, and then they move into this topic, and that topic, and something else -- and then suddenly, they bring everything right back to honeycrisp apples in a way that is both completely logical and totally unexpected.
I think good writers also do this.
Take Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell for example. On pages 35-36, the reader learns that Cath's twin sister Wren is a bit boy crazy.
"Wren usually lost interest in a guy as soon as she'd won him over. The conversion was her favorite part. 'That moment,' she told Cath, 'when you realize a guy's looking at you differently--that you're taking up more space in his field of vision. That moment when you know he can't see past you anymore.'"
The narration then goes on to explain that Wren's last high school boyfriend never really converted, which threw off her game.
A funny, clever little way to describe the way a teenage girl views love, yes?
Until you get to page 362, and a new boy enters the story:
"Jandro didn't say much besides, 'It's nice to finally meet you, Cath. Wren talks about you all the time. When you post your Simon Snow stories, I'm not allowed to talk to her until she's finished.' He looked like most of Wren's boyfriends--short hair, clean-cut, built to play football--but Cath couldn't remember Wren looking at any of them the way she looked at Alejandro. Like she'd been converted."
Between pages 36 and 362, the concept of "conversion" in regard to love is not brought up again, but suddenly in one paragraph the whole concept is both called back and the reader instantly understands why Wren's relationship with Jandro is so special. In my opinion, little moments like this are what make a good book a Special Book.
So that's my unconventional writing tip for the day: Listen to comedy shows. Figure out how comedians do it.
Reading right now:
Article: The Righteous Anger of Girls
Book: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Sunday, March 15, 2015
reading lately: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
My work schedule has finally calmed down, which means a return to your regularly scheduled reading, writing, occasionally cleaning program! This weekend I read BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty and I definitely recommend it. I love a good dark comedy. I laughed out loud several times and came close to crying on more than one occasion (keep in mind, I am a sucker for certain dramatic moments).
More importantly, I have found that when I am reading, writing comes much easier. (Though I'll also admit that reading a fantastic book like BIG LITTLE LIES can also result in some serious intimidation factor. Everything has its ups and downs.)
About the book:
Set in an Australian suburb, Big Little Lies focuses on three women, all of whom have children at the same preschool. One is a great beauty married to a fabulously rich businessman; they have a “perfect” set of twins. One is the can-do mom who can put together a mean pre-school art project but can’t prevent her teenage daughter from preferring her divorced dad. The third is a withdrawn, single mother who doesn’t quite fit in. Right from the start--thanks to a modern “Greek chorus” that narrates the action--we know that someone is going to end up dead. The questions are who and how.
Let me know what you think of it!
More importantly, I have found that when I am reading, writing comes much easier. (Though I'll also admit that reading a fantastic book like BIG LITTLE LIES can also result in some serious intimidation factor. Everything has its ups and downs.)
About the book:
Set in an Australian suburb, Big Little Lies focuses on three women, all of whom have children at the same preschool. One is a great beauty married to a fabulously rich businessman; they have a “perfect” set of twins. One is the can-do mom who can put together a mean pre-school art project but can’t prevent her teenage daughter from preferring her divorced dad. The third is a withdrawn, single mother who doesn’t quite fit in. Right from the start--thanks to a modern “Greek chorus” that narrates the action--we know that someone is going to end up dead. The questions are who and how.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Everything is awesome
I'm luckier than most people, I know. I intended to write this "count my many blessings" post a few days ago, but unforeseen circumstances arose and I thought a public bragathon would be in bad taste.
But I really wanted to share a few things with InternetLand.
Age 30 was pretty great to ol' Ru over here, and I feel I'd be remiss not to acknowledge it.
I finished my most recent book. I got into PitchWars and made a great friend in my mentor, Emily Martin.
AND THEN ... I signed with potentially the coolest agent ever, Maria Vicente.
[There was no silent-screaming-excitement GIF beautiful enough for this moment. Just imagine whatever you consider to be simultaneously the most exciting, the loveliest, and the most Zen, and insert it here.]
[Have you done it?]
