Friday, June 10, 2011
Love Can Be Messy
This is one of my favourite songs. I think the video is perfect. Once you open up and become vulnerable suddenly everything becomes more real, and colourful, and messy.
(There are a few other videos in my playlist, although for official videos you have to go on youtube, it won't let blogger or mixpod post them.)
Writing
I've been thinking a lot about books, movies, fiction. Sometimes they all just mesh together, like its all the same story. Maybe the details like whether they're vampire, angel blooded, or just people is different, but why does the love story seem to repeat itself? It never looks like real life. In real life people don't often say what they're thinking. Sometimes people fall in love instantly, sometimes they grow on each other. They might not end up together or they might get married and then fight about stupid things. Sometimes people don't know how to treat the ones they love- just because you feel that way doesn't mean you act in a way they understand because you don't understand it yourself. Abusive people are the extreme example, but I'm also thinking about regular people who constantly say or do the wrong things.
So I've been thinking, how do I get a great, passionate, unpredictable, and realistic love story into my novel? I have no idea. I know if someone were to read my real life story from the outside they'd be like, huh? but if that story was given from my own POV then I hope they'd get it, even if I didn't always understand everything I did or said.
One problem is that most authors and readers want a certain effect. How often do the star crossed lovers get married and then go into debt and get a divorce because they fight about money too much? Or what about when the person you were supposed to spend eternity with becomes the bad guy?
I've read way too many YA fantasy novels and not enough of everything else - so maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are fictional stories out there that are great AND realistic. If anyone has an example I would love to read it.
Another thought: did anyone notice how many characters have green eyes? I really don't know that many people with green eyes, or if they do it's not always noticeable. I guess I shouldn't talk, my main female has red hair - not exactly original.
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Welcome to the blogging world! :) It's nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of YA fantasy AND write it, so I always have a love story incorporated in my books. I think I just like escaping reality for a while and reading about happy endings. They don't happen as often in the real world. :)
I have green eyes!:)
ReplyDeleteMaybe watch the movie "Adam". I found it had very real characters, and it was a great flick!
ReplyDeleteGreen eyes aren't noticeable because most people with green eyes have very soft green eyes.
ReplyDeleteThere are a LOT of main characters with green eyes, though. You're right on that.
LOVE the music. Her voice is so freaking awesome.
You need to read literary fiction- that's where all the more realistic, sometimes twisted characters come from. The thing about commercial novels is they deal with the "ideal". They are escapist, therefore sometimes unreal I think. While I like reading the more real things sometimes, most of the time I like the imaginary. I like the meeting of the love stories, I don't want to read about how hard it is after.
ReplyDeleteI think people write characters with green eyes because there aren't so many real people with green eyes- therefore it's special.
Um, your sister has green eyes! :)
ReplyDeleteYA novels are fun, but you have to admit juvenile. There are plenty of great novels that are realistic, without being depressing.
Life is hard enough, I don't need an author who's trying to be "real" to convince me of that.
A fantastic fiction novel is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I know I told you about it, have you read it yet???
My favourite book is "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom. It is a very real book involving the Nazis in Holland, but it is amazingly positive and inspirational.
I guess I do know people with green eyes :) of course I knew you did Amy. They're a very unique colour.
ReplyDeleteI think just in the moment I felt like every story was the same and didn't want to get caught up in that with my writing. Thinking about it now I realize that there are even some YA novels that are unique romance-wize. My favourite part of the house of night series is the boy drama - how the seemingly perfect love interest isn't all that perfect, but still pretty cool. The POV is hormonal and flawed (she's such a teenager).
The Hunger Games had a different pacing for the love story. I think I'll just try to stick to my characters' nature and what they would do in each situation (if they were real people). Hopefully something genuine will come out of it.
I guess I went off topic...the books I mentioned aren't "love" stories. Oops, oh well. :)
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