EXERCISE: Making Grapefruit Juice

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Originally posted 13 February 2007

Here's a quicky based on my recent viral problems.

As we all know, part of the royal technique of writing is tossing problems at the characters (aka conflict). So today's exercise starts by taking a character. Either one you are working on, something from a favorite book or movie or TV show, or just a sketch of an idea in your noggin.

Got a character? Good, next step . . .

Make a list of at least five (ten is better!) major ways that this character can lose important things in their life. Fire, flood, earthquack (spelling, but I like it, so I'll leave it), the helicopter divebombs their house, accident, COMPUTER VIRUS ATTACK, illness, identity theft (who, me?), keep going!

For each one, add in just what they lose, why this is important to this character, and what their reactions are. Dig a little, and think about whether this character really cares about the house, or is it Grandma's pictures over the fireplace that are really important? Why? What do they mean to this character? And the reactions part may need an initial and after a while part. Don't write the novel, just spend a bit of time thinking it through.

Now, pick one. Make a scene about that encounter. He was driving away when the house blew up? Whatever, walk us through the encounter as this character's life changes. How do they react? What happens then? And then . . .

Go ahead. Make your character miserable! And then show us how to respond to adversity!

FILL: Feed the birds . . .

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Originally posted 27 February 2007

Well, not exactly. There's a CNN report about experiments in China with remote-controlled pigeons over here http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/27/china.pigeon.reut/index.html and it ends with the wistful comment that "The report did not specify what practical uses the scientists saw for the remote-controlled pigeons."

Sounds like a job for imagineering!

So, put your thinking caps on. Suppose you had a remote-controlled pigeon. According to the report, right now they can steer them up, down, right and left, but let's take the leap of imagination and say you have whatever fine controls you need (landing, takeoff, jabbering with the neighbors - sure).

So what do you do with them? Formation flying over parades (splat!)? Dive-bombing the squirrels who are eating the birdseed in the feeder? Or . . .

Go ahead, tell us what practical (or laughably impractical) uses you foresee for remote-controlled pigeons.

tink
(or if you prefer, I suppose you could remote-control some other critter. Apparently this same lab said they had remote-controlled mice a while back, but no one knew what to do with them, either. Guess they didn't watch Cinderella or they would know that mice make great dressmakers :-)

EXERCISE: They took what?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

originally posted 4 March 2007

Aha!

Here in Japan, one of the news stations did a report this morning on a puzzling set of thefts.

Apparently in a fairly small area, someone has made off with such oddities as stainless steel trays and fittings from a cemetery, a stack of aluminum hubcaps from a tire store, more aluminum from a recycling center, stainless steel posts from a park, and more aluminum and stainless steel. They may also have been responsible for the disappearance of one large temple bell (probably bronze). Oh, and there was a 550 Kilo (that's about 1,000 pounds!) spool of cable.

What apparently is causing the police and the reporters to scratch their heads is that most of this is not worth stealing. After all, a stack of junk aluminum in a recycling place - where you have to pull down the gate and then lift it into a truck somehow - isn't exactly the most salable article. They showed the junk yard owner scratching his head and saying "I think it must be someone else in the same business, but I don't know anyone in the area who would do this?"

One theory seems to be that the stuff has been hijacked onto a ship and taken to China. The notion here is that perhaps these goods are worth more there, so stealing it here in Japan and shipping it might make sense. Of course, I think they could just buy it and ship it. I'll bet that junk yard owner would be more than happy to sell you all you want cheap.

So, here's your assignment. Let's take the list as including the temple bell, aluminum odds and ends, stainless steel, and cable. Who would steal such an eclectic set of stuff in the middle of the night? Feel free to make your own list, but here's a beginning:

1. the crashlanded alien trying to fix his/her ship
2. goblins bent on confusing the issue
3. kids - although that spool of cable would have been a bear to get out? And where would you keep the stuff?
4. The Weird Scientist, now retired, who is building a ??? in his garage
5. It's a coincidence - these are totally unrelated thefts, with the only connecting link being the imagination of the police and reporters
6. Super mechanical monster # 9, who is valiantly trying to repair the damage inflicted during his last fight?

Okay, so have fun with it. Figure out someone or something that could be making these odd thefts, then tell us their story. Pathos, a bit of melodrama, and fun!