[Thank you and namaste. Eeeeeee!]
Seriously, check out her Instagram. She's smart (duh), she loves my book (what?! get outta town...), and she loves cats and books and Buffy and comics, what else is there to know?!
OK, here's a GIF anyway.
 |
| YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY |
 |
| I think I am both the fox and the girl in this GIF. |
I skied several black diamond runs. (Yes, they were at Brighton, a fairly easy ski resort. Yes, I fell down a lot. No, neither of those facts changes my level of smug self-satisfaction.)
I taught a class on descriptive writing at LDS Storymakers. I ran a dirty dash 5K (poorly, but completely). I finished remodeling my kitchen! I had no new fights with my neighbors. I baked several lovely cakes! Spencer is snuggly and happy as always. I was financially responsible (mostly) and if I do say so myself, I'm kind of knocking it out of the park, Secret Day Job-wise too.
Things are not always perfect (understatement alert) but my family is the bomb.
I have really great friends across the board. If I could give them all Leslie Knopeish nicknames, I would, but this post would become absurdly long. So let's leave it at this, friends and family: I COULD JUST HUG ALL YOUR FACES OFF!*
* IF I DIDN'T GENERALLY HATE PHYSICAL CONTACT!
 |
So until next time (hopefully sooner than a month from now), this is Ru, expressing her thanks to the universe and signing off.
 |
| This is just because it's adorable. |
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Cover reveal for NEVER NEVER!
I am so excited to participate in the cover reveal for Brianna Shrum's book NEVER NEVER! I came across Brianna when I was researching Pitch Wars this summer and I can't wait to read this book in September. (I believe I've mentioned my Peter Pan obsession before, yes? Yes.)
So, without further ado, the cover!
Isn't that fantastic? Here's the summary:
Add it on Goodreads or follow Brianna on Twitter here!
So, without further ado, the cover!
Isn't that fantastic? Here's the summary:
James
Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.
When he
meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a
man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins
Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s
dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself
longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses
to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he
loves. A world where children are to never grow up.
But grow
up he does.
And thus
begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.
This
story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about
a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and
his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land
where everyone loves Peter Pan.
Except
one.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
diversity and the Academy Awards
So the nominees for the Academy Awards were announced today, and unsurprisingly, a lot of people are upset by the overwhelmingly white and male makeup of the contenders for the film industry's greatest honors.
Confession: I haven't seen most of these movies. It's been a busy time.
Double confession: I am not what you would call a sophisticated film watcher. I love the greats along with the Grease 2s, if you know what I am saying.
Triple confession: Nothing icks me out more than white people who want back-pats for bemoaning the lack of diversity in pop culture, which is why I generally try to avoid these sort of conversations.
That being said, I figured I'd offer up my opinions (it is the Internet, after all.)
Some background facts:
Well, first of all, it doesn't mean that the nominated films, directors, actors, and actresses don't deserve their nominations. They very much do, and on top of that, there are a lot of folks who were snubbed when those nominations were announced, and some of them were also white men. (Sorry Christopher Nolan. It will happen for you someday.)
It also doesn't mean that the Academy Awards are per se racist. Cheryl Boone, the female, African-American president of the Academy, apparently doesn't think the Academy has a diversity problem. And for the purposes of this blog post, I am going to go with her on that.
So the Academy doesn't have a diversity problem, but the Academy's nominees are unarguably not at all diverse. What are we to make of these two contradictory statements?
Let me suggest what I think the real problem is:
The issue isn't that David Oyelowo (star of Selma) and Ava DuVernay (director of Selma) deserved to be nominated and were not. The issue is that 2014 featured a METRIC CRAPTON of movies about white dudes, and the one movie that did not (Selma) was nearly shut-out despite overwhelmingly good reviews.
In the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn't matter that two talented people did not get recognized for their talent like we think they should. It does matter that they are part of a greater trend.
What good movies came out this year? Turning to my beloved Rotten Tomatoes, we see that the following well-reviewed movies hit the silver screen in 2014:
"Best of" lists that I found after an extensive (read: not terribly extensive) Google search include additional films like Interstellar, Snowpiercer, Grand Budapest Hotel, Under the Skin, The Lego Movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Unbroken.
