Descriptions of colour, and a runaway tangent about eggs

Okay, now this is hilarious...

Now I'm curious to go back through old stories/writing and see if I've used any weird food references...

Since I'm not big on physically describing characters, the only story I can think of with (potentially) problematic descriptions is SCARLIGHT, but since I have decided on a pallet of colours for him to see the world in, if I have fallen prey to any food-comparisons, at least finding a substitute will be easy :)

Personally (in that linked article) I was hoping for a description using uncooked egg whites as a comparison... which, I feel, are one of the more disgusting things a person could eat. Actually, eggs in general I find a little creepy.

By the way, did you know that blood can be used as a substitute for eggs? Seriously... this IS going to end up in a story someday... I've been toying with AotD as an appropriate medium...

And yes my head is full of weird facts. This makes me useless at 'proper' small talk, yet it's incredibly useful at driving away people I don't want to have a conversation with.

Really? You want to tell me about the latest celebrity-fad-high-protein-diet you're on? Well, let me tell you an interesting fact about eggs and blood...

Works every time ;)

Okay, I love this guy...

READ, and I dare you not to laugh.

He's (mostly) there to laugh at

I love characters who are thrown in to lighten the mood and give readers a moment to take a breath. Even better if they also get the reader to think a little ;)

Of the different kinds of characters who can fulfill this role, I like the ones who say stupid things the most.

Like, I love Jayne from Firefly.


A few days ago, I had the fun of one-such comedic-timing-styled character spontaneously drop into Project #6... with a few surprises...


This was probably due to a conversation I had last week with someone at the dog-park about racism in Canada. The person I was talking to is an immigrant from Russia who is currently taking an MBA program at one of the Vancouver universities.

...but that isn't all that important, more just me connecting the dots as to how & why this particular new character showed up without me planning for him.

The important part of the conversation was about how some people are so overly concerned with being politically correct, that it goes beyond treating everyone the same, and becomes a different way of singling out groups of people (be those racial, sexual, religious, etc). Like how there was the discussion about editing Mark Twain's books, 'Tom Sawyer' and 'Huckleberry Finn' to remove certain racial slurs which are no longer deemed appropriate.

Words have power, and certain words that originally had no malicious intent behind them, have become skewed through fear & hatred.

Like, I remember my mom telling me once that, when she was at university, the word 'fag' referred to a cigarette. Now, if someone used that term, the assumption would be completely different.

How our society looks at certain words might change, but people who fear & hate will always find new words to replace the old ones. White-washing old literature does nothing to change that, all it does is paint a pretty layer over the underlying rot. It's just pretending the problem isn't there.



So, something that became ensnarled in the back of my brain was the notion of bigotry, in its widest form.

What happens if a person hates everyone equally?

If they are equally rude to Females, Koreans, Caucasians, Africans, Buddhists, Jews, etc?

...if they treat everyone equally bad, does that make them better or worse than someone who singles out one specific group of people?

I'm not out to answer that question, since I think most philosophical questions are virtually unanswerable, but thinking about it is probably what sparked the birth of this 'drop-in' character.


Donovan is his name, and he's Jay's cousin. He's described as:

Blood may be thicker than water, but it’s not thicker than bigotry. The guy is a serious asshole. I’d like to say he grew up in a cult compound, had nut-job parents who taught him to fear his own shadow, or maybe blame it on generations of inbreeding, but that’s not it at all.

Donovan is just an ass, but at least he’s equally an ass to everyone. He calls me a homo ‘cause I paint, and calls his dad a redneck, even though my uncle is an accountant of all things. I’ve even heard him call his mom a bitch, right to her face.

I know you can’t choose your family members, but I sure as hell believe you can choose to walk the other way when you see one coming.

...and I honestly have no idea how much 'first-draft' dialogue for this character will make it past my first edit. Writing this character feels SO wrong because I agree with nothing he says, and none of his opinions, to the point where he almost feels like a caricature of what I think sucks in the world.


...but the thing is, a lot of his dialogue is actually based off of things I've heard real people say, often in a casual laughing/joking way... if fact, I've already toned down some of it, but what's there still makes me squeamish.


Anyways, like I said, I'm not out to say I have a definitive answer to the question, but throwing in a character like this at least presents the opportunity for a dialogue on the subject. Addressing a sticky subject is better than ignoring it.

Yet I'm already admitting to toning it down... so, am I avoiding it even while trying to address it?


No matter what, I find it's exercising my ability to write snappy/insulting dialogue, not just on Donovan's end, but Jay & Kell's responses to the stupid things Donovan says.


Have you ever written a character that you disagree with to this point? If you have, what have you chosen: to use that character as an example, or do you write the character true to him/herself and leave it up to the reader to make a moral/ethical judgement?

