Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuning in Channel 007- My Heroine-
I got out of work late. Stupid traffic was holding me up. After all day of listening to my heroine and her sister fight, I was in the mood to get home. But the weather had been bad since 2 o’clock, dropping 40 degrees and leaving people in a rush to get home. Unfortunately, no one in Missouri remembered what a little snow looked like and were driving like they just stepped off the Caribbean Cruise Ship.I looked at the stoplight. It was green and I still wasn’t moving. In the car in front of me, the driver was talking on their cell phone. I bit my lower lip. I was tempted to honk my horn. But no need. The jackass behind me wasn’t holding back and had been laying on his horn for the past five minutes. The nice lady flipped me off repeatedly. Just freakin' lovely.
I watched as her brake lights went off, the line moved; and we crept along at 5 mph until we hit the next light, idling by while I watch the cars in the opposite lane move along steadily. I sighed.
“I thought I told you I wanted to shoot someone.” The voice in my head said and I could hear the pout in her voice. “You made me a computer nerd.”
“Hm.” I thought, accelerating through the light. “I made you a computer nerd because you’re brilliant, you twit.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I don’t really care. Suffer. I have to suffer from you yapping at me at 3 am. And Ash too. And now Ruiz. I swear, don’t you people sleep?”
She laughed at me. Laughed! “Did you expect me to sleep with a roommate like that?”
Actually no. But I kept that to myself. “But don’t you like the ending? You’re rather kick ass in the ending. In fact, you’re rather kick ass throughout the whole thing.”
“I know,” she huffed. “But I wanted to be a bad ass agent. And you cut me off at the knees.”
I stopped at the last light before hitting the county road to my house. “Dude. Chill. You can do things that I could never possibly do. I can’t hack into someone’s computer and not worry about not getting caught. I can't pack around a 9mm at my lower back and walk through areas deemed not fit for convicts let alone white girls looking for trouble. I mean seriously,” I paused, checking over my shoulder so I could pass the slow poke old man in front of me. “You have a hot roomie. A hot agent to work with. A hot detective sniffing at your heels. And you have a kick ass job. How can you not be happy?”
“Can’t you just change a few things? You’re screwing with my flow.”
“That’s my job.” I mentally rolled my eyes. “Like what exactly do you want me to change?” I pulled into my parking space. “I’ve changed so much crap in the past year that I’ve had to scrap over 100k because of you. You’re fickle and sometimes you’re bitchy to me.” I sniffed. “That kind of hurts my feelings, you know?”
She stomped on a brain cell and there was a pulsing headache behind my right eye now. “Shut up you cry baby. I swear I don’t know how we got paired together.”
I laughed. “Because sometimes I can plot my way out of a wet paper bag.”
She snorted. “Well you better prove it because this story you got me wrapped up in is some twisted shit. I can’t believe you.”
“If you can just hang on a second I’ll show you.”
I run inside and drop my things. The house is in utter chaos. Dinner still needs to be done. Things before bedtime need to be finished. But I have to get on the computer fast because she’s talking to me. Which means, she’s going to cooperate for the five seconds she’s still around.
I grabbed the laptop like a woman possessed, turning it on, chanting to myself “hurry, hurry, hurry,” and finally it comes up. I shove my flash drive in, pull up the document, and call out.
“Hey? You there?”
Nothing.
There was screaming in the background. Blaring of the TV. Running of water. Dishes being flopped around. The neighbors are making a bunch of noise. And still there’s nothing.
“S, you there?”
Still nothing. I sighed. And yet another moment gone with a chance to write because I was stuck in traffic. Another moment gone because I was sleeping. Another moment gone because I was in a meeting, teleconference, running on the treadmill, cooking dinner, washing dishes… you name it.
The only way to get through to my heroine is to channel lock her. I sit down. I pull up Word. And I just write anything that comes to mind. The best way to get her to come out and play nicely, is to force her to play along. Even if you write scenes that you’ll never use in your WIP, what better way to understand them thoroughly than to write and work with them? What better way to learn your character than channeling them even when they aren't ready.
And when all else fails, grab some rum.
Seriously.
Now, there was really no point to this. I needed something happy (yes, this is about as happy as I get), even though Capt’n’s blog was quite fabulous and thought provoking yesterday, I figured the only way I could improve was by kicking blind puppies. (And no, Hellion, contrary to popular belief, I don’t kick blind puppies.)
PS. In case you didn't know, that was my day yesterday. :)
So today’s thought provoking moment is pretty simple. How do you capture those moments when your characters strike without warning and you're without your favorite method of capturing it? And when does it happen to you the most?
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31 comments:
OMG! You are hilarious Sin... you have no idea how funny that is! LOL
Sorry don't mean to laugh at you...well maybe a little. ;)
I don't usually have probs like that. If I'm stuck in traffic, (I don't drive and I take transit to work) I just pull out my journal and jot it down... but usually nothing comes to me until I'm at the computer and I start writing. Usually.
Why do I feel like I just got off the tea cup ride? Holy Hell, it's scary up in the brain of yours. Though that traffic thing sounds very familiar.
I'm either not *in touch* with my characters or they could give two shits what I do to them. They rarely pester me right now. In fact, I've been dead for weeks in that area. Why am I doing this again? Or NOT doing this...
I need a nap.
LOL. I don't find myself funny but maybe that's why everyone laughs at me.
Tiff- Can't ride the bus here unless I drive to it. LOL. Defeats the purpose. I keep a little post-it note book in my purse, but I can't exactly grab it and jot anything down while doing 60 on the highway.
Well I could, but then this would be a whole different story.
Terr- I go for weeks as a dead zone. S just gets tired. Ruiz becomes too naughty that I can't deal and Ash is a closed circuit at all times anyway. When that happens I take a step away from the computer, recharge, and come back and just write anything. Usually helps loosen them up.
Maybe it's just me that has conversations with their characters. To me they are real people living inside of my head, giving me headaches, keeping me up at night. Kinda like babies, without the cuteness.
My characters talk to each other and other people, they just don't talk directly to me. This is the case with most real life people I know as well. Hmmmmm.....I wonder what that means?
I need to open a file and just type. That would probably at least put a crack in this wall. I may try that tonight. Or today - both bosses are home sick. *g*
Yes! Just type babe! Use the time you have for good things, like a sex scene or something equally as important. LOL
I usually get the inspiration while I'm in the car too. I have, on occasion, pulled off to the side of the road and jotted down some notes on whatever I could find in the car. Generally, napkins.
At home, I run to the computer or my journal. I keep my journal with me all the time now.
Great blog, Sin. I loved your dialogue! LOL!!
ARGH, it ate my post! Basta....
Summary of last post:
Sin: Brilliant! Hysterical! Totally relate.
What I do: write down on backs of receipts. Have written down a blog on a spare piece of paper (forget how I got paper--did I steal it from Pam?) and eventually that blog became a newsletter article--so, hey, pays to jot down notes in a bar.
Been thinking of getting a digital recorder, but really loathe the sound of my own voice being played back to me. I sound like a moron. Kimberly Killion does this method...and hey, she's recently sold two books...so must work.
One time I wrote some dialog on a bandage at work, and fortunately it wasn't on the patient:)
Love your blog Sin. It reminds of the conversations I've been having with Cutter at 3 AM. He thinks I'm making him too sensitive, but I try to explain that I want him to be more Holyfield than Tyson. He argues, I threaten to bite his ear off, and then he pouts...
I have a built in message recorder that came as an option on my SUV. I have used it a time or two when I've found myself with a muse while driving. You should look into buying one of those keychain voice recorders, it could come in handy when Sadie decides to visit.
Lisa - I can just see a patient waking up and looking in the mirror to find a lovely sex scene written on the bandage around his head. LOL! Too funny.
BTW - Sin - I love that pic. Exactly what I picture with your story.
Terrio~ I know wouldn't that be a hoot. Guy looks in the mirror when he gets home and says what the h***!
Marn- that is a tame day in my mind. LOL. Normally there is a lot of cussing and hateful exchanges.
Hellion- I'm touched. You called my blog brilliant. I think we'll need to discuss the recorder option at the meeting on Saturday.
Lis- When either of the boys act up like that I just tell them I'll turn them into diary writing, tutu wearing, metros. They shut up pretty quick. Ash grumbles a lot. He's more mad about Ruiz getting the go ahead in the beginning of this book than I thought he'd be. Fighting over face time in a book.. who woulda thunk it?
