JFM - A Novel Approach

DAY 188 - 26/7/7 - The summer heat sizzled on the library's sidewalk, and the gentleman I was talking with wasn't satisfied with my answer. He and I were walking in a crowd that just watched the movie musical 1776 . The story ended on a somber note, which confused me. The gentleman, however, crossed his arms and said, " We can't be sure how those events happened." I gladly replied, "We can. The founding fathers wrote letters and there are a ton of corroborated accounts about that first Independence Day." The gentleman stopped. Without emphasis, he said, "Well, none of us were there." He shook my hand and walked off. "None of us were there." What a silly comment. Of course, none of us were there, but what does that prove? Are we unable to know what happened at an event simply because we didn't experience it? The logic is absurd, and I'll demonstrate that through these hypothetical texts: DAN: Hey babe. How is the concert? MARG...

DAY 159 - 26/8/6 - I was working retail the other day, and a customer came up to me. He asked me a couple questions about our store. I was more than happy to answer, but he had a lot of questions. After a while, another customer got in line behind him, so he finished and left. The next customer then said to me, "You know he was giving you attitude." That stunned me. If he was being irritable, I wouldn't have minded, but I didn't know if he was. I couldn't tell what his intentions were, and the whole scenario got me wondering just how much I'm missing when others are speaking. "What did they truly mean?" That's the mystery at the heart of it. "What were they saying behind their words?" It's a question many have pondered. When we hear others talk, when we read a friend's message, or when we see someone make a face at us, we often think, "What did they actually mean?" Lately, I've been thinking about this too, especia...

DAY 152 - 26/1/6 - I can't whistle. Spent a lot of years trying, but I've yet to have success. Because of this, I've often wondered, "What am I supposed to do while I'm working?" The answer: Listen to Spotify, of course.  The music I listen to helps me stay focused, and it inspires my creativity. I'd like to tell you more, but I want to go beyond just writing about it. So, to liven things up, I've asked someone special to help me out. This topic is of great importance to her, because these songs made her the character she is. Without further ado, let me introduce you to an amazing fictional woman, who goes by the name of...   No! You can't say it. That would ruin it.   Oh. You're right. I guess I got excited about my readers meeting you.   Well, save it for when the book comes out. For now, no names.   But, who do I tell them you are?   How should I know? You'll think of something.  [10 sec. Pause] Or maybe you won't. Should we  get on ...

DAY 128 - 26/8/5 - Modern stories teach , but audiences are not meant to learn . If they do learn, it would ruin the story's moral. To understand what modern stories have become, let's consider what classic stories used to be. The most famous kind of story is the Hero's Journey. This well-known plot structure shows up in all kinds of media—anywhere that a young kid needs to vanquish evil by gaining power and making friends. These stories are about characters such as Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Peter Parker, Frodo Baggins, and King Arthur.  The reason the Hero's Journey is so prevalent in stories about young people is because the Hero's Journey is essentially about learning . The characters in these stories must learn new skills, technologies, or spiritual enlightenments to achieve their goals.  Science fiction and fantasy novelist Brandon Sanderson describes the Hero's Journey as always being  "about learning and obtaining things that characters need, bu...

DAY 120 - 26/30/4 - Pacing is crucial but often overlooked. Audiences don't tend to notice when a story matches its pace, but they might notice if it clashes—the finale wraps up too fast; the comedy relief drags. Great pacing can prevent "slow" moments, even in the longest stories. When I wrote plays, pacing was a matter of dialogue. Scenes were as long as it took performers to say their lines.  Once they finished, the lights went out, and the next scene began. After ten scenes, the play ended. If we finished in under an hour and a half, our pacing was great.  But books aren't like that. They can stretch and contract, making a minute last a chapter or a life fit in five pages. Plus, readers go through books in their own time. They don't have to leave the auditorium before ten o'clock. They can start, stop, and pick up again as they please.  This raised three questions for my book: How long should my story's scenes be? How long should I take to write them? ...

DAY 110 - 26/20/4 - My fingers flashed as I typed through my novel's fourth chapter. I hit the keys in rapid succession. But then, I froze. My thumbs twiddled, like a nervous school kid's. I couldn't type any further, because a peculiar thought entered my mind. "Should I even be writing about her bosom?" It's not as if I've never written a female character.  I've written several for my theatrical plays. They were  designed through stage direction, costuming and dialogue—all of which are external features. Because of this, I never worried too much about getting my characters exactly right. I knew they would ultimately be portrayed by  an actress. She would bring her own mannerisms and physicality to the role.  But this would not be the case with my novel. A performer wasn't going to pop out of the page. I t was up to me to create a whole person, with habits, shape, and thoughts. How am I supposed to know what a woman is thinking? Of all the puzzles ...