Real life = great ideas

Considering writing is such a solitary endeavour, there are many times when I just want to unplug the phone and not have to go anywhere, or see anybody.

...but I swear, every time I throw off my antisocial tendencies, I end up with fabulous new ideas.

I was at someone's house watching the fourth Stanley Cup final game (not that I'm really a hockey fan... yeah, I know... blasphemy coming from a Canadian... get over it) and overheard someone tell a story of something... I never knew was physically possible.

...and since it's both hilarious and alcohol related, it's SOOOOOOOOOO ending up in 'Brake Fluid'!

Those of you who have been hanging around a while and reading first draft tidbits of 'Brake Fluid', might remember a scene with a 'one year older than dead' joke. Coincidentally enough, from a party at the exact same residence as the other night. Different person though ;)

As much as I think it's important to read, watch movies, listen to music, get outside, hike, run, try new things, etc. (because they both re-fill the creative reservoir and give the mind/body a much needed break) I think I often forget the importance of getting involved in social situations.

I'm not a wallflower, I'm not especially timid around new people, or get nervous, but I do find groups of people to be somewhat exhausting. I function better on a one-to-one basis. Quality over quantity.

...but you do miss something... a whole other dimension that isn't possible to experience when you compare a one-on-one hang-out to a crowd of people all laughing, telling stories and jokes, intermingling, etc. It's a vibrancy, an energy, and I think, especially for writing 'Brake Fluid', that I need a reminder to throw myself in a little more, drink in the chaotic noise, revel in it, and above all, remember it.

Because so much of 'Brake Fluid' happens at a crazy party...

Do you find it's difficult to capture the energy of different social situations in your writing? Any tips on tapping in/recreating all the different highs and lows that are running wild within the same space/time?

Which do you find easier, writing scenes with a limited number of characters, or those big battle-like crazy-energy scenes with a ton of things/people?

Any writers you can think of who are particularly masterful at recreating that kind of energy?

Quick 'n dirty update

I just crossed 34,000 words on 'Brake Fluid' and ended chapter 12 with the line:

“Oh shit,” I say, and drop the phone without erasing it.

At midnight tonight we're pulling 'the witch's hut' from the market.

...so, of course, I just got a showing request for 12:30pm today (must get to cleaning)

I've spent the last 2 days in the rain pulling ivy (which was fun, no really, I do like working in the rain)

Yesterday afternoon I had a pond-guy in to look at the dilapidated pool and give me his thoughts on turning it into a reflecting pond with plants/fish.

...due to his suggestions, I set 4 old hoses to siphon out the water overnight and now it's nearly empty!

(and looking even more like a cesspool)

Also, while we were in Seattle, 1/2 the lid on the septic tank collapsed in. Yeah. Perfect timing, eh? Gotta call someone about that...

So I'd say the witch's hut is in tip-top-witchy-viewing-condition for the showing today.



After the viewing, I figure the pool will be completely empty and I'll be able to get in there with the power washer, a big broom, and a shovel to clean out all the muck.

Yes, and maybe get some more writing done tonight ;)

(I'm feeling pretty good!)

My sense of humour needs an overhaul

Yeah, it's shameful to admit, but I have a total soft-spot for play-on-word or pun-related jokes.

I've already cut out (well, toned down) a horribly nerdy wine-pun in 'Brake Fluid'. Seriously, how can you read a name like 'Châteauneuf-du-pape' and NOT want to make a joke?

...anyways, another pun-ish joke has snuck its way into 'Brake Fluid', which I find funny on two different levels:

Triss says it’s cause I’m afraid of being trapped. Closet-phobia, she calls it, or something like that, which is weird ‘cause I’ve slept in closets before and have been just fine.

...I'm sure the first reason it's funny is pretty obvious (misunderstanding the word 'claustrophobic'), but can you guess the second reason I find this funny?

Hint: it's related to the fact the MC's gender is never specified.

Yup, it's a total groaner. My sense of humour needs a good overhaul...

I haven't decided if I will cut it or not. For now, I'll leave it in there 'cause it makes me laugh :)


Oh, and just as I was closing the 'Brake Fluid' file last night, a new character for 'Afraid of the Dark' suddenly popped into my head...

...hmmmm... writing gods is going to be fun :) I'm excited to finish the end of 'Brake Fluid' so I can get back to 'AotD' ...which still needs a new title.

Architecture and Scale

I'm now back from my holiday and, while catching up on my reading, I found this post not only interesting, but considering I posted a week's work of drawing related stuff, kinda fitting.

I've mentioned before I'm a pantser. I write to find the story. If I knew the ending before I started, well, then I wouldn't have to write it, would I?

Is that strange?

