Category: Musings

Musings

Weekly Musing: Quote the Raven Nevermore

DH Hanni

This week’s musing is not about Edgar Allen Poe or ravens. Instead I thought it might be interesting to find a random quote related to writing and use it to discuss my reactions to it.

Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies.

– Terri Guillemets

Well, yeah. That’s an accurate description of the daily struggle many writers face. When I say struggle I don’t mean it as a bad thing just that there are those days where the words come easier than others are.

When Guillemets uses the phrase “passionate lovers” I think she is referring to those glorious days when the ideas and words strike at a feverish, unrelenting pace. Those days when writing feels like the most wonderful thing in the world. When as a writer you feel like a badass and your prose is so awesome the giants of the writing world will weep from jealousy. But like passionate lovers, that zealousness can’t last forever. Those moments are far too few and sometimes after those moments of passion you realize it wasn’t as great as you thought it was.

I think that’s what the author means by brother and sister is that complimentary relationship when both brain and pen are in synch with each other. Of course this would have to be a brother and sister who get along. Or the brother and sister analogy can be accurate even if the siblings don’t get along since some days are more frustrating than others are. Or perhaps the brother and sister analogy could be a reference to the difference in right and left brain thinking. The yin and the yang if you will. Personally I think most of my writing days are like a brother and sister who get along with some give and take.

Ahh, and the last part of the quote about ink and paper can be “mortal enemies.” Oh yes that describe those days where you feel like the world’s worst writer. Like maybe the crap job you do to earn a living should be your life. Maybe you aren’t the Word God the days of passionate writing led you to believe. I hate those days. I hate it when what you have floating around in your head doesn’t make it on the page. Sometimes it’s best to just put the pen down, walk away for a bit, and do something else. Clear the cobwebs out then try again.

There are loads of quotes out there that speak to the writer. I liked this one because it was concise and incredibly accurate. Also it is quite thought provoking and I think each person who has ever written a single sentence would interpret the quote differently. Maybe a writer hasn’t experienced the fevered state of writing. Perhaps the brother/sister analogy could be interpreted in a Targaryen-Jaime and Cersei Lannister way. And maybe others don’t have to fight with the words.

Musings

Weekly Musing: Isn’t It Romantic?

DH Hanni

Normally I try to stay away from themed posts that tie into a specific holiday. I’m making an exception this year since Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday which got me thinking about romance. One of my goals this year is to read more romance novels so that I can learn how to develop one in a story.

Let’s face it, most stories have people meeting and falling in love even if the primary purpose of the novel is that. Love is an emotion that can be wonderful, horrible, terrifying, giddy, depressing, and make us feel young all at the same time. It also comes in so many different forms from parental love to love of one’s friends to romantic to being a diehard fan of a sports team, movie, TV show, book, etc. My focus, though, will be on romantic love in literature and how I see it.

First off I must say I’m not a romantic person. Not in the traditional sense anyway. I can’t be wooed with flowery language about my eyes sparkling like fine cut emeralds or I’ve got a booty like a Cadillac. Nor is my idea of the perfect guy someone who is tall, handsome with chiseled looks, smart, rich, with six-pack abs. Oddly enough my ideal guy resembles my husband: dark hair, dark eyes, sweet, round face, funny, dorky, smart, average height, and puts up with my crap. My perfect date wouldn’t be to frolic about on a beach at sunset whilst being fed lobster.

My idea of romance is…what I have no idea. I know it when I see it. What is genuine and appropriate for my personality and happens on random days not because it’s Valentine’s Day and that’s what you’re supposed to do.

Since I don’t buy into what romance is supposed to be, what I consider romantic in literature doesn’t seem to fit a lot of the romances I’ve read. Unfortunately, what I have read so far has left me angry and wondering who the hell reads this crap. I understand the escapism value of it; romances are pretty easy to read as the language isn’t going to be challenging, you know exactly from the beginning what’s going to happen, and it is a fantasy world without dragon fire although dragon fire would probably make it more awesome.

What rankles me the most is so much of it feels insulting to the reader. That and the tropes the persist. Keep in mind these are just my observations and I know that there are probably many, many authors and sub-genres that don’t follow any or all of these to a T. The tropes within the romance genre I can’t stand are the following:

Female lead: Seems like there are really only about three types of female main characters allowed. One is the insipid, weak woman who becomes strong because of the right mate. She doesn’t believe she’s attractive until a man tells her so and proceeds to spend most of the book doubting his sincerity. She’s a doormat at the beginning of the book and turns into a super woman by the end all because of a man.

