Today’s lesson was slated to be on Characters, but I can’t
seem to get that train on track.
One of the best things I learned early in my writing career
was to always have multiple projects going, so when a “virtual wall” went up
around one, you just work on another. Sometimes it is easy to turn to another
project, but occasionally you need to purge.
It is funny the gremlins that live in a writers mind. I love
to write, need to write. On days when I don’t I am like a constipated bear. I
growl and heave my weight around until I root out something creative to open
the tightly twisted jar of honey. Once I write in any form, I am more suitable
for human companionship. So I write malicious.
I turn my frustration toward the recent evil I am fighting.
A bookkeeper gone astray, a dog that got in my trash, female chickens crowing
at dawn, even a toddler who insists on peeing on my front porch. I take these annoyances
out in the written word only. I compose and hand engraved malevolent
confrontations. I write epically wicked prose deflecting these occurrences,
wishing harm and ill will towards my current offender.
These little exercises, are extremely cathartic. They seem
to clear out my Wall, but more importantly soothe the dragon inside. I keep
them in a folder in my drawer thick with file cards and back of receipt musings
and the virtual ones live in a file marked “Evil Teri”.
These exercise are a hoot to come across later when not in
the throws of an ambitious confrontation with my current protagonist (my gardener
who left a pile of weeds behind my house). It actually assists as a resource
when I am writing foul dialog for my protagonists and nemesis in my material. It is a good practice. Getting me back at
the task on hand and distracts the little dragon inside from illuminating her
threatening red head so I can get some work done.
Your exercise for today, write the evilest, mean spirited
and horrible tale about a current situation that is making your dragon keep you
up at night. Know that NO ONE will ever see this, so unleash your malicious
Kraken. No plot or outline needed, just state their crime (neighbor won’t use
the recycle bins or kids won’t put the laundry in their drawers) and then
explain how they will be punished, what steps you will take to rectify this
horrible crime and most importantly, insult the offenders.
Have fun, but
embrace evil. Then hide it (or send it to me- I would love to meet your
diminutive evil twin).
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