I have no particular argument with pink in general. Cerise, Fuschia, Magenta, Raspberry, Cherry Blossom, Rose… They’re not exactly my style, but having gone through an acute Princess-phase with my daughter, I’ve learned to accomodate most pinks in my life. (She has recovered fully, thanks for asking.)
I’m not even bothered by things that are pink that aren’t supposed to be pink. For example:
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Finally, a trip to the big smoke is in the works! Along with my entourage (one excited seven-year-old) I will be flying to Toronto at the end of October. The main big deal will be a reading at the Lillian H. Smith/Boys and Girls Branch of the Toronto Public Library on Nov. 4, but I hope to do a few school talks as well.
That’s pretty much all I know so far, but I will keep you updated…
p.s. My entourage is pretty excited about trick or treating in the big city. Way higher loot yield than a rural outing, apparently.
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I’m not just talking about any old teeth, but teeth bared.
As a sign of anger or threat, it’s one of the most obvious cues that animals can give us about their current disposition. Compare…
As encountered on a summer road trip to the prairies (Elk Island Park in Alberta), these bison wandered across the road all around our car. As huge as they are, I wasn’t alarmed until I saw the bared teeth. Yikes!
(It turns out that a minivan was totalled by these behemoths the week before, so I’m glad I didn’t get them too angry. NB, tip from park staff: Never honk at bison!)
The bared teeth effect is even more dramatic in cutesy animals:
Aren’t they sweet…
Ye gods! Someone call an exorcist!
Related:
Courtesy of Scientific American, some thoughts on bared teeth vs. smiles.
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A meticulous craftsman, Hitchcock made movies that are textbooks on the art of effective visual storytelling.
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Wow, where did the summer fly away to? September is here, it’s time to get back to writing and I’ve got the perfect incentive:
Writing Club
ages 10-14
3:45 – 5:00 pm
Mondays, starting Sept. 23
Teen Room, Salt Spring Public Library
$10/meeting
First meeting is Free – drop by and see what we’re all about.
(NB. We will not be meeting on holiday Mondays, or on Nov. 4.)
On the agenda – writing exercises and games, book and movie analysis, and discussions on all aspects of the writer’s craft, from sentence and paragraph structure to scriptwriting, genre, character development, dialogue and plot structure.
Writers are encouraged to bring in whatever projects they are working on for feedback. Whether you’re bursting with ideas or have no idea where to begin, it’s time to get your writing in gear!
Email me if you’re interested, or just drop by on September 23rd!
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(and one rock face)
On our camping trip last weekend I kept seeing faces everywhere!
And none of them seemed very happy…
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There’s something about an eel that just geeks me out. Is it the way they wriggle through the water, or their shiny, slippery bodies, or their horrorshow mouths?
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Exposition is a necessary evil. Exposition is that part of your story that introduces background information to your audience, for example the setting, the characters’ back stories, or any events prior to the start of your story that your reader needs to know. The devilishly difficult part is finding a way to present the information without being obtrusive, awkward, annoying, obvious, boring, or all of the above.
And don’t just think you can just dump it into the dialogue, either, unless you don’t care that your characters sound robotic or brain-dead. (“Remind me what the plan is again?” or “Your half-sister from your mother’s second marriage is at the door.” or “You’ve hated this place ever since you arrived, when was it? Eight years ago?”)
Filmmakers have a huge advantage in the exposition game, as they have more senses at their beck and call: visuals, sound effects and music in addition to narration and dialogue. But the need to communicate a lot of things right off the bat is still a challenge. How can you impart a lot of details quickly and effectively, without hampering the momentum of the story? Here is how a master does it; take a look at the beginning of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window… Continue reading
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My week of teaching Writing Camp is at an end and I’m tired! It was a lot of fun but that much brain work makes me want to sleep for a week.
One of the topics we covered was The Shape of Stories and story graphs. Here’s a terrific talk by the great Kurt Vonnegut on the subject.
Now whether you chart your plot with a ‘happiness’ X-axis or an ‘action’ X-axis, it’s important to give some thought to the shape of your story.
Here’s the classic version of the plot graph, with Excitement/Action replacing Happiness on the vertical axis:
In a 3-act structure, Act I would end at the top of that first hillock, and Act II would end in the last valley before the rise to the climax. Of course there’s no limit to how many roller coaster dips there are along the way, but you certainly want to save the highest point for the climax of your story.
If you are working on a story right now, how would it look as an Action or Happiness Graph?
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Okay, so I missed my Thursday eldritch post – things have been crazy busy here – but I think I can make it up to you. I just came across a really interesting video that talks about why we find certain things creepy, and just what that means.
While I found his talk really fascinating, I was a little distracted by the narrator, who I found a wee bit creepy. (No doubt that’s his intent here.) The reason? I think it’s the eyes being just a bit too wide open, and the slight wide-angle lens he’s using. A wide angle lens allows you to squeeze more landscape into a shot, which is a good thing, but when you aim it at a person’s face, and the person is a little too close, their face becomes distorted and weird. (A fisheye lens is an extreme wide angle lens.)
Also, just before the switch to the bedroom location, that long pause without saying anything, without blinking, is creepy.
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