Another type is the scorned woman. She swears off men and love until she’s swept off her feet. She’s bitter at the beginning, okay with living the rest of her life as a single person, but by the end she is so grateful she’s found the man of her dreams.

Then there’s the type that sort of doesn’t really bother me too much in theory but in execution drives me nuts. That’s the woman who is legitimately independent, happy with her life, has a career she’s happy with, but who may or may not think she’s missing something in her life. It’s when she meets Mr. Sensitive Alpha Male with the Six Pack Abs that she realizes her whole life has been a sham and she’s been lying to herself about her happiness.

Can’t relate to any of these women at all and pretty much none of the women I know or have met fall into any of these categories. These uninspired and trite female archetypes give the impression all a woman needs to fulfill her life is right person even if she’s thoroughly happy with her life. I’m not saying one cannot become a more confident and stronger person because of love. There’s a reason people refer to their partner as their better half.

Male lead: Oh where to start with these archetypes. Oh, wait, there’s really only one. Okay, maybe two. Baskin Robbins this is not.

The gorgeous, tall, muscular, pelt on a chest, smart, rich, and a fantastically sensitive yet rugged in bed seems to be the most common type. Usually he has dark hair and eye color can vary. He’s moody, mysterious, and kind of an ass. He’s the man with lots of sexual experience thus making him the perfect lover able to give even a virgin an orgasm her first time. And he’s usually…um, ‘gifted’.

He may or may not desire a relationship but once he meets one of the above mentioned women, he can’t get her out of his head yet is reluctant to fall in love. He may or may not have been scorned by a woman in the past and he may or may not be a widower.

Then there’s Mr. Sensitivity with the Six Pack abs who loves furry creatures and wants a gaggle of children and who fully supports your dreams. He’s absolutely perfect in every way. He cooks, cleans, the best psychotherapist ever, and takes care of you when you’re sick. He’s Prince Charming thundering through the cubicles on his trusty steed.

Boring. Where are my cute dorks? Where are the sweet, smart, and funny but perhaps short to average height guys? Where are the averagely ‘gifted’ but still wonderful in bed men in romance? If I met any of the archetypal males in real life I’d walk the other direction.

Sexuality: If there is one area that does disservice to both genders in romance novels it is how sexuality is treated. Keep in mind that many of the romances I’ve read are historical since that makes me feel slightly less embarrassed since I can justify history is going on so my discussion of sexuality is probably skewed.

The female lead is usually a virgin, a widow whose prior experience has only been with her husband, or neither of these but the woman still doesn’t have as much experience as the male lead. Apparently a female lead who is even remotely experienced isn’t allowed.

This to me really reinforces negative societal messages that as a female you’re either a virgin or a whore. Or that sex equals love. If the female is a widow, chances are there’s going to be something in there about how her husband couldn’t satisfy her like her current lover. Or she never realized she was secretly a sex goddess. If she’s a virgin it’s usually because she’s promised to another and must be kept pure. Naturally her intended is not who she winds up having sex with or marrying. If and when she does have sex for the first time, it’s this glorious experience with waves of orgasms.

The male lead is usually experienced and portrayed as The Best Lover Ever or so every one of his partners has led him to believe. He’s virile and can expertly play a woman’s body like a violin. Somehow every woman magically enjoys the same things or he just has psychic abilities knowing exactly what his partner wants even if she doesn’t.

One other thing that bugs me about sexuality in romance novels is why can’t both leads be virgins? Why can’t people be a little bit awkward the first time as they are getting to know each other’s bodies? Why can’t the male be a virgin while the female has the experience? Why can’t sex be pleasant and enjoyable without the earth shattering orgasms? How about the female lead be a Duchess and the male lead be the children’s tutor?

And why the hell do the characters always act so damn surprised when the female discovers she’s pregnant? Even in modern romances I’ve suffered through, the characters still act as if they have no idea how babies are made. Man figured out where babies come from long before he figured out fire.

I also dislike perpetuating the myth that sex equals love especially for women. No, no it does not. Two people who love each other can engage in sex as a way of expressing their love but sometimes sex is just sex, a natural, biological need for anything other to relieve stress or whatever. It’s okay to just have sex for the hell of it. Ask any married person or someone in a committed relationship.

