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It’s so much fun for me writing about Beryl’s childhood...She is such a positive person that writing about her is pure pleasure...It helped me to get out of my bad mood...Maybe I like it so much, because I have never written so much about Beryl..
The third chapter of my fanfiction “The Golden Trio” will be published tomorrow (I hope).
Do you guys write on the floor? Because I do. It allows more freedom for my thoughts. I’m not sure why. But it does.
One Dimensional Characters
I wanted to come back from my long hiatus to talk about critical error a lot of writers. Not just in books but also in television we often see one dimensional characters. Who are these characters? These are the people that have limited perspective, uncomplicated lives, and watered down reactions. Here recently I started watching a new show in which the main duo are, I guess, buddies, a man and woman. In almost every episode the man is contemplating some big life issue and the woman...well, in all honesty, she’s just there. Her reactions are limited, she has no problems, and even when something big happened her reactions was just, “Eh, whatever.” Hence, a one dimensional character. So, how can a writer avoid this dilemma? Well, take a gander at my list below!
Ask yourself these questions:
What’s my characters strengths and limitations? For example, what do they do well and what could they improve on. Knowing this can help you build the very structure of who your character is.
How easily manipulated is your character? Do they stand with their morals or are they flexible? Would they kill for the greater good? What would they if someone they loved was in grave danger?
What real life problems does your character face? Do they have allergies? Family drama? Real life issues help readers connect with characters. No one wants to read about the perfect Mary Sue who has everything she has ever wanted.
What are your character's flaws? How do they related to real people?
Does your character voice their opinion? When and why? Maybe your character doesn’t speak until the tide gets high. Maybe they like to keep their ideas to themselves.
What is your characters breaking point? What happens when they’ve had enough? Do they fight or flee?
11/22/63 - Stephen King
This book blew me away, I loved every single page. It also broke my heart, if you wanna get personal. I’m not sure where I want to start, there was SO much that happened, I mean there’s almost 900 pages for crying out loud. I was excited before I even started reading because I’m low key obsessed with JFK. I love watching documentaries about him, seeing old photos, watching him with Jackie (even Jackie alone is enough to fascinate me). Even though its fiction I knew King would bring him to life for me. (You will learn from this blog that I hold Stephen King on a high pedestal).
Before I go any further, I need to remind you that this page is spoiler central. This is for people who have read the book and wants to discuss it.
Okay, lets begin.
My first impression of Jake was that he was a lonely man, I really liked him, got a good vibe from him, but I could tell he was just going through the motions after his divorce. He doesn’t talk about friends aside from Al. So I was surprised when Sadie came along, she entered so far into the book that I had already assumed he was flying solo the whole time.
Okay, Sadie - I don’t love her, and I don’t hate her either. It took me a while to find a common ground with her. At first I thought she was too hard on Jake, until I learned what she went through in her marriage. And I also had to remind myself that this is the sixties and of course she has a completely different mind set than what I’m used to. I love the dancing scenes, and I love that she took care of Jake after his beating. I hate that she was willing to give up so easily after her ex husband attacked her, and it makes me wonder what happened after Jake reset everything and she never met him. Did she move in with her awful parents, because there was no Jake to talk her out of it? We know that she never remarried, but do you think she met anyone else? What about that guy she met waitressing in Reno? I personally don’t think she ever fell in love again, I believe that Jake was the only person destined for her - as odd as that is. How sad.
I will touch on this briefly, fuck that bitch Jessica Caltrop.
Am I mad at Al for dragging Jake into this? Nah. I think I would've done the same. I mean its JFK for Christ’s sake.
I wish King would have given more insight into the Yellow Card Man, I think I need to spend some more time pondering him and maybe even go back and read the part where the orange card man gives his explanation. Maybe King meant to leave a little to the imagination. Thoughts?
I love love love that Derry was incorporated in this book, along with Richie and Bev. I kind of felt like It made a little cameo, didn’t you? When Jake goes to Frati’s land, and maybe even the first time he visits the book depository (could just be me though, I tend to stretch). King likes to make connections within his universe he has created, and I enjoy it so much.
With that being said, for my The Shining fan’s like myself... DOES ROSETTE SHINE? ANYBODY?
I think my favorite part of the book was when he was able to speak to Jackie and the president. It gave me chills. King did such a wonderful job of bringing them back to life. I think that if Sadie just hadn’t been shot to death, he would have reacted so much differently to speaking to him. It goes to show that in the end he didn’t care much for his previous mission, he just wanted Sadie.
I swear in this book I kept having to remind myself that JFK did really die, and this book is just fiction.
I think King did a wonderful job bringing LHO and Marina alive as well. The mood got so much more depressing when he was in a scene, just grayer and dingier.
