You know you are overly tapped into metaphors when you:
1. Manage to send the roll of Aluminium foil tumbling to the floor, its tail still attached to the serrated edge so that twenty feet unravel from the cardboard.
2. In the process of rewrapping, realize this represents you: silver-colored, coated in dog hair, unable to stuff yourself into the container which held you until very recently.
3. Leave the mess on the counter while you jot down your observations.
I figured out my book’s antagonist.
As I said to a group of writing buds, I keep thinking I’ve killed this manuscript and then it coughs up another gift. It is a zombie-cat-manuscript, and I luff it greatly.
To clarify, there is conflict on the page and my heroine is being tested; but for reasons known only to them, the antagonist chose to operate anonymously even to me, until last night.
What do you think of this dude?
Yes, he’s a Kleenex box. We found him on our recent trip to the mountains and bought him, though he was not EXACTLY representative of the local topography. After all, his provenance is more Easter Island than Canadian Rocky Mountain.
Do you find him tasteless