To Sulk or not to Sulk

You know you’re having a bad day when you feel like hurling shoes at the lucky, small footed ladies at the shoe store, all the clothes you try on look like they’re from the kids’ section and the pharmacist discreetly hands you stomach flab reducing cream samples. It’s just one of those days filled with multiple paper cuts, streams of red traffic lights and broken heels. However, I often stop to wonder if my foul day could have anything to do with my foul mood. I wake up just knowing it's going to be one of those days that if something actually goes right, it would be a mere taunt from the universe. Did I jinx the day with my sunrise frown? Does a day seem worse than it is because of a bad mood?  

“Any art communicates what you're in the mood to receive.”--Larry Rivers, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/mood.html#2avqTVhWI2eQiTGx.99

So are moods just a chemical reaction or do our surroundings have some influence on how we feel? I tend to be more on both extremes than ever in the middle (I truly envy those down-to-earth earthlings who seldom fall into crankiness). If I’m happy, the whole world gets to know about it and if it’s one of those days where I wish I really could perform magic and turn someone into a gnat, well let’s just say my friends have learnt to recognize the twitch and the bulging vein. Everyone has a bad day, but everyone also has equally good days, so despite being a pain, moods do colour our lives (my disclaimer for those who think that I'm dissing a part of nature).

What I’m interested in is exactly how vital moods are in a novel. When you think about it, the mood is everything. Character dialog, language, the way the sun hits the horizon at exactly the right angle—it all boils down to the Mood. Before creating a set, we need to set the mood. So is it possible to create convincing happy scenes in a novel if you feel like shoving the slow-poke cashier aside and scanning your stuff on your own at the supermarket? Can you put your soul into a heartbreaking moment when you’re personally nibbling grapes on lover’s cloud nine? I find it hard to sometimes. Theoretically, writers need to be able to leave their personal lives at the door when entering their made up world but I haven’t yet mastered the art of emotional stripping. I now leave happy scenes for a better day if I don’t feel good because I’ve found my supposedly happy chapters floating on sarcastic undercurrents at times.

Writing is basically wishful thinking: creating a world in which you would like to be, even if it’s just for a day. So it is possible that if you’re suffering from say IBS (Irritable Boyfriend Syndrome) to quote author Kathy Lette, you’d be able to create a lovely story about a couple who get it right. Or you may just learn something when your characters turn around and say, “No one’s perfect, so get a grip and quit nagging us to do your dirty work, Woman!” It could go either way. Whatever it is, I think the Mood is the most important thing in a novel. It’s the deciding factor of whether you lure your audience in with the dangling carrot of goose bumps or scare them away yawning with monotony. We don’t want our readers feeling like they’ve gone to bed with only a paper cut out of Brad Pitt, do we?

“In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer and I take up my pen to write.”

--Pearl S. Buck quotes (American author, 1938 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1892-1973), http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/mood/

Apps and Bellbottoms

Last year, my niece and nephew came to visit me. We were getting ready to go out and I wore my Guns and Roses hoodie and a pair of turquoise pants/jeans. My niece looked at me and said, “You look like an Auntie from the 70s.” (Auntie: Malaysian word for old fashioned, also used as a sign of respect, so it tends to get confusing when used in public) Needless to say, I was appalled—I wasn’t even thought of in the 70s. This year, people are stopping me on the streets to ask me where I bought my turquoise pants because dull colours are out. Suddenly, I’m in. Sayonara, Auntie status. So what happened? The gods on fashion Olympus (Paris, Milan, London and New York) are what happened. They decided that if you’re wearing pants, they need to shout, “Groovy, Baby!” And out of nowhere, my interesting pants are no longer embarrassing.

Trends. They’re apparently what makes the world go round (or oval or square, whatever’s IN at the moment). But why? I’ve been reading up on trends and I must say no one really wants to give an official statement about it. Most articles talk about the importance of trends and how you will forever be a social outcast if you don’t follow a certain trend but no one can tell me why we do it. From what I’ve read, it’s safe to deduce that people just need to fit in. When I was little there was a cartoon called Jem and the Misfits. Jem was the perfect girl and the misfits were the opposite with their crazy outfits and warrior make-up. I wanted to be a Misfit, but every week, we were brainwashed into believing that only Jem got the guy, fame and fortune while the Misfits either fell into a bucket of goo at the end or were booed off screen. So I had to go with Jem and her star shaped earrings.

