Monthly Archives: May 2012

Elephant Glee! … Only Better!

25 Friday May 2012

Posted by in Animals, Dancing, Elephants, Funny Videos

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Because it’s Friday…!

Though, a dancing elephant pretty much rocks my world any day of the week! Looking down a long holiday weekend or not.

But I may be prejudiced in that department, elephants being one of my favorite animals and all. Still, this little guy’s Singing in the Rain dance-out has the entire jungle in awe. So it can’t be just me.

In my humble opinion… “The Glee! team won’t shoot to Hollywood super-stardom without this guy.” Seriously. The little pachyderm has a soft shoe Gene Kelly would have envied. And with a trunk like that, he’s got to have a voice with more reach than Rachel’s. I’m just saying… But you decide.

What about you?
What makes your heart sing … in the rain or otherwise?

Jumping In and Dialing Back

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by in Elizabeth Fais, Reality Check, Writing

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Yep, that’s me…

I’m jumping back in to my work in progress (WIP) for (hopefully!) a final revision. Why another revision, you ask?

Well … I enlisted the services of a terrific freelance editor for a professional perspective on my WIP, and there’s work to be done before I can seriously hop on the submission train with this project.

The reality of her comments, though less glamorous than my dream of instant best-sellerdom, was all-in-all delightfully encouraging. I’m 100% behind the changes she suggested, because I know they will make the story stronger. So, with leap-for-joy enthusiasm, I’m rolling up my sleeves and throwing myself in to revision-mode.

But here’s the thing…

While time is indeed relative, there’s only so much of it in a day. And since “the book” has to be my most important focus … after my day-job that is … I’m dialing  back on the blog posts until this revision is complete.

I know. A blog post a week is hardly enough to stay connected in the bloggasphere. And even that might be a challenge once I’m submersed in my manuscript and swimming in my story.

But an author’s gotta do what she’s gotta do.

Life happens. And for everything there is a season, as Kristen Lamb wisely stated in a recent post. I’m entering Revision Season … which will pass in time too. If I stay focused on my WIP and the work at hand, that is.

Trust me, this is NOT farewell. I’m just slowing down on the blog posts so I can increase my WIP revision speed. That’s all. I’ll give a shout out whenever I come up for air. That’s a promise!

So … what season are you in these days?
Inquiring minds want to know!

Stuck on the Spin Cycle … Again …

14 Monday May 2012

Posted by in Bruce Willis, Perspective

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Like in a really bad Country Western Song…

I hate to admit it, but I was. Stuck on the infinite spin cycle of life, that is. Then I realized that we’ve all been there. I mean, who hasn’t been stressed out, not knowing *how* we’re going to pull everything off without a hitch … and giving up is so NOT an option?

Yeah, I thought so. Because that’s pretty much life. In this decade anyway.

But instead of wallowing in self-pity, I decided to do something to pull myself into a positive frame of mind. Hence this post. And during the process of writing (which did the trick by the way!), I remembered a few sure-fire tricks for turning my perspective around.

1. We may not have control over *what* happens, but we do have control over *how* we react to the situation. We can be freaked out, or we can do the best we can, then let go and enjoy the ride.  (Photo Credit – Walt Disney’s Tower of Terror)

2. Not to go all Pollyana … but making a list of things you’re *glad* about totally helps. I know. It sounds trite, but by the fourth item I’ve stopped focusing on the things that aren’t right and start seeing the things I’m grateful for.

3. When life kicks it up a notch, from spin to heavy-duty agitate, try watching an intense action film … like DIE HARD. The characters in those movies are always having a much worse day. Unless you’re outsmarting trigger-happy terrorists, crawling through disgustingly dirty air ducts, and running over broken glass in your bare feet … I’m thinking your day is GREAT compared to John McClane’s (Bruce Willis in DIE HARD).