Well, in all my animation classwork, I was the same way. Guidelines were always pretty loose as long as you fulfilled the criteria, and often I would get so involved with a tiny, insignificant project, I'd end up running full-steam ahead (like usual) and tripping myself up with deadlines... like turning a 5 second squash & stretch (to show weight) assignment into a 20 second clip... thereby quadrupling the amount of work I had to do in the same short amount of time. Don't you think a pair of underwear dancing across a bedroom floor is way more interesting then a sack of flour simply walking across the screen?

But scale is important. Understanding the scope of the world, the story and the characters is as important as understanding which word is *appropriate* to use in a line of dialogue or description. A ten-year-old kid isn't going to be thinking works like 'effervescence' while watching a chemical (or magic?) reaction in a flask, even if that is the *correct* word to describe what's going on.

The problem with my dancing underwear animation was that I didn't understand scale at the time. Sure, my animation was like four or five times longer than my classmates, it was original and it made everyone laugh, but because I overextended myself, the overall quality was low. Some movements were too slow, some too fast, and in animation, even though every movement is exaggerated, it still has to look real or you won't get that suspension of disbelief. In a story, it's the same thing. If a line of dialogue or action seems unrealistic, the reader is going to notice it's just words on a page, just like badly timed movements will ultimately reduce a g-string doing the tango with a pair of boxer shorts to a blur of clumsy pencil lines.

That's what happens when you lose perspective and concentrate too much on one aspect... you sacrifice other parts and you end up with a lower quality piece in the end. Every writer naturally has things that come easy and things that come hard. All of us are imbalanced, and our stories reflect this.

Go read that article and think about your own story. Have you skimmed over things like setting 'cause you like writing dialogue? Do all your character's voices sound the same? Are they using appropriate words when they speak? How is your timeline, do things happen realistically slow/fast depending on the action or situation? Are there 50 references in the first ten pages describing what your two main characters look like, but do they inhabit a *white-room* world? If you can't dig into your story and find your own weaknesses, find a beta-reader who will.

Long Weekend

...it's a holiday Monday, here in BC, Canada, which means a lazy morning and a late post...

My husband and I are getting ready to leave on holidays (Aug. 6-21), so it was nice to linger over breakfast, savour that extra cup of coffee and just enjoy the sunshine, the hummingbirds and the pets who are sleeping on their respective sofas. Thankfully, deer are not currently decimating my gardens...

As noon rolls (rolled) around, I finally finished reading/commenting on the last couple SSS participant sites and am now thinking of what to do next... going away for so long is unusual for us, and with the freshly planted gardens, I know I'm going to have to find a timer and hook up a temporary watering system before we leave. I have those cool blown-glass watering bulbs for my indoor plants, but I suspect some of them won't make it as they are finicky about drainage, yet they like to be watered often.

Well, I think I'll throw on some work clothes and get out there... It's a nice temperature: 20C (68F)

...okay, I spoke too soon about the deer... too bad there's reflections from the window, but this is the yearling buck from our family of four... he's got fabulous comedic timing... and it looks like he found the cosmos. Mmmmm, tasty.

Who knew?

So, apparently deer like marigolds...

I have already mentioned that the woods around "the witch's hut" are infested with overly aggressive deer, but one of the coolest things is how tame they are... We have a family of four, a full grown doe, a yearling buck and twin spotted babies, who often graze in our front yard. They are so comfortable that the babies (barely three feet tall they are so young) will often just wander around by themselves and even get right up on the doorstep.

So this morning I was pouring a fresh cup of coffee and looked out to see one baby deer nibbling peacefully on the grass, then lean over, chomp off a marigold flower, have another bite of grass, move to the next marigold, and on and on until every plant was de-flowered...

...and I really wasn't sure how to react. Should I be angry? After all, I spent a good 6 hours digging all the weeds out of that neglected witch-garden, then made a couple trips out for new plants and have been diligently watering them. Should I be worried? I don't know if marigolds are poisonous... but I really wasn't planning for the deer to use my garden as a banquet hall, so it didn't cross my mind to ask at the plant store. Should I chase it away? I know from experience my beagle will chase anything she's *allowed* to, but is very good when I tell her, 'no'... and she's insanely curious about the deer, especially when they are standing four feet away through a screen door. Should I laugh? It was pretty comical how the little guy was taking a bite from the lawn, a bite from the flowers, then another from the lawn...

And in the end, I did nothing. Just sipped my coffee and watched until every last orange and red flower had been delicately devoured.

Not every experience can be classified as good, bad, funny, or otherwise. Sometimes it just ends up being a good story to tell someone else, and hopefully, a memory that will give you a smile when it pops up.

So what do I want my own stories to be? How do I want my readers to remember them? What about you, do you all ask yourselves questions like this?

Sisters and Brothers

"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."

If that quote is unrecognizable, I'm watching Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" for like the millionth time.

