I Don’t Give Into The Urge To Die, WEIRD RIGHT?

It’s clear that my blog is like that one person at a party who just goes and is having a great time, but by their fourth social gathering, they plan to leave noticed. Youknowwhaimsayin? Like, they end up back against the wall like every single time they go to a party, dancing and waving their hands in the air while screaming “SQUEEEEAAAA!” and yet nope, no one gives notice, but oh no, they’re not stopping there—TO HECK with all those weird stares and whispered opinions! Mm-mm, they’re not caring or having any of that negativity *thrusts fists into air while jutting hips both ways like the party animal they wish to be*. And the next party you host, expect their arrival because this time (and the next and the next and the next) they’re leaving your house noticed and a household name, dang it…they hope…

Now. What I want to talk about today is “the urge” in characters. Or, as I like to call it, “the urge to die”. So basically what this is, and when this comes up most, is right when something bad is going to happen and the foreshadowing the writer puts in as a tell is either a creaking door or a missing weapon or most famously, a noise in the basement of the house that our focus character sits home alone in. Yep. You already know “the urge” that’s coming for this character.

“What was that?” they ask the air.

“Someone—CLEARLY—get the heck out! NOW!!” You scream at them.

“Huh…I should go see what that was.” they say, prompting you to call them out as stupid (which is reasonable) and continue invested only to find out how the character gets killed.

Now, yes, for the most part, there is an urge to do stupid things. I’ll lean against a railing from the second floor of a mall and feel like jumping—BUT I DON’T. I’ll stare for a while after opening a car door contemplating what it would be like to smash my leg in it when I’m seated—BUT I DON’T GIVE THIS THOUGHT ACTION. Clearly, we all have these many times of “what if” in us and yes it does come out in possibly the utmost dangerous of circumstances that could be an alternative to our decided actions. But that’s called the “call of the void” and it’s just our brains chickening out because it lacks faith in us to survive a potentially dangerous or harmful situation, and quite possibly, with all the fangirling we do over a new Ryan Higa video it’s probably onto something. (That was more for me than you...and you probably noticed that—YEP, NEVERMIND NEVERMIND). But hey, we hear it, that feeling’s there, but it’s our choice whether we listen or take action: preferably walking away before we need to seek a weapon or help.

But that brings me onto my next point: weapons, they give us bravery when we probably shouldn’t be so bold.

Yes, the “call of the void” will have us seeking the danger to end it all over quickly, but what happens when we place a knife in our hands and then hear the mysterious noise in our house while we’re supposedly home alone?

Imagine this;

A character (the same one from the first example) is in the kitchen now, making a sandwich that requires he use a butter knife for easy spreading of a choice condiment atop his chosen loaf. Now he hears the same sound, but this time, we see him grip the butter knife as soon as the sound makes it to his ears. He turns on one foot while his other is still aimed at the island that his plate and open-face sandwich sit atop of. When we hear him say again, “Huh…I should go see what that was.” We believe his actions and we can even figure out his thought process, by now, we WANT him to go check it out just to see if we're wrong and this character won't end up dying (FAT CHANCE!) but we at least believe he can handle himself should something actually be in the basement. Is this smarter? No, probably not, if it were me, I’d be facetiming someone on my way out of the house as I dial up 911, but hey, it is a much more logically acceptable situation to get yourself in though, right?

I don’t think we hate characters who move toward danger, after all, that just makes them human. Which is why these scenes are always so conflicting for the audience: we admire your bravery, but…couldn’t you be smarter? So while I don’t think that we shouldn’t have our characters move toward that strange noise in their basement, I do think it would sit better with us should they be doing something that requires a simple mundane tool which they can release their frustration and fear on at the sound of that noise and it becomes clear they can’t not go check it out. It’s only human to be curious, but it’s a choice of being smart and proactive to actually have something to protect yourself with should your brave choice turn out to be a bloody disaster.

Closing statement: make your characters bold and brave but smart and proactive—NEVER make them bold and brave but impulsive and reactive.

Let me know what you think of these types of characters and how you would want them to investigate differently in the comments, and hey, THANKS FOR READING!

Mary Sues and Gary/Marty Stus ~sigh~ But Then We Have Riley Matthews!

Let's talk about something...

Girl. Meets. World.

