Day: October 20, 2013

If you’ve heard of method acting then it shouldn’t be much of a stretch to imagine method writing. I consider myself a method writer. I descend into the story world and try to write my tales from a street level. I’m living in two worlds right now–that of the Shadowrun Universe and my own Emil Torath. The reason I go deep down is to gain an understanding of how the world works for the average resident. I suppose this approach is a result of a micro-sociology background or maybe it is just the result of reading too many books about world shaping events. It is all well and good when what your characters do in a story shapes the future world, but lets not forget that everyone needs to stop for a beer and maybe use the restroom once in a while.

This is not an invitation to write bathroom scenes.

What is printed in a story must be of crucial relevance to character development, and pooping rarely is. On the other hand, descending into the mundane daily routine of a world’s characters reminds me of how a larger even can lead to the departure from the daily grind. For example, years back the world of Shadowrun tackled the idea of what would happen if the internet shut down. We chipped away at some of the street level tales, but mostly focused on the higher order stuff–what would the corps do and what not. Even our street level stories were about those who discovered extraordinary power or meaning through the event. When I descend into a story world it allows me to think about the doorman whose door lock shuts down during an event like the network crash before he can let an important resident into the building. That resident may decide to exact revenge on the doorman for not breaking down the front door. That resident may demand our doorman get fired. What is the ripple effect of that? What is the story that can be told there, and is it story worthy?

This is the sort of slice of life writing exercises that I feel allows a writer to gain a holistic understanding of the way their world works and the way that major events can effect people who are otherwise unaffected by the bickering of Gods.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. Thanks refs. I’ve been hating for years, but that call to give the J-E-T-S a first down and 15 extra yards in overtime today was like rain in the desert. Jets for the win and one step closer to first place in the AFC East. Nice.
2. May be looking at the first Fantasy Football loss of the year. I failed to get to the computer in time to start the receiver I wanted to start and the result will effect the outcome. Stay Tuned.

I got myself all jazzed up to scribe something profound tonight and… Nothing. The fact is, being profound is more about right time, place, and mood than any deep level of intellect. This coming from someone who considers himself pretty damn smart, but doesn’t take himself serious enough to do anything epic with it. So, I just decided to slide open my iphone timer, put ten minutes on the clock and see what words fall out.

Tonight we spent the evening at one of Maricopa’s major annual events, the Stage Coach Days. We turned out around 6, two hours into the event. By then the lines were going strong for the handful of food vendors, but something seemed off. A brisk walk through Pacana park keyed me into what my ‘spider sense’ already figured out: Maricopa’s little event is suddenly little. I’m still processing this. Maybe the words will form in the following few paragraphs. It seems like my small town is undergoing a transformation of sorts. When we first moved here everyone came out for the events. We needed bussing to and from, because there was never close to enough room to park cars. Now it seems easier to get spots, to get on the rides, even to get food (30 minute wait times down to 15). This is because nobody is there. I was able to have several different conversations with people I know, because I could pick them out of a thin crowd. This never happened before.

Here is my theory #1: When there is no form of entertainment in a small town, people gravitate towards town events. Said events bristle with folks looking for a way to connect with the town in an intimate way. Now that we have this sweet multitainment area with food, a club, laser tag, movies, bowling, etc, the need to head for the big ole town event has passed.

Theory #2: The shifting landscape of the real estate market has turned Maricopa, AZ into a squatter town. I’m talking about a place where investors buy houses and rent them to college kids and the working poor who cannot afford the cost of these city-based events and would rather stay in their Giant Homes and take advantage of a lifestyle they could not have before now.

Both theories bear the familiar flaws of 10 minute thinking, but both may be elements of a larger truth. In a few weeks we’ll see if there is a major turnout for the halloween event. If not, I may have to revisit this theory and make one of those odd attempts at being profound.