The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 20 November 1993

In case you're wondering, this is NOT directly relevant to writing. I hope it may provide some background and useful information for us all.

Whether you agree with these guidelines or not, I hope you'll take the time to read and think about them. Verbal aggression and flame wars are far too common - and we all lose because of it.

This is an excerpt of p. 284-292 from the book:

GENDERSPEAK: Men, Women, and the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense
Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D.
John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1993

Dr. Elgin has given permission for me to copy this for our workshop.
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The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense: An Overview

Just as there is a grammar of English for such things as word endings and the order of words in sentences, there's a grammar of English for verbal violence and verbal self-defense. All native speakers of English know this grammar flawlessly, although many factors - stress, nervousness, illness, lack of time, and the like - interfere with their demonstration of that flawless knowledge. The problem is that the information is not available at a level of conscious awareness, and people therefore cannot conveniently make use of it. The _Gentle Art_ system is designed to help correct this problem and to make it clear that every human being is an expert in the use of his or her language.

When you use this system for verbal self-defense, you won't be restricted to sarcastic comebacks and counterattacks. Instead, you will be able to create for yourself a language environment in which such confrontations will be very _rare_. And when they do occur you will be able to deal with them quickly and competently, with no sacrifice of your own self-respect, and with no loss of face on either side of the interaction.

This is a brief overview of the basic concepts of the system, together with three examples of techniques for putting it to use. (For more detailed information about these and other techniques, please refer to the books, tapes, and videos in the _Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense_ series.)

Reference Items

The Four Basic Principles

1.  ONE: Know that you are under attack.
2. TWO: Know what kind of attack you are facing.
3.  THREE: Know how to make your defense fit the attack.
4. FOUR: Know how to follow through.

The first principle is important - because many verbal victims are not aware that they are victims. Typically, they feel miserable but they don't know why, and they tend to blame not those who abuse them but themselves. For English, the most important clue for knowing that verbal attack is taking place is not the words being said but the intonation of the voice that's saying them - the "tune" the words are set to.

The second and third principles work together to help you tailor your responses. When you learn to recognize language behavior modes (like the Sensory and Satir Modes described below) and to construct responses based on rules for their use, you are applying these two principles.

The fourth principle is often the hardest. There are two barriers to its use:

1. The idea that if you don't participate in the power game of verbal use you're letting the abuser "get away with it"
2. The problem of feeling guilty about defending yourself (especially common among women)

Both of these barriers are based on misconceptions. When you play the role of victim in verbal confrontations, you're training your attacker to be a more skilled verbal abuser - you're providing the attacker with practice and encouragement. That's not kind or nurturing. And when you allow someone to involve you in verbal violence, _that_ - not the words said - is letting the person get away with it. (We'll come back to this point later, in the section on Verbal Attack Patterns.)

Consider the principle that I call Miller's Law:

In order to understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of. (George Miller, 1980)

Notice that you don't have to _accept_ that it's true - just assume, for purposes of discussion, that it is. And ask yourself what it could be true _of_. Often what we do is use a kind of "Miller's-Law-in-Reverse," where we assume that what's being said is _false_ and then we try to imagine what could be wrong with _the person speaking_ to make them say something so outrageous. This guarantees communication breakdown; apply Miller's Law instead.

Syntonics. Syntonics, in the _Gentle Art_ system, is the science of _language harmony_.

The name is taken from the term "syntonic," used in radio telegraphy to describe two radio sets sufficiently well tuned to one another to allow the efficient and the effective transmission of information. When people attempt to communicate with each other, they need to try for a similar syntonic state. When the speaker is using Channel 6 and the listener is using Channel 11, communication is sure to fail. The _Gentle Art_ techniques provide you with methods for making sure that speaker and listener are on the same channel and are syntonic.

Presupposition. A presupposition is anything that a native speaker of a language knows is part of the meaning of a sequence of that language even when it does not appear on the surface of the sequence.

For example: Every native speaker of English knows that the meaning of the sentence "EVen JOHN could pass THAT course!" includes two more propositions saying that the class is somehow second-rate and so is John. The sentence means: "Even John (who, as everybody knows, is no great shakes as a student) could pass that course (which, as everybody knows, is really trivial)." But the negative comments about John and the course are not there in the surface structure of the sentence: _They are presupposed_. Most verbal attacks, with the exception of the very crudest ones, are at least partly hidden away in presuppositions.

First Technique - Using the Sensory Modes

Human beings can't survive without information. We need data from the outside environment and from our bodies; we need data from other human beings and living creatures. Without a system for _managing_ all this data, it would be impossible to deal with. Information that's coming in has to be processed. It must be selected, and (if possible) understood; then it must be either discarded, or indexed for storage in memory. Information going out has to be processed also, so that it can be expressed for other people to understand. Our primary tool for this processing is the set of sensory _systems_ - sight and hearing and touch, taste and smell, etc.

Each of us has a preferred sensory system that we find easiest to use, and that helps us the most in understanding and remembering. And when we express ourselves we often demonstrate that preference by using one of the language behavior modes called Sensory Modes. Like this -

SIGHT: "I really like the way this looks."
HEARING: "This just sounds great to me."
TOUCH: "I really feel good about this."
SMELL: "This whole plan smells fishy to me."
TASTE: "This leaves an awful taste in my mouth."

People who hear you matching their preferred Sensory Modes are more likely to trust you and to listen to what you say. They think of you as someone who speaks their language and shares their perceptions. This is the easiest of all the _Gentle Art_ techniques, and one that you can put to use immediately.

Under normal circumstances, people can switch from one Sensory Mode to another without any difficulty. But when they're under stress they tend to get locked in to their preferred Mode. The more upset they are, the more trouble they will have understanding communication in other Sensory Modes, and the more trouble they will have using other Sensory Modes to express themselves. In such situations, you will improve communication dramatically if you _match_ the Sensory Mode the other person is using.

You'll have no trouble identifying the Sensory Mode coming at you. Any fluent speaker of English does that _automatically_. You can then tailor your own responses for maximum efficiency and effectiveness by following two simple rules:

RULE ONE: Match the Sensory Mode coming at you.
RULE TWO: If you can't follow rule one, use no sensory mode language at all.

For example: asked "How does the new paint job look?", use Rule One and say "The way I see it, it's beautifully done"; or use Rule Two and say "I think it's beautifully done." Rule Two doesn't give you the same advantages as Rule One, but it's a _neutral_ alternative.

