One of the biggest obstacles a writer confronts is his/her own inner critic. The constant comparison to other writer's accomplishments, abilities, and popularity are weapons of mass destruction against the thin, struggling thread of confidence imploring us to write something!
I have at least evolved to a place where I am willing to own my sometimes offbeat, definitely sentimental, but sound ability to tell a story. I don't see myself as one who takes the time to use the page as a canvas, or a brick of clay as a starting point. I just do what I've got to do to draw the reader into the life of my characters. To embed them, along with myself, in the journey.
But, that does not mean that I am not drawn to masterful use of language, especially when it sculpts a character out of new clay to such an extent that I absolutely know this character. I know who he is.
A friend wrote and released a song several months back and I listen frequently, not only because it's beautiful and well crafted music, but because he uses that exact art form to define the protagonist in the song. His character development style is brilliant:
Thought I'd lost myself to everyone else outside me, but inside I was still...
Light and empty, ineffective sentry on guard... against my will
Check out Blanket of Blue Skies (Dan Franklin Music), music and lyrics by Leland Jackness on Amazon. I recommend listening with earbuds so that not only the lyrics show you the man in the song, but the fantastic, simple, and clear guitar notes can carry you through your mini journey. Support indie music!
There are lots of ways to find inspiration to #write and if I've learned anything through my own struggle to create story, it's to follow my heart. When I find that I can't see that pathway, then letting the art forms around me help me along is an easy and effective practice. We all seek examples to follow. They're around us in abundance. The bottom line is... say it with me, altogether, people:
I #AmWriting for the pure joy of self entertainment!
The Mary Sue Complexity
So, like I've admitted, I do like my Harry Potter Fan Fiction. I'm slow on the uptake as far as the fan fiction universe vernacular is concerned. I'm way too stubborn to look for definitions, and would rather try to piece together the acronyms in the author's notes (A/N's), and by reading the actual story than going to someplace like Wikipedia for quick answers. It took me a while to figure out what bunnies are, for example and I'm still wondering about lemons. But the term that makes me laugh out loud, and then feel entirely defensive is the term Mary Sue.
According to Wikipedia, "Today, the term 'Mary Sue' carries the strong connotation of wish-fulfillment, and is commonly associated with self-insertion, the literal writing of oneself into a fictional story."
...Well, duh. Why the hell else would one write fan fiction??? OK, so that's a very broad and over-the-top generalization, which doesn't even apply to my own stories. I've finally written 3 novel-length #fanfic pieces, and I did not insert myself into these stories, but I do so at least to some degree when I write my own fiction. It's the easiest form of character development, for crying out sake! Plus, for me, inserting myself into my stories is a way to live vicariously through a character. I do it for fun, but am cognizant enough to realize when the character representing me is a bit too blessed with circumstance or ability. But come on, for romance stories? It's just not a good romp if I'm not in there somewhere!
In conclusion, I will declare that the challenge to write competently enough to create something worth sharing, while still inserting oneself into the story, is to keep it real. Just keep it real, and hopefully you can avoid the Mary Sue stigma. And always, know your gleeful truth: I #AmWriting for the pure joy of self entertainment!
Posted on 11/14/2016 at 08:02 AM in Books, Character Development, commentary, Examples to Follow, Fanfiction, Film, Writing for the Pure Joy of Self Entertainment | Permalink | Comments (0)
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