Yeah, I know, I know. A kid's show on Disney Channel, the channel which has supposedly gone to (according to certain statements) a horrible place.
I like some of the shows personally, this being one, while others I can't stand the fact that they even exist (won't be naming those for reasons...) but as I watch the episodes more and more, I realized only one character stood out to me among all the rest, Riley Matthews.
No, it's not because she's the main character, it's because her character is one I've rarely seen in fiction or on screen anymore, and is one that I particularly loved seeing a lot more of in the old Disney Channel movies and shows.
Riley is nice. She is vulnerable. She is positive. She wants to make change in her friends and families' relationships with themselves and with other people. Yeah some things do cross the line a bit into Ridiculous Destination (i.e. wanting Shawn to be Maya's father and somehow managing to come very close with him taking the mom out on a date - not that we know where that went now, but you know) and sure there are just tons of situations I think she couldn't have changed realistically if the show were on a different channel (multiple, really) but you know what, I love her spirit.
And why is it that every character needs to be overly-sarcastic in order to be funny, needs to be misunderstood in order to be loved eventually, needs to have a bad attitude because of a hard past, needs to be skeptic at first before believing in magic and needs to be hard on the outside just so they can dramatically reveal they're soft on the in?
Riley is always happy, but we see her true vulnerability when she's being bullied. We see her cry, and because she was smiling so long for us, it doesn't seem weak. Someone who is always grimacing only to finally frown and let out a river of tears long been withheld seems more emotional than the creator is going for because by showing us they're tough in order to hide their weakness it just makes us think they weren't confident enough to cry or brave enough to not be okay at that very second. And a strong person (man or woman) should know what it means to be brave and confident.
Crying isn't a weakness, so a character thinking it is is just way too close to our true society's belief on that that it hurts too much to enjoy. I can't watch or like a character who thinks crying is a weakness, I can't even hate them because then I'd be hating myself.
Why can't we show kids - everyone - that crying isn't a weakness, it just takes a while before someone can be that broken?
That's exactly how I felt when I witnessed Riley Matthews (brilliantly portrayed by the lovely Rowan Blanchard, by the way) weep in front of her best friend. Weep in front of us. Finally weep because it all became too much to handle alone anymore. That's someone who's strong, brave, and confident.
And that's another thing. Being strong alone is pointless if you feel like people will regard you as weak for just crying, you'll prove you're strong to yourself but it'll feel like you have to hide the fact you're strong and weak. That's so terrible for a person to experience all their own. Riley crying to Maya finally showed that women - girls - can be strong, strong enough to tell someone they're just not okay right now. And there's nothing wrong with not being okay. In fact, feeling not okay will probably take you to such dark places that when everything's bright again, it'll throb much more brighter.
Being not okay can make you okay again.
I love Riley Matthews' character because she is strong, she is brave, she is confident. Yeah, that one episode she wrote "Insecure" on her forehead. But guess what? She must have been brave enough and confident enough and strong enough to write that on her forehead and leave it there for her friends and fellow classmates and her very own father to walk in on and see. She admitted to a lot of people that she is i~n~s~e~c~u~r~e.
That's strong.

18 signs you may be saying NO to Muse (Camp Nano)

In the spirit of Camp Nano, I've decided to post something inspiring to help out struggling writers who may be dealing with the doubt of others or their inner critic and have hit a block in the road and are now left questioning their talent.

                         Here Are 18 Signs You May Be Saying NO To Muse:
                                                          with some commentary by yours truly:)

1. If you get an idea at the top of your head and say (or think), "No! My character wouldn't do that." (Your characters are speaking to you, listen! No one knows them better than themselves.)
2. If you get an idea and dismiss it because it's "too stupid". (No idea ever is.)
3. If you get an idea and blush while thinking, "I can't write that." (Yes, you can. Just do it.)
4. If you get an idea and think, "How does that fit in with my story?" (Make it fit.)
5. If you get an idea and think, "I'll have to think about that." (No you don't. Write first, think later.)
6. If you get an idea and think, "This is getting in the way of what I planned out for the plot already." (So what? Let it get in the way, maybe it'll crush that block of yours.)
7. If you get an idea and think,  "I don't have the energy to write that right now." (Yes you do. Just get up.)
8. If you get an idea and think, "I don't understand how that makes sense." (It doesn't now, but it will. Give it time.)
9. If you get an idea and think, "This is too scary." (No. Maybe you're too scared to write it because of what people will say.)
10. If you get an idea and think, "I'll just write what I wanted to first, I'll remember that later." (No. No you won't. Write it down now.)
11. If you get an idea and think, "That's just illogical." (No. It's imaginative.)
12. If you get an idea and think, "That'll be too boring, no one will be interested." (Then make it interesting.)
13. If you get an idea and think, "That couldn't happen." (It quite possibly could, actually.)
14. If you get an idea and think, "Uh, that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe when I'm more comfortable writing that sort of thing." (How will get more comfortable writing it if you never attempt to write it? Write it now, write it proud!)
15. If you get an idea and think, "Help me with my idea and then we'll talk about yours." (Nope. Rule #1, Muse never negotiates, only holds grudges if it's ignored.)
16. If you get an idea and think, "That's cute, but is it cliche?" (No, it's freaking adorable - just write it already!)
17. If you get an idea and think, "Way too outlandish! Entirely unbelievable." (No. In that world, gravity may be a myth. Your fictional world is yours to believe in even if no one else finds it believable, but for anyone to believe it you yourself have to first. Believe in yourself so much that eventually everyone else will have no choice but to also!)
18. If you get an idea and think, "Will you be here tomorrow?" (No. Muse only comes to you when it feels like it, cherish the moments you have with it. It's like that family member that you haven't seen in over three years who only visits you on holidays but missed the last three years, it takes time for them to come around, but when they do, HUG THEM TILL THEY CAN'T BREATHE!)