Based solely on my memory of various posters and trailers I saw over the last year, of the 35 movies listed above ... four feature black people in leading roles? Eight have a female main character? Three feature significant roles for Asian actors -- and I had to count two animated features for that?
I mean, I'm pretty sure two of those aforementioned movies are actually documentaries about animals, folks.
These are not good numbers. And when I say that, I am not saying American Sniper is a bad movie (I'm sure it's great!) or that Reese Witherspoon is a bad actress (I love her!) I'm saying ... these are not good numbers.
Movies, taken as a whole, should not be mostly about men and mostly about white men at that. The people who buy movie tickets are not mostly white men. And white men can be expected to understand and enjoy stories about people who are not exactly like them. I mean, the most loveable characters of 2014 were a foul-mouthed racoon and a giant tree with a limited vocabulary, so I think we are all pretty capable of being lost in a great story regardless, okay?
If there had been 20 great movies that came out this year with leading roles for women and minorities and directed by women and minorities, it would be annoying but not that annoying that David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay were snubbed in the Oscar race. Hey, they'd be in the same boat with Jennifer Aniston and Clint Eastwood right now! (And I bet that's a SUPER fancy boat.)
But there were not 20 great movies that came out this year with leading roles for women and minorities. There were a mere handful. And somehow, I don't think it's because women and minorities just aren't writing scripts, pitching projects, attending auditions, looking for investors.
When there is one movie (Selma) featuring award-worthy acting from a black actor, and that lone black actor has to compete against ...
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Jake Gyllenhall, "Nightcrawler"
Brad Pitt, "Fury"
Jack O'Connell, "Unbroken"
Ben Affleck, "Gone Girl"
Ralph Fiennes, "Grand Budapest Hotel
Bill Murray, "St. Vincent"
Christoph Waltz, "Big Eyes"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Inherent Vice"
and whoever else I am missing ...
... simple statistics tell us that chances aren't good.
But why was there only one black actor in the mix in the first place?
American cinema doesn't have a diversity problem. It has an inability to imagine a world that reflects reality problem.
Confession: I haven't seen most of these movies. It's been a busy time.
Double confession: I am not what you would call a sophisticated film watcher. I love the greats along with the Grease 2s, if you know what I am saying.
Triple confession: Nothing icks me out more than white people who want back-pats for bemoaning the lack of diversity in pop culture, which is why I generally try to avoid these sort of conversations.
That being said, I figured I'd offer up my opinions (it is the Internet, after all.)
Some background facts:
- Of the 8 films currently nominated for Best Pictures, 7 feature male leading characters.
- Of the 8 films currently nominated, 7 are about white men.
- To date, only four women have ever even been nominated for Best Director. More women have been launched into space than have been nominated for Best Director. The one movie nominated for Best Picture (Selma) that was directed by a woman did not get a Best Director nomination.
- There are no non-white people nominated for any acting awards this year.
Well, first of all, it doesn't mean that the nominated films, directors, actors, and actresses don't deserve their nominations. They very much do, and on top of that, there are a lot of folks who were snubbed when those nominations were announced, and some of them were also white men. (Sorry Christopher Nolan. It will happen for you someday.)
It also doesn't mean that the Academy Awards are per se racist. Cheryl Boone, the female, African-American president of the Academy, apparently doesn't think the Academy has a diversity problem. And for the purposes of this blog post, I am going to go with her on that.
So the Academy doesn't have a diversity problem, but the Academy's nominees are unarguably not at all diverse. What are we to make of these two contradictory statements?
Let me suggest what I think the real problem is:
The issue isn't that David Oyelowo (star of Selma) and Ava DuVernay (director of Selma) deserved to be nominated and were not. The issue is that 2014 featured a METRIC CRAPTON of movies about white dudes, and the one movie that did not (Selma) was nearly shut-out despite overwhelmingly good reviews.
