Middle Aged Dad Talks (Writing) Process
For me, it's not just the pun itself that's funny. It's the creation of it. The rapid fire of neurons or synapsis in my brain making a connection of word to rhyme or different meaning.
Whether it was a Tesla driving by: "Watch out, it's electric, boogie oogie oogie."
Or if there was an issue parking... it's a lot.
I love that stuff, the way the brain makes connections and how quick you can get there. A lot of writing is the same way to me. Usually, the generation of an idea is the same. I see something--an episode of Doctor Who, for example. The hook to season 7 caught me completely off guard. They "kill" the Doctor on screen--something that's not supposed to happen.
And I thought to myself, if a show that--at the time--was fifty years old can surprise me, then any series can surprise me. Then, my synapsis started firing, what would be surprising at the point I was in my series? Well, Jackson Donne's long dead fiancée--wasn't. Boom, I had the set-up to a book that eventually became Not Even Past.
Or sometimes, the way it comes out during the actual typing session. In my current Work-In-Process, my main character is pretty witty--at least I think. At one point, she drinks a Coors Light, remarks that it's essentially flavorless, and says, "Ah yes, the COVID symptom of beers."
Eh, it made me laugh.
It's the small moments during the process that keeps you going. The generation of ideas, that one line that sticks with you, the plot twist you didn't see coming. I love that stuff.
And right now, I'm waiting on edits for the current work in progress and my mind is trying to find a new idea to work with. I have a gelatinous, globby theme I want to write about. The general idea for two characters--but nothing concrete yet.
That spark isn't there, yet.
But it will come. One of the things I'm interested in is where ideas come from--I'm poking at the surface of it in this episode.
More to come soon.
WHAT AM I READING?
I just made my way through Karen E. Olson's An Inconvenient Wife, a wonderful book full of beheadings and some great characters.
Next up is Catchpenny a long awaited return from favorite author Charlie Huston.
OTHER ENTERTAINMENT
OH! I also rewatched Captain America: The Winter Soldier for the first time in a few years, and I am so impressed by that movie. When Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting brought Bucky back, they did the unexpected--and it worked! The way the movie is able to streamline that story and make it its own thing is so impressive. Anytime the credits start up, I just want to turn around and watch it again. The sign of a well constructed, accessible story.
More on stuff I'm watching, listening to (NEW PEARL JAM SOON), later. I'm just working this out. But might as well get started!