So . . .
I'm not completely back in the writing saddle yet, but I'm brushing the horse down and tightening the straps. I've been slowly trying to turn my spare mind-power towards my WIP. And just writing in general. I'm more on the general, universal stuff at the moment. I've gone back and read a lot of my old stuff - just for fun. And in doing so, in a detatched way, I've discovered some sorta funny patterns. I've noticed them before with other writers, but never about myself really. It's funny how the subconscious works, yet not surprising.
Here are a few things that pop up repeatedly in my stories and bear some thematic significance or are otherwise just a common prop:
A rusty old pickup. - I think I've mentioned that my dad has always had one. I guess they must symbolize something to me. *scratches head*
A necklace. - This is a little too easy - a charmed necklace, or a piece of gifted jewelry used as a prop to bring memories to the surface, blah, blah. I'm going to have to expand my reperatoire here.
Car chases and/or accidents. - I think this is because I am afraid of car crashes and hence, really high speeds.
Claustraphobic instances. - I guess to me, being too cramped to move just amps up the panic factor. *shrugs*
Grey eyes. - Do they exist in nature? I can't tell ya. But I in my worlds, grey eyes is a fairly prominent genetic allele. Heh.
Kendo. - I'm sorry, I just think sword-wielding with style (no, I'm not talking about fencing) is hawt.
Rain. - I'm sure you can figure it out. (Hint: Gwen lives in Seattle)
Dreams. - I know it's cliche. *sigh* I have a hard time getting away from dreams though. What are the alternatives? How else do you set up people meeting before they actually meet, or rationalize someone turning down a road they normally wouldn't, or, or . . . *sigh* I know. I know. I know.
Auras. - Almost as bad as the dreams. But . . . I like the idea of using colors to interpret other character's moods. It's quick, and once the audience gets the drift, it's like . . . a shortcut. Right?
What do these things say about me? Is my imagination too limited? I'm too narrow-minded? Or maybe just overly analytical. Hmm... How about you - do you have any commonalities in your writing? Notice them in your reading? Think about it for a minute.
My other question is - is this a *bad* thing - or is it sorta cool? I mean, only people who had read everything I've written would notice. In a way - it would just be between me and them. I'm leaning towards cool . . .
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Am I really THAT Predictable?
Labels: Reflections, Writing
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4 comments:
Hey Gwen, everyone has their predictable, well worn, easy to invent because we already invented it and it's safe, types of plots and scenarios. But there must be new things, we just got to dig deeeeeeper. I think the growth and new ideas come when we are challenged with the realization of the fact that we do rely on set patterns of thought. Love Eaton :)
Interesting food for thought! I find recurring motifs in my work, too, even when on the surface, the stories are very different. Part of it is that each person will have themes and symbols which are important to them to explore in fiction. And when it comes to commonly-used scenarios, sometimes it's fun to use them in a completely unexpected way. :)
Great points ladies. Thomma Lyn, I hadn't really thought of it that way, but that's a very interesting point. In fact, it got me thinking about how even our characters can be shaded in by assigning those symbols to their viewpoint too. (And sorry if that totally does not make sense.)
A little bit of redbull, and OFF SHE GOES!!! =P
the grey eyes thing: I happen to have grey eyes, however, they rarely actually look grey. More often they reflect either my mood or what I'm surrounded by: Right now I'm wearing red, guess what color my eyes are?
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