a quiet weekend of CRACK
Well, it's Friday, and the stack of books that I'm in the process of reading just keeps getting taller and taller. For the first time in over a month, Rachel and I have no plans and no houseguests.
Therefore I plan to spend the weekend writing crack (new chapter tonight, I promise), reading, possibly watching "Arrested Development" and even more possibly, working on "Third." Actually, teh crackfic might be helping me with "Third" in a roundabout way.
A few weeks ago, Super Agent gave me an assignment. I was to reconsider the characterization of one of my three main characters.
My book is mostly about the relationship between Charlotte, my narrator, and a guy named Matt. Theirs is a great and t00by love, naturally. But the third major character, Jonah, comes in about halfway through the story and provides a romantic alternative. He starts out as Charlotte's lover and by the end of the book he's become her best friend and non-romantic life partner. Super Agent's issue is with Jonah. She feels that he isn't as well developed and/or characterized as Matt and Charlotte. He isn't enough of his own unique person, his voice isn't as distinctive. I can see what she means. What I really need to do is go through all his dialogue and ask myself if he's saying what he's saying because it's something he would actually say, or if he's only saying it because it sounds good or I need him to say it.
I've been trying to get a better handle in my head of who Jonah is, and it's been hard, but last night it hit me...
Jonah is Jack. The version of Jack that I'm writing in "Human Interest," that is, except without the Texas accent. That's who I need Jonah to be. And spending so much time with my Jack these last few weeks will really be helpful to me when I go back to Jonah's dialogue.
See? Fanfiction is useful!
For those of you following the whole "Is Jake Gyllenhaal Toothy Tile?" saga, you may be interested in these pictures of Jake flirting shamelessly with Austin Nichols at a basketball game. Certainly put to rest any doubts I had. And damn, how does he manage to look perfect in every candid shot? It's unnatural.
Therefore I plan to spend the weekend writing crack (new chapter tonight, I promise), reading, possibly watching "Arrested Development" and even more possibly, working on "Third." Actually, teh crackfic might be helping me with "Third" in a roundabout way.
A few weeks ago, Super Agent gave me an assignment. I was to reconsider the characterization of one of my three main characters.
My book is mostly about the relationship between Charlotte, my narrator, and a guy named Matt. Theirs is a great and t00by love, naturally. But the third major character, Jonah, comes in about halfway through the story and provides a romantic alternative. He starts out as Charlotte's lover and by the end of the book he's become her best friend and non-romantic life partner. Super Agent's issue is with Jonah. She feels that he isn't as well developed and/or characterized as Matt and Charlotte. He isn't enough of his own unique person, his voice isn't as distinctive. I can see what she means. What I really need to do is go through all his dialogue and ask myself if he's saying what he's saying because it's something he would actually say, or if he's only saying it because it sounds good or I need him to say it.
I've been trying to get a better handle in my head of who Jonah is, and it's been hard, but last night it hit me...
Jonah is Jack. The version of Jack that I'm writing in "Human Interest," that is, except without the Texas accent. That's who I need Jonah to be. And spending so much time with my Jack these last few weeks will really be helpful to me when I go back to Jonah's dialogue.
See? Fanfiction is useful!
For those of you following the whole "Is Jake Gyllenhaal Toothy Tile?" saga, you may be interested in these pictures of Jake flirting shamelessly with Austin Nichols at a basketball game. Certainly put to rest any doubts I had. And damn, how does he manage to look perfect in every candid shot? It's unnatural.