Zestful Blog Post #225
I like to use twos in writing.
If you have a work in progress—fiction, that is—most likely
you have a theme in there somewhere. Take a little time to think about it and
look for ways to develop it. Does love conquer all? If so, throw in more hate
and see if you can shake love’s foundations. Or, perhaps, is love
meaningless—and noble action the only valuable thing for a human to dedicate
himself to? Ramp up the romance and see if the dispassionate seeker can be
swayed.
A good technique is to explore more than one theme; then
they can carom off each other and build complexity. A tough guy with a drinking
problem is a bit of a cliché; what if you have your addicted detective fighting
for the right to adopt a five-year-old orphaned beauty queen? Whoa, dude, that
is off the wall. It can become a main plot, or a strong subplot. You’ve got a
man’s struggle with inner demons, and you’ve got a needy child in limbo. This
opens up all kinds of possibilities: family, the circle of life, exploitation,
vulnerability, love and sacrifice.
You can jolt some juice into your work in small ways, too.
Instead of simply having two characters disagree, have one throw a chair. Or if
you already have a fistfight going, make sure somebody ends up with
life-changing injuries, instead of just a black eye. Let your characters
abandon themselves to their fates—and hey, fate is another theme right there.
How do your characters think about it, what do they do to try to beat it, cheat
it, or meet it?
[Rocket and capsule, U.S. Project Gemini. Two guys were in there, all the way up and all the way down. Photo by ES.]
When you feel stuck, sit back and throw out some possibilities
involving twos, or even threes.
Oh, my God, they’re
twins! That’s how the alibi got past the D.A.!
Get out now! It’s not
just a twister, it’s twisters plural, coming from opposite directions!
Success in love and
achievement both! Wow, what could go wrong now?
I betrayed not only
you; I betrayed myself as well.
We’ll use not one
decoy, but two. It’s foolproof, I tell you!
You see how it works. The rule of two is an easy technique
to visit any time your fiction needs a boost.
Have you used the rule of two in writing fiction? Tell us
about it. Or, if you simply have a good recipe for soft, warm cookies, let us
know. We’re getting hungry. To post, click below where it says, 'No Comments,'
or '2 Comments,' or whatever.
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I must need wine. The ticket looks like a wine bottle to me. ... and chocolate, in keeps with the theme of thematic twos.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, thanks!
The 'rocket' looks like... I also need an editor, lol.
DeleteYes, wine and chocolate make a lovely couple! Glad you stopped by.
DeleteGreat advice to keep in the writer's tool box. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIn the dystopian setting for my latest manuscript, the protagonist doesn't want to care about people so that she doesn't have to be sad when she loses them. But pesky nice people keep popping up that she can't keep from caring about.
And I very much like what you're doing with those characters, Bev! Thanks as always for joining the discussion here.
DeleteExcellent advice, Elizabeth! I love this concept of twos. May have to incorporate it into my writing.
ReplyDeleteI did have my mild-mannered protagonist kick over a chair during an argument, actually. It came as quite a surprise to me (as well as to his girlfriend, come to think of it).
And, as a matter of fact, I *do* have a lovely recipe for soft, warm lemon-ginger oatmeal cookies. If I may be so bold as to share a link to it from my blog, here it is: https://persnicketyproofreader.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/whats-this-doing-here/
Rita, thanks for the feedback, and for the recipe link!! Those cookies sound just the right thing for a cloudy weekend afternoon, with a nice pot of tea.
DeleteAs always, another great idea. I did have a character start crying while looking at a picture, then throw the picture and frame across the room. That worked.
ReplyDeleteNo cookie recipes. I am more likely to make cookies from the dairy case. They come in little flat packages that are pre-scored so you can break off as many as you want and have them baked in about 15 minutes. Almost instant gratification!
Yes! A further note on that: Personally I'm not the type to throw and break something in anger, but it feels SO GOOD when I make one of my characters do it! And Beej, re: those cookies. They are lethal, but in a good way. Marcia discovered them about a month ago--the Nestle brand, right?--and we both put on about two pounds over the course of a weekend...
DeleteYes, those are the ones. I totally get that. Now, I'm not the throw things kind of person, either. But in the story, my character happens on an old picture she hadn't seen in a while of her ex--just as she thinks she's gotten over her. She strokes the picture with her thumb as the tears start, then throws the picture against the wall and watches it shatter. She decides to go get something stronger than sweet tea before she cleans up the glass. It was quite effective in the story, but I'd never do something like that. Those cookies are lethal, for sure. And sooooooooooo good.
DeleteHa, awright!
Delete