I’m sad that in the end he did not save Harry’s mother and siblings, and Carolyn was still paralyzed, and I’m even sad that Richie and Bev will not remember their conversation with Jake, and Mike Coslaw and his classmates will not remember their favorite teacher - do you think Mike found his love for acting without Jake around? - But, you know what, I have to remind myself that this is the way things were supposed to be. Jake wasn’t supposed to travel in the past and change any of this, as much as we wanted him too, its not the natural order of things.
What broke my heart was when Jake traveled to Texas after the reset and at first found his student, the DJ, Donald. “Hello Donald....” “Do I know you?” That part put a few cracks in my heart, but what shattered the rest of it was when Jake talked to eighty year old Sadie and asked her who chaperoned the dance with her that brought them together. It did me in, you could’ve stuck a fork in me. I was done.
OH HOW WE DANCED (as I cry hysterically).
This makes me realize that I have assumed that Sadie didn’t find love again, but I know that Jake didn’t. Thinking he was lonely in the beginning of the book is nothing compared to the tone he sets at the end. He loved her so much, and he also fell deeply in love with that life, with Jodie, with the era, with everything. I don’t think that’s something you can recover from. Poor guy.
Okay, there’s probably so much more I could talk about so please please join the conversation. I feel like I need to talk ALL about this because I’m still mourning the fact that there are no more pages to read.
So this was an assignment from my writing class that I thought you guys would get a kick out of. It's a little homage to Mom and her love of roses that most people don't know was really a love of Pink Camellia's.
Dialogue with a Bouquet of Roses from my Garden
Me: Gee you came out pretty.
Roses: Of course I did.
Me: You don’t have to be so conceited about it.
Roses: I’m a plant I don’t know what that means.
Me: You’re a plant but you know how to be sarcastic?
Roses: I don’t know what that means either.
Me: I don’t believe this, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Roses: No I don’t. Up until today, no one has ever talked to me like this. In fact, why ARE you talking to me like this?
Me: Now you’re just toying with me.
Roses: I don’t know what that means either.
Me: Aw, forget it. But, gee, you really did turn out pretty.
Roses: Aw, thank you.
Me: (eye roll) now you say thank you.
Roses: NOW who’s being sarcastic?
Me: (straight face)
Roses: Let’s move on… Why do you think I’m so pretty?
Me: For many reasons really, first, I arranged you in a nose gay. It’s my favorite arrangement.
Roses: Why is it your favorite?
Me: Well, I love color, and I love flowers, so it gives me the most of what I love about flowers, more of you I suppose.
Roses: You know or you suppose? Which is it?
Me: You’re doing it again.
Roses: Sorry.
Me: I’ll let that pass.
Roses: What else? Continue…
Me: Also you remind me of my mother. I miss her and you help me remember her fondly.
Roses: Does she live far away?
Me: No. She’s no longer with us.
Roses: Oh, she moved out?
Me: No! She passed on.
Roses: Oh, I see, like she passed, on moving in with you, and moved into her own place?
Me: NO! She’s taking the great dirt nap!
Roses: Well I take a dirt nap every day, it’s really quite lovely…
Me: NO! NO! (face in palm) She’s dead OK? My mom is dead! Her favorite flower was a rose. A BEAUTIFUL, PINK ROSE. Although YOU’RE not looking so beautiful to me right now.
Roses: I remind you of your dead mother? Pardon me but I don’t feel very flattered by this.
Me: Ya know what? Forget I said anything. In fact, I don’t even think it was roses that my mom liked, it was pink camellias, that’s it! Pastel pink camellias!
Roses: Aww, now don’t be like that.
Me: No, she only liked roses because they were more COMMON.
Roses: HEY! There’s no need to get insulting.
Me: How could you know what an insult is? You didn’t even know what sarcasm was a few minutes ago.
Roses: I’m a fast learner. Have you seen how fast I grow a bud?
Me: You’ve got a point.
Roses: Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot, can’t we just be friends?
Me: Only if you apologize.
Roses: I will…. Just as soon as I learn what that is…
Me: Here we go again…
Literally, the most frustrating moment as a writer:
Me: Ah, I've finally finished this draft (gets up from computer and goes to bed) Mind: (after lying down and being quiet for a few minutes) Ok but you know those 5 small errors you made? Me: SHUT UP
Sacramento Local Writers sharing tips, skills and advice for one another!
Riding My Pink Cloud
Sometimes, you learn things about yourself even if you're not looking.
As humans we all have this innate need for validation. Admiration from another seems somehow to have a positive impact in some people’s lives. I know it does me. I meet someone, I get to flirt and do the silly things I do to entice them, I get a response in kind, and then suddenly, I’m on a pink cloud. I love pink clouds! They’re so fluffy and soft! They lift me up off the ground and I feel like…
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