The need to conform affects all of us, be it at work, school or with friends. I personally have a bunch of friends who have very little in common with each other, making my life always fun (My BFFs: The Intellectual, The Fitness Freak, The Fashion Diva, The Cosmetics Queen, The Health Expert and The Creature of the Night). We wear what we want as long as we look good and we don't care if we're being too loud in a restaurant. However, if you go shopping and the only thing hanging on the racks are leopard print tops (again because of MPLNY Olympus Convention 2011), you’re going to have to buy at least one. 

My only problem with trends is their significance in the literary world. At the moment, I write for young adults and everyone says that they’re the most "susceptible" to whatever’s new. So do I need to make sure that I mention social networking and Hipsters in my novels? (“Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.”--http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster)

 I don’t know. I personally believe that readers are constantly bombarded with these things everyday and would maybe like a break once in awhile. (Bring out the trumpets please) In comes my novel of a faraway land that runs on magic alone. Incorporating trends in a novel can get tricky, especially if the writer is trying to make their novel a timeless experience. (I don’t know if I like the image of someone picking it up in 20 years and saying, “Holy Fiber Glass! They still had Farmville in this.”)

Trends are great; they bring gusts of fresh air into our lives and stay until they get stale. Although I don’t religiously follow trends, I do like to check out what’s new and IN, simply because I might find something nice that I have never thought of wearing or doing before. In a way, trends help us decide what kind of people we are or would like to be. However, independent thinking is even better and I think that young adults are the best at this. If they follow trends, they do it with a passion that could put boot camp trainers to shame and if they decide to go their own way, they also do it with total conviction (hence the birth of the Hipsters). I love it! Be the best that you can be and follow your heart till there’s nothing left to follow. If someone has a problem with your Nerd glasses and floral pants, let them take it up with Vogue and co.

It is Written

“Destiny or fate is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. It is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the cosmos.”—Wikipedia.com

“A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control.”-- http://www.thefreedictionary.com/destiny

As far back as humans can remember, there has always been the notion of destiny—the idea that our actions and their results have nothing to do with our own motivations or achievements. First it was the lightning and the Sun that determined if we ate that year, then the Great Goddess announced how many children we would have and then other Gods apparently wanted religious leaders to implement taxes. Now there are even comic book super heroes who determine how celebrities should spend their money. It’s all about destiny and fate and how much we like living in little boxes like lab mice. Why?

“…we perceive ourselves as passive victims of powers beyond our control, for which we take no personal responsibility. Accepting responsibility for those problems for which we are accountable is prerequisite to changing one's life. It is a matter of personal power: If we deny our power to engender destructive consequences, refusing responsibility for having, often unconsciously, done so, where will the power to creatively transform one's life and relationships come from? We are, for instance, clearly not responsible for our genes, nor the myriad physical and mental predispositions to which they render us vulnerable. Genetics are part of fate. But we are responsible for how we deal with our inherited biological and genetic makeup, and for doing what we can to cultivate our strengths and manage our vulnerabilities rather than exacerbating them through self-destructive lifestyles.”—Dr. Stephen Diamonds, Secrets of Psychotherapy (Part 6) : Fate, Destiny and Responsibility, http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds/200807/secrets-psychotherapy-part-6-fate-destiny-and-responsibility

So people just don’t like taking responsibility for things that happen around them? But how can we, when so much just happens, without us elbowing Fate in the stomach.

Writing a novel is a lot like playing around with destiny. The author decides the fate of his or her (or its) characters. The flow from Chapter One: The Apple Tree Blossomed till Chapter Thousand: He died…The End has all been predestined and John, Gina and Mr. Louis never really had a choice. A writer’s Plot has to concentrate on laying the foundation and the subsequent steps needed for Harald the Alien to realize the significance of the novel and his importance in cutting the right-coloured wire one second before his side wins. The plot + the events + character choices + some funny stuff = fulfilling literary Destiny.

