I’ve discovered that I have this time-consuming habit of
being trapped between two stories and struggling (sometimes for months) to
figure out which one is the beginning of the actual book I should be writing.
It’s not pretty. I wish my brain worked IN SOME OTHER WAY. But it doesn’t.
Maybe it can’t. All I can say at this point is that I’ve begun to
learn how to listen to the warring factions of my creative brain and I
have realized something.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GREAT CHARACTER OR CONCEPT
and the START OF A NOVEL. At the beginning, they may feel the same but they are
NOT.
When it’s just a flashy idea, it can start with some cool
lines, maybe the vision of a character or a great WHAT IF notion. However, as
time progresses, you feel resistance. Maybe you’re wrestling with form or
point-of-view. Maybe the plot feels overworked or you dread the thought of the
research you’ll have to do to make it feel real. Time passes and the word count
goes up and then DOWN and then up and then DOWN AGAIN. You WANT to see the book
through but somewhere in your gut is this sense of dread each time you face the
computer.
When it’s a BOOK, maybe it starts with a great scene or the
voice of an interesting character, but then, as you mull and write and eat a
bunch of junk food, the story begins to wash over you. Driving carpool, you
suddenly realize that the supporting character has a complex relationship with
his dad and older brother. Putting on your mascara, you see how to resolve a
challenging plot issue by changing the WHO of an action. The story structure
feels like it’s settling into place. The “AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS” strategy IS
WORKING! It is still as grueling, sometimes requiring discipline you’re not
sure you’ve got but you know that THE STORY IS THERE.
Sometimes, you actually like the IDEA better than the BOOK
for a while. Or it’s just hard to abandon the curious character you’ve been
writing about, even if s/he is going nowhere emotionally, or plot-wise.
Swinging naked on a wrecking ball? "Twerking" (whatever) up against Robin Thicke? People are rolling their eyes, saying Miley is embarrassing herself.
Honestly? I rolled my eyes when it was reported the kid was engaged at the ripe old age of nineteen. Rolled 'em again when I caught wind of her parents on-again, off-again divorce. Rolled 'em a little way back when I saw her dad playing a role on her Disney show. Ew.
The other day, my sixteen-year-old son was playing a new Miley tune. I mentioned she might be losing her mind and he said that he saw her as still trying to break free from her "Disney brand" childhood. I was about to argue back when I realized that maybe I, like my kid, should cut her some slack because growing up in the spotlight seems to be super-hard.
My teenagers have done some way-stupid things to proclaim their emerging adulthood. And none of them were squeezed into blonde wigs and sparkly outfits to sell lunchboxes and CDs before they hit puberty. I have friends whose teenagers have misbehaved like Miley, just on much smaller stages. I have friends who took eight years to graduate college. I have friends who had babies before they got their driver's licenses and have lived the rest of their lives with that reality. And no one's been filming them.
So...maybe we should just cross our fingers and realize that, if she weren't famous, Miley Cyrus might still be a rebel child. Maybe the answer isn't to keep bashing her but to hope that IF, under all the ridiculous, "Girls Gone Wild" acting up she's done before the cameras, she's got a real problem with alcohol or drugs or depression, there is someone in her life who cares more about her than her money or her fame and isn't afraid to offer her the help she may need.
Rant over.
Want some great fiction to go with these ramblings? Here are two cool YA titles (one available, one coming in 2014) that deal with young celebrities trying to figure out life and love...
When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.
Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? (Summary from Amazon)
Millions of people witnessed Emma Taylor’s first kiss—a single kiss that needed twelve takes and four camera angles to get right. After spending nearly all of her teen years performing on cue, Emma wonders how much of her own life is even real anymore. But her new co-star, Jake Elliott, couldn’t care less... about how many scenes he has to fake his way through; he needs the money. Toss in a reckless heartthrob, desperate for a comeback, and a resident diva who may or may not be as evil as she seems, and the production of Coyote Hills heats up in unexpected—and romantic—ways.
Along with offering front row seats to the real life drama that often unfolds within the entertainment industry, NOT IN THE SCRIPT is a story about two not-so-typical teens who are searching for themselves, and just happen to find each other. (Summary from Amy's fb author page)
I was all signed up and ready to go but family stuff got in the way. I am heartsick to be missing this because not only do I love Wordstock, but I also love the people who make it happen--the most amazing, passionate talented group of bookworms you will ever meet.
So, uh, if you're anywhere in driving distance of Portland, OR, go meet them and tell 'em I'm missing the City of Roses like crazy right now!
