Using cliché and common tropes to your advantage.

As a modern society, enamored with entertainment of all kinds, we've gotten comfortable with certain common things in our stories. Such as: bad guys wear black and good guys wear white, people eating apples are usually rotten, if there's a strange noise the ditzy victim will go investigate a dark room, and so on. I'm not saying these things are necessarily bad, but they are expected and audiences are wise to the tricks. However, if you upset the tropes you will throw your audience into a tailspin of guessing and never knowing what is actually about to happen.

It's all about expectation. Stories should delight and wonder, providing escapism and depth of experience. If your blithe victim waltzes into a dark room, then beats the daylights out of the bad guy, it's unexpected and triggers those great mental fireworks that audiences crave. Turn the tables on the common things. Keep abreast of current methods, see what you can do with them, and then change it up. If you allow your own creations to become dull and lifeless, then the stories will as well.

Personally, I love tripping up expectations and watching people flop around, with no good grip on what's going on. If you can accomplish that feat, then your audience will be locked into a struggle they are determined to win. That's the thrill of a great story! You want your audience invested in what's going on to such an extent that they will stay up all night to discover the truth. Finding books and movies which accomplish this is like discovering a perfectly cut gemstone resting on your wallet, with a note saying, "Take me, I'm yours."

- M

Sneezing your head off

I'm renown for having powerful sneezes. I can't help it. I've tried reducing the power, but that hurts my head badly and I'm sure that isn't a good thing. So, my family has gotten used to it--usually having a laugh at my expense--and I've passed on the trait to my son. Sigh. Well, today I startled myself. There's a box piano next to my desk and when I sneezed, the piano rang. Yes, just like I'd thumped it with my fist. Good grief.

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There are a lot of phrases that come to mind when people do big and large things: strong like a horse, big as a mountain, tough as nails, trumpet like an elephant. Maybe I can add a new one to the list ... "Knocks pianos out of tune." Hmm, doesn't quite have the punch I'd prefer. Oh well.

Do you know anyone who you good-naturedly point out as a freak of nature? Being one of them, I can't say I mind all that much. It's humorous ribbing, stuff that friends do when they're together. My best friend could be described as a human vacuum cleaner, because I swear he never actually chews anything--I've seen him devour a cheeseburger in the blink of an eye ... twice. In my view, these things just make life entertaining, so long as you take the time to notice.

- M

ps. If you haven't sneezed by now, then I'm disappointed.

Why must we lose to realize value?

At some point in everyone's life, we've lost something we didn't then realize was valuable to us. It could be said you were taking it for granted, that it would always be there, and only missed its absence. Yet, there's more to it. I can't say I've ever considered a hair comb all that valuable, but I've had times when I desperately wished I had one. How about a good knife? What about butter? Water? Air?

And, then there are the things you can't really touch, like the nearness of a friend, or the words of a loved one. Photos and sound files can remind us of these things, but they sure don't replace them. Mountains are wonders to behold, and filled my childhood; now, I live in a flatlands and miss them more than I can express. Such things leave a lasting mark, never quite healing or wanting to heal. And, there's our own bodies. Have you ever cherished your sight, your hearing, your sense of touch and taste? What about your fingers? Legs? Memory?

My hometown. To think I had a mountain in my backyard ... wow.

Take the time to count your blessings, in every part of life. Don't let loss teach you value. I prefer enjoying something before it's gone, if I can help it. Although, there is a concept of too much of a good thing--like ice cream, chocolate, and tickles. Whatever you do, wherever you go, take the time to note what's important to you and spend time valuing those things. You may even realize that what you thought was important isn't and what you took for granted is more important than anything else.

- M

Math and science ... torture or blessing?

Why do we teach math and science? Think about it. What's the purpose of torturing our children with concepts they have such difficulty grasping? Do we like pain?

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I hear a lot of people asking these questions from time to time. They are completely missing the point.

