The Compelling Nature of Good Writing

    Creating a novel is an emotional endeavor. It runs the gambit from love to hate, joy to despair and hope to despondency. Some days I thoroughly enjoy writing. Other days I loathe it. There are those times when the story comes naturally and freely, but most days when I sit down to write it is little more than work. 

What is especially frustrating is when I'm driving somewhere and thinking about a particular scene from the story. In my mind everything is as it should be, the timing is perfect, and the words my characters use defy description. But then, when I get back to my place to write that scene, it disappears in a puff of smoke. My, the dirty tricks your mind can play on you! 

On those days when the muse is not present I will, in desperation, write anything. I'll shut my eyes, pay no attention to spelling or punctuation and put down any and every thought that comes to mind, no matter how absurd or off topic. The hope is to get the juices flowing so I can continue the story. More often than not, the exercise will open me up to more writing, even if it’s just a few sentences. 

What really fascinates me about the writing art is the connection I make with characters. This is equally true when I read. How is it that I can look at a flat, two dimensional piece of paper with abstract figures on it, known as letters, and see they are grouped together in various ways to form words, and from these words I get pictures, ideas and all kinds of information? It’s sort of magical, isn’t it? Through the magic of the written word I can be drawn to characters who have never existed in the world of the living. 

As I read, my imagination follows right along. I create mental pictures of what the characters look like, smile when they are happy, worry about their heartaches, and even though I’ll never admit it in public, shed a tear for them when tragedy strikes. The same is true of my own creations as well. That’s the kind of sway a good story holds. Writing takes me to places known and unknown, it explores the complex depths of motivations, and truth, harsh as it might be, or freeing, to the deepest depths or soaring heights. 

Maybe it is an escape, but what a thrilling one!

There are a few books I read over and over. I do not see this as a character flaw as some do. To me it is like visiting a favorite place, a particular beach, or mountain, for example, or any place that delights and amazes me. In my mind the fictional places are (almost) as real. I revel in the gentle humor of Samuel Clemens, and smile at the antics of Tom trying to impress Becky Thatcher. I snicker at his various tricks, as with whitewashing the fence, or when he proudly presents himself as a scholar in Sunday School. I thrill to the visuals in Lord of the Rings, as I note the simple honesty of the shire and compare that with the greatness, hidden at first, in Aragorn, and see the relentless pursuit of the dark forces against Frodo. I too am amazed at the magnificence and perfection of the elves, and the oddity of the various creatures they meet along the way. I follow the sweep of the story as the intrepid hunters cross the sea-like plains of Rohan in that desperate race, only to meet many more surprises, and eagerly await the final scenes. I am fully engaged all the way to that last, compelling sentence. To be perfectly honest, I am a little disappointed when I have to put the book down. 

Through reading I’ve been to the top of Everest, the bottom of the seas, hunted for gold in the wild country of Alaska, travelled to Mars, Venus, and other galaxies. I’ve been swept along with missionaries in Burma and other little known places, slept beside Paul in prison, and watched as he addressed kings and other notables from history. I’ve seen how the fledgling continental navy put their faith in a young shipbuilding Quaker, of all people, to design ships that would ultimately defeat the mighty, and supposed invincible ships of the line that ruled the high seas. 

Reading allows me to vicariously live multiple lifetimes through the experiences of others. It has been, and will continue to be, quite a ride! And, to think, what a joy it is to have become a small part of that community of writers. 

Let's create some magic today. 

Good Writing: Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Terminator, The Gov - as a good writer? Of course. We know, however, that his autobiography, published in the late 70's never won a Pulitzer, but it did in my mind when I first read it. It still moves me today. What makes this book so compelling? Arnold chose to make the story of his life (up that that point, anyway) short, punchy and a quick read. In fact the biographical part comprises only about half of its pages. The other half is a primer on working out. The pace of the book is tremendous, just like the pace of a workout for an elite bodybuilder.

There is one short paragraph that speaks volumes to me about him. It is near the end of Chapter 3 right after Arnold places 2nd to Chet Yorton in his first Mr. Universe contest. His friends recognized his talent and told him next year he was sure to win. Arnold sensed they were right. But the outcome was still uncertain. Who knows what could happen in a year? Of this he says:
"I was relying on one thing. What I had more than anyone else was
drive. I was hungrier than anybody. I wanted it so badly it hurt. I
knew there could be no one else in the world who wanted this title
as much as I did."
Can you feel the intensity in his words? His drive? His ambition? That is what makes his bio so interesting. It's not a minute by minute retelling of his life. It is a look into his mind.

In the last year I've read three really good book about the brain and developing talent. (The Brain That Changes Itself, The Talent Code and Talent is Overrated.) All are good. I would recommend them to anybody. The modern day versions can quantify their conclusions using examples supplemented with the most recent brain research and the current theory of mylenation: But at the same time they offer nothing more than what I find in Arnold's book. Let's take a look at what made Arnold the greatest bodybuilder of his generation.

1. Focus. Concentration. Take a look at this quote from Chapter 1: "I'm not exactly sure why I chose bodybuilding, except that I loved it. I loved it from the first moment my fingers closed around a barbell and I felt the challenge and exhilaration of hoisting the heavy steel plates above my head." That's focus. Later on when he moves to Munich and owns his own gym he talks about putting little cards on the mirror in his bathroom so when he was shaving he could see what his workout would be that day. Every morning he would try to think about nothing else but his workout from the moment he woke up. By the time he got to the gym already psyched, pumped and ready to go.