However, once in awhile, something magical happens and authors have to rethink a pre-chosen course because their characters simply turn around and say, “I don’t think so.” (Insert head wiggle, Attitude and Z shaped, three point finger snaps here). This has happened to me in the past and I have to say I was thrilled. It’s nice to know that even in a world of your own making you can’t always control everything (and you still make Susan say LOL although you know she loathes it).

I believe in God so I pretty much hope that He’s got it all planned out up there. It might be either the incompetence to accept full responsibility or just sheer laziness but I like the idea of Him leading me toward fulfilling something—the reason why He put me here in the first place. I find it easier to accept many things if I know that nothing happens by chance. If I’m called a well-trained house pet just because I trust and believe in someOne greater, so be it. As long as I’m well fed and have pedigree hair, I’ll just lie in the sun and get my belly rubbed if you don’t mind.

Riff Raff!

Well, I never! Seriously, the last week has been an eye opener. I knew that bullying goes on in all levels of society: celebrities with each other about their weight or that someone purposely revealed too much leg at an event, the Mercedes owners dissing BMW drivers, real vampires making fun of their vegetarian counterparts and the list goes on. As long as robots don’t take over the world, there will always be bullying (unless they start comparing chips and the quality of steel nowadays then everything’s going to go down the drain). What is it that gives people the need to compare and degrade fellow humans?

“… The Stanford Prison Experiment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment) blindly divided a matched group into prisoners and guards. Students became bullies within a few hours; once they were given power and authority. Others became victims as they were stripped of their rights and dignity. This demonstrates one aspect of bullying. That anyone may become a bully or a victim. One common road to bullying is being a victim. It is part of human nature to mimic behavior. People who have themselves been victims are likely, given the chance, to become bullies. In some way, the bully may be retrieving that part of their soul that was lost when they were victims. Given the opportunity to bully another, people often repeat what was done to them. Victims who eventually bully may feel powerful and whole.”-- http://www.realpsychology.com/content/gps-parents-and-teachers/how-are-bullies-created

So it’s basically one’s need to feel important and if there are weaker people around to soak up the bashing, the better. Nice; what kind of world are we bringing our kids into?! Anyway, despite knowing all this, I was rather shocked by my findings in an author’s forum last week (no names shall be mentioned because that would be bullying too although I really wish I could). I would never have thought that bullying would find a foothold in the literary world. Aren’t writers supposed to be above social levels and materialism? Or have I been living in a dream world till now about my chosen path? (The clouds opened up, the heavenly choirs reached the peak of their beauty and then it all crumbled in one big fat author’s chat room!)

So here’s the story (disclaimer of the highest sort--I DON’T SHARE THIS OPINION): Many published authors look down on self-published authors and don’t really want their work associated with such “riff raff”. Well, well! As I’m an author with a publisher by my side, I don’t really have to worry about these better than thou writers. I shouldn’t feel personally affected, but I do! Who gives them the right to decide if someone’s work is good enough without reading it first? A writer is someone who uses the written word to express opinions, emotions and ideas. No one should judge how he or she goes about it and no one should have the right to draw lines in the lit world (unless Shakespeare comes back and tries, then that’s another thing).

I’m probably upset by this because I’m still a minnow in this world of tiger sharks and sperm whales and have no idea how things work. But what happened to the beauty of just writing and living in another world despite the fact that you’re actually scribbling from the back seat of your car cum living room? How did it become a power play of he’s better because he’s got BLAH BLAH doing his marketing for him? Seriously, I’d rather hang out with the cool, indie, self-published authors than the stuck ups who think their better because they’ve got MR BIG publishing their book (and all this for 10% of sales, mind you). I’m probably making myself super unpopular with the leviathans of the publishing industry with this but it’s my diary and I’ll spill if I want to. Writers rule: if there is even one person who wants to read your stuff than you’ve done it!! Don’t let them tell you otherwise.

Matters of the Heart

Most novels have some sort of relationship tango or other—be it platonic, family relations, in the work environment, at school or in a romantic setting. We all love a good story where two people meet, fall in love and live happily ever after. But is that really how it works?