4. Break out of your routines and do something extraordinary, maybe even succumb to downright silly fun.

5. Remember that the first rule to being happy is not to sweat the small stuff. The second rule is to realize that it’s all small stuff!

A wise person once said that “if everyone tossed their troubles into a hat, you’d be the first to pick yours back out.”

So what’s it gonna be … Tea Cup ride or Tower of Terror?  (photo credit Sean Molin)

And if after doing steps 1-5 you still can’t see (much less enjoy) what’s really important in life …  maybe these not-so-happy haunts can provide some essential perspective…

Because when you get right down to it … it’s all about perspective.

What tricks Do you use to keep a positive outlook?

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What’s Your (Character’s) Line?

11 Friday May 2012

Posted by in Characters, Elizabeth Fais, TV Shows

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Revealing One Character Trait at a Time

At the writers retreat last weekend, the exercises we did on Building a Better Character reminded me of the (really) old TV show What’s My Line?

What’s My Line? (1950-1967) came from the time-before-color. Yes boys and girls, there was a time when the world was in Black and White. And worse … there were no laptops, iPods, or cell phones. And dinasaurs roamed the earth. Pretty much.

Anyway, way back then there was this game show where contestants with unusual occupations were interviewed using questions that had to be answered with a “yes” or “no” and from that the panelists had to guess the contestant’s occupation. There was usually one “mystery guest” round–with a famous person–where the panelists had to wear masks and the mystery guest disguised their voice.

So … are you up for a jaunt in the Wayback machine … blasting into the past for a few entertaining episodes of What’s My Line? Hang onto your bobby socks … 1950’s here we come!

What’s My Line? Mystery Guest ~ Walt Disney

What’s My Line? Colonel Sanders

There was a time when people didn’t recognize Colonel Sanders by sight? AMAZING!

What’s My Line? Female Wrestler

Do you have a favorite *REALLY OLD* TV show?

Building a Better Character…

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Characters, Meg Cabot, SCBWI

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…From the inside out

I attended a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) writers retreat this past weekend in Southern California. It was a working retreat, where aside from critiques and talking with editors one-on-one, the Young Adult (YA) and Middle Grade (MG) authors participated in hands-on workshops for developing richly layered characters. Something I need to work on, and I learned A LOT!

In the initial stages of defining a character, if you’re like me, you focus on the character’s strengths. What their good at, why people like them, how they affect the people around them in a positive way. That’s all good. But for a character to be fully developed and believable, you can’t gloss over their flaws. That’s because it’s the flaws that make a character likeable. Their faults are what we relate to, why we fall in love with the character. Take Mia Thermopolis‘ klutziness in the Princess Diaries, for example. Her dorkiness is what endears her to us, because we’ve ALL been there. At one time or another. One reason I love Meg Cabot’s books, is that she is a master at developing quirky, well-rounded characters.

But of course, to draw us in so we care about a character we can’t insert a bulleted list of good and bad traits. We have to layer in them so the traits are discovered through actions and reactions to other characters. Just like us, characters won’t interact with everyone in the same way. What a parent says will piss them off.

However, a friend can say the same thing and the character takes the advice to heart, or laughs it off. Defining a character through their interactions with the people around them — their circle of influence (COI) — is what makes them believable.

Another tool for building a character with greater emotional impact is to use traits that go against type.  For example, in one workshop at the retreat we wrote a scene with two characters that showed their flaws. I chose a paranoid, arrogant, and tad superstitious Jiminy Cricket pitted against a perfectionist Pinocchio who was theatrical and self-righteous. So not the Disney classics, but that’s the point.

Dare to be different. Breathe freshness and fun into your characters with unusual or conflicting traits. And it’s important to remember that in many cases …

…characters speak to conceal rather than to reveal.

That’s subtext … and a whole other topic … for another blog.

Implements of Construction

Here are some useful resources for building emotional impact into your characters:

What character is most memorable for you (film or fiction) and why?

Inquiring minds want to know!