Radio controlled submarines, planes, and drones.

At this point, we all know about drones flying around with tiny cameras, showing views of the world we rarely experience. Radio controlled devices were initially invented in 1894, by a physicist named Oliver Lodge, but didn't really see the light of day until Nikola Tesla crafted a little boat in 1898 that operated by radio control. I first understood the principles when I watched a boy drive his radio controlled submarine in a lake. Fascinating. Magical. Then, my father took my brother and I to watch the local RC club flying their model airplanes. Wow!

While I've never had one, they sure look like fun! Find it here.

Now, there's all kinds and all sizes. Various navies drive enormous boats by remote control, jetliners can fly on autopilot, and we're working on self-driving vehicles. Many space exploration vehicles are guided by remote, though are semi-autonomous as well. There's no end to it.

I'm older, but I still love toys. It's fascinating walking through the toy isles and looking at all the gizmos and whizbangers available. But, then I'm also disappointed that such expensive and highly technological items will leave most kids bored after a short time. I miss the days of simple rocking horses and non-interactive games. What's wrong with supplying your own imagination to power the fun?

- M

Well, wasn't that convenient...

One aspect of storytelling that's difficult to pull off well, is convenience or coincidence. Most of the time when something ultra convenient occurs, it just falls flat and rings of plot tinkering rather than clever setup. The great Russian writer, Anton Chekhov, had a concept (called "Chekhov's Gun") where if anything is to be used later in the story, it must be introduced at a prior point and then used--he wasn't a fan of the "red herring" concept. It takes time and thought to craft a story with setup and foreshadowing, but the effect is worth the hassle.

Dana Carvey as "The Church Lady"

You see, modern audiences are well versed in distractions and conveniences. While audiences expect surprise and shock, they don't want to roll their eyes when it happens. Somehow, there should be a sense of order, despite the chaos. Done well, the effect withstands subsequent viewings. I think of it like a terrific David Copperfield stage magic trick--no matter how often you see it, the effect continues to amaze and delight). Also, the audience really doesn't want to know how it worked, they just want to enjoy it.

It's tempting to stumble through plot development and pull ideas from anywhere, but it's really easy to write yourself into a corner. When that happens, you either go back and rework it or slap a convenient plot device into the story and artificially save the day. Don't do it. A story can be a magical thing, fully deserving deliberate thought and time in its crafting. Give your audience thrills and spills, without the eye rolling coincidences of plot convenience.

- M

Birthdays ... strangely accepted.

What is it about birthdays that makes people either celebrate or ignore them? At the beginnings of life, birthdays are pure celebration and joy. Then, birthdays are celebrations of growth and swiftly turn to graduations of strength. At some point in the process, people may begin resenting the celebrations entirely--I'm not entirely sure why. Finally, at the ends of our lifetimes, birthdays become victory celebrations and are triumphs once again.

Sometimes, it's best not to overdue the candles ...
image credit

This reminds me of the ancient sphinx riddle: What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night? The answer is a man (crawling as a baby, walking as an adult, and using a cane as an elder). Life is all about changes. We grow, learn, and move on. The trouble is when we stop. We human beings are not meant to sit and gather moss. We are designed to constantly grow, to adapt, and to learn. Birthdays are like milestones, giving us an easy measure of hopeful growth. It's a simple gauge of maturity--usually fairly accurate.

Birthdays are our way of honoring such growth. It's a good thing. I just don't understand why some people are squeamish about their age, or celebrating another year of life. In many cultures it's inappropriate to discuss age at all. That's sad, as I find great value in advancing age. The virility of youth is wonderful, but the wisdom of age is treasured.

So, in honor of everyone else's birthday, I won't be noticing my own this year ... just kidding. I'm sure I have a birthday sometime this year--I just need to check my driver's license to find out when it is.

- M

Duck and Cover, Someone's Looking for Help

How do you take it when someone asks if you're available to possibly help? Often, you're simply too busy to have an opening. But, what if you do? Well, it matters who is doing the asking. Then, it matters what the helping might entail. And then you ask ourselves if you want to interrupt whatever it is you're doing. Are you happy, or feel regret? Congratulations, you're human.

We have a strange response to people wanting help, don't we? If we are the ones asking, we want immediate assistance, yet when someone else asks then we have all kinds of issues we weigh before giving help. Even so, hopefully all this thinking goes right out if there's an actual emergency. In the end, it's probably just as hard to ask for help as it is to give it.

Rodin's "The Thinker"

Curious how we constantly tell our children to take responsibility, to help those in need, and to give generously, yet have such difficulty doing the very same thing in our own lives. Yup, we humans never tire of being illogical and silly. You see, we try to teach the noblest and finest aspects of being human, so reality does slap us in the face now and again. We're flawed. Deeply. But, that doesn't stop us from teaching and expecting the best in everyone.

Funny how complicated it can be just to ask for help with changing a tire, isn't it?

- M

Surprise! Happy --- something or other...

image credit

Have you ever been the recipient of a surprise party? Birthday, work, award, or whatever? Was it really a surprise, or did you already know? The better question is, would you let anyone do it again if you knew in advance?

 

I've only had the pleasure once, at work. They got me good. I never saw it coming, nor even suspected--no easy feat for those who know me. It was at work, on my last day at a job. Everyone was there to wish me well. After the initial rush of surprise and embarrassment, I felt deeply honored. Yes, I wanted to hide from everyone's eyes, but my gratitude overcame my reluctance. No, I wouldn't ask for it, yet I can't say I'd never like to feel that way again. It was ... extraordinary.

 

Why is it we love to surprise people so much? I think we get just as much pleasure when we give the surprise. It's like a present for everyone involved. And, there's the fact of a party being involved. Even if the person isn't surprised, there's hopefully a lot of fun and joy. After all, I doubt people plan surprise parties to irritate and annoy ... well, at least not if your friends like you.

 

- M

How unreliable narrators boost suspense

Two of my favorite short stories are: "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and "The Yellow Pill" by Rog Phillips. Both are psychological. Both feature very bright and well spoken narrators. Both feature terrifically persuasive logic. And, both narrators are unreliable. I won't spoil either of these stories; they deserve to be read.

 

What do I mean by unreliable? Well, mainly that your trust of the narrator will waiver as the story progresses. Maybe what they say is true and maybe not? Because the story is directly tied to the perceptions of the narrator, we only experience what they tell us. Yet, because we are outside the story, we can deduce the reality of the situation. The funny thing is, we aren't nearly as good as we think we are. A great story will twist us onto our heads and drop the sky on it. We won't know what's real even after it's all over and the book is closed.

 

I particularly appreciate the story structure of the unreliable narrator, because it allows the author to specifically direct the audience's attention. There's no need of red herrings, or diversions, or distractions, because the narrator isn't trustworthy and the audience is actively suspecting everything. There's a moment in the movie, "Total Recall" (the 1990 film) when the hero is directly challenged about his delusions--and the audience can't determine what's up, at least not until the spell is broken. I adored that moment and have many times dissected how that scene functions.

 

Suspense, dawning horror, even terror can be the direct result of unreliable narrators. Try it out.

 

- M

Well, I didn't think you meant it...

I'm not sure these pieces fit properly ...
image credit

Funny how quickly we jump to conclusions, isn't it? We tend toward whatever fits our current perspective. It's why drawn illusions work so well. We expect to see something and so we do, even if closer inspections reveal otherwise. Recent examples such as in the movie "The Maze Runner" where a girl is brought in with a note saying this is the last one. The audience & characters assume it means the last person for the maze, but an equally valid assumption is she is the only and last girl. Another example is "The Book of Eli." I won't spoil the twist, but when you see it, ask yourself if there is more than one obvious possibility? You either see it or you don't. It's all on how you look at it.
 

The point is, our first leap to conclusion may be absolutely wrong. What conclusion did you make at the end of "Inception," when the top began wobbling? The funny thing is, even if our conclusions are wrong, the story still works out. I love when I read a story that leaves a few things unfinished, because my mind immediately fills in the blanks. It doesn't always work, though, which is a pity.

Sadly, life doesn't usually allow such second chances. First impressions (and all the conclusions contained within) typically last for a very, very, very long time. I doubt there's much we can do about it, aside from willfully taking another look at our assumptions (a good exercise to make your mind more flexible anyway). But, because I realize it happens, I enjoy looking at movies and books with multiple points of view and watching how it changes the story.

 

- M

Look out! ... Ah, well, nice try anyway.

Incoming!
photo credit

When you hear someone yell, "Look out," I have to ask, do you look or start running? I've done both and I still haven't decided which is better. On one hand, looking helps you see whatever is a hazard to you, but on the other hand someone yelled a warning clearly because you are in immediate danger. I think the natural inclination for me is to stop and look. Which brings up an interesting question: if nobody shouted out a caution, would you be any more likely to be injured? That's the funny thing about warnings. Sometimes the warning itself is more dangerous than the circumstances. That makes it a paradox of sorts.

In stories, particularly the more visual sorts (like movies and plays), the audience is the one being warned. And there's no greater warning fun than the well-known jump scare. There's typically a loud bang, something leaps out, and basically an unexpected event scares the daylights out of you. What's funny is how the audience nearly always knows it's about to happen. We know the tricks and yet keep falling for the same, "watch out," that is a fake so we don't see the real one sneaking up behind. Probably overused, but it does work.

You can see this happen at any playground. The boys are playing soccer and eventually the ball will go flying, someone yells a warning, and whammo some poor kid gets it right in the face. There's plenty of video proof in those funny clips on the internet. Perhaps we learn this from our parents, because parents love to trick their kids by telling them to look at something and then catching them by surprise. It's a tease. Then, we get a warning to look out and we still suspect a trick. Maybe we just don't consider it really is a ... hey, look out!

- M

It's a trap!

One of my favorite storytelling techniques is setting traps. For the hero, or even for the audience. Make something too easy, or too simple, or any kind of exaggeration. Give someone a real reason to believe, and then pull the rug out from under them. It's probably safe to say that audiences are used to this tactic, but it's still fun to ride the crisis wave to whatever conclusion the storyteller has in mind. A good trap can change a mediocre story into a sizzling page-turner and have people banging down the door of a movie theater.

This is similar to the twist ending concept, but doesn't have to be at any particular part of the story. It could actually begin this way, or end it. However it's used, a good trap complicates everything and changes the landscape completely. Think about how incredible the opening scenes of the first Indiana Jones movie would be without the sequence of traps within the Peruvian tomb. That's probably my favorite opening for any adventure story. I still can't get enough of it.

When I was a kid, I drew traps for stick figures who were running down a never-ending hallway. Pits and spikes and cannonballs and all sorts of crazy things. All I really cared about was designing neat ideas and playing with them. Growing up hasn't really dimmed that creativity, though I've maintained a playful streak of practical jokes. The practice also helped teach me the value of false leads and misleading trails. Above all, traps prevent things going stale.

- M

Tornados, Earthquakes, Sand Storms and living in other dangerous area.

Why do we humans insist on living in dangerous locations? I'm not one to ask, since I live in the heart of Tornado Alley. But, I have to wonder why we do it? My guess is we don't like anything getting in our way of settling down, and we will find a way to build in those areas regardless of the environment--much of Florida was originally swamp, but it sure is gorgeous!

The amazing thing is that when disaster does strike, there are tears and howls, but then we go right back and build all over again. We remain, doggedly fighting against the dangers with every bit of gristle within us. It's remarkable how persistent we are, and maybe it comes down to pure stubbornness. Either way, we are in every environment on Earth, and I very much doubt it will ever change.

Now, the funny thing about all this is that people do complain... a lot... about the terrible conditions. Everywhere on Earth, the weather changes constantly... yet, it's only in my area that it changes with the minute hand. I have to grin whenever people say that "here" if you don't like the weather, just wait an hour. There's danger anywhere you want to look, if you look hard enough. That's probably why we stay, after all. We picked our spot, and we'll live in it. No matter what. But, we reserve the right to fuss about it. Often.

- M