Don't say NO to Muse. Never say no. But that doesn't mean you have to wait around till it comes to you while you drool into a cup and twiddle your thumbs! Write whatever you can until it visits you, then listen intently to it and fix every error it highlights for you. You may be attached to that paragraph, but if it needs to go, throw it out without remorse or regret... Or, just copy and paste it into a side document, there are always ways:)
                                                                        - Lei

Your Writer-Self Never Leaves You Alone; But You'll Treasure All The Weird Moments It Gets You Into:)

Have you ever had days where you find yourself staring at the cursor moving in a circle over your blank word document because the only thought in your mind is, "That idea seemed smarter at the time I was putting away the dishes...", but then you shut down your computer or laptop and leave out all of your pens and notebooks splayed across your desk or bed while you enter the shower, hoping to just wash off and relax when, "OH MY GOD I KNOW HOW WE CAN WORK IN THAT SUBPLOT NOW! I REMEMBER THAT IMPORTANT LINE OF DIALOGUE THAT YOU HAD WHILE YOU WERE DRINKING LEMONADE THE OTHER DAY! I KNOW HOW WE CAN FIX THAT CHAPTER, OH MY GOODNESS---WRITE THIS DOWN!!"

*knock, knock*

"Who's there-"

"EVERY IDEA YOU THOUGHT YOU'D FORGOTTEN!"

You stumble and slip your way out of the bathroom only to arrive at your desk, dripping water onto the page, but not one word comes to mind anymore. Yep. And that's just the tip of the iceberg you'll be encountering when dealing with your Writer-Self.

Here are the 6 ways to know when your Writer-Self is present:

     1. Anything, literally, anything can inspire you. And everything does. So when
          you see something even the slightest bit intriguing, you look away, but it's too
          late. A story seed is already planted, and the ray of light muse shines down upon
          you only makes it grow. So what if you already have a billion other story ideas,
          what's one more!

     2. You listen to the radio because all of the songs in your iTunes is based off
          of stories and characters and you just want to spend one hour of relaxation
          away from your story, but you find yourself looking out your window dram-
          atically because the song that just came on is new to you, and that's why it's
          just become your new inspiration.

     3. Someone catches you looking through celebrity photos and saving only the
          best ones with the highest of quality and they accuse you of having a crush
          but you know you're just casting characters for your book.

     4. You try to interview your characters by acting like them and looking in the
          mirror. You even take it as far as talking like your characters to yourself and
          even wearing articles of clothing that match their personality so you can decide
          whether or not it's fashionable because, you don't want them horribly dressed!
          Unless it matches their personality, of course.

     5. You've become aware of the saying, "Anything can be a story." and are now
          paranoid someone will steal half of the ideas you've written down over the 
          years. But what sends a chill up your spine is when you pick up a book you 
          find in your local bookstore and read the book jacket's description, nod and 
          smile as you put it back, then cross that idea that came to you over a year ago
          off your list while writing above it, "Already written."

     6. You begin to hear your characters from the multiple stories you're writing help
          you make everyday decisions and call you out when you make their character do
          something shocking and surprising. They never let you off the hook for one of
          their deaths!

Above all, your Writer-Self is inconvenient, always late, makes you look like a total weirdo, and...
You wouldn't have it any other way, but mostly, you're thankful you're blessed for having a family and friends who love and understand that crazy mind of yours! :)
  

                 "The entirety of a writer's life consists of... 
 

               ...either writing or thinking about writing."

                                                                                                                                                  - Lei