Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Yeah, well...prologues aren't the most popular things out there

I'm doing a workshop on prologue structure, and while I love them--perhaps they're not the most popular stylistic device. I'd love to know if I have lurkers, because I suspect I do. I always comment wherever I go, but my kid tells me that's rare. I figure, if I enjoy it, I need to leave something in return, even if it's just a couple of words.

On the flip side, I'm lurking through someone else's workshop. I was totally curious how other people did their deconstructions, because I have the feelings I'm way over thinking it. When I think deconstruction, I think of a screen-writer style breakdown mixed with an Egri style analysis. How everything is set-up, why, what the writer used to do it, "how", and how to duplicate the elements.

I'm doing Taken, and if that's not the perfect case study for core events, I don't know what is. It's all on the nose, so it's easy to understand, and it's about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

My hands still hurt, and I've been doing the hunt and peck with my fingers. Now that my chest is mostly healed, I'm feeling all the bits and pieces that still hurt. My thumbs and index fingers ache, along with my elbows--probably from holding on to the wheel, and my little fingers on both sides feel like someone smashed them with a mallet. It feels like I'm taking tea, walking around with a pinkie out.

I don't think it would be so bad if all I did was go to work, but I "want" to type. And this whole 10 wpm thing is killing me. 

I did go up to the Emerald City conference. I crash it every year to do the diva dinner, and this year--someone said hi. Not that I was too clear on who it was. I know a lot of people casually, and I figured I'd say hi back. So she says, "Oops, I thought you were attending the conference." And "I" not suspecting her until later of being a passive-agressive dickhead, say, "I always crash the conference to meet up with friends." To which, she says, "Oh! Yes, we're going to dinner too." And I ask where, and we talk for a minute. Me being my normal overwhelming self. Her being moderately okay like any other casual acquaintance.

So I wave, she looks a little blank and I go off to Azteca like I do every year. It's only later I realized she was an officer with the conference, trying to get a dig in. "Oh! You're here, "but" you're not registered or paying us money." Guess I threw her for a loop, admitting I was a party crasher. Another reason I don't belong to their chapter.

Maybe I'm just totally oblivious, but I like it that way.

4 comments:

deanna said...

The story with the conference lady makes me laugh--my daughter is like you, and she helps me get what passive-aggressive is, because she isn't that way and so finds it in others. She's just honest in her own way, and oblivious sometimes until later. Her friends get used to her and like her for it. :o)

Eva McKellen said...

I love the straight talking in this post and how you shrug it all off! Passive-aggressive often goes right over my head (ok, sometimes it's deliberate.)

It's really interesting that if you stand up and are completely confident in what you're doing/being, people usually won't confront you directly. Fun!

Eva

Unknown said...

lol, your daughter sounds very cool, Deanna.

Hi Eva! Thanks for dropping by. Yeah, she did get that really weird look on her face, although the people next to me at the dinner also got that look when I said, "OH! That's what she meant."

:)

Hailey Edwards said...

I love prologues. One day I will write one that belongs in my book and isn't cut first thing. *sigh*

Man, I hate you had to deal with that kind of snooty BS. (Even if you didn't realize it until later. lol)