Second Technique - Using the Satir Modes

Dr. Virginia Satir was a world-famous family therapist. As she worked with clients, she noticed that the language behavior of people under stress tends to fall into one of the following five categories, which we call the _Satir Modes_.

Blaming:

"WHY don't you ever think about anybody ELSE's feelings? DON'T you have ANY consideration for other people at ALL?"

Placating:

"Oh, YOU know how I am! Shoot - whatever YOU want to do is okay with ME!"

Computing:

"There is undoubtedly a good reason for this delay. No sensible person would be upset."

Distracting:

"WHAT IS THE MATTER with you, ANYway? Not that_I_ care! YOU know me - I can put up with ANYthing! However, common sense would indicate that the original agreement should be followed. And I am really FED UP with this garbage!!"

Leveling:

"I like you. But I don't like your methods."

Each of the Satir Modes has a characteristic style of body language. Blamers shake their fists or their index fingers; they scowl and frown and loom over people. Placaters cling and fidget and lean on others. Computers are stiff and rigid, moving as little as possible. Distractors cycle through the other Modes with their bodies just as they do with their words. THe body language of Levelers is distinguished by the absence of these other patterns, and by the fact that it's not in conflict with their words.

The first four Satir Modes are examples of the lack of a _personal_ syntonic state. People use Blamer Mode because they are insecure and afraid that nobody will respect or obey them. People use Placater Mode - saying that they don't care - because they care so very much. They use Computer Mode - saying "I have no emotions" - because they are aware of an emotion they actually feel and are unwilling to let it show. Distracter Mode cycles through all of these states of mismatch and expresses panic. Only with Leveler Mode (or with Computer Mode used deliberately for strategic reasons) do you have a syntonic state. To the extent that they are capable of accurately judging their own feelings, people using Leveler Mode use words and body language that match those feelings.

As with the Sensory Modes, people can ordinary switch from one Satir Mode to the other, but they tend to become locked in to preferred Satir Modes in situations of tension and stress. The rules for using the Satir Modes are based on the same metaprinciple as those for using the Sensory Modes: ANYTHING YOU FEED WILL GROW. All language interactions are _feedback loops_. When you match a language pattern coming at you, you feed it and it escalates. The difference between the two techniques is that it's always a good thing to match another person's Sensory Mode - because increasing the level of trust and rapport is always a good thing - but you should only match a Satir Mode if you _want_ the behavior it produces to grow. Here are the results you can expect from feeding the Satir Modes:

BLAMING AT A BLAMER causes fights and scenes.
PLACATING AT A PLACATER causes undignified delay.
COMPUTING AT A COMPUTER causes dignified delay.
DISTRACTING AT A DISTRACTER is panic feeding panic.
LEVELING AT A LEVELER means an exchange of the simple truth, going both ways.

In any language interaction, once you've recognized the Satir Mode coming at you, you have to choose your response. You make your choice based on the situation, on what you know about the other person, and on your own communication goals. Hare are the two rules you need:

RULE ONE: If you don't know what to do, use Computer Mode.
RULE TWO: If it would be desirable for the Satir Mode coming at you to escalate, match that mode.

Third Technique: Recognizing and Responding to the Verbal Attack Patterns of English

Many people don't realize that they are verbal victims because the verbal abuse they're subjected to isn't _openly_ abusive. Most verbal abusers don't just spit out curses and insults. (That sort of behavior is usually part of a pattern of _physical_ abuse.) Instead, they rely heavily on the set of verbal attack patterns (VAPs) that are part of the grammar of English verbal violence. These patterns are just as dangerous as shouted obscenitities, but much more subtle.

The attack patterns discussed below have two parts. There is the BAIT, which the attacker expects you to respond to. It's easy to recognize, because it's the part that _hurts_. And then there is the attack that matters, which is usually hidden away in the form of one or more presuppositions. Here's an example:

"If you REALLY loved me, YOU wouldn't waste MONEY the way you do!"

The bait is the part about wasting money; it's what your attacker expects you to respond to. You're expected to take the bait and say, "What do you MEAN, I waste money! I DO NOT!" And then you're off to a flaming row, with is a poor way to handle the situation. The important part of the attack is not the bait, but the presupposition at the beginning - "YOU DON'T REALLY LOVE ME." Instead of taking the bait, respond directly to that presupposed attack. Say:

"When did you start thinking that I don't really love you?"
-or-
"Of _course_ I love you!"

This is not what the attacker expects, and it will short-ciruit the confrontation.

Here are some other examples of English VAPs.

"If you REALLY wanted me to get good grades, YOU'D buy me a comPUTer like all the OTHER kids have got!"

"A person who REALLY cared about his health wouldn't WANT to smoke!"

"DON'T you even CARE if the neighbors are all LAUGHING AT US?"

"Even a woman YOUR age should be able to cook LUNCH!"

"Everybody underSTANDS why you're so TOUCHY, dear!"

"WHY don't you ever LISTEN to me when I talk to you?"

"YOU'RE not the ONly person with PROBlems, you know!"

"You could at LEAST get to WORK on time!"

"EVEN if you DO forget my birthday, I'LL still love you!"

It's important to realize that what makes these examples attacks is not the words they contain. For English, more than half of the information is not in the words but in the body language, including the intonation of the voice. To recognize a verbal attack, you have to pay attention to the intonation - the melody of the voice - that goes _with_ the words. Any time you hear a lot of extra stresses and emphasis on words or parts of words, you should be on the alert. THERE IS NO MORE IMPORTANT CUE TO RECOGNIZING VERBAL ATTACKS THAN ABNORMAL STRESS PATTERNS. The sentence, "Why do you eat so much junk food?" may be very rude and unkind, but it's not a verbal attack. The attack that goes with those words sounds like this: "WHY do you eat SO MUCH JUNK food?"

In dealing with verbal attack patterns, you have three rules to follow:

RULE ONE: Ignore the bait.
RULE TWO: Respond directly to a presupposition.
RULE THREE: No matter what else you do, say something that transmits this message: "You're wasting your time trying that with me. I won't play that game."

Nobody can carry on a verbal attack alone. It takes two people - one to be the attacker, and one to be the victim. People who use verbal abuse do so because they want the fight or the scene - they want your _attention_ - and they enjoy the havoc they create. When you take the bait in their attacks and go along with their plans, you're not showing them how strong and assertive you are, you are giving them _exactly what they want_. The more you do that, the worse the situation will get. EVERY TIME YOU TAKE THE BAIT IN A VERBAL ATTACK, YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN A SELF-REINFORCING FEEDBACK LOOP.

