Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Mon, Mar 19 2018
Loud, proud, under a cloud?
Why is there always one property in a neighborhood that seems to be in a constant state of chaos? There might be lots of shouting or the sound of thrown objects, hoarded piles that spill out onto the front walkway, dogs left outside who bark for hours because they're neglected and lonely, rowdy parties past midnight, or numerous vehicles that take up every available parking space on a street and then go on to fill the front lawn (if they bother with a lawn). It isn't always the worst-looking house. I knew of one family who kept their travel trailers, off-terrain vehicles, water craft and other perceived symbols of rising financial status parked all over the property and on every other parking place on a cul de sac in an otherwise tidy community.
Technically, this has nothing to do with the writing life, except for the part where one can't think above the sound of revved engines or swearing matches. But all things are potential tools to a determined writer. What if one of my characters grew up in a place like that? What if he or she had grown up in a quiet family and then was thrust into a chaotic household with violence? What if the really nice house on a street had a neatly trimmed lawn, but the inhabitants were quietly, systematically murdering local citizens? There are a million ways to go with this in a story, if not in actual life.
posted at: 11:38 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
Why is there always one property in a neighborhood that seems to be in a constant state of chaos? There might be lots of shouting or the sound of thrown objects, hoarded piles that spill out onto the front walkway, dogs left outside who bark for hours because they're neglected and lonely, rowdy parties past midnight, or numerous vehicles that take up every available parking space on a street and then go on to fill the front lawn (if they bother with a lawn). It isn't always the worst-looking house. I knew of one family who kept their travel trailers, off-terrain vehicles, water craft and other perceived symbols of rising financial status parked all over the property and on every other parking place on a cul de sac in an otherwise tidy community.
Technically, this has nothing to do with the writing life, except for the part where one can't think above the sound of revved engines or swearing matches. But all things are potential tools to a determined writer. What if one of my characters grew up in a place like that? What if he or she had grown up in a quiet family and then was thrust into a chaotic household with violence? What if the really nice house on a street had a neatly trimmed lawn, but the inhabitants were quietly, systematically murdering local citizens? There are a million ways to go with this in a story, if not in actual life.
posted at: 11:38 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry