Musings of a Lonely Writer! ----- Appearance vs. Personality!

So on this Musings of a Lonely Writer post I am going to discuss the feeling behind a characters physical appearance vs. their personality. I am going to discuss whether a reader wants a beautiful character or a much more normal character or if it even matters. Could perhaps the personality matter more. Or is it a combination of both.

Okay so when I read a novel I read about so many types of characters but I always get the impression that the character is always perfectly perfect in some aspect, either he or she is handsome or beautiful in some way or they are gifted a perfect personality. In real life that is not always the case. But as I’ve said before the rules and aspects of real life and that of the worlds of books aren’t necessarily the same and don’t have to be.

In my writing I have discovered lately that my characters are these ethereal beautiful characters and sometimes that starts to bother me as I want to have a real character who struggles with not only physical but personality limitations. I mean I love characters that are so different then me and are everything I am not but I also want characters that are similar to real people, myself included.

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So I have started writing a story called, “Death of the Heart Song” and my main character has an undesirable first name, Misery, and her physical traits and personality traits are lacking any sort of beauty or desirableness. She is often rude and crude and says what is on her mind and she doesn’t care who you are when she speaks her mind. She lives in a Kingdom that has beautiful musically inclined people and she has no musical abilities and is classified as ugly in her Kingdom. So later she butts heads with the Prince and becomes quite a distraction to him and she has no clue why.

Their relationship as trainer and teacher and as friends and would be lovers (they are about the same age, he has just turned 16 years old and she is about to turn 18 years old) is a fun one to explore and write about but their relationship is not the main part of the story. The Heart Song element is the main part but I won’t get into that long story. The reason I write this at all is to show I have now made a character that is classified as unattractive and I wonder how she would be perceived by a reader. Would her physical lack of beauty or her personality make a reader love or hate her more or would it be a combination of both or would neither matter all that much.

Also I want to point out I didn’t make her unattractive just for the sake of saying to myself or others that I now have an ugly character. She was undesirable and had flaws as she presented herself to me in a dream and I found it fresh and exciting to see a character that is different then most characters I have written about or read about before.

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I wonder if young and old readers alike care more about the physical appearance of a character or the personality or does it matter at all. But I guess it probably varies by each person and by each story and how the author wants to present the said character and how the reader perceives said character.

Also do you think that authors present too perfectly perfect characters or just the right amount of perfect and flawed? I asked my mom and she said she doesn’t think that there are too many perfectly perfect characters. She also said that sometimes attractive traits, like in a romance novel, are sometimes a plus or needed but in other stories it really doesn’t matter.

So in books I wonder if the characters physical or personality traits even matter. I mean they matter a little bit. But I find a book with a much more normal flawed character in many ways is interesting and gives me more in-depth insight into that character and their world or story.

But the writer in me still finds beautiful glorious characters to be fun and intriguing. Personally I still think though that personality means more. My characters are so different personality wise but they are so interesting and funny or sassy or fiery or sweet or crude or bold or brave, ect. I think that what they say and how they say it is much more important and how they react to the good, bad, and ugly themes in their stories brings me closer to them then what they look like.

So beautiful or not or great personality or not I think how they handle themselves and what their story is and how they live it is much more important. And though looks and a good personality often matter I think how they handle themselves makes or breaks a character and makes the reader love or hate or love to hate the character. If an author can get characters to surpass ones ideas about what makes an ideal character then it impresses me and leaves a lasting impression on this lonely reader and makes me want to make the lonely writer in me push the boundaries of my character layouts.

Care to weigh in? Then please leave a comment in the comment section of this post!

Keep Writing! Keep Reading! And Keep Inspiring!

Musings of a Lonely Writer! -----Insta Love or Insta Don’t?

I don’t know if I’ve gone over this topic before, I thought I had but I couldn’t find any posts for it so maybe I didn’t. Of course if I did my apologies for repeating myself. Also this may dip into a Musings of a Lonely Reader Post a bit so bear with me.

So I am a tad tired of reading a novel, mostly YA Novels, sorry to YA novel writers as I write them myself but the theme of Insta Love is a tad annoying and over done. I mean to have two characters meet and the sparks fly instantly and be like I will die for you five minutes after meeting is a tad much. Though often entertaining and it brings a dangerous adventure to the story it brings nothing to the real belief of a relationship. Though as I’ve said before in other posts readers, me included, want to escape reality for a couple of hours, so the regular rules don’t apply but I often wish that they did, even just a tiny bit.

So I could buy the Insta Love at first sight if it was maybe presented differently. Like I could buy the I love you even though I just met you if I was given more in-depth love building later. Often times we as readers are supposed to buy the I love you and that’s it. I want to know how they would progress, do they butt heads and are fiery lovers or are they sweet every day is sunshine and bunnies kind of lovers. I want to know how they progress and learn about each other. What did they come to know and like or love about each other? I hate the he’s hot / she’s hot and they kiss two seconds later. Why do they love each other, beyond the physical attributes? I want more for goodness sakes! :~)

I’ve had Insta Attraction in my novels and that has grown into something more and then finally love but I have never had boom bang Insta Love! Lol! I mean it’s cool if anyone likes to read or write that as some famous authors have presented it that way but I often wonder why the characters love each other. What I get makes me feel I missed something but I apparently didn’t, it just was never there or I didn’t catch it.

There are some stories where I read the book and watch the movie and at the end of both I had no clue why the two clueless main characters loved each other, beyond they were two hot people who saw each other and they were ready to battle monsters, parents disapproval, other conflicts to finally be in each others arms for all eternity, or until they undoubtedly die.

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I literally read a story once where all the character could do was be in love when a naked boy wound up on her stoop, sounds more like hormones kicked in, she nursed him back to health and had to find a way to save him from transforming into a monster. By the time they were sexually intimate (well more like a fad to black scene where you basically are told they had sex the next day) I was completely lost as to why they were in love and becoming intimate, they were dry emotionless figures to me. They were silhouettes of characters that I wish had given me more and in essence became full blown colorful all encompassing figures.

Another time I watched a movie based off of a book (I never read the book) and I couldn’t figure out how the human female character became the alien male characters one true only love. They were attracted and talked a few times but it seriously could have been left out of the story and it wouldn’t have mattered. It felt thrown in for the sake of having someone the good alien male could save when the bad aliens showed up. He seemed weak at first and then finally had something worth saving, no forethought it seemed to his own neck on the line as he was the true target, and so he rose above it and with the help of another good alien woman they defeated the bad aliens. Love prevailed and the good alien boy said he would return for the human female character once he went off to find the other good aliens like him and defeated the other bad aliens. He said he finally had something worth returning for. I was like why? She was ok but not OMG you have got to come back kind of thing. There wasn’t much to their relationship to make me think ok I get it and swoon.

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So I guess my conflict is what is the point of a love story or any love element within another story if I get no back story or progressing story as to why the characters love each other. So I guess I would like Insta Love more if I was given more later in the story but if I’m not given more then I say Insta Don’t! I am sure I sound like I am being overly critical and probably annoying but I thought what the heck I might as well put this into one of my Musings of a Lonely Writer segment posts and see how others may feel about this subject.  

Care to weigh in? Then please leave a comment in the comment section of this post!

Happy Writing! Happy Reading!

And Happy Insta Love or maybe Insta Don’t! Your choice, LOL! ;~)

Edit April 20, 2016:

 Another blogger had mentioned on another post about Romeo and Juliet some time ago and I have now come back to edit this post as I had totally forgotten about Romeo and Juliet. They are an infamous example of Insta Love and as the other blogger mentioned had they have gotten to know each other who is to say they wouldn’t have come to hate each other. But Romeo and Juliet is an infamous couple that no matter how illogical the Insta Love is they are a couple many a girl has wanted to duplicate in her relationship, example when someone says so have you found your Romeo yet.

I mean I have always loved William Shakespeare’s Works Romeo and Juliet among them. I do think it is a story of Insta Love but showing the tragedy of so many misunderstands that can occur not just because of a feud in my opinion but by being consumed by Insta Love which is more like Insta Lust, and not stopping to really think it through properly but that happens a lot in novels, plays and unfortunately real life. But it’s true in any love people hardly think clearly as it is, lol!

But I often want to think about what would have happened if their families had gotten over their feud and Romeo and Juliet could be together openly, would the story have been so much different or would they really have loved each other for all time and till death or would they have hated each other and regretted their youthful misadventure in Insta Love?

Missy Our Cat Died

January 4, 2016 our oldest cat Missy was put to sleep (euthanized). She was one month away from her 17^th Birthday. She was the oldest cat we have ever had. She was a beautiful black cat with yellow eyes and an ornery personality.

As best we know is that since we’ve had a flea infestation she got to acting crazy and started biting and scratching and her claws got caught in her collar and so she fell on her back a few times and began jumping off of the furniture and her back legs would give out. As we fought the flea’s everyway possible she got worse, even after removing her collar so her claws wouldn’t get caught. Then one day she fell backwards off the arm of the couch and twisted around. She caught herself and climbed back on to the arm of the couch. Then she leapt into the floor and her back legs gave out. For the next few days her back legs weren’t working right. Then we couldn’t get her in to see a vet due to New Years and so we called on Saturday but they said no vet was in that day. So we made an appointment for Monday.

By Monday she was dragging her back legs behind her. We have a large vacuum cleaner box she loves to get in and so she would hide inside it. Me and my parents would have to get on the floor and coax her out so she could eat, drink and use the litter box (my mom helped her in and out of the litter box). We thought it could be a dislocation or broken leg so we were hopeful that it would be a quick fix or something.

On Monday we took her in and the vet told us that it could be a blood clot that is making her legs not work or perhaps a nerve problem with her spinal column. If it isn’t a blood clot she may develop one if she doesn’t use her legs. The vet also said Missy’s heart was irregular which could be from stress or a heart problem. Since Missy is almost 17 we could give her medications but there would be no guarantee she would ever be better and walk again.

It was the hardest decision we have made to say put her to sleep. I hated that it has been 6 years to the month since I put my other cat Tiger to sleep as she had bad Kidney Disease and so all those memories came flooding back to me. We stayed with Missy and decided to put her to sleep.

Missy was alert and looking around and growling and hissing, she has always been ornery and a mean old coot. I used to joke and say only the good die young so she would live forever, even out living us all. She had a memorable little life. She moved 3 times with us. Her and her siblings had actually gotten into a gas pipe and that’s where they had been found and how we got her. The gas pipe was outside my sister’s old job and she took Missy’s sister Miss Kitty, who died some years ago. My sister begged us at the time to take Missy and so we did. She was a few weeks old when we got her and we’ve had her this whole time.

At the vet they gave her something to put her into a sleep like state and then they would give her a second shot to slow and then stop her heart. The first process gave us 5-10 minutes with her. She growled and stuff before and during that process but my mom said she is going out in a blaze of glory and I said she was going out with her boots on. I rubbed her above the eyes which stopped her growling and we kissed and loved on her. I remember her looking at me with those yellow eyes and it about killed me.

When they gave the second shot they said that her eyes might not shut and she might urinate or poop so don’t be alarmed. With my cat Tiger she peed while I held her and I think her eyes stayed open but with Missy she didn’t use the restroom on herself and her eyes closed. My mom said it was a dignified end and I said she did it in the style of an Old Dame. Tiger had gone out like a little Lady I always said, I used to call her Lady Iger (a play on her name). Now Missy the little Old Dame or Duchess went out in a dignified way after putting in a few ornery little things like growling and hissing as only she can and always had.

I am glad that when I petted her she purred for me just like Tiger had done. In a way it felt like they were saying they loved me and were trying to make me feel better. I mean I have heard cats will purr when in distress as well but each time it felt like they were saying it was okay to let them go.

I cried harder than I have ever cried when Missy died and when Tiger died, but more so with Missy. It felt like my heart was dieing. I felt like I just wanted her back, no matter what. I felt selfish for wanting to keep her even if she couldn’t walk. At almost 17 years old a chart in the vets office said she would be the equivalent to an 84 year old. So I knew she had a good old life but I just didn’t want it to end. I used to tell her you have to live to be 25 so that you can go in the record books as the oldest cat and she sure tried.

When Tiger died I felt like I lost a best friends and Missy seemed to fill in the hole left, even though we had, had Missy before Tiger. Missy seemed to sense I needed something and filled in. And now that Missy is gone I feel like I lost another best friend. I still have a 10 year old cat named Tommy and a 15 year old dog named Precious but it’s not the same.

Now everything I look at reminds me of her and it makes me sad or wants to cry. My mom cried and still is crying on and off. My dad tried to stay strong but I saw the tears in his eyes at the vets office and he kept blowing his nose. When we got home he tried to hide it but me and my mom heard him cry in the kitchen when his back was to us. He loved Missy and it was hard on him. He usually is closed off emotionally, or rather doesn’t show emotions often, but he cried and it was sad to see him hurt too.

I have promised every story I write and publish will be dedicated to Tiger and Missy as those two cats were there with me through it all and both knew when to tell me to take a break, Tiger would sit on the keyboard if it was break time and Missy would swat at my legs. They each kept me company those long nights of writing.

I miss and love you Missy! I will never forget you! I have the memories to think about and silly photos to look at when I want to remember her!

Thank You Mickey Gilley for 26 Years in the Branson Area!

December 2, 2015 marked the end of a musical era of sorts. Mickey Gilley’s matinee show at Mickey Gilley Theater was the last one after 26 years. He is now going to be going and doing road shows at almost 80 years old.

You may be wondering what that has to do with me. Well my mom, my dad and I went to the last show as they worked for him. My mom worked in the gift shop for a series of years but wasn’t working there as of a few years ago when the gift shop had to close down but my dad continued to work in the parking department for 13 years. He worked there all the way up to the last day.

I remember when I was in high school and came there and did homework in the lobby after school and riding around on the cart in parking with my dad. I remember that theater and it won’t be the same without Gilley there.

So I’ve seen the show for free many times but we decided to go and support Gilley on his last show. He is a nice guy I’ve met and talked to before. The last show was great. Many of the other performers in Branson came and surprised Gilley by popping in to say how much he affected them and they thanked him for his help and years of friendship and guidance.

The Mayor and a Council Member came by as well and gave him a Plaque and the Keys to the City. They even joked and said that Yakav, another local performer ending his many years here this year will be getting the keys to the city too so everyone better dead bolt their doors with these two having keys, lol!

It was an amazing show and even though he is a performer from another era I thoroughly enjoy his music and live shows. We will miss you Mickey Gilley! Have a wonderful time on the road! I hear there are 140+ road shows booked, so not too bad. Maybe we will see Gilley on the road and I hope he has many more years of performing ahead of him!

Here are some pictures from his last performance at the Mickey Gilley Theater on December 2, 2015:

 

< Local Performers Popping in to Say Goodbye and Thank Mickey Gilley for His Many Years Here and for His Support, Friendship, and Guidance!

The Mayor and Council Member giving Plaque and Keys to the City! >

 

Is All I Learned in History Class A Lie?

I love watching the TV Shows, Mystery at the Museum, Mystery at the Castle, and Mystery at the Monument. After watching those shows I am convinced half of the History books are chock full of lies and misapplied information.

Alexander Graham Bell did not create the telephone, what? He was a thief. A man named Antonio Meucci created it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Meucci

Jackie Robinson was not the first African American pro-baseball player. A man named Moses Fleetwood Walker was. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Fleetwood_Walker

Christopher Columbus may have been about 100 years behind a Scottish clan in reaching America.

There are so many more I have seen on there that have made me do research and I am appalled that these inaccuracies aren’t told to the public or History books aren’t updated. I mean I feel like I’ve been duped by History books and History teachers.

So from now on no matter how crazy people think I am, I am going to say Antonio Muicci created the telephone and Moses Fleetwood Walker was the first African American pro-baseball player and that the Clan Gunn found America 100 years before Christopher Columbus.

So inaccuracies in History beware for I intend to find the truth and use the accurate information, lol!

End of 2015 NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)

http://nanowrimo.org/

When I first wrote about this I was a day late in adding info about this challenge for the month and now I am putting it a day before the end as I wanted to make sure I put this on before I forget.

I hope that everyone had a wonderfully great 2015 NaNoWriMo and that you all reached your 50,000 Word count by the months end, tomorrow! If you didn’t reach the goal don’t just stop, keep writing even if the months over, finish the novel. I do hope that your novel became everything you hoped it would become and that you enjoyed this challenge.

Though I didn’t do it this year I am happy to say that I did finish in November three Poems, “Beautiful Nightmare”, “Dream Lovers”, and “Violet Fields” and two Short Stories, “The Girl with the Red War Paint” and “Everly After”.  I am at present about to start two new Short Stories, “Launch: 24 Hours” and “Scarlet Archer”. I also edited and wrote on another novel as well during November.

So though I didn’t do a 50,000 Word Novel I did have a very good writing month in general!

 

So I hope that all that did NaNoWriMo will continue to write come December and that everything you write turns out as good as or better than you expected. If you care to you can share moments, thoughts, experiences from this 2015 NaNoWriMo challenge in the comment section of this post!    

Happy Writing!                                                                                                                        

2015 NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)

http://nanowrimo.org/

So November 1^st - 30^th it is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). This is day 2 of the month and I had hoped to put this up on the first but yesterday was hectic for me. I have heard of this writing challenge in the past years but have never participated in it myself. Basically you write a 50,000 Word Novel in One Month. A fun challenge indeed!

I will not be participating this year but just thought to bring some attention to this writing challenge. Although I won’t be doing NaNoWriMo I have been editing and adding on at least 25,000 words to one of my novels and will be writing a short story and some poems and writing a bit on another one of my novels. So though I won’t be writing a 50,000 word novel all my writing for November probably will amount to 50,000 words, lol.

So if anyone is participating this year then I wish you well and hope you are able to finish your novel in one month. Have fun writing!

If you care to I always love to hear about characters names chosen for novels so if you are writing a novel for NaNoWriMo or just a novel for another reason leave me a comment and tell me your characters names and if I don’t already have them on my Character Names Galore blog I might add them to my list to be added in the future.

Also if you want to share minor details about your novel, writing style, or any past experiences with NaNoWriMo or writing in general then leave a comment as well as I would love to hear from you guys. I do understand though not sharing too much about your novels online, so I understand not giving too much away should you comment.  

Happy Writing!