Instead of doing that, use this third technique and break out of the loop. That's not "letting them get away with it." Letting them sucker you into an ugly row, giving them your attention on demand, playing verbal victim for them: _That_ is letting them get away with it.

It's not true that victims of verbal abuse are helpless to protect themselves or that their only defense is to be even more abusive than the attacker. It's not true that verbal abusers can't change their language behavior, or that doing so will mean sacrificing their self-respect. The _Gentle Art_ system is a practical method for tackling the problems of everyone involved in verbal abuse - attackers, victims, and innocent bystanders - with no loss of face or sacrifice of principle. Pollution in the language environment is just as dangerous to health and well-being as pollution in the physical environment; the _Gentle Art_ system is a solution that _everyone_ can put to immediate and effective use.

Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D.

For more techniques in the _Gentle Art_ system (and detailed discussion of those introduced above), see any of the materials in the series. For additional information, write directly to Dr. Elgin at the Ozark Center for Language Studies, P.O. Box 1137, Huntsville, AR 72740.

Original posting: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 23:38:04 EDT


Since I have recently been relaxing with Kenneth Burke, and have made
some notes which may contribute their own tangency (no, that's
tanginess...zest, flavor, saviour...something like that at lease...
well, let's get on with the tossing, okay?)

Some Bits for the Salad

(p. 10) "A poet's identification with imagery...is...merely a concern with _terms for transformation in general._"

"When considering transformation in general, we may stress the respects in which many different kinds of image can perform the same function."

(p. 12) "The range of images that can be used for concretizing the process of transformation is limited only by the imagination and ingenuity of poets. But the selective nature of existence favors some images above others--and high among them, naturally, is the imagery of Life and Death, with its variants of being born, being reborn, dying, killing, and being killed."

"For the so-called 'desire to kill' a certain person is much more properly analyzable as a desire to _transform the principle_ which that person _represents._"

from
A Rhetoric of Motives
Kenneth Burke
University of California Press 1969

I can feel the celery snap, I can taste the dressing now...
lettuce ahead, croutons all around, and mashed sardines at base:
words tossed everywhich way!

Original posting: Sat, 16 Oct 1993 18:00:04 JST

[These are my notes about a book that impressed me very much. While some parts are a bit disjointed and lengthy as a result, I hope you'll take the time to look at some of the tools and bits and pieces I collected, then read the book. I expect to read it several times.]

GENDERSPEAK: Men, Women, and the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense
Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D.
John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1993

Not long ago someone asked about books that inspire us. I would like to add this one to that list.

Despite the title, at base this is not a book about sexism. Instead, it is a remarkably clear and well-thought out approach to using linguistic tools, specifically in response to verbal aggression. The examples are oriented towards some of the currently popular sexual interactions, but the tools are not.

Frankly, I strongly recommend this book for two reasons. One is to learn to recognize and deal with verbal aggression (maybe we can cut down on the flame wars!). The other is that your stories will profit - you will understand better what verbal aggression is, how to portray it, and how to make it real for your readers. Think of it as a graduate course in dialogue writing.

A key part of the book is a continuing scenario, providing a "real life" background for the points discussed, and many sample dialogues and examples. One way anyone could use the book in their writing is to take one of the examples and expand on it, build the scene and the characters into a fuller exercise.

Some tools from the book... for details and additional material, read the book! (Dr. Elgin has given permission for me to summarize the book and excerpt several sections for our workshop.)

1. Miller's Law

Miller's Law (paraphrased) To understand what someone says, assume it is true, then try to imagine what would make it true.

(in other words, start with the assumption that the other speaker is making a rational statement from their point of view - then figure out what that point of view is).

This is the key point which is so often lost in conversations, especially angry ones. The other person (or persons) believes that they are making sensible statements. To understand them, try to figure out what assumptions, conditions, background, etc. would make the statements true.

2. Reality gaps and Semantic Features

Reality gaps are the "holes" between two (or more) people's use of a word. Semantic features are characteristics associated with a term - the shape of the pigeonhole, if you will. To deal with reality gaps, identify the semantic features being used by each. Then focus on the difference.

For example, studies have shown that American Middle-class English (AME) speakers have the following semantic features for violence - force, intense, deliberate, and negative. However, most male speakers add the semantic feature avoidable, while most female speakers add the semantic feature harmful.

This implies that while often there will be agreement about something being violent, at times something will fall in the gap. For example, a man might see something as nonviolent because it was unavoidable, while a woman looks at the same action and considers it violent and harmful. Arguing over whether the action was REALLY violent or not may simply result in frustration.

Another word which seems to have sex-related sets of semantic features include games (and related terms). Most AME women add the feature "trivial." Similarly, "lie", for AME men, includes the feature "harmful," although most women do not include this feature.

Thus, for example, joking about a topic for men ordinarily does NOT mean it is unimportant, even while many women feel joking trivializes an important subject. Or men will happily discuss a business strategy based on "shading the truth" while the women gasp at such blatant "lying."

Another key to handling these gaps is focusing on reality statements - X is a ...; You see X when ...; X results from ...; X causes ...; objective, externally verifiable statements.

When someone who is normally sane suddenly seems to be talking nonsense - check for reality gaps.

3. Presuppositions and "trojan horse" words

Language contains many hidden presuppositions. Some of the words embodying these are "trojan horses". E.g., "admit" presupposes unsavory, illegal, immoral, etc. "manage to" presupposes machiavellian contortions and lengthy work to make the result happen. "humoring" presupposes that the action being referred to is childish.

Thus, "why don't you admit you're wrong?" is an invitation to mayhem. "How did you manage that?" summons the ghost of Moriarty and Machiavelli. "Just humor him" is a reasonable way to handle some of my outbursts... but many people aren't happy being relegated to the playroom again.

4. Body Language

"Any words can have their meaning cancelled by body language - but not vice versa." p. 63

Rapport - a much misused term. part of it is body language, which includes and is perhaps expressed best in tone of voice. Note: the AME admired pitch is low, rich, clear, without much "dynamism" in terms of fast, wide changes in pitch. This almost automatically is biased against female speakers, unless they are careful.

Can we improve body language skills (including tone of voice)? Yes. First, pay attention - observe what is going on at this level. Learn the baseline for an individual, and watch for deviations that indicate stress. Second, to improve performance skills, try simultaneous modelling - repeat together with model (voice, actions, etc.) Experimentation has shown that simultaneous modelling is more effective than other methods (e.g. repeat after the model).