This kind of concentration is probably the single most important key to achievement in any endeavor, be it a sport, business, writing or chess.

2. Hard Work. Arnold put in his time at the gym every day, sometimes twice a day with no let up. When he got back to Munich after the Mr. Universe competition his friends picked him up at the airport and they had a big celebration. In the midst of this Arnie's thoughts were far away. He was anxious to get back to the gym the next morning and start training for next years contest!

3. Emotional and Visual Engagement. When working out he used visualization too. He would imagine his biceps were mountains, his lats were the wings of a 747 and the weights themselves were planets. Outrageous? Yes. But these were (and are) a great method to force his muscles to work harder. (And grow bigger.) At the same time he systematically eliminated negative input from his life. Anything that prevented him from total concentration was pared away.

4. Training Partners. This belief came early, while still a teen. He liked to have knowledgeable and hard working people around him. He noticed there were times when he didn't feel very motivated. He was lethargic and couldn't lift anywhere near the same weight. His partner at the time, a doctor, recognized that he needed some extra motivation and would challenge the youth to do more. This worked quite well. Arnold came to see his workouts as miniature competitions. Winning these little daily victories prepared him for the big ones later on.

5. Big Picture. Early on Arnold saw bodybuilding as a means to an end. In his teens he told his parents his goal was to become the best bodybuilder in the world, move to America and make movies. His parents thought he was crazy. Maybe he was, a little. Bodybuilding was a vehicle for his ambition, a stepping stone to greater things.

Once Arnold had achieved his goals in the athletic world, he would use that same drive, work ethic and sense of confidence and apply them to whatever he wanted, business, acting and ultimately politics. All of us can benefit from his example.

My Favorite Writings: Lord of the Rings

I know a few people who do not ever read the same book twice. That's not the way I work at all. To me, good books are to be enjoyed again and again, like a favorite food. (particularly chocolate) I originally read the "Lord of the Rings" series close to 20 years ago. They were a gift from my uncle Glen. Since that time I've managed to read them about once a year and sometimes twice a year. My original are not in great shape today, the covers have fallen off and the top pages are torn and curled. I no longer read these, they are too valuable. A couple of years ago I bought a copy of all three in one volume and that is what I read now.

When the movies came out, I and a bunch of my relatives would go and see them. We would usually make an afternoon of it, eating an early supper because the films are so long. We also enjoyed the necessary popcorn, drinks and candy too. One year my group filled a whole row!

With all due respect to Peter Jackson, the movie that plays in my head while I'm reading is much better than his. I have long ago 'cast' the various parts with the actors I deemed best suited for the parts. The advantage of using my imagination is that I can pick the stars at their best, even though today they might be retired from acting. I can even create my own CGI characters and not have to spend millions. I will not go into the details of my mental casting here. My real subject is about writing.

"Lord of the Rings" is literature at its best. When I read the story there are certain places I look forward to, and when I get there, I approach them will slow relish. One of these is near the beginning, just after the Party. It goes like this:
"For LOBELLA SACKVILLE BAGGINS, as a PRESENT, on a
case of silver spoons. Bilbo believed that she had acquired a
good many of his spoons while he was away on his former
journey. Lobella knew that quite well. When she arrived later
in the day, she took the point at once, but she also took the
spoons."

The little pun here shows something of Tolkien's wry sense of humor and his love for word play, a trait that appears again and again. Because the scope of the books is so great there are places where the story could get bogged down: and then his subtle wit comes out and prevents that from happening.

The next part comes at the Prancing Pony, the inn at Bree. This is where Frodo and his friends meet a dark and mysterious character known only as 'Strider'. His true identity would be revealed later. Bilbo had written a letter about this Man, and part of the verse goes as follows:

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost:
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

I'm not much for verse, but Tolkien's command of the King's English is such that even the poetry draws me in. The words have great rhythm and majesty. Back when I first started reading the books, I (foolishly) skipped over most of the poems, but now I find myself reading them. Poetry is natural to the world of Middle Earth.

A third passage I always look forward to comes just after the fall of Orthanc and the parley with Saruman. An object is thrown from above which will soon play an important part in the story. That object is a Palantir - a stone of seeing - and one of only a few remaining in Middle Earth. It's not exactly a crystal ball, but it is close. From a time long past they came, and were formerly used as a means of communication at the height of Gondor's power. These globes were made by one of the Noldor named Feanor and of their making Gandalf expresses a wish:

"- to look across the wide seas of water and of time to
Trion the Fair and perceive the unimaginable hand and
mind of Feanor at their work..."

At this point in the story we have already learned a bit about Gandalf. He is a wizard, mysterious - powerful - and very wise. His knowledge reaches back over centuries. And yet his desire is to know even more. This line adds depth to Gandalf's character and shows that even he is mystified by some things. And we all know it's quite an accomplishment to impress a wizard.

As a writer I know it is not enough to just have a good plot. The incidentals also make the story move forward. The better I can provide these, the more depth my stories will have, and the more believable my characters will be. That goes for short articles, too. If anything I write can contain a bit of humorous word play, or some connection that is unique, then I will consider it to be a success.

Keep Writing!