There's a lot of reasons I love this movie (even though it bothers me that Jumba keeps going off-model, especially in the last 1/3). I love the humor, the animation style, there are no *Disney songs*, no evil villain, it takes place in Hawaii, the fact that it's Chris Sander's brain-child (and he does the voice of Stitch!)... but my favorite parts of the movie are the interactions between the sisters Nani and Lilo.

In the movie, you meet Lilo (the younger sister) first. She's adorably strange, yet there are dark threads that you can see under her freakouts, like when she professes that Pudge the fish controls the weather. Something about this little girl is off. There is a hunger in her, a need for control, understanding and stability. When you meet Nani, she is desperately searching for Lilo because the social worker is on the way to their house.

Let's just skip over the social worker, whose visit does not go well...

As soon as the door closes, Nani runs after Lilo, who is shrieking her head off. After Nani catches her, there's this great scene between them. Nani grabs her arm and asks if she understands, if Lilo wants to be taken away, and Lilo keeps yelling, 'No!' and it's not entirely clear what she's responding to. There is an obvious difference in the way they view the reality of their situation and Nani clearly protects Lilo, not only by fighting to keep them together, but by occasionally lying to her... like when Nani loses her job because of Stitch.

Even while they're screaming at each other, you can see the close ties between them. I love the timing of the scene where they are both smothering their screams in separate pillows, in separate rooms, but in the exact same way. There is desperation and love. There is a theme of loss in this movie, of being lost.

Later in the movie, the social worker says this:

"I know you're trying, Nani, but you need to think about what's best for Lilo. Even if it means removing you from the picture."

It's the opposite idea from *ohana*. At what point do you give up on the idea of family?

Until I watched this movie again, I didn't realize what a big influence this was on Project #2. The themes are very similar: the importance of family, loss and the question of when to give up. When to stop fighting to stay together. My favorite parts of Project #2 are the interactions between the two brothers, especially when Simon is trying to protect Hector... even when his methods are not entirely logical or ethical.

"This is my family... It's little and broken, but still good. Still good."

Tangled & Comedic Timing

So, on a cold, wet, overcast west-coast afternoon, I'm watching Disney's 'Tangled' and thinking about comedic timing.

I love animation, even more than I love movies/tv with real people... the main reason is that I love to over-think and analyze and animation has something special that regular film does not. Every visual jerk, twitch, pause and hesitation is intentional. Every moment of movement has been planned out, not only of arm and legs, but the wideness of the eyes, to the length of time the lashes are closed during a single blink. And every one of these tiny, intentional movements has to look natural.

...and I haven't even touched on framing, use of colour, shape, size and when to pare or overemphasize ratio and movement... all tools and tricks an animator can play with to better tell their story.

Animation is truly an orgy for the over-thinker.

When I was a kid, 'The Little Mermaid' came out in theatres. I can clearly remember staring at the screen with intense concentration... while not following the plot at all. What I was watching was how different Arial looked in each scene, essentially, when she would go 'off model'. After that movie, my dream job was to be a cleanup-artist in animation... that's the person who goes over every single hand-drawn frame and makes sure each character stays on model.

Boring, eh? Well, there's a point to this, I swear.

As an actor, having good comedic timing is something you either have, or you don't have. An animator has the ability to tinker with a character's actions to the microsecond. This attention to detail is something that can be trained into you, but I do think it's a real skill. Whether you're born with it or learn it later, some people have an almost perfect instinct for timing.

The visual information of characters in regular film (or animated films) is a large part of how we know what they are all about. Their body language is important, their ticks and twitches, the turn of their heads, the lift of their jaws, all of this can fill out a character in a few seconds without an info dump about their history, preferences and unique characteristics.

So what about when you read about a character in a book? What about when you are writing a character, a character you can see so clearly in your mind that you could act out their scenes with every single one of their micro expressions and muscle contractions?

Description is a dirty word for many readers/writers. For the reader, seeing one of those dauntingly enormous paragraphs that takes up an entire page where you know, you just know, you're going to be wasting several minutes walking through a character's dreamscape when all you really want is for the character to wake up and get on with the story!

So where is the happy medium? To build a world, to build characters that live and breathe in that world, you can't have a white room with white cardboard characters... but then no one wants to do a Jane Eyre either and fill an entire chapter with the description of a swamp.

Comedic timing might be something one is born with, but it can also be learned. Playing the balancing act between giving too much and too little information about your characters... I think some writers are born with that skill, but there's no reason why it can't also be learned.

To learn timing in acting or in animation, you act (or draw) out a scene without using words.

So when you're writing a scene, how much information can you cram in without using *words* (as in dialogue or narrator/descriptive info-dumps)?

If you've got time, throw on 'Tangled' and watch Pascal the chameleon and Maximus the horse... they are both fully rounded characters who doesn't have a single line of dialogue. Can you do that?