Smile
Yesterday, Demon Baby decided to depict me in sidewalk chalk. We were outside drawing on the driveway, when he began assembling me. I say "assemble" since he was rather like Picasso. My legs were sideways and pieces of me were everywhere. But what amazed me was how he wanted me to hold still so he could capture me. "Wait . . . just like that, I need to study your arm. Your neck. Your smile."
He spent five full minutes on my smile. In Demon Baby time, for a kid who never stops moving, that's like a full hour.
Now, to be totally clear . . . the smile I got was a smiley-face smile. That is how four-year-olds draw. So whether he studied my smile or not, I was getting a U-shaped line. But the fact that he studied me--in fact insisted that I move into shadows so the sun didn't blind him so much--and painstakingly re-created what he thought was my smile in the middle of my face--with my two legs sideways next to it--said a lot about writing.
Because really, we all have a unique smile. We have a unique everything. And Demon Baby gets that. He spent five minutes because U-shaped line or not--in his mind, my smile wasn't like anyone else's smile.
That's how we have to write. Not only so our writing is unique, but that we pluck the precise descriptions that will set apart our characters from another writer's.
I got a sneak peak at my cover for Magickeepers II. I adore that they added the scattering of freckles on Isabella's face . . . to me, they are like a constellation of stars. And that's how I see her uniqueness. Her own constellation.
What detail have you recently written that you like because it captures something special in your mind?
Have a great weekend! Smile!
30 comments:
Thank God for Demon Babies!
Joe:
Demon Babies are, indeed, wonderful. He came inside with a jar full of worms yesterday and watched TV with her new pets.
:-)
"But the fact that he studied me--in fact insisted that I move into shadows so the sun didn't blind him so much--and painstakingly re-created what he thought was my smile in the middle of my face--with my two legs sideways next to it--said a lot about writing."
It's also possible, of course, that Demon Baby enjoys bossing his mother around.
Mark:
Actually, it was a very sweet moment, not bossy at all. He was really intent on this project of his and poured a lot of energy into it. Yesterday was a good Demon Baby day. We also rolled around in the grass, stared at the sky (not a cloud!). Now that the weather is cool, it's been GREAT!
I've started to learn that I'm a very atmospheric writer. I like sentances and words to feel good to me, as well as the reader. My favorite detail line so far has been, "The light of the sunset glenting off Hoshimizu Tower changing the figure that was Andre into nothing more than a black paper cutout." It sort of minces reality and brings the reader into a more 2D world. Plus, for some reason it reminds me of a pop-up book.
JT:
Funny . . . it made me think of a pop-up on a manga book, too.
E
Don't you love the way you grow as a parent so that by that last child you really know how to play? At least that was my experience. I think that's why grandparents are so much fun for children.
One of my favorite descriptive lines I wrote about a character is:
"Age and guilt tugged and pulled at her once beautiful body until her skin folded in upon itself like the heavy swag drapes that hung over her living room window."
Beth:
Most of the time, you know the last one is the LAST one . . . your last time to hold onto those moments of mothering a child that age. (Sniff, sniff, sob.)
E
I love those times with our kids, when despite themselves they reveal their true nature -- the demon part of DB fell by the wayside as he did this -- not that it's a bad part -- but when that happens we are able to see the other parts so clearly. It happened the other night with my 17 year old - who is a great kid but like many 17 year olds, has taken to mumbling and thinking things I say are not funny, even if they are. I told him something (two nights in a row actually) and he laughed from deep in his belly - it reminded me of the little boy he was and the man he's becoming.
I wrote something yesterday that revealed something about one of my characters that I'm not sure I knew before I wrote it -- and I'm not sure she knows it yet.
"This had been her home -- in one familial configuration or another - for a dozen years. She knew that no matter who lived here, or didn't, the Glass house was filled with vestiges of her past and dreams for her future. Evie clung to both for dear life."
Amy:
Oh . . . I think that is such a relatable concept. Many women will nod . . . and just "get" it.
E
I like to think my characters are unique, and truly they are to me. I write as I see 'em in my head. And then when I release it to the masses, I receive comments to the contrary, such as, "A guy would never do/say/act like that," or "That's not a sexy name for the hero," and my personal favorite, "A horse would NEVER act like that. I'm just not buying it."
Suddenly unique gets diluted and I have to find ways to either make it "more real," or hold my head high and say, "Yeah, well, maybe a reader will like it..."
I don't know. I'm with you, though, and your son (I love him!). His style shows the way he sees you, and that's all that really matters, imo.
My wip has some octogenarian characters, so I'm actually going to use this line inspired by the recent photo on Mark Terry's blog:
He wore a wool driving cap and a red sweater and the kind of toothless grin you see in babies and insane asylums.
Like Demon Baby, we should strive to find what is special about a subject and then try to express it in a unique way.
That is so sweet.
I don't tend to go overboard with details, but this morning I wrote something that made me giggle:
A small part of her was concerned about how she'd get along with her new boss, but it seemed ironically appropriate that a gopher-like creature ran the largest garden in Western Michigan.
That's all the description he's getting.
I adore DB! And I agree on the unique point. I remember quite a while back, when I kept seeing the same romantic phrases to decribe a guy. From the chiseled face, to the mossy green eyes, etc. After a while, the lines blurred for me as a reader. When I see something unique today, I appreciate the author's ability to discover new ways. I agree, we must find our own "smiles."
Demon baby sounds wonderful :D
Here's the opening to a novel I recently rewrote:
Gilbert woke up with two fingers in his nose, fingers that were not his own. They smelled of marshmallows, dirt and spit. He gagged and pushed the sticky hand away.
kath:
I think it goes back to organic again. People will believe anything if we weave it well enough. At least I hope. ;-)
E
Jude:
Ahh . . . the ol' asylum!
E
Melanie:
I grinned at that one.
E
LaDonna:
Precisely!
Sherrie:
THAT is an awesome beginning to a middle grade (guessing it's MG) book. LOL!
E
I'm in the editing phase but I did just change my first line to one that I am really happy with and gives a good idea of the story that follows. :)
Solvang, that's awesome!
And I was going to write a blog post on how characters describe things in a way specific to their own world. :-)
Your Magickeeper cover is gorgeous, Erica. I can't wait to see the second one!
(I third: Solvang, that rocks!)
PS: I keep hearing Lyle Lovett (I think) singing "Smile." Love that song.
I've always loved reading your comments, Erica, and I'm enjoying your blog, too. This post made me, well, smile. Demon Baby gets it.
I love well placed details that elevate writing into art. I live for those moments, as a reader and writer. One of my recent ones was describing a character's legs as "a fractured laugh."
Natasha:
Very true. It's climbing into that world.
E
Sarah:
He gets a lot of things. A very unique child.
E
I remember being in DB's place with wanting to get the details just right, but not having the skill to replicate what was in my head. It's the same with writing. There are things I want to express and it's taking years to develop the skill of getting it out on paper. Still working on it.
Now that I'm writing passages in Castile's voice, I'm finding he starts out by treading very carefully around Trinidad. I think as the relationship grows, he'll get more comfortable. But now he's walking on eggshells and experiences internal cringes when he accidentally reveals his natural inclination to say it like it is. I don't know how poetic the actual writing is, but I'm discovering a lot about the character.
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