"When words ... and body language don't match, believe the body." p.72

Some "power plays" in speaking

1. pause (to smoke, etc.) in midsentence.
2. interrupting the speaker
3. aggressive comments about behavior
4. open commands
5. eye contact
6. relax, arms crossed, deliberate voice (presumptive victor?)

Note that the body language of language as sport is quite different from the body language of language as combat, although there are relationships.

"Women (and children of both genders) dislike male verbal teasing intensely." p. 77

[I would be happy for anyone to explain this a little bit more to me - I have the feeling I'm guilty...]

One form of aggression - talking about someone as if they were not present. This is often used with elderly and children.

5. Satir Modes

Satir Modes - when tense, most people "lock" into one of these modes of exchange.

1. Blame - hostility, anger, heavy use of personal pronouns (I, you), strong stresses, heavy use of absolutes, body threats (this mode tends to be used by dominants - while words and body language indicate power, the core of this mode is often weakness)
2. Placate - please?, heavy use of personal pronouns (tends to be used by subordinates - while words and body language indicate that I don't care, the core of this mode is often excessive caring)
3. Compute - flat, abstract, neutral (overtly lacking in emotion, actually hiding emotion)
4. Distract - cycles through other modes (overtly lots to say, actually panicking)
5. Level - null, simple interaction (words, body language, and core in harmony)

Principle - anything you feed will grow. So once you have identified the Satir mode you are dealing with, if you like it, match it - if you want to reduce, use compute mode. E.g., if you want to really have a fight when someone blames you, blame them back. Otherwise go to cold, impersonal rationality and most people will shift.

6. Sensory Modes

Sensory modes - tension again locks most people in their "preferred mode". The three main modes are:

1. Sight - I see what you mean, etc.
2. Hearing - Could you tell me...
3. Touch - I don't feel it yet...

The best response to sensory modes is either to match that in use (thus giving yourself the extra authority of "speaking their language") or use neutral terms.

7. Speech Acts

Speech Acts - speech consists of content plus act (command, promise, etc.) Some of the tension that arises in communications comes from

1. misperceived act
2. reaction to act instead of content (e.g. most Americans will react strongly to a command, no matter what the content is)
3. doubt about either the speaker or the utterance (mistrust)

Complaints are inherently problems for two reasons. First, they imply that the behavior is wrong. Second, they are seen as an implicit (if not explicit) command to change.

In place of complaints, Dr. Elgin recommends the three part message. Simply fill in the blanks in "When you X, I feel Y, because Z." X, Y, and Z should be as objective, observable, and verifiable as possible. Y, the "feeling" part of the message, may be hard to make objective, but it should be appropriate, something that others would also feel, and match the body language. Z should always be a real world consequence.

8. Metaphor

p. 146 Metaphor, to the linguist, is "any use of language for comparing two different things on the basis of characteristics they share."

Also, "Metaphor is the most powerful device available to us for changing people's attitudes quickly, effectively, and lastingly."

When a single metaphor permeates a culture or group, we talk of a "unifying metaphor." There are three possible situations:

1. We all speak the same language (everyone shares the metaphor)
2. We all speak the same language, except for ffff. (aware and alert to the fact that someone doesn't share the metaphor - usually willing to translate or help when they have trouble)
3. We all speak the same language, but some of us are nuts (some lack the metaphor, but it is not recognized)

One of the critical metaphor mismatches in AME situations is "Football Game" vs "Schoolroom".

Some other popular metaphors - the happy family, a proud ship sailing, the old west, the old south.

A metaphor is a model of reality, a perceptual filter that shapes how we interpret whatever we are experiencing.

When someone acts in a way which is incomprehensible to us, assume that they are acting truthfully, and try to determine what metaphoric filter they are using. E.g., when an explanation of a business strategy (good gamesmanship being to deceive) causes a horrified response of "You're LYING," perhaps the other person is using the "Schoolroom" filter, where anything that is not true is automatically a lie, punishable by being sent to the corner or even to the principal.

One way to discover metaphoric filters is called semantic modulation. Step one - assume truth, and identify the behavior that is of concern. Put this half of the metaphor in a sentence "An X is Y", with X being the behavior or element that is of concern. Step two - define situationally important characteristics of X. List a number of important characteristics that X has in this situation. Step three - identify what else, known to the other person and consistent with their observed actions, has these characteristics.

[my gloss - you can check your deduction one of two ways. Either make some predictions based on the metaphor you have developed and see if they hold true or ask some people who seem to be using the metaphor.]

9. Language as Traffic - and the Rules of the Road

p. 164 A metaphor that is very helpful is "Language is Traffic." Part of the impact of that metaphor is recognition that there are rules, just as there are for road traffic. Some of these include the need for a topic; not interrupting or cutting in; slowing down, stopping, and yielding to other "drivers"; not changing the topic without signalling; and taking turns instead of blocking.

For many people, talk is POWER, and they deliberately violate traffic rules to establish their power. However, there are also many violations due to ignorance.

The Model Conversation (AME version)

1. A introduces topic, talks three sentences. Others listen.
2. B requests turn (eye contact). A gives it.
3. B talks 3 sentences. Offers turn to C (eye contact). If refused, offers to A.
4. Repeat, until all have had turn or refused it.
5. Whoever has current turn raises new topic, and repeat.
6. If there is an emergency - apologize and explain

Only four skills are needed to be "good conversationalists."

1. Introduce topic - not boring, not offensive
2. Support of others

a. continue (expand, compare, contrast, etc.)
b. link to new topic
c. close old topic and start new topic

3. Turn management

how to get a turn, keep it, pass the "speaker's baton", accept the "baton", and refuse it. The key methods are eye contact, stopping (pause control), and using names.

4. Emergency handling

"sorry to interrupt, but..."

Listen!

1. Don't wait for chance to talk
2. Don't let your mind wander
3. Don't double guess
4. Don't reject beforehand
5. Don't rehearse what you are going to say
6. Don't do other work

10. Verbal Attack Patterns (VAPs)

[note: this section has numerous examples. you can also analyze our interactions in these terms. be warned! analysis of our interactions can be depressing.]

p. 186
Verbal Attack Patterns (VAPs)
two parts

bait - intended to cause hurt and/or anger
the (hidden) attack via presupposition

e.g. if you A, you wouldn't B all the time.

bait - you B all the time (open attack)
presupposed - you don't A (hidden attack)

Attacker expects action chains

Attacker VAPs victim
Victim responds to bait directly, emotionally
volley continues

Best way to handle

1. Ignore the bait
2. Respond to the presupposition, the hidden attack

When did you start to think I don't A?

3. Make sure your response always carries the message "I WON'T PLAY"

Often VAPer goes back to bait, tries to return to expected action chain
Best response - Boring Baroque Response
Their question always asks for information - give it to them, at length.
"I think it all started one friday, or maybe it was a wednesday, when I - no, it must have been a monday, I had..."

Some other responses
Agree with vacuous presuppositions
"If you were a friend of mine,..."
"Well, isn't it good that I'm not your friend"

Offer to go along
"You never X..."
"Let's go X"

<NOTE: Guidelines for Avoiding Sexual Harassment will be presented in full at a later date.>

11. Intimate Relations

A myth of relationships - Tender Telepathy

1. People who really love each other don't need to talk, they just know
2. If one person wants something and the other would be willing if they knew it - the other not doing it unless asked must be a power play
3. If one has to ask, doing it doesn't count
4. 2 and 3 imply the other doesn't really love

Answer - toss the myth and ask. in most cases, the problem is ignorance, not malice.

Note: requests can be a problem - since they are so close to commands.
one way to smooth the path - use while, after, until presupposition
(just like VAP) to hide requests.
e.g. while you do X, I'll do Y.
even better - while you do X, would you like me to do Y or Z?
(allows "illusion of choice" - by telling person to do Y or Z, you have implicitly agreed to do X...)

Problem for AME male - conversation is viewed as sport or combat. this makes trust and intimacy talk difficult. Men, in effect, tend to say "will you respect me after linguistic intimacy?"

A clue for the ladies - think of the men as "reluctant maidens"

1. Be satisfied with a little at first
2. Don't chase
3. Treat it seriously
4. Don't betray
5. Be gentle

<NOTE: 13 Ways to Stifle Intimacy will be presented in full at a later date.>

12. Semantic Mapping

One method for "checking" semantic terms - semantic mapping

1. write the word in the middle of a page
2. in one color, write words or phrases the word makes you think of around it. use circles and lines to connect up related stuff.
3. in another color, write words or phrases each of the words or phrases that came out of 2. again, use circles and lines to connect up related stuff.
4. compare this map with that of the other person

<NOTE: The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense: An Overview will be presented in full at a later date.>

These are some of the tools described. Please take the time to read this book - it may help your writing, and probably will help your life. Either way, it will be worth it.

Original posting: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 01:30:03 JST

[lots of new critters in the pond (HI!), but I still want to kick this around... forgive me for not quoting everyone, but I thought I'd just summarize and go bravely where I hadn't rambled before...]

Does the Reader know the Writer?

I think that's sort of the topic we're wandering around.

Okay, let me reiterate what I think was the original question - how important is knowledge of the writer's situation to judging the work? (e.g. does the fact that the anne frank of bosnia is writing in bosnia, and is 13 or something, alter the value of the work?)

randy and stuart have gone wandering a bit, bringing up the questions of shared background, internal meanings vs external words, and so forth.

Tsirbas Christos also added some interesting comments on the notion of categorizing writers by their nationality (or other group membership - I'd never really thought about it, but that "area authors" corner in some bookstores really is a rather nasty ghetto to be stuck in, isn't it?)

[Hi, Tsirbas! thanks for joining in...]

good stuff, one and all...

Let me drop a few more pebbles in the rather muddy waters we're treading about the writer, the words, and the reader.

Interesting - especially if I stop and think about something like Shakespeare's work, or Gawain and the Green Knight, where I need commentary just to have a chance of figuring out some of the social and historic references. Take a gander at the original 1000 nights and a night, without reading the footnotes? very difficult.

I suppose the negative case of Japanese writings where you don't even understand the language doesn't clarify much...

Consider, though, reading something like the original Robinson Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson (not the kid's versions - the old monsters). Stylistic barbarisms, with an overlay of socially accepted trash (the White Man's Burden, don't you know!).

Or take Tarzan, Lord Greystoke - in the original, with the whole wonderful mixture of "British supremacy" with "the natural man." It's enough to make almost any modern reader feel uncomfortable...

Heck, pull the author and cover off one of the "golden age" space operas (E.E. Smith) and try to convince a modern reader to read it.

It does seem as though the effect (and affect) of a piece of writing in part depends on how similar the background is. At the same time, I think the detailed knowledge of the author's personal history, while sometimes adding some depth or understanding to a piece, really should not be required to understand and enjoy the piece.

Let me switch fields for a sec - Picasso's Guernica (sp?). Disturbing, almost tortured piece of art. I didn't care for it, then someone told me there was a war there... and suddenly the piece started making sense. Now, that little piece of information helped me connect the pattern of thoughts and make a whole out of it.

An interesting question for some kind of theoretician might be what information needs to be added to "set the stage" for understanding a writer's work. Actually, it may not be so theoretical - when you bring a book (or short story, etc.) from America to Japan, for example, there are some severe limits on the "common background" you can expect.

It seems as if there is a kind of continuum here, from the writer and reader having largely common background and knowledge (which allows them to communicate with the least words and should tend to limit misunderstandings) to cases where writer and reader share very little. It might be interesting to compare different readers - could we say that the writer who manages to convey roughly the same message to a statistically larger percentage of the readers is more "effective"? What then becomes of a Bach (or maybe a James Joyce?) whose messages are so bloody complex that most readers don't follow it even when it is simplified and laid out in great detail? (I was thinking of Johann Sebastian, incidentally - the musician).

What about a Marshall McLuhan? I have one of his early books - Mass Communication Theory? something like that. and found it absolutely inspiring, although I could only read about one paragraph a day! DENSE! Then he became popular, and started doing 15 minute books with practically no content - comic books for adults? To me, his later work is eminently discardable, even though it reached a much larger audience.

Hum - complex questions, which probably have complex answers.

BTW - I've seen a write up of someone who took several pieces by well-known authors, polished the names off, then tried submitting them under an unknown name. Rather amusing collection of rejections, editorial slams, and so forth...

Would it make any sense to say that while the names, situation, and so forth are likely to have a high level of influence in our reading of "current" material, these factors are likely to change over time, resulting in rather different evaluation of the writing? E.g., while a piece from the 60's calling for popular support of the Vietnam war might have been a winner at the time, dragging it out now is likely to be a problem.

you know, there is something in here that reminds me of the rather well-known comedy bit, where the young man is excited over the voice on the phone... and then we learn that this exciting voice belongs to a well-worn, rather overstuffed mother of whiny little brats...

does it really matter what the writer is like, or where, or when? if the words ring, the images live, I can't see it being important whether Hemingway was homosexual, impotent, or even a lush. I think I agree with Randy - once the writer "lets go" of the words, the whole business turns into one between the reader(s) and those words. Admittedly, the writer should do the best they can to form and mold those words for the audience they expect - but if the readers find pornographic imagery underlying it that the writer never thought of, that is just as accurate as the writer's vision...

