Writing Exercise: Rep-Pre-Sent!

Image by Luiz Gustavo from Unsplash

(Aqui não existe barreiras . Projeto social Amar e vida Surf transforma vidas)

The photo is from Loving the Surfing Life Project (?? – not sure about the direct translation from Spanish), There Are No Barriers Here.

Representation matters. Latino and physically challenged. Immigrant or homeless. Black and people of color. Gender fluid or gray-haired. All types need to exist in stories. Not just for people to see themselves as the hero, but also to see that other people can be the hero as well.

And to be aware that as their identity changes, they can still be a hero.

Will reading Ms. Pollifax as a teen affect me now that I am reaching retirement age? We shall see. The Chosen One is not a trope restricted to people coming-of-age. Everyone ages, even the Chosen One.

I should note, with age comes injury. Between ages 5 to 15, only about 5% of all people are disabled. At 75 and older, nearly half are disabled (46.1%). (https://www.statista.com/statistics/793952/disability-in-the-us-by-age/).

So while a reader might not change skin color, they could change social standing, age, religion, or become challenged physically or mentally. They could be forced to flee their home and become a refugee. Their cognitive abilities might become compromised, like a friend of mind whose ability to make decisions went from “high power” to limited – she can still make decisions, but the energy they take destroy her after a few each day. Reading about characters who are living in different circumstances can help a reader survive these seismic shifts of identity.

WRITING EXERCISE: Today write a Representation Matters scene or flash – between 100 to 500 words. Age, race, gender identity, sexuality, disabled, religion. (Somehow, the person you are writing about should not “look” like you, now or in your past.)

My attempt: Join the Crew (5/5/2024). Writing a science fiction where the planet was settled by Spanish speakers created a set of challenges for me, barely remembering the void that was my high school language, but I have two niblings who look like the characters in this story. They should be able to see themselves when they read fiction.

Writing Exercise: Three Little Words

Photo by Antonio Barroro on Unsplash

He whispers the three magic words: “I cooked dinner.” … no, wait. “Go read tonight.” … “Let’s sleep in.”

Okay, maybe I might be a little tired right now and would love a break. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that three words can have a huge impact. Crafting around interesting words can stretch vocabulary and add interest to a story.

WRITING EXERCISE: Look at the blurb on the back of your present read-in-progress or a blog post you recently reviewed (even this one), and choose three words from it. Now create a scene where those three words appear. Try to work them in organically, make them an actual part of the scene.

Don’t do: “He looked at the xylophone at the edge of the stage.”

More like: “The toddler hammered the xylophone, determined to make music, while her father worked on putting all the pots and pans back into the cabinet. Whatever her next stage would be, he hoped it wouldn’t be as nosy. The constant sound set him on edge.”

Remember the words don’t have to be nouns. Verbs and adjectives can add color and action. Comment below what three words you used.

I Walked into a Bar

This month I’ve done a short series on injuries. For the editing rant, I discussed The Burn (8/13/2024) and then the writing exercise, Pain is a Character Trait (8/27/2024) centered on creating a flash where the character is dealing with the aftermath of an injury.

I also suggested a BONUS EXERCISE of documenting a grievous injury.

Back in November 2020, I walked into a bar or a bar walked into me. The wound was self-inflicted, mostly.

To do all the postal things, while I was building my strength up after my hire to help deal with the COVID packages, I bought a sturdy hand truck to keep in my minivan. I had a delivery of a sixty pound something (the post office will take up to 70 pounds), so I unhooked it and brought it to the back of my van where the package was. The ground was uneven. I lifted the package out and guided/control-dropped it onto the dolly’s footplate.

As fulcrums do, the foot plate tilted down and the frame swung forward and hit my head … hard. Really, REaLlY HaRD.

Like hit with a solid steel pipe at speed hard.

I monitored my eyes for the next two hour, crying often, while I finished my route. (There were no other people in that day as it was a holiday. I was specifically hired to cover holidays. It is a small office.) Once back in the office, the clerk and I took pictures.

This is what the injury looked like at the two to three hour mark.

