I'm not kidding. The Boy and a few of his friends have descended upon the WGH's studio - one of them (and I'm not sure which one, but I think it's my son) is on the drum set, two on guitars, and one on our old clunky antique baby grand piano.
The studio is downstairs, of course. Which is why I am not. I haven't heard much but a lot of noise so far, but whoever is playing lead guitar is actually quite good - every so often I'll catch a familiar lick (pretty sure I heard something from Beat It a few minutes ago).
Meanwhile, it's a mild and pleasant 60 degrees here, so I've shut off the heat and opened the windows for a bit. My plan was to enjoy a nice quiet afternoon, get some writing done, and then kick back and relax with a good book. Sigh. So much for the quiet afternoon. But the "band" apparently won't be staying too long, so perhaps I'll get my opportunity later.
Tomorrow I get to tag along with JT for her gig at the Smyrna Library's Winter Reading Program. I love going with her to these things. She's such a star (not a diva, mind you, but an honest to goodness, gracious, lovely, and entertaining speaker), and she really shines when she's in the spotlight. Okay, that might have been a little too adjectivey and cheesey, but you get what I mean. She's just fun to watch and fun to be with. So Little Ol' Me likes it when she drags Me with her.
Speaking of my Wonder Twin, our mutual pal Timothy Hallinan did a guest spot for her over at Murderati today with some great thoughts on "what not to do." My writer visitors should check it out (you might check it out even if you're not a writer).
The band is in full swing and I can no longer concentrate, so off I jaunt ...
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die."
-- William Shakespeare (Twelfth Night, Act 1 scene 1)
1.10.2009
The Lasagna Experiment
On Thursday, I had the pleasure of spending the evening with my Wonder Twin and the lovely Laura Benedict both at and after their joint signing at Davis-Kidd Booksellers here in Nashville. While I was there, the WGH did the dad thing and fixed lasagna. It's become a bit of a running gag at our house – I'm not a big fan of lasagna, so he'll make it for the kids when I'm going to be out for the evening. The other day when I told Little Bit that I was going to be gone Thursday, her immediate response was, "Is Dad making lasagna?" The WGH was hesitant, but when The Boy chimed in with, "Dad, you should totally make lasagna," he relented.
It turned out to be a little different from what he normally makes ... a little extra cheese of different varieties, some spicy sausage that Little Bit picked out ... when I got home I found the leftovers in the casserole dish in the fridge, covered with a length of foil upon which Little Bit had written the words LASAGNA EXPERIMENT. When I saw this, my rather warped sense of logic melded these two unrelated concepts into a moment of lucidity.
JT's third Taylor Jackson novel, Judas Kiss, was released just before Christmas. In describing the writing and research process for this book, she talked about how with a series you have an established cast of characters, and the fun of writing the book is coming up with new situations in which your characters show you what they're made of. This is, of course, a point of debate amongst our circle – some writers say they have complete control over their characters; some, like JT and I, have no earthly idea what they're going to do until they do it. For the sake of argument, let's take the Wonder Twins' point of view; to wit, sometimes you have to throw some unusual things into their paths and then sit back and watch how they react. Vis-à-vis the lasagna, when you add different "ingredients" to your story, the end product can be a gloriously delicious thing.
This morning I was reviewing the notes from the sermon our associate pastor delivered last Sunday, and I came across a verse that sparked something in my brain with respect to this post. In Mark 7:21-23 (NIV), Jesus tells his disciples, "For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"
Is this the perfect recipe for a villain or what? Just like your story, your characters have ingredients too – personality elements, quirks, attributes and flaws that comprise who they are and drive them to do the things they do. Your villains, for example, can be as evil as you want to make them – imagine taking all of the characteristics described above and putting them into one person. That would be one killer lasagna. Um, pardon the pun.
Think about your heroes, too. All the good guys aren't completely good – the most interesting ones are inherently good but still have some sort of flaw, a tiny chink in their armor that makes them more real to your reader. More human. Easier to identify with and believe in. And root for. What's better, not all the good guys are the same, either. They all have a different mix of ingredients that blend into something we can sink our teeth into, something special and tasty that keeps us coming back for more. There's that old saying, "Think about how boring life would be if everyone were the same." I may have paraphrased, but you get the general idea. It's a solid truth. This isn't Pleasantville (the black and white part), and it isn't 1984.
Most of you know I am a great fan of Shakespeare, and he has drawn some of the most intriguing villains I've ever read – take MacBeth, Don Giovanni and Claudius, for instance. Each committed heinous crimes to further their own agenda. Even Don John wasn't such a swell guy, though his 'crime' was more of a cruel prank – maybe there has to be a lighthearted element to the evil that men do in comedy?
All people – real or fictional – are made up of different ingredients that make us palatable (or not, in some cases). Our world – both literally and literarily – is full of fascinating characters. I hope you have a plentiful supply to keep you entertained. So what kind of lasagna do you like – who are your favorite literary villains and heroes, and what makes them so?
