Storming Prompt: December 2017

Merry Christmas, friends! 

Because I want you to be spending your time elsewhere at this merry time of year, I wanted to make this prompt simple for you all. With my cause in mind, just give me a thought bubble quote for one or both of these people. A simple caption or two will do.

Have fun!

Merry Christmas!!

Cordy

Spare Me: Physical/Mental Injuries

If a character doesn't die, it seems like any other physical injuries are irrelevant. Just rip a piece of clothing and tie it up, right? :P There are so many problems with this notion. *very long eyeroll* To me, there are many alternatives I'd rather have explored in stories. (Particularly as dying is the easiest road for a character. But more on that another day.)

Now, if you have a character that is physically and mentally able and is heavily independent if they should suffer an injury that leaves them unable to care for themselves or forces them to accept help from others, that can be a difficult blow to deal with. It would explore frustration and despair in your character. It will force them to engage different parts of their personality and enable you to recreate a new reality for them.

If you carry this idea a step further, if you disable a character that was to be relied on, take this chance to see how the change in them can affect the characters around them. If they are unable to think or act for themselves, how is this changing and influencing your other characters? Just a thought.

Injuries, usually of a physical kind, are a means of knocking down pride and humbling a character. Use that time to develop your character's inner strength. We as writers might HATE it, but as readers, we love it!

Mental injuries are also a way of making a relatable character. We don't want to leave a character in despair but allow this member of your plot to create a chance for another character to share and support the burden. It makes both characters deeper and better sculpted.

Here are a few examples:

Pollyanna experiences a wee bit of depression after her injury. But, this allowed the members of the town to step in and show Pollyanna what kind of positive influence she'd had on them. Using this storyline, enabled other characters to strive to fill the gap making the entire situation complete for many characters.

Hiccup, in How to Train Your Dragon lost his leg. That's a HUGE life adjustment and can be fairly scary. But he didn't need to fear, Toothless and his entire village was there for him.

When Ivanhoe was lying wounded, in Ivanhoe, not only was the man forced to stay out of battle and endure the agony of watching his countryman fight for what he believed in but the circumstances led to an impassioned conversation between Ivanhoe and Rebecca. :) In short, I don't think he made a very good patient but it made for an excellent scene!

Hope this babble was in some way understandable.

Yours truly,
Cordy

Spare Me: Reunions

Alright, so I'm not entirely back from my blogging break. However, I had these posts made up before I took my break and I was only waiting for November to post them. I hope you enjoy! 

(And good luck to the NaNoWriMo participants!)

I haven't done a "Spare Me" post in some time so for those of you who might be new to the blog, you can learn more about these posts by clicking:

HERE

&

HERE

The joy captured in this one gif. CUUUTE!

Reunions are paramount. They are capable of creating relief in a story without taking a full break from the plot. They add the warm and fuzzy feeling that we need at the end of a long tale or as a reprieve from heavy and saddening themes. That gif I've included up there really speaks to my point. Joy, in this kind of situation, can truly buoy emotion.

Alternatively, reunions can be used to bring pain, 'reality', and bittersweet notes to your narrative. Those who are reunited under painful or uncomfortable terms can also be a means of engaging your reader's emotions. Let's just get into the examples because they're the best anyway.

Marilla and Anne
This one is pretty well covered. :)

Aurora and her parents
In Disney's Sleeping Beauty, one of my favorite moments involves Aurora's reunion with her parents. The story has mostly focused on the princess but when you really think about it, the king and queen had given up knowing their daughter to keep her safe and their reunion is so sweet and rewarding.

The Fellowship Reuniting from The Lord of the Rings
Talk about emotional. These weary travelers accomplished many tasks both together and apart; experiencing many sorrows, frustrations, disappointments. But none of that is remembered when they are finally reunited and together again.

Now on a bittersweet note, I'm going to warn anyone who hasn't read or watched Bleak House not to read any further, and yes, I'm going to make my notes white so you'll have to choose to read the spoiler. (DON'T DO IT!!)

Esther and Lady Deadlock
While I was touched by this moment in the book, the movie scene leaves you in tears. My grandpa and I have watched Bleak House a few times and we have yet to make it through the scene without tears. The fact that the two, while finally together, are forced by the restraints of society never to meet again is extremely painful, to say the least. This is a mother and daughter that are forced to live apart. To know that they have a family to perhaps pass while out in society and yet never acknowledge the other in any warmer light than of common acquaintances. Can you even imagine having to endure such a situation?! Na-ope! I wouldn't be able to do that.

In conclusion, look to use reunions not only to bring joy and relief but to bring a sense of reality or even pain to a character.

Yours truly,
Cordy