SNATCH!

A few days ago I was at the playground with Nathaniel. He’d run off to climb stairs and fly down slides and I–exhausted–sat down to rest. I absently started to play with a piece of mulch on the ground and killed a mosquito with it–I know, I know, I’m a bad Bhuddist–when all of the sudden…SNATCH! This little, piddly ant walked by and took my dead-mosquito trophy right off the end of my mulch. Without so much as a “how-do-you-do” or “bug-off”.

Whether this ant was completely oblivious to the fact that it stole my dead bug or wheather it was some trained ninjant doesn’t matter. The point is, it got your attention.

Snatching the Reader’s Attention

Yesterday I finally got to see The Secret of Kells, and what a treat. The movie starts off with a great chase as a boy and a group of “illuminators” (monks) try to catch a mischevious goose throughout their village. Twice during this scene, we break away from the goose chase and the audience’s attention is drawn to important elements of the film.

This is the bait-and-switch, the Kansas City Shuffle, the Snatch! Whatever you want to call it. It’s an important piece of most good stories, and something I learned from my dad in public speaking. You never start a speech on your topic. You tell a joke, a story, a poem, anything to grab the audience’s attention…and then you lovingly direct that attention to the meat of your story. Just like that little ant, though, the story has to be strong enough to carry your target audience’s attention all the way back to the ant hill.

A Word on Key Elements

Sometimes you’ll see a particularly well crafted story open with a scene that has little to do with the synopsis–say, a boy chasing a goose. But what seems an insignificant actually introduces important elements that you’ll encounter throughout the story–boy takes goose’s feathers for quills, which he uses to draw something beautiful, a scenario that affects the rest of The Secret of Kells. The ant, the goose feather, the whatever-the-distraction-is should be brought up again at some point in your story.

Not every opening and/or transition has to have this introduction of key elements. However, if you can manage to create such a scenerio, then you’re on your way to becoming a better writer, a worthy craftsmen.

13 Quotes - 10/21/10

1. “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”
-Henry David Thoreau

2. “What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.”
-P. D. James

3. “You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair – the sense that you can never completely put on the page what’s in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.”
-Stephen King

4. “The writer who possesses the creative gift owns something of which he is not always master – something that at times strangely wills and works for itself.”
-Charlotte Bronte

5. “This is the love of your life. It’s what I want to do when I wake up. Nothing feels so absorbing, so fulfilling.”
-Martin Amis

6. “No book is worth anything which is not worth much; nor is it serviceable, until it has been read, and re-read, and loved, and loved again; and marked, so that you can refer to the passages you want in it.”
-John Ruskin

7. “A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads as a task will do him little good.”
-Samuel Johnson

8. “I see the role of the writer as creating a room with big windows and leaving the reader to imagine. It’s a meeting on the page.”
-Kevin Crossley-Holland

9. “If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s research.”
-Wilson Mizner

10. “‘Classic’. A book which people praise and don’t read.”
-Mark Twain

11. “Writing shouldn’t come between the reader and what’s being described. It should be as transparent as possible.”
-Diana Athill

12. “I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning and took out a comma. In the afternoon, I put it back in.”

13. “This before all: ask yourself in the quietest hour of your night: must I write? Dig down into yourself for a deep answer. And if this should be in the affirmative, if you may meet this solemn question with a strong and simple, I must, then build your life according to this necessity.”
-Rainer Maria Rilke

3 Strange Writing Prompts

Greetings, earthlings! I was saving this post for the weekend, but I’ll be out around town today and so I’ve decided to post early. This round of writing prompts includes murderous nudists, fear of ladybugs, and plumbing wara. Enjoy!

Murder at a Nudist Retirement Community

Believe it or not, this writing prompt comes from an true story. But how it ends is a different matter. You decide.

This prompt starts with a detective and his partner investigating a murder case. The murder took place in a nudist community–full of retirees.

That’s all I can really say on that one. With a straight face.

Have fun!

Et tu, Bug?

A man with coccinellidaephobia is trapped in a broken elevator with a ladybug. Does he kill the bug, or is he too afraid? Do they have a conversation, and how does his character–and hers, if you like to diss reality–change by the end of the story?

Ambush!

Two bored plumbers fight over the business of one man with a broken toilet. Again, need I say more?

Feedback and Contest

Have fun with these, and please be sure to share your stories. I’d particularly love to see the first two fleshed out a bit. The best story (or best two, if I really, really like both) will be featured as writer of the month on my blog. Consider this a practice round, too. I’m planning on having a short story contest soon. Keep an eye out, eh?