In the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn't matter that two talented people did not get recognized for their talent like we think they should. It does matter that they are part of a greater trend.
What good movies came out this year? Turning to my beloved Rotten Tomatoes, we see that the following well-reviewed movies hit the silver screen in 2014:
Selma
The Imitation Game
Wild
Big Hero 6
The Theory of Everything
Birdman
Top Five
Foxcatcher
Gone Girl
Mr. Turner
Whiplash
The Book of Life
A Most Violent Year
Fury
St. Vincent
Nightcrawler
Guardians of the Galaxy
Force Majeure
The Babadook
Citizenfour
Two Days, One Night
The Homesman
John Wick
Beyond the Lights
Leviathan
Boyhood
Dear White People
Diplomacy
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
Under the Sea
Born To Be Wild
Based solely on my memory of various posters and trailers I saw over the last year, of the 35 movies listed above ... four feature black people in leading roles? Eight have a female main character? Three feature significant roles for Asian actors -- and I had to count two animated features for that?
I mean, I'm pretty sure two of those aforementioned movies are actually documentaries about animals, folks.
These are not good numbers. And when I say that, I am not saying American Sniper is a bad movie (I'm sure it's great!) or that Reese Witherspoon is a bad actress (I love her!) I'm saying ... these are not good numbers.
Movies, taken as a whole, should not be mostly about men and mostly about white men at that. The people who buy movie tickets are not mostly white men. And white men can be expected to understand and enjoy stories about people who are not exactly like them. I mean, the most loveable characters of 2014 were a foul-mouthed racoon and a giant tree with a limited vocabulary, so I think we are all pretty capable of being lost in a great story regardless, okay?
If there had been 20 great movies that came out this year with leading roles for women and minorities and directed by women and minorities, it would be annoying but not that annoying that David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay were snubbed in the Oscar race. Hey, they'd be in the same boat with Jennifer Aniston and Clint Eastwood right now! (And I bet that's a SUPER fancy boat.)
But there were not 20 great movies that came out this year with leading roles for women and minorities. There were a mere handful. And somehow, I don't think it's because women and minorities just aren't writing scripts, pitching projects, attending auditions, looking for investors.
When there is one movie (Selma) featuring award-worthy acting from a black actor, and that lone black actor has to compete against ...
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Jake Gyllenhall, "Nightcrawler"
Brad Pitt, "Fury"
Jack O'Connell, "Unbroken"
Ben Affleck, "Gone Girl"
Ralph Fiennes, "Grand Budapest Hotel
Bill Murray, "St. Vincent"
Christoph Waltz, "Big Eyes"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Inherent Vice"
and whoever else I am missing ...
... simple statistics tell us that chances aren't good.
But why was there only one black actor in the mix in the first place?
American cinema doesn't have a diversity problem. It has an inability to imagine a world that reflects reality problem.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
reading lately: ALIAS HOOK
From the description:
"Every child knows how the story ends. The wicked pirate captain is flung overboard, caught in the jaws of the monster crocodile who drags him down to a watery grave. But it was not yet my time to die. It's my fate to be trapped here forever, in a nightmare of childhood fancy, with that infernal, eternal boy."
Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan’s rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.
With Stella’s knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook’s last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their neverending game. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen is a beautifully and romantically written adult fairy tale.
My thoughts:
I love almost all things Peter Pan (surprisingly, not the Disney movie) so I was stoked about this adult retelling from Captain Hook's perspective. The story is alternately told in "present day Neverland" and Hook's past, explaining how the Captain arrived in Neverland and why he's stuck there. The little twists to the familiar story are just about perfect. I loved Jensen's explanation about why the Native Americans live in Neverland (they made a deal with Pan so they could maintain their culture and escape white settlers in North America). Hook's crew constantly replenishes itself as Lost Boys grow up, with only Hook being forced to come back to life again and again so he can keep doing battle with Pan.
That being said, the beginning was a little slow, but if you can get through that, the ending is more than worth it. Definitely recommended, with one caveat -- there are references to adult fairy tale characters doing the grownup. So, you know, don't be too shocked.
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