Thinking Outside the Bubble

“Wicked”  brings a new perspective to going green.

We went to see Wicked on its final night at Spokane’s INB Performing Arts Center. It was thoroughly entertaining, but I’m not posting a review. Rather, I want to address the writing lesson offered by this fresh twist on an old classic (or, more accurately, classics – L. Frank Baum’s Oz books as well as the iconic film they inspired) in regard to point of view [POV].

The original tale was told mostly from Dorothy’s perspective. The witch characters barely grew beyond the outlines of stereotype. Glinda, the good witch, was good. Elphaba, the wicked witch, was well … wicked.

But in Wicked, the witches take center stage. Dorothy isn’t even referenced until late in the second act, and then only as a conflict device. This switch to the witches’ perspective, viewed from bubble and broom, represents a dynamic change in the story’s POV. As the tale of Glinda and Elphaba unfolds, good and evil are on display, not as flat attributes of transparent roles, but as intriguing and often conflicting elements of nearly every character on stage.

What does this have to do with writing fiction? It illuminates the value of considering all your characters’ dimensions, both major and minor. Sometimes a cab driver is just a cab driver, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from them as our main character gets a ride across town (or across a chapter). I don’t advocate inconsistency with your story’s POV, that can be confusing. But if you’re stuck, or fear a linear plot line emerging, try experimenting with a minor character’s point of view. They might just see something in their rearview mirror that you missed with your main character’s forward-looking eyes. The results could be wickedly creative.

Get Lit! 2011

Spokane’s literary festival emerges smaller but stronger.

Shortly after the 2010 Get Lit! festival, the EWU Press stopped its presses … forever. The Press had been the driving force behind the festival, and its demise left the event’s future in question. The question has been answered.

This week, Get Lit!

The MAC is just one of the festival’s many venues.

emerged from the shadows of doubt as a leaner, stronger festival. The schedule was halved and more events involved a fee, but there was still plenty of variety and most of the events remained free. The venues, including the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture and several college campuses, continued to be of the highest quality.

 

I was not able to attend any readings but was lucky enough to see two lively panels, the first with my youngest daughter. I also caught the finishing festivities across town at the MAC.

 

Waiting to be introduced.

             The panel discussion authors included Brenda Peterson, Jack Nisbet, Luke Baumgarten, Jordy Byrd and others.

Insight.

The subject matter ranged from late night taxi rides to grieving beluga mothers. Between sessions there were numerous opportunities to talk with authors and see their work. Once again, it was an undeniable success. I believe the streamlined schedule will serve as a model for future festivals as well.

EWU-RP campus.

Riverpoint campus venue.

Phase 1 venue.

MAC.

Next year’s theme is “Capture the World” and runs from April 11th – 15th. Hope to see everyone there.

101 Word Fiction – Fog

Flash fiction can appear simple, but that doesn’t make it easy.Below is my entry in the Inlander’s 2011 short-short fiction contest. It made the first cut, but not the last.

FOG

He is a good father but his son never speaks. Despite their immured dialogue, he attempts to teach the boy the names of stars.

Sirius. Polaris. Betelgeuse.

But even the father’s immense paternal love can’t bridge the chasm between them. And yet, during rare instances when their eyes lock, understanding breaks through like crystal beams from a crescent moon, slicing october clouds. For a precious temporal dimple, the fog lifts, the boy smiles and the man and his son understand each other as well as any father and son ever have. Such muted endowments remind him, autism is just a cloud.

If you are curious to read the entries that did make the cut, go to www.inlander.com

Perception.

Nanowrimo- Not Just Another Pretty Phrase

Pardon the extended absence, I’ve been knee deep in fiction creation all November, indulging in the whirlwind of mass prose known as Nanowrimo. As any of  you involved in the Nano know, it’s a lonely business. Aside from write-ins and forum procrastination, there is no human interaction.

After battling around countless distractions and an enjoyable autumn jaunt to Seattle, I was able to get back on task and finish, yesterday, with a full day to spare. Now it’s time for the much less frenetic re-write … and re-write … and re-write. Getting 50,000 words of raw first draft down is akin to a gardener tilling spring soil. It fosters nearly endless possibilities.

If I were the Nanowrimo czar, I would pick a different month. To get my daily 1667 words written during November, I had to feign indifference toward EWU football, the Maui Invitational, our first snow, my short fiction addiction, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and mid-term politics.

Tell me, fellow wrimos, will you do it again? I know I will. Those of you still straddling the fence, check out www.nanowrimo.org  You only have eleven months left before Nanowrimo 2011.

I Have Not Been Rendered

Just a very brief note to anyone wondering. I have not been rendered for comments against authority. I am simply in the midst of an extremely heavy writing month and have had little time to post. It seems lately almost every minute has been filled with drinking coffee and eating prose. (You are what you eat.)

Coffee dreams.

I want to offer a quick congratulations to the Eastern Eagles on their shared title in the Big Sky and birth in the sub-division playoffs. At least there is one team in this state that knows how to win consistently.

I won’t be absent much longer. Until then, hang in there all you Nanowrimo’s.

Prose-d for the Night

GONE OUT FOR PROSE, WILL BE BACK IN AN HOUR …

Patience.

Or a week or whenever. Very heavy, self-inflicted fiction push currently. See you soon.