13 Quotes - 10/14/10

1. “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you’re dead, either write something worth reading or do somethign worth writing.”
-Ben Franklin

2. “Talking is a hydrant in the yard and writing is a faucet upstairs in the house. Opening the first takes pressure off the second.”
-Robert Frost

3. “In Hollywood the woods are full of people that learned to write but evidently can’t read. If they could read their stuff, they’d stop writing.”
-Will Rogers

4. “Writing a novel is actually searching for victims. As I write I keep looking for casualties. The stories uncover the casualties.”
-John Irving

5. “Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.”
-Norman Mailer

6. “I like myself better when I’m writing regularly.”
-Willie Nelson

7. “Writing a book is not as tough as it is to haul thirty-five people around the country and sweat like a horse five nights a week.”
-Bette Midler

8. “True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, as those who move easiest have learned to dance.”
-Alexander Pope

9. “If something in your writing gives support to people in their lives, that’s more than just entertainment — which is what we writers all struggle to do, to touch people.”
-Dean Koontz

10. “Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.”
-Gloria Steinem

11. “There’ll come a writing phase where you have to defend the time, unplug the phone and put in the hours to get it done.”
-James Taylor

12. “The desire to write grows with writing.”
Desiderius Erasmus

13. “The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”
-Neil Gaiman

Monkey Wrench

This weekend my dad and I went to see Let Me In. What an intense ride that was. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, though I cared little for the evil portrayed in some of the younger cast members. Let Me In is a very well crafted work of art, though, in direction, acting, and—more importantly to me—screenplay.

There are three scenes in particular that I really appreciated. If you’ve seen the movie, read on. If not, kindly skip the next spoiler-laden group of paragraphs and save the surprise for your moviegoing experience.

Don’t worry, if you haven’t seen the movie, I’ll still be explaining the importance of monkey wrenches and teaching you one of the writer’s most important most effective—and most important—tools for any story.

Let Me In – A Box Full of Monkey Wrenches

WARNING – SPOILERS!

Let Me In is a story about a boy named Owen, who quickly becomes entangled with his new neighbor—a vampire named Abby, who appears as a young girl. The movie is full of heavy moments that deal with the disturbed states of their young cast of characters, human or otherwise, and as such is an uncomfortable, dark, and thoroughly well-crafted film.

At several points during the film I found myself smiling at the screen. This was not necessarily for the scenes, many of which you will cringe at, but rather the powerful art of the screenplay behind the scene. Perhaps my favorite of these scenes is the sudden and unexpected death of the caretaker—a man who nightly goes out to kill so that Abby can feed. I found the caretaker character surprisingly sympathetic, and so it’s both shocking and sad when he makes a mistake in targeting that night’s victim.

The caretaker is perhaps something akin to a serial killer, not addicted out of a lust for killing, but “forced” out of a twisted sense of love and duty. He targets his victims, hides in their car, and carries out the murder and draining of their blood in some deserted area. So when the caretaker hides in the backseat of a character’s car and a second person jumps in the passenger seat, plans quickly go awry. Suffice it to say that there is a short scuffle and a car crash and the caretaker soon dies afterward, leaving Abby alone, and leading the plot into those unsteady waters that audience are hinged on in films.

SPOILERS END HERE.

This is what I call the Monkey Wrench. Throw a monkey wrench into a large machine, and what will happen? The machine will smoke and sputter and perhaps die, leaving whoever depends on that machine in a crisis.

Stories depend on conflict. Stories are chronicles of a character and that character’s goal, and the obstacles, conflicts, and crises that stand between said character and goal(s). Have your character on his way to that rent-saving job interview; then throw a Monkey Wrench under the hood of his car and watch as the story takes an abrupt—and much needed—twist.

Monkey Wrenches vs. Twists

So, you ask, is “Monkey Wrench” just another name for “twist”? Yeah, we already know what that is.

Well, actually, it’s not.

M. Night Shyamalan has been under a bit of fire as of late. But I remember a time when everyone couldn’t wait to see the next M. Night film. I remember people getting all excited about that new big twist that he was famous for. The main characters have been dead all along (The Sixth Sense); there was a divine reason for your son’s asthma and your daughter’s OCD water collecting (Signs); wait, we don’t live back in the Pilgrim Age, and the monsters in the forest were dorks in costume? (The Village)

Yep, those were some pretty darn good twists. But they weren’t Monkey Wrenches.

In the case of a good old Shyamalan flick, a twist is a big revelation near the end of the movie. A Monkey Wrench, however, should be something that happens to the protagonist, something that radically changes his or her situation; ie. conflict. It can happen in the beginning of a story (what Snyder calls a “catalyst” in his great book Save the Cat), in the middle (like Let Me In) or near the end (think the showdown at the end of Edward Scissorhands). The Monkey Wrench is that scene in a movie, that moment in a book, when everything changes for the worse, and the characters are left to cope and try to make the best of the circumstances.

This is essential for writing. Any kind of writing, whether it be book, script, or comic. Conflict is what keeps readers reading, audiences watching. Without it, you have Goodnight Moon; which is a successful book for preschoolers, don’t get me wrong. But do you want to write another Goodnight Moon? Didn’t think so.

Homework Project

The best of the best know this. Pixar, Hayao Miyazaki, Neil Gaiman, Tolkien, Rowling… Go and see for yourself. The next story that you have the joy to be a part of, take notes at the conflict that rains down on the protagonist; what happens, how many times, how is the character backed up against a wall, what is their response?