It's good to be back, and I'm glad you've come round to see me again. Pull up a chair and relax for a few minutes – the iced tea is cold, and today's special is ... what else? Lasagna.
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"And thus I clothe my naked villainy With old odd ends, stol'n forth of holy writ; And seem a saint, when most I play the devil."
-- William Shakespeare (King Richard III)
It turned out to be a little different from what he normally makes ... a little extra cheese of different varieties, some spicy sausage that Little Bit picked out ... when I got home I found the leftovers in the casserole dish in the fridge, covered with a length of foil upon which Little Bit had written the words LASAGNA EXPERIMENT. When I saw this, my rather warped sense of logic melded these two unrelated concepts into a moment of lucidity.
JT's third Taylor Jackson novel, Judas Kiss, was released just before Christmas. In describing the writing and research process for this book, she talked about how with a series you have an established cast of characters, and the fun of writing the book is coming up with new situations in which your characters show you what they're made of. This is, of course, a point of debate amongst our circle – some writers say they have complete control over their characters; some, like JT and I, have no earthly idea what they're going to do until they do it. For the sake of argument, let's take the Wonder Twins' point of view; to wit, sometimes you have to throw some unusual things into their paths and then sit back and watch how they react. Vis-à-vis the lasagna, when you add different "ingredients" to your story, the end product can be a gloriously delicious thing.
This morning I was reviewing the notes from the sermon our associate pastor delivered last Sunday, and I came across a verse that sparked something in my brain with respect to this post. In Mark 7:21-23 (NIV), Jesus tells his disciples, "For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"
Is this the perfect recipe for a villain or what? Just like your story, your characters have ingredients too – personality elements, quirks, attributes and flaws that comprise who they are and drive them to do the things they do. Your villains, for example, can be as evil as you want to make them – imagine taking all of the characteristics described above and putting them into one person. That would be one killer lasagna. Um, pardon the pun.
Think about your heroes, too. All the good guys aren't completely good – the most interesting ones are inherently good but still have some sort of flaw, a tiny chink in their armor that makes them more real to your reader. More human. Easier to identify with and believe in. And root for. What's better, not all the good guys are the same, either. They all have a different mix of ingredients that blend into something we can sink our teeth into, something special and tasty that keeps us coming back for more. There's that old saying, "Think about how boring life would be if everyone were the same." I may have paraphrased, but you get the general idea. It's a solid truth. This isn't Pleasantville (the black and white part), and it isn't 1984.
Most of you know I am a great fan of Shakespeare, and he has drawn some of the most intriguing villains I've ever read – take MacBeth, Don Giovanni and Claudius, for instance. Each committed heinous crimes to further their own agenda. Even Don John wasn't such a swell guy, though his 'crime' was more of a cruel prank – maybe there has to be a lighthearted element to the evil that men do in comedy?
All people – real or fictional – are made up of different ingredients that make us palatable (or not, in some cases). Our world – both literally and literarily – is full of fascinating characters. I hope you have a plentiful supply to keep you entertained. So what kind of lasagna do you like – who are your favorite literary villains and heroes, and what makes them so?
It's good to be back, and I'm glad you've come round to see me again. Pull up a chair and relax for a few minutes – the iced tea is cold, and today's special is ... what else? Lasagna.
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"And thus I clothe my naked villainy With old odd ends, stol'n forth of holy writ; And seem a saint, when most I play the devil."
-- William Shakespeare (King Richard III)
1.01.2009
2009
Happy New Year, everybody!
I'm pleased to announce that the Lunch Room will be reopening soon. I hope you'll stop in for a bite every once in a while. You may notice some changes around the place, but the atmosphere should pretty much be the same.
I hope you've all been blessed with good things over the past few months ... has anyone had anything REALLY exciting happen while I've been away? Or anything you just want to share? I'd love to hear - the comments section is open.
Here's hoping 2009 is your best year yet. I'm counting on it to be for me.
I'll be back soon. In the meantime, happy reading!
=) JB
"I am a true labourer: I earn that I eat, get that I wear, owe no man hate, envy no man's happiness, glad of other's good."
-- William Shakespeare (As You Like It)
I'm pleased to announce that the Lunch Room will be reopening soon. I hope you'll stop in for a bite every once in a while. You may notice some changes around the place, but the atmosphere should pretty much be the same.
I hope you've all been blessed with good things over the past few months ... has anyone had anything REALLY exciting happen while I've been away? Or anything you just want to share? I'd love to hear - the comments section is open.
Here's hoping 2009 is your best year yet. I'm counting on it to be for me.
I'll be back soon. In the meantime, happy reading!
=) JB
"I am a true labourer: I earn that I eat, get that I wear, owe no man hate, envy no man's happiness, glad of other's good."
-- William Shakespeare (As You Like It)
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