“There are many kinds of relationships and a given kind may fit a given person or couple at one stage of development but not at another. Driven by our personal history, we choose partners who help us meet our present needs, fulfill our expectations, and if we're lucky, work through our issues and grow in the directions in which we need to grow. For a person or couple, recognizing this can open doors to a broader spectrum of ways of being with ourselves and each other.”—Victor Daniels, ‘Patterns of Relationships’, http://www.sonoma.edu/users/d/daniels/lynch.html

I place a lot of emphasis on Love in my novels simply because I think there is no point waking up in the morning if there isn’t someone worth waking up for (and I don’t mean only romantically—friends and family are as important as a partner, maybe even more so). However, ever so often, I stumble onto a scene where I’m not sure if the characters should fall in love right away, or if she needs to find out if he snores first before handing her heart over to the walrus. Novels show us that love at first sight happens but is it really love or simply infatuation (or other more R-rated stuff)?

“Most of us have some kind of idea in our minds about how a "good" or "correct" relationship is supposed to be. We can cause ourselves needless distress by comparing our own relationships with such an idea of what a relationship "should be like" and then concluding that our own is defective by comparison. Psychologists may imply something of that sort when they formulate criteria for a "healthy relationship" which few real couples ever meet.”—Victor Daniels, (source as above).

As a writer, I want my characters to believe in the intensity of that first meeting—of someone tripping over their own feet in awe of another person. Love is such a wonderful notion. How many of us sighed when Ewan McGregor first sang with Nicole Kidman on the roof top of the Moulin Rouge? Why did we cry when Harry Potter first kissed Cho Chang? What makes our hearts race every time we hear the theme song of Titanic? All these people hardly even knew each other and yet we cheered for their discovery of cupid’s arrow sticking out of their cheeks (Author’s note: For my more blur readers, cheek here has nothing to do with their faces). I suppose it’s those things we call Drama and Theatrics running along beside us with their fake swords and love letters.  We read to enlighten ourselves but also to escape our sometimes dreary world. If I wanted reality I could just sit outside my neighbour’s window and watch her and her husband eating their chips and dozing off on the sofa to Who Wants to be a Millionaire (yes, I know this for a fact).

So what can a writer do to make sure that the feelings between two characters are real enough to be believable and yet Hollywood enough to make us wish the story was about us?  I guess that’s yet another thing I’ll just have to find out on this adventure that I’ve set out on. Hope it doesn’t take too long though, because I really don’t want to live in a novel where Love has to be measured in how many times he takes the trash out without being shouted at first.

Ideas and Inspiration

“We got to roll with the punches, play all of our hunches, make the best of whatever comes your way. Forget that blind ambition, learn to trust your intuition -- plowing straight ahead, come what may.”

-- Jimmy Buffett, Cowboy in the Jungle (song)

“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.

-- Emily Dickinson

“Genius is 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.”

-- Thomas Edison

(Source: http://www.aphids.com/cgi-bin/quotes.pl?act=ShowListingsForSub&Subject=S47)

I remember my sister telling me a goodnight story about a boy with a lightning scar on his forehead even before Harry Potter was dreamed up. I imagined a world with mobiles that didn’t need actual keys way back when mobile phones (with a satellite antennae the size of a spatula) were larger than the average house telephone. As I sat reading Enid Blyton novels about children having the time of their lives in boarding schools, I wondered why no one thought to write about a school that taught magic. Every time my father missed a turn on his way to take my mother sari shopping, she wished that someone would come up with a device that could warn them about the junction beforehand. This was way before Tomtoms and the like were invented to make our lives easier. After many such premonitions that came true around me, my sister told me that it was possible that ideas swam around the universe and it was our job to grab it. Is that how inspiration works? If you don’t seize the moment, will it just canter off to the next willing recipient?

My inspiration comes from many places: the cause and effect of everyday life, other books, movies, dreams, music and of course sudden, vivid pictures floating around in my head at the most inopportune times (like when I stop at a red light or have curry all over my hands and can’t get to my notebook). Where do these invasive pictures come from? (Please don't bother telling me that I should be worried about my mental health...it's nothing I haven't heard before.)

“…Some people can identify an obstacle and see only the obstacle, while others have an ability to see an obstacle and immediately start devising solutions to overcome it. The skill to be able to see a way to overcome a problem is a great starting point for innovation, and despite the plethora of creative thinking programmes, such as making people pass their colleagues through a rope maze, is still a rare commodity.”—Les Hayman, ‘Where does inspiration come from’, http://leshayman.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/where-does-inspiration-come-from/

So it’s probably a matter of subconsciously coming up against a problem and trying to find a solution to it. Cool. My first novel started out as a diary to help me sort out some issues and it worked, so I can probably agree with this theory. However, people I meet ask me how I dreamed up the world of The Scarlet Omen and I seriously can’t tell them. They look at me as though I’m being a secretive, arrogant know-it-all and that is exactly the opposite of how I feel. Some things just happen; there’s no way to describe it in words (and it’s actually my job to describe things in words, so this is something I’m not proud of!).

Daydreaming is a great way to let the ideas flow (don’t do it in school, please, or I’ll have to answer some educational hate mail soon and I’m a little scared of teachers). The problem is: how do you know if an idea is truly original or if it’s just something that you’ve heard of before? Google, my dears. There’s nothing Google can’t tell you! However, there will always be someone else who thought of those sexy pumps that double up as practical sneakers first. It doesn’t really matter—as long as you have an original voice telling the story. And once the tale starts flowing, it becomes yours and no one can take that away from you.

Omens of the Weird Sort

The sky turned an ominous red as the wind picked up its pace, turning the girl’s hair to a golden wayward river. She knew then that the dreaded event was upon her; the signs never lied.

Omens. Crows, magpies and a scarlet ring around the moon: all taken as signs through the centuries as supernatural gossip of things to come. The sages used them to enlighten us while the madder took the advantage to instill fear in the more gullible. Poor men rose to power while mighty leaders fell to the mercy of double-jointed chickens and crones’ visions. Why? Because of the power of omens.

“Omen: an event seen as a sign of future good or bad luck”—Oxford English Dictionary, 2006

“…An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change.”-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omen

A few things that I grew up believing in (please don’t freak out):

1. Itchy left palm= you’re going to spend money

2. Itchy right palm= you’re getting money (this doesn’t work if you apply itching powder so don’t even bother)

3. If you bite your tongue, it means that someone’s talking about you.

4. If you cough (practically choke) during a meal, someone is talking BAD about you.

5. Itchy left foot= you’re going on a journey

(Author’s note: People, I know there’s a lot of itching going on, but bear with me; it does stop eventually.)

6. If a photo of someone falls without human (animal or plant) intervention, something bad will happen to that person.

7. If your left eye twitches uncontrollably (and people huff off because they don’t appreciate being winked at by total strangers), someone is missing you.

8. If a very sweet smell suddenly permeates the air around you (and there isn’t a crazed perfume sales girl running at you), there is a ghost nearby.

9. A dog howling in the middle of the night means that the spirits have come out to play (insert eerie opera vocals here).

Now you can scream and run!

So how did the existence of and our readiness to believe in omens come about?

“...Traditionally the treatments of omens have assumed a sequence where first a peculiar feature of the environment is detected (an omen), it is then explained so that one can find out its meaning (result) which most often is of concern to the individual. Thus the sequence has previously been taken to be (indeed this is the pattern assumed by Victorian anthropology, which rendered interpretation of omens a pseudo-science): Omen  – Explanation – Result – (Concern)”-- http://www.csr-arc.com/files/8/ARC-7-If%20a%20dog%20pricks%20up%20its%20ears%20it%20is%20a%20bad%20sign%20-%20omens%20and%20thier%20meanings.pdf

No, that wasn’t French just then. In laymen’s terms, like in the case of superstition, all we want to do is interpret what goes on in our surroundings, based on our experiences and culture. I often wonder if our belief actually makes these things come true—if the power of suggestion plays a part in how omens gather their cronies. No one has actually given it much thought, so neither shall I. All I know is that we have always moved house every time a woodpecker knocked on our roof and that everyone I know who have moles on their feet end up living away from home. Coincidence? I’ll let you be the judge of that.