Notice, very little coloration difference from normal skin. Some red-purpling from what will become bruising. Definite swelling.

And, no, I didn’t go to the doctor or hospital because no health insurance at the time. I barely had any money after months of unemployment during 2020 COVID. … Ask me my opinion about the need for universal health care. (grrrr)

At home – let’s say about five to six hours, you can see how far the knot is raised off the forehead.

Notice, still no bruising showing. I didn’t have anything but a tight knot for several days. It was more white than any other special color.

On day five, the swelling went down enough the bruised blood could flow to the closest cavity and the first spectacular bruising appeared.

Suddenly I had a black eye. I didn’t have a black eye the day before, but during the night, the swelling went down and “poof” black eye. I had no injury to the eye – you can still see the bruising at the original injury site, but the optical lobe has a lot of empty space and gravity wins.

When I went in to work that day, the boss was shocked at the eye. The raised knot didn’t raise a single fuss, other then making me take an hour of “how to prevent injuries” videos, but the black eye worried the supervisor. By this time I was healing well and could easily work, much better than the previous four days.

Again this injury was nearly four years ago at this point. I am well and healthy, and now have health insurance if I face another grievous injury.

***

Let me add: Vote for people who support universal health care come November 2024. Not having any savings or health insurance makes for some really bad life choices. Writing about this here is making me tense up and want to cry – the hopeless situation is embedded in my head more firmly then the actual injury.

Writing Exercise: Pain is a Character Trait

Meme I created

For the Editing Rant on August 13, 2024, “The Burn”, I covered how burn injuries work. Previously I touched on bruises and related injuries in Bruised and Battered (8/14/2018) and Gonna Leave a Bruise (4/13/2021).

WRITING EXERCISE: Create a flash (around 500 words), where a character is dealing with the fallout from an injury. Not the situation where they were injured, but trying to do things after the injury – drive a car, fighting off sleep, making a meal, bending over, being in public. It can be as simple as a sunburn and getting dressed, especially in skintight combat clothes. It could be a standard broken leg and dealing with a cast for four weeks, but during a series of car chases where grandma has to drive for once.

Put the resulting flash below in the comments, or post a URL link pointing to where you have stored it.

BONUS EXERCISE: If you ever get a grievous injury, take journal and pictures of it to document the progression, whether a cut, bruise, or burn. Time inflicts a distance to our memories, and we forget the healing process. What was the first day like? How about a week later? What continued to be an unexpected problem?

My Attempt: Stick around for my blog posting on 8/29/2024 where I document an injury I got back in November 2020.

Writing Exercise: Fancy That

Photo by Alvin Mahmudov on Unsplash

“Clothes maketh the man.” is often quoted in books and film. A bit pretentious, but also very true. They give a person confidence, or allows them to hide. Fabric can provide protection or make life dangerous.

What does it bring to the table for your character? For this writing exercise, we will be exploring what your character wears.

WRITING EXERCISE: Define what your character wears in different circumstances. Describe three different outfits – a work day outfit, nighttime attire, and a special occasion for example.

Here are some questions to think about why developing your character’s wardrobe:

  1. What is the fanciest and/or most expensive thing your character has ever worn?
  2. What are their favorite colors for clothes and do they actually look good in those colors?
  3. What do they wear around the house?
  4. Do they wash their own clothes? Do they shop for their own clothes?
  5. Would they repair their clothes or buy new? Have they ever borrowed or bought used clothes?
  6. Do they were clothing to match society? Are they cutting edge or behind?
  7. How much does their clothes costs, and how often do they upgrade them?
  8. Do they wear anything for protection?
  9. What do their shoes look like, and do they own more than one pair?
  10. Accessories are life: Watches, hair ribbons, earrings, lapel pins, rings, gun handles, hats, etc. How much accessories does your character choose?
  11. How does your character’s wardrobe look beside their friends and associates?
  12. How well can your character fight in the outfit?

SELF-CARE EXERCISE: Dress up. No particular reason, just put on a nice outfit, comb out the hair. Just be fancy.

Comment below about how either exercise helped you.