Of course no discussion about sexuality would be complete with the descriptions. Already I’m noticing a lot of the same language used to describe the act of lovemaking. It’s as if authors are just copying and pasting from either their previous works or from everyone else’s works. It doesn’t have to be as explicit as some write the sex act but nor does it need to be as flowery as I’ve often seen. Flowery language is a poor substitutes for emotion.

Story lines: The story lines are pretty much all the same other than differences in time period, places, names, and professions. The man is usually is some higher position is society than the woman. Both parties deny their true feelings for each other until either the middle of the story or even the end. One or both parties have a jilted fiancée, lover, or unrequited love who upon discovering the object of their affection doesn’t want them turns into a cartoon villain. People fall in love upon first sight. The whole goal of many romances, and in fact is demanded, is either HEA (Happily Ever After) or HFN (Happy For Now) endings.

 

I guess my biggest disappointment and gripe with most of the romance novels I’ve read or attempted to read is that despite the fact that a good chunk of women write romances, they perpetuate the myth women only want a husband and children. Even if the woman states early on her desires are otherwise. That and a woman can have it all if only she has the right man who will take care of everything.

Or that people fall in love at first sight. Call me cold but there is no such thing. Lust at first sight I will give you that because yes, that does happen. But to say you just knew looking at someone, without them saying a word that they were the one for you is bollocks.

These are nothing more than grow-up fairy tales. Disney movies with sex. Unrealistic and I think harmful for people who can’t separate fantasy from reality. It would be nice to see people with flaws that aren’t magically fixed by the end of the book. Real life and real, true romance is far more complex.

What I personally respond to in a romance in a story, regardless if it the novel is straight up classified as a romance or not, is when the leads are on equal footing. They complement each other in honest ways rather than because the author is telling me this is just how things have to be. They have arguments, differing philosophies, compromises, awkward sex sometimes, they laugh, whatever. In other words, the characters aren’t ideals nobody can live up to. Every writer should strive for realism no matter what genre you write in. To do otherwise is just insulting the reader and we need to do better.

Musings

Weekly Musing: From Where I’m Sitting

DH Hanni

Time for a bit of armchair writing. An idea I found for a blog post was to write about a favorite TV show or movie from a writer’s POV. That doesn’t mean to look at it from a screenwriter’s POV necessarily as I have no experience in writing a screenplay. However, I don’t think that means I can’t appreciate a TV or movie screenwriter’s work. After all, I’m first a viewer with my own initial reactions which differ from my reactions as a writer.

It was a daunting task trying to pick a favorite TV show or movie as my favorites change all the time. Instead the angle I’ll take is to analyze a new show I’m digging at the moment. Although it debuted just last month, FOX’s Empire has blown me away.

In a nutshell, Empire centers around the Lyon family headed by Lucious Lyon who is President of Empire Records. His ex-wife, Cookie, has just been released from prison after spending 17 years for selling drugs in order to fund the startup costs of Empire Records. In that time, Lucious has built it into a very successful company, so successful that they are planning to launch an IPO (in other words, they would be a publicly traded company on the NYSE). But upon Cookie’s release, she isn’t happy to be shut out of the company since it was her money that started it.

In addition to business differences, both Cookie and Lucious have tenuous relationships with each of their 3 children: Andre, the oldest and the one with the business degree, Jamal, the middle son who is all about the art, and Hakeem, the youngest and the one raised in wealth who dreams of superstardom. Add in Lucious’ girlfriend who works at Empire in a high profile capacity and you’ve got elements for a hurricane of a show.

What draws me in the most from a writer’s POV are the characters. For me characters are what drive a story. It’s sometimes why I can forgive weak plots or even gaping plot holes. At this point Empire has an incredible set of characters.

First I’ll quickly talk about the women on this show. Talk about a strong group of women. A common thread I’ve noticed is the women are just as competitive and cutthroat as the men in both business and personal affairs. It’s my secret hope the women will all get together and start their own label leaving the men behind.

You have the loud, assertive, vulnerable, keen-eared Cookie Lyons who loves music and the artistic expression of it rather than the business side although she does value one should get paid for their hard work. Her relationships with each of her sons vary from cold and rather non-existent with Andre to warm and loving with her favorite Jamal, and strained with Hakeem whom she missed most of his childhood.

Then there’s Andre’s wife, Rhonda, whom upon first glance appears to be the stereotypical white trophy wife of a rich black man but by the end of the first episode it is clear she is willing to help her husband in any way she can in his goal of being named the heir apparent. She has her own career and apparently is very good at hacking celebrity gossip websites. Together they have no second-thoughts about pitting the younger two Lyons against each other.

