OBSCURA – Page 2

Setting the Pace

Setting the Pace This week the director of my stage play was blocking out the final scenes and she said “Let’s slow this whole scene down and relish the quiet.…

October 8, 2021

Old Work, Uncategorized

Rock Reading Tuesdays

Hello everyone welcome back to Rock Reading Tuesdays and welcome new readers, This week I will be covering three bands that each offer something different to the discussion of…

April 28, 2021

Uncategorized

Shoes To Be Filled

My family call me la Gorda la Morena Ishalanga I roam my hood with streams of blood coming down my nostrils forming an 11 because… a. my har will always…

February 28, 2020

Old Work, Uncategorized

Setting the Pace

October 8, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Erika Lewis

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Rock Reading Tuesdays
May 19, 2021

CONFESSIONS OF A CHARACTER FREAK
March 7, 2021

Rock Reading Tuesdays
March 24, 2021
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#TerrorThursdays

September 30, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Erika Lewis

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Rock Reading Tuesdays
February 24, 2021

Confessions of a Character Freak
February 21, 2021

Vanished #MurderMysteryMoNday
May 18, 2021
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Ahem. I Have Something to Say.

September 24, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Erika Lewis

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The perpetually learning mom…
March 12, 2021

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March 19, 2021

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February 25, 2021
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Celebration Day

September 18, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Erika Lewis

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The Valentine’s Day Murder #MurderMysteryMonday
March 1, 2021

The perpetually learning mom…
April 9, 2021

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April 21, 2021
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Lost in the Theme Park

September 10, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Erika Lewis

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CONFESSIONS OF A CHARACTER FREAK
March 22, 2021

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April 9, 2021

Arroz con Gandules
April 23, 2021
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May 19, 2021 / 0 Comments

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April 21, 2021

Confessions of a Character Freak
February 21, 2021

Alcapurrias
April 16, 2021
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May 18, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Child of Frankenstein
May 17, 2021

The perpetually learning mom…
March 26, 2021

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May 7, 2021
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Child of Frankenstein

May 17, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Death Before Dishonor #MurderMysteryMonday
March 16, 2021

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February 21, 2021

80 miles From Charlotte #MurderMysteryMonday
March 9, 2021
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Flán de Leche

May 14, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Erika Lewis

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May 18, 2021
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May 12, 2021 / 0 Comments

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Thomas Benke: Looking Around

In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott, in the Chapter “Looking Around,” says this:

Now, if you ask me, what’s going on is that we’re all up to here in it, and probably the most important thing is that we not yell at one another. Otherwise we’d all just be barking away like Pekingese: “Ah! Stuck in the shit! And it’s your fault, you did this …” Writing involves seeing people suffer and, as Robert Stone once put it, finding some meaning therein. But you can’t do that if you’re not respectful. If you look at people and just see sloppy clothes or rich clothes, you’re going to get them wrong.

She goes on to speak about empathy for other people and also, as an extension empathy for yourself. So, in a sense as you try to write believable, relatable characters, you will come to forgive people their trespasses—because no one believes they are the villain of their story, so you have to write “bad,” or “evil” characters from a point of view where they rationalize what they are doing in such a way that it is the right or only way they see is possible. By extrapolation, then, if you begin to forgive and withhold judgment from your less-than-desirable, or annoying characters, perhaps you can extend the same courtesy to yourself and forgive your own trespasses and sins. This, for me, starts to enter the realm of “writing as therapy,” and though I am a firm believer in that—I practice it to this very day—I think I would caution anyone who thinks that simply writing through things is going to lead you to a place of light and love. I am not saying it can’t by any means. What I am saying is I have wrote through my thoughts and my problems and my desperation and depression for decades and I still had enough baggage on my shoulders to supply an army platoon with rations for a year.

In any case, when thinking about craft, it is very important to step into the shoes of all of your characters, especially those characters that you see as antagonists and villians. I believe there are very few universal maxims in writing but one thing is virtually certain: every character you write is your version of that human being. Confucius said “everywhere I go, there I am,” and that is never more true than when you are writing. So if you are writing a character that is distasteful to you, it might be effective for you to ask yourself why that is the case. I wrote a blog for Obscura last semester titled, “The Puppy Had It Coming.” The gist of the article was to pose a puzzle to writers. How can you write a scene where an adult human kicks a puppy across the room and the reader at least understands why. I am not saying there is any way to justify the action or for the readers to be on the human’s side unless they are sociopaths. I am saying you need let the reader know how dark the place is in the character’s mind that he is capable of doing that.

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