(further ramblings as soon as I find the other file I started on the same topic. sometimes the mental filer misfires. :-)

Original Posting: Fri, 19 Mar 1993 17:05:01 JST

[Wow! I had forgotten that I wrote this up and publicized it back in 1993. And now we have the Storyteller's Bowl, various people put whole books up on the web, the Baen Free Library, hah!]

(Please feel free to distribute this.)

I have a dream about writing that I'd like to share with you, in the hope that you will share it with others. Who knows - maybe we can make my dream a reality. Here's the dream - anyone have any ideas about how to promote it? Comments?

A BOOK WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE

You've written your book. Publishers and agents look at it, and comment "well-written, but the audience is too small." What's next?

In the past, writers have given up their dream or turned to the vanity press. Either way, they have paid for a book which the publishers thought just didn't have a wide enough appeal.

However, there is an alternative. Very simply, if you have written your book on a computer (as most writers do now), you can try sharewrite.

THE SHAREWRITE ANSWER

What is sharewrite? This is my name for an approach to self-publication, using the personal computer. It is similar to the "shareware" approach used to distribute much software. Let me explain.

To publish using sharewrite, as with normal publishing, the first step is to write your book. Write it, and polish it, as well as you can.

Next, you take a part of your book (the first chapter, or some other piece that you think will show off your writing to its best advantage) and put it on the many bulletin board systems (BBS) and networks. If you let them copy it, they will happily make copies of part of your book available to readers around the world. All you have to do is provide them with a piece, carefully marked to allow distribution, and they take care of spreading your writing everywhere.

(If you're not sure how to do this, most computer groups have people who will be glad to help.)

What should your distribution notice say? Although I'm not a lawyer, I think it needs to include the following parts.

First, it should say you retain all rights (thus protecting your copyright), but you are giving unlimited permission to copy and distribute this section. Then it should include directions for how to contact you (both electronically and by regular mail), payment methods, and what you will provide in return (disk or printed copy). If you want to, include a "cutoff date" after which the offer is no longer valid - otherwise people may be trying to get a copy for the same price even after you've become a famous writer. You should also think about prices for mailing outside America - we may want your book.

Pick the best part of your book, and end with a cliff-hanger if you can. Think of the "teasers" on television, or the book extracts in magazines, and make sure your "advertisement" makes people want to read the rest of the book. Add the notice. Then post it on your local BBS and networks. Now wait.

What happens then? Readers everywhere look at this sample of your book, and read the notice telling them how to order the rest of the book if they like it. If you did your job well, some of them will contact you.

When a reader contacts you and pays for it, you provide a copy of the book. I think you will want to provide disk copies, although you should also investigate how much providing paper copies will cost. In the near future, you may also want to consider providing email copies.

SELLING DISK COPIES

For a disk copy, a book fits easily on one current high-density disk. Using the widely available compression programs (pkzip and pkunzip are shareware that most computer groups can easily provide), you can fit a longer book on the same media, or possibly use lower-density disks. You can adjust the price if you need to use more than one disk, of course.

Can it work? Suppose disks cost one dollar each. Shipping and a mailer may cost two dollars. That means a five dollar price gives the author at least two dollars profit per disk. Not much? If you think there are one thousand readers waiting for your book, that's two thousand dollars.

Do you have that much faith in your writing? After all, all you have to do is write the book, extract one part and distribute it to your local BBS and network systems, then make copies and mail them whenever your readers ask for another copy.

When you sell a disk, you should include a similar notice to the one on the display piece, indicating that this is one copy for use by one person, but that you retain all rights. With that kind of notice, I think you'll still be able to sell your work again and again, and have legal protection against further copying or use.

Incidentally, I don't think sharewrite requires a novel or other book-length piece to make sense. For example, you might want to publish a disk of your poems, short stories, or essays. Just make sure that the "display piece" you put on the BBS and networks isn't all that you have for the disk, and tell your readers what else they'll get on the disk. In other words, make it a fair deal, with the reader getting enough added material to be satisfied that they received good value when they bought the disk. Remember, you want the reader to come back for your next disk, too.

SELLING PAPER COPIES

As for paper copies, if you print your book on a laser printer, check how much each page costs (paper plus toner). You should also check the prices in the copy centers that most cities now have. You might also check with a local printer, saying you will provide camera-ready copy.

With most laser printers, you can easily print two pages per sheet. Admittedly, it isn't the nicely bound book that a printer might provide, but even a loose manuscript is better than no book at all.

(Some copy centers or other services can provide inexpensive binding similar to that in a paperback - again, check local prices)

The cost of a paper copy, along with the more expensive mailing costs, may mean you need to charge more per copy to make a profit. However, with the price of paperbacks rising quickly, you may still be competitive - and you can easily compete with hardcover prices.

With short pieces (poems or short stories), of course, you might want to provide relatively inexpensive paper copies or provide several pieces as a package. If you've submitted pieces to magazines, you have a pretty good idea of what postage, envelopes, and copying costs are. Add what you want to get for profit from each of your readers, and use that price in your "display piece." You may be surprised at how many people will want to pay to read your writing when you ask them directly, using the sharewrite approach.

WHY YOU SHOULD SUPPORT SHAREWRITE

Why do I think the sharewrite system is important? Very simply, like the software, shareware, freeware system that has developed for programs, I think writing needs to escape the economic constraints of the printing press. That means we need normal printed copies (for books selling large amounts), but we also need sharewrite for books that don't seem to have the necessary large audience to justify normal printing. Whether you have one reader or mere thousands, sharewrite lets you reach them.

If we can establish the sharewrite approach, in time there might be many books available at the low prices that this approach makes possible. There might be sharewrite associations and "publishers" who never owned a printing press - they simply used the sharewrite approach and provided bookkeeping, editing, and copying support for authors who are willing to split the ongoing profits. There might even come a time when authors would routinely build their writing audience first through sharewrite, then take a proven audience list to their first visit with a publisher (if they're willing to split their profit!). I think most publishers might think twice now if you came in saying you had issued your book as sharewrite and sold 1,000 copies the first month and were considering selling the publication rights...