Annika Gibbons is Lucious’ fiancée and much like Rhonda, you think she’s just there for window dressing. But again, just like Rhonda, she is sharp, smart but thankfully a little warmer in that she doesn’t try to pit any of Lucious’ children against each other as they fight for dad’s blessing. She keeps her hands out of that as her real problem is with Cookie’s presence.

What I find intriguing about the women is they can all handle business and do it well. They aren’t running around looking for a man’s validation although the men are more than free with giving credit where credit is due. They are respected, smart, are on equal footing, and haven’t had to resort to sex to get ahead something that is very refreshing to see. For example, Lucious flat out tells Annika in one episode that Cookie knows what she’s talking about when it comes to music from an art perspective. He also drops a rapper from the label because he called Cookie a bitch when she was giving him her honest criticism of his music. There’s also one scene where Lucious’ assistant asks if she could start shadowing him on a particular project as she would like to learn the business more which he quickly agrees to.

Like the women, the male characters on Empire are complex creatures. You have the artist in Jamal, the young, wild, and in desperate need of some kind of guidance in Hakeem, and the quiet, in the background, and smart Andre all of which represent different aspects of their father, Lucious.

Lucious Lyon is devious, stubborn, a family man, conflicted, loyal (up to a point), and a fighter unwilling to give into a newly diagnosed illness that will ultimately take his life. That diagnosis is what fuels the cruel and unfair competition he’s set up between his sons. With the possible exception of Jamal, each of the sons has so far successfully jumped through Lucious’ hoops.

I wanted to root for Andre Lyon to be named successor as he is the one with a degree in business and has been an active part of the company for a long time. He has the ability to talk to bankers, lawyers, the NYSE, etc. and Lucious frequently relies upon him to fix any possible road bumps Empire encounters on its way to its IPO. However, his philosophy is divide and conquer. He’s more than happy to encourage the competition between his brothers in the hopes that they will take each other out leaving him the clear choice. He’s very much his father’s favorite.

Besides Cookie, my favorite character is Jamal Lyon. The middle child, he has the strongest musical ability but probably the least ambition for the kind of success his mother sees for him. He’s content to write and play songs at small clubs. Cookie favors him the most out of her three children as he is not only the most talented but also because he’s somewhat closeted homosexual who’s been almost completed rejected by Lucious. For example, in a flashback we see a young Jamal walk into the family living room wearing a pair of Cookie’s high heels and one of her scarves. Instantly Lucious picks the boy up, takes him outside, and puts him in the garbage can. Despite the fact Jamal and his father do not really get along, Lucious still pays for Jamal’s apartment until Jamal announces he’s thinking about going public with his sexuality. It is then that their relationship, both personally and professionally, ceases.

I feel bad for Hakeem Lyon. He’s the youngest and grew up without Cookie or really any mother figure in his life. Directionless, he thinks the only thing he can be in life is to be a successful rapper even though his mother points out how can he appeal to the masses when he grew up rich in a genre that usually prides itself on how ‘real’ their music keep it. He definitely has mommy issues which manifests itself in a relationship with a woman clearly old enough to be his mother. He’s starved for some kind of comfort and true guidance which he covers up by acting liking a spoiled, entitled little rich boy. Cookie knows he hates her and doesn’t try to push a relationship knowing she needs to give him time.

In addition to the characters, I think the writing is quite excellent especially since this is a network show. Usually networks play it safe by producing show after show about cops, doctors, and lawyers. At times I think I am watching a cable show because the themes explored feel more like what I’m used to seeing on network. Granted, FOX has usually had the reputation for taking chances with programming and pushing the envelope so it’s not a total surprise to me.

What I appreciate most about the writing is that the writers try to give the viewer complex characters and storylines to keep the viewer guessing. Expectations of what you think a character is going to be are instantly shattered. I’ve always liked stories with morally gray characters and not insulting the reader of viewer into passing automatic judgment. The dialogue is honest and what I find fascinating is that while most of the characters are actively plotting against each other, they all sort of honest about it. It’s a power grab rather than a money grab that drives the games people play with each other. A chess game of who can outsmart who?

This is a family drama in which I find myself unable to root for any one particular character although as I’ve already mentioned, I’m probably rooting for Cookie and Jamal. Through complex characters, complicated storylines that keep the viewer guessing, honest dialogue, and emphasizing the relationships that make me admire FOX’s Empire as a writer.