The Monkey Wrench is a must for your writing tool box. You may already think in terms of conflict for your story, but this is something you really need to dig down deep and study. If you’re serious about your craft, then stop and study some great examples of this vital tool.

Here’s a list of ten great examples, books and movies. I’ve tried to include literary classics with modern successes. If they sound familiar, don’t be surprised. There’s a reason you’ve heard about them, after all!

The Count of Monte Cristo – A classic book by Alexander Dumas; a boy is falsely accused and sent to jail right as he’s marrying his fiancé. How does he react?

Les Miserables – Also a classic, written by Victor Hugo. A bitter convict starts life anew and becomes a rich, well-intentioned mayor. When he’s found out by a bitter old enemy, he is once again thrown into life on the run, and having to care for a little girl to boot. How does this change the path of his life?

Lord of the Flies – Written by William Golding is the story about a group of young castaways. Faced with isolation, their small society slowly descends into bloody madness.

Harry Potter – Hint, hint. We all know about J. K. Rowling’s record breaking series. Follow the books to watch as Harry and his friends encounter conflict after conflict to their wants and dreams.

The Ranger’s Apprentice – A great series by John Flanagan. These books about a boy unwillingly apprenticed to a mysterious ranger are marked by great hooks, always challenging the reader’s expectations. Watch as the situation tumbles out of the characters’ control over and over again.

Let Me In – Already discussed. Let Me In was originally a book and has been adapted by two movies in Sweden and America. Although the American film was just released, the other versions have already proven themselves to be cult favorites. Count how many times an event happens that markedly changes the plot’s direction.

Toy Story – Who hasn’t seen Toy Story!? A now-classic example. What does Woody do when Buzz gets lost?

Spirited Away – Miyazaki’s masterpiece follows a young girl whose parents eat enchanted food. As a result they are turned into pigs, and she is trapped in a world full of monsters and spirits.

Incredibles – To former superheroes and their children cope with being unable to legally use their superpowers. This is a great example of Desire vs. Circumstance.

Ratatouille – Incidentally, my little brother’s been on a Ratatouille kick lately. I had to add this movie to the list, even though it’s the third Pixar film on here. Remy the rat gets separated from his family and is led to working with a human in a world class restaurant. This movie is particularly great because it has more than three Monkey Wrenches thrown at you. How does it change the story each time?

Already know about all these? Go ye out into the world and study, study, study! If you’re unwilling to study your craft, then you’re not serious about it. Show us you’re serious, and we’ll show you our love for your written work.

“The greatest rules of writing are conflict, conflict, conflict.”
-James Frey

Quote Roundup: Writing

1. “I try to leave out the parts that people skip.”
-Elmore Leonard.

2. “All generalizations are false, including this one.”
-Mark Twain

3. “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”
-Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith

4. “The most beautiful stories always start with wreckage.”
-Jack London

5. “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
-Mark Twain

6. “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.”
-James Michener

7. “Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
-Nathaniel Hawthorne

8. “The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it.”
-Jules Renard

9. “Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.”
-Anonymous Author

10. “If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”
-Isaac Asimov

11. “Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.”
-Flannery O’Connor

12. “A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the other one.”
-Baltasar Gracián

13. “The only cure for writer’s block is insomnia.”
-Merit Antares

Originality

“Don’t try to be original, just try to be good.”
-Paul Rand, graphic designer

Many times while walking through Publix or Wal*Mart I find myself wondering if my characters, storylines, or themes have been done one too many times. (Strangely, I seem to think about the originality of my stories while walking through stores quite often.) As time goes on, I remind myself more and more that there is little to none originality left anyways. We build new ideas on old concepts.

Does that mean we should stop writing, creating, for fear of sounding too cliché? Heck no!

“No Luke, I am your father!”

Take any book, movie, or otherwise story and I can guarantee you’ll be able to place it into at least one category. Even two movies that seem to be in two completely different genres might have the same structure of story. Take, for instance, this year’s successful hit from Christopher Nolan, Inception. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a dream-theif who dares one last, risky job with hopes that it will pay his way back home to family. Now take Heat, or Ocean’s Eleven, both which also feature one last, big job.

Harry Potter, a record-breaking, successful series of books you probably haven’t heard of, with a simple, time-tested and very popular formula: protagonist is taken away from parents/home land and comes to a special place/mentor to receive special weapon/tool and harness special power/talent, eventually returning to defeat some big bad dude. How many times have we heard that? Tarzan, Star Wars, The Lion King. We can trace this kind of story all the way back throughout the folklores and mythologies of many lands: King Arthur, Hercules, Perseus, Makoma. File these under this safe but sure label: Epic.

“Originality is the art of concealing your sources.”
-Ben Franklin

A fellow artist, Eugene Delacroix, said it best: “What moves those of genius, what inspires their work is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.”

So what if you’re telling a story that sounds familiar? Take heart knowing that you’re crafting a story that mirrors works we’ve all come to know and love. Learn from the greats, and tell us your version of them. Our experiences and circumstances allow us all a different position in life; no one can tell the exact same story like you can.

And that, amici mei, is where your originality will reveal itself.