PS. I always knew you were special. You've got the RM special SUV don't you? Does it come with a hot guy riding shotgun?
I've been known to jot stuff down on napkins too. Even dirty ones. Bill envelopes. My hand. The occassional gas receipt.
Thanks so much for the wonderful commments this morning!
Terr- That's my heroine. When I saw that pic, I thought of her. She's got blonde hair (but it's dyed black) and she's got dark eyes from colored contacts. And the gun is my favorite part of that pic.
*makes note to hitch a ride with Lisa and never piss off Sin*
Lisa - now that I think about it, I'd rather wake up to a love scene on my head than a list of surgical instruments that are all checked off but one.
What the.....LOL!
Terr...I've been called a sponge head before but not of the surgical variety...yes it's always important to count the sponges and instruments before closure. Never want the patient to leave with more stuff inside than they came with:)
Sin - so if your heroine is a computer geek, where does she learn to shoot a gun? I could ask, "Does she get to shoot a gun?" but with you that question would be redundant. LOL!
She's F.B.I. It's a part of the training no matter what field you're in. :)
Ah! So she's not JUST a computer geek. She's an FBI computer geek. That's totally different. She should shut up and be happy with that.
That said, it's kind of funny because I work for a computer company who does work for the FBI.
Not that I in anyway will be shooting a gun anytime soon.
How comes everyone else's characters are all chatty with them and mine are noticeably close-mouthed?
I think my characters don't like me.... Maybe we're in a fight and in typical Marnee fashion, I have no idea what I did wrong or even that I did anything wrong.
Maybe I need to buy them some make up chocolate. Dove chocolate, obviously. *cheeky grin*
Ter - I wouldn't even know what to do with a gun if someone handed it to me. Probably hold it away from my person with a crinkled up nose like I'm sniffing something I found in the back of my fridge and say, "ew ew!!"
I'm such a baby.
Me too!!! I practically hyperventilate when police officers walk past me and I can see it on their hip. Just hate the things.
But they are bad-ass in books. LOL! I can read about them in books.
Me too about the policemen. Almost like, "Look how good I'm being, please don't shoot me!"
But, I love em in books too. :)
Marnee, mine don't talk to alot, except Lucy, who's book is, of course, not being written. Adam & Eve are very quiet. Wretches.
If I was handed a gun, I would point it away from everyone (or down to the ground)--then I'd probably hold it up, try to look down the sight, marvel at level of blindness and think I really need to stop working so much at the computer, then hand the gun back to whoever gave it to me with the statement: "The only way I'd hit someone with this is if I threw it."
Ter,
I hyperventilate for an entirely different reason when passing cops.. ;)
Yes, but you're not exactly looking at the gun *on* his hip. LOL!
I'm not afraid the cop will shoot me, Marnee. Just knowing the gun can kill me is enough to freak me out. A friend of mine starting dating (and eventually married) this big guy that was into guns. Without any warning she once whipped out this giant hand gun all proud of her new toy. I think they had to get me a paper bag to breathe into.
Wow, just thinking of some of my friends packing is enough to have me running for the paper bag.
*knife at her thigh, gun tucked at her back, waving a sword* Marnee, we're pirates. Of course, we're packing.
*hiding her 9* Yeah, I don't pack at all... much.
*grin* You might wanna stay away from my boots too. Knee highs aren't only just good to look at.
I can't believe your scared of police officers. I see one and wanna go up to them and ask if I can hold it. Having a girlfriend with an arsenal is awesome too. I can do all sorts of research without having to go to the store.
Give it up, you keep the banana in the boot don't you?
*pulls a little knife out of her top*
I never said I didn't like knives. Or cops. Just guns.
And I so want to be there the next time you run up to a cop and ask if you can *hold it*. LOL! I have to see his face...
Sure and you can sit beside me in the car on the way downtown. LOL
And you can think I keep a banana in my boot all you want. Speaking of bananas, I saw the most interesting thing at Spencers the other day...
The sharp bananas you Monkey Ninja you. LOL!
OOh, we get to ride in the car too? How cool. LOL!
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