I'd especially like to see the usenet netnews add an alt.sharewrite newsgroup, with chapters from many writers being distributed around the world every day. That way I'd have easier access to the books I want to read, and have to spend less time in bookstores deciding if a new author is worth trying. Read a chapter first, then pop a check in the mail if I really liked what I saw. After a while, the mail would bring a copy of the book for me to read.

A dream? Maybe, but I don't see anything stopping it, once writers begin to realize that they can easily self-publish, at minimal cost and competitive prices, using the sharewrite approach.

THE DREAM

The real question is whether you believe there are enough readers out there willing to buy your book. Depending on you, selling one copy may be enough profit - and there is no reason not to sell that one copy using sharewrite, if that's your dream.

mike

TECH: Make a Scene #12: The First Scene

We're about to start into Part Three Scene Types of Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. In case you're just coming in, we've already gone through the functions of a scene, including a mixed salad of complex characters, a point of view, memorable and significant action, meaningful dialogue, plot information that advances the story and enriches the characters, conflict and drama, a rich physical setting, and a bit of narrative summary here and there. We've talked about launching the scene, complicating the middle and raising the stakes, and scene endings full of emotional weight.

Then we looked at an array of core elements, including setting, senses, character development and motivation, plot, subtext, dramatic tension, and scene intentions. Which brings us up to date as we plunge ahead into the first scene.

The first scene opens the significant situation of your plot. It has to introduce your plot in the form of the significant situation, introduce the protagonist, establish the setting and evoke the senses, and set up dramatic tensions that suggest complications and conflicts ahead. The best first scenes have an air of mystery, pose a question or problem that needs an answer, or plunge the protagonist into a crisis. Through action and plot information, the first scene needs to compel the reader to keep reading without getting confused without backstory or narrative summary.

"Your significant situation should happen within the first couple of paragraphs. If you force the reader to wait too long for the event that they hope is coming, you stand to lose them before ever getting to it." Where does your first scene start? In media res, in the middle of the action, or at least so close to it that you fall into it immediately. Or should I say the protagonist, the main character, falls into it, dragging the reader along with them?

Successful first scenes involve:

• a significant situation that challenges the status quo of the protagonist
• a catalyst with whom the protagonist interacts
• a quick introduction to the immediate intentions of the protagonist
• a glimpse of the personal history and personality of the protagonist, suggesting motivation
• a decision or action by the protagonist that leads immediately to more complications

So how do the core elements stack up in the first scene? I'm glad you asked, because Rosenfeld has some answers.

-- unless setting is a dramatic part of the significant situation, keep the setting light and suggestive. Subtle details, not great swatches of descriptive prose, no matter how much fun they may be for the writer. Sometimes you can unbalance normal expectations with an unexpected significant situation in a familiar setting, so that the setting and the action play off each other.

-- subtext and dramatic tension. Don't overdo, suit it to your readers and the genre. Set your tone, and suggest the plot direction and themes. The first scene should make the readers worry about the protagonist -- raise the dramatic tension by showing that things can go wrong. Then keep the potential for conflict and consequences open.

-- the pace of the first scene should match the emotional content. Typically they start with a bit of an emotional bang, simply because you want to let the reader know what is happening. First scenes usually move fairly quickly, with actions and introductions to get the reader hooked. Later you can slow down and fill things in.

(Interesting. Rosenfeld didn't run down the whole list of core elements. And I don't exactly recollect pace being in his list of core elements. Oh, well, consistency is a hobgoblin, right? Onward!)

Ending the first scene. Leave the reader with the feeling that trouble, conflict, crises, or a dilemma has only just begun, and you help the reader move on into the next scene. Four ways to do this are [1] to leave the consequences unresolved (the police have just found the protagonist standing over a dead body -- do you want to know what happens next?); [2] end the scene before a major decision by the character, or possibly just after a bad decision; [3] let your protagonist find out something disturbing that could change everything (you mean you've been working for the CIA all these years?); and [4] let your protagonist react without thinking through the significant situation, so that the reaction makes everything more complicated.

Rosenfeld's checklist for first scenes

1. Are the protagonist and the significant situation introduced immediately and clearly?
2. Does the pace match the emotional content?
3. Do thematic images foreshadow the outcome?
4. Does the setting unbalance reader's expectations? Does it play against the significant situation?
5. Keep the pace. Too much exposition or description slows things down, while long passages of dialogue or action may push too fast.
6. Does the scene end with the protagonist in trouble or at least uncertain?

Next, suspense scenes.

The fun part here is to take something you've been writing or a book that you are reading and look at the first scene. How well does Rosenfeld's prescription work? Are there things that you want to change in the scene? Are there parts of Rosenfeld's guidelines that just aren't quite right for you? Go ahead, put this description of a first scene and the pieces and parts to work. See how well it works for you, and make the changes that you need to make.

The thrill of creative effort grows from the mud of spelling and grammar.

original posting: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 11:41:58 -0400

Here at work, someone has suggested a spring/summer book swap.  Bring in three books that you like (or maybe one's you don't like:-), and trade them around.

Which inspired me to wonder -- what books would you recommend to the rest of the list for summer reading?  Feel free to include that book which you are going to be writing, if you think it's ready for prime time.

Tell us a little about the book.  Why should this be on our reading list?  Should we get the library copy, or acquire a hardback for our very own shelves?  Or just get a used copy, so when we throw it across the sand dunes, it won't be much loss.

Who are the characters?  What is the plot about?  Theme?

What sticks in your memory from this book?

Go ahead, write about your three recommendations (I know, Valentine has 1,000 to recommend, but let's keep it focused for this exercise.)

(Now, where is that suntan lotion?  Got to get ready for the day or two of summer that Boston is bound to get sometime...)

original posting: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 13:22:18 -0500

Based on The Story Factor by Annette Simmons, p. 8-11...

Annette suggests that there are six types of stories that "will serve you well in your efforts to influence others."

The first is "Who I Am" Stories.  "The first question people ask themselves the minute they realize you want to influence them is 'who is this person?'  A story helps them see what you want them to see about you."

She starts with a lengthy story borrowed from Robert Cooper, about his grandfather and his heart attacks.  The punchline (well, one of them, at least) is 'My grandfather said to me, 'Give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.'  Then his grandfather said, 'I have asked myself -- what if every day I had refused to accept yesterday's definition of my best?  So much would have come back to me...to your father...to you.  But now it won't because I didn't.  It is too late for me.  But it's not too late for you.'  I held my breath along with everyone else there at the somber power of a man's regret at the end of his life.  'It is too late for me.'  Our common humanity means that we, too, will die.  Every person in that audience had a flicker of awareness toward our own deaths and potential regrets."