Math and science are two disciplines heavily connected with thinking rationally and logically, where emotion doesn't influence the outcome. 2+2=4 each and every time, no matter how you feel about it. Gravity is a fact of life, so leaping from a building because you truly believe you can fly won't change the truth that you will have a nasty fall. Children need to understand logic and deduction, so we use math and science to train them to analyze the world around them.

Without suitable grounding in math and science, people wander around and expect the world to change to suit their whims. Life doesn't work that way. Logic takes time to learn and understand. Following a path of consequence is nearly impossible without some training (even if only a little). We teach our children to deduce what will happen if they do something bad, but that is also true with any activity in life. Math and science are structured systems, which train minds to consider significant factors, form a theory, then test to see if it's true.

Even if you don't have a career in the sciences, the training you have will give you a definite advantage over anyone without it. Logical, critical, disciplined, thinking is a useful skill for life. So, yes, keep on torturing your kids minds with difficult concepts and help them learn for the betterment of their future living.

- M

ps. Sorry this was late. Apparently I "scheduled" this post to drop in 2027. Oops.

Empathy. It's the reason we put ourselves inside a story.

Think of your favorite stories of all time. I'd bet that you see yourself when you think of the main characters. Of course, you aren't really, but the feelings of the story are personal and intimate. That's not an accident. When we enjoy a story, we want to be a part of it and naturally inject ourselves into the situations. And, when those situations are relatable, we empathize in a direct way. In the end, we love the story since we can feel it in our bones.

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It's a simple thing to cause this effect, actually. Have you ever had a scrape against wood? And, when you're examining the injury, you find a splinter under the skin that you can't quite get a hold of, so you dig with your fingernails and then tweezers and finally are forced to endure the irritation? If you're visualizing that right now, you're experiencing what I'm talking about. Empathy. The story has "come alive" for you. If a story does that enough, then the audience is along for the entire ride. It's magic--the magic of the human heart.

I think this quality is why we crave stories so much. We have a deep need to experience things we normally won't achieve. I'll likely never go into space, but I've walked on the Moon with Neil Armstrong, and I can't climb mountains, yet I've been to the top of Everest and back. Stories are the love of the human experience (even if it's a science fiction alien). Discovering a new story, which sweeps you into a new world, is like finding love all over again. Wherever these tales come from, let your empathy go wild! You'll love the result.

- M

Pain and sorrow. Why?

Las Vegas, Nevada. Sadly now connected with the worst shooting spree in United States history.

Why does tragedy strike over and again? Why do people inflict such pain on one another? Why doesn't it stop? The news is bloated with constant stories of suffering across our world. It never ends. I hope and pray for the people in need, and those who lost loved ones. Despite the pain, there is still hope for better. Have faith. There is victory over evil. I believe it completely.

May God ease the sufferings of all those in need. My heart and prayers go with you all.

- M

Comfortable settings and sighing halls.

Have you ever read a book, or watched a movie, where the setting is instantly familiar? The movie "Ever After" is like that with me, with the music and castle joining into a comfortable setting I would gladly step right into. Of course, the idea of what's comfortable and what isn't is totally subjective--so you can't count on it--but there's still times when the sensation is so overwhelming, it's impossible to ignore. How do you create it? Well, I think that's like asking a sculptor how they make their depictions so life-like. Sure, there are certain techniques to master, but there's also a knack to it that some people are particularly good at.

Cozy, isn't it?
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However you accomplish the trick, making settings feel right is a big aspect of your story. If your creation is fiction, then it's even more so, because suspension of disbelief has a hard time with bad settings. Make sure to maintain the internal logic of the settings, and you shouldn't have much trouble. In the end, if you believe the setting yourself, then it's likely others will as well. The concept of writing what you know is well applied here, for instance if you really enjoy old leather chairs then by all means include one in your story.

For me, sliding into a place that is strange, yet comfortable, is one of the most rewarding parts of storytelling. I love disappearing into another world, hiding inside for a few hours, and only returning to real life later on and with a huge sigh. That's the power of stories in a nutshell. Where else can you fly with dragons, enter deep space, or travel into the distance past?

- M