Poetry Sunday ~ Why... die

Nebraska sky by Adam

Matt.  26:35 “Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.”

I don’t wanna die

don’t wanna cry

I want to live

I don’t know why…

I’m in a world

Fingers curled

Words hurled

Clouds unfurled

On a throne

I call my own

Never sown

Always shown

Fluttering mind

Winds unkind

Hard to find

Soul entwined

Button eyes

Starry skies

Sudden cries

Then she dies

Crazy Characters

"However great a man's natural talent may be, the art of writing cannot be learned all at once." Jean Jacques Rousseau
***
Characterization

This week we’re going to learn about characterization. Characterization is basically getting to know your character like you would any friend that you have. Their thoughts, their likes and dislikes, maybe their skin color or eye color and lastly, a name. Yes your characters become some of your nearest and dearest friends. You spend mornings, noons and many nights with them so the least you should do is know them, intimately.

As an exercise, we ask for your character to tell us about you! What would they see your life as being? Are you a bored housewife living vicariously through your character, Lola. Or are you a busy stay at home mom who colors her world with the likes of Beth and Bob?

When you climb inside your characters head, and look out into the real world, what would they see? Is there life exciting compared to yours or are you more exciting than them. Oh goodness... you better make your character’s life more exciting than yours.

Can you imagine reading a book, and the character appears as a cardboard cutout; meaning, stiff, colorless, flat, no real connection to the reader? If that’s the case then for sure you’ve lost your reader. We have to give our readers more to sink their teeth into. They, as you well know, don’t pick up a book to be bored out of their skin. They pick it up so they can jump into a fantasy world alive with conflict, pain, struggle and hopefully a resolution.

Now I don’t pick up a book for the fantasy elements, I, personal preference here, like the reality elements. I like a character who could be me, or my sister or maybe my mother or brother. I like to see within characters elements of my real world. I like to see possible struggles that I went through and want to see how they get resolved in a book.

Keep in mind I’ve had a colorful life, maybe not to some, but daily, monthly, yearly struggles are my forte. So when I read a book I want the character to survive the unconscionable blood of the past. I want them to soar like no eagle has soared before. They need to take whatever obstacle is thrown at them and either overcome it, or die.

You’re going to lose the reader if your main character is a wimp and dies; also spells out a boring story.  And trust me, you don’t need a voluptuous maiden to be a main character either, although everyone loves a good ‘Damsel in Distress’ novel, don’t they?

Get inside your characters head, know every mole, every pimple that has surfaced, every flaw on their skin, and everything that makes him or her tick on a daily basis. By allowing the character to interview you, you in return will be learning intricate aspects of them, without even knowing it. Try it, you might like it. :)

Writing from the Spirit

Genesis 37: 24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
***

Truth in poetic form or any form is the only way to write. When I write poetry I feel as if a small surge of energy flows through my veins. I can sense it moving until it reaches my fingertips and urges me to write.

This is what writing should feel like to you. When you sit down to write, if you’re not feeling the surge of the spirit, you will not only write gibberish, you’ll put up a brick wall and you won’t be able to write anything.

When sitting down to write, clear your mind of all of the outside distractions. This is probably the hardest part in writing and that is finding the quiet space and time to get things down on paper. Having access to a computer helps but remember the pen and paper was around before the keyboard.

Writing from the depths of your being is what writing is all about. Does it matter if you write in a POV that people like? Well I have to say, write what YOU like. If it feels like the poetic style that you are accustomed to writing is calling you to jot something down, then by all means write what is in your heart and don’t worry what other people are going to say or think.

Sometimes I think you can get to caught up in bringing perfection to the table when we all know the tablecloth has a stain from last Christmas. What does that mean? Nothing is perfect! We can’t expect to ever be perfect in our writing, our views, what we say, or what we do for that matter. Life holds high expectations and writers are not exempt from feeling the need to be arbitrarily stagnant.

We have high hopes, we need compelling reasons why we aren’t where we think we should be, we need affirmation, we need a pat on the back. Yes, we’re needy. Admit it.
But this does not mean we are perfect. I myself don’t strive for perfection because I know it is an illusion that can never be. In my writing, the same holds true. There is no perfect place that says, you’re done.

Strive to be better, yes. Learn all you can, yes. But feel the need to be perfect? Never.

Believe in yourself. Just be!