"Personal stories let others see 'who' we are better than any other form of communication."

"Personal stories allow you to reveal an aspect of yourself that is otherwise invisible."

"I have seen many leaders use the power of a story of a personal flaw to great effect.  The psychologists call it self-disclosure."

Who am I?

What a simple, yet difficult question!  Should I talk about years of work in software development?  Or about the wonder of meeting my wife, and the glory of being loved?

What about 8 years in Japan, with 5 being as the only foreigner in a Japanese company?  And no, unlike others, I was not teaching English -- I was doing strategic planning for the president for one year, then business development (setting up new teams to do workstation/LAN software development in C and X-windows).

Or maybe the last 8, almost 9 years at MIT?  First running an operations group, then building a new center, and now, well, we're figuring out just what I'm doing?

Who am I?

Or what about tink?  The character who grew up while I was living in Japan, with once a day connections to the network, and then picked up writers when it fell of the nodak system and moved it to mit?  The simple truth that I had gotten very upset about nasty things being said about Mike, and then realized it was some other guy -- so I picked a name from the software I was working with that day (tinkerbelle, an X-windows package that chased your mouse with a twinkle) and then made it my own over time.  And at least when someone writes to tink, they almost always mean me!

Who am I?

When a writer acts as narrator, spirit behind the characters, the spinner of destiny and tosser of dice in life, all those bits and pieces that make a story ring with truth -- who are they?

Who are you?

Please to meet you.

Tell us a story.  Short, long, true, or maybe a bit of a fish tale, but tell us a story that is you.

write!

(say, did I mention that there are six types of stories?  I'll tell you about the rest soon...)

Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld

You probably remember that we are walking through this book, and we've just talked about the setting for the scene (a.k.a. Chapter 5). Coming right behind that, we have Chapter 6 talking about senses. Sensual details -- probably the key tools for bringing your written world alive for the readers. And as Rosenfeld points out, that's not just sight and sound. Smells, tastes, and all of the wonderful feelings.

So the first thing to pay attention to is authenticity of detail. Things need to be realistic and believable. Blackberry pie doesn't smell like meat, and the senses need to be integrated and blended into the scene and setting. Don't just add them as gilding around the edges, make them seamless backdrops to the scene, characters, action.

Sight is probably our most important sense. It's also tricky because writers rarely draw pictures to go with the writing, and yet you want your readers to come away with the impression that they have seen what was going on. You need to provide mental images of the characters, the world they are in, their actions, and all of the other surroundings. You need to have a good visual idea to provide appropriate cues. You're going to run your camera (the point of view character looking around) over the world. Beware of what Rosenfeld calls double vision -- Jimmy saw something. We already know that Jimmy is looking around. Just tell us what he sees, don't make a big fuss about him seeing things.

Interestingly, Rosenfeld suggests that touch be the second sense that you try to work in. We all poke and prod and touch from our very first days as a baby. So put a little bit of practical touch into your story, but don't overdo it. Fidgeting and fumbling in the middle of dialogue is very common. Personal touches -- what a person is willing to touch and who -- also tells us a lot about the character.

Then there are smells. Smells are sometimes extremely evocative (note that doesn't mean they start fights -- it means they make us remember things and feel things). Memories and emotions get cued off of those little nasal neurons, so use them to dramatic effect. There are good smells and of course stinks -- er, Rosenfeld calls them bad smells. Choosing to associate certain characters or situations with certain kinds of smells can fairly quickly get across a judgment to the readers. The key here is to think about smells and use them in your writing.

Sounds. So often mysteries use sounds or the lack of sounds to help with setting, plot, and character. Wherever we go, sounds are a big part of the setting and the action. So make sure that your scene has the right acoustic background. "Sounds enhance mood, set tone, and create atmosphere, and should not be forgotten when setting the scene."

And last but not least in Rosenfeld's list is taste. Eating and various other times, we taste things. It may not be something that you want to put in every scene, but where it fits, let your characters taste.

[Interesting. I tend to think of the physical sense of motion as one more in this list. It's not just touch, it's the whole muscular balance physical feeling of doing things. Flying by the seat of your pants, putting your foot to the floor, and various other strains and struggles. Don't forget them!]

Rosenfeld points out that a lot of this comes naturally and in natural combinations. That pie that the character is looking at involves sight, smell, probably taste if they can manage to sneak a piece out, perhaps all the fun of cutting the pie and trying to lift out the first piece -- and the sound of the cook yelling as they find out that some one got into dessert before dinner! But when you go back to revise your scenes, make sure that you think about the various senses and consider the balance. Lots of talking heads? Get their hands in the mud along the streamside, and have them trying to catch frogs in the evening twilight. Or whatever, but put those senses to work.

And an assignment? Okay, pick up your favorite story and pick out a scene that you really think works well. Now go through it looking for each of the senses. How did the writer use the senses to set the scene, bring out the characters, make the plot move, and so forth? Did they skip one of the senses? Consider why, and how that sense might be worked into the scene. Suppose one of the characters has lost their glasses, has a cold, or otherwise is somewhat impaired today in sensations. How does this change the scene? How do you make the reader feel that stuffed-up separation from the world?

So -- a scene? Setting and senses, the background and the perception of the world. And next -- people! Character development and motivation.

When we write, we set dreams free.

original post: Tue, 7 Sep 1993 10:38:13 JST

On Writer's Block: A New Approach to Creativity
Victoria Nelson
Houghton Mifflin Company 1993

I think I got this through Book of the Month Club.

Even if you aren't blocked, I'd recommend getting a copy of this. Take a quick scan and put it on your bookshelf. Then when you are blocked, take it down again and let Victoria guide you to understand what kind of block you are experiencing and how to get back in synch with yourself. Seriously, this is like an encyclopedia of blocks that a writer may encounter, with good thoughts about what they mean and how to handle them.

(Hint for our Quote of the Day person - I thought many paragraphs would make nice, if slightly lengthy, quotes. e.g.)

"It is human nature to resist change. Only when an impassable roadblock suddenly rears up on our accustomed route (or rut) do we ever consider trying another path. That is why writer's block, guiding the writer always away from stagnation toward change and new possibilities, is such a useful, benign, and ultimately blessed instrument of all creative endeavor." p. 117 (a section on blocks due to Forcing Talent into the Wrong Mold)

For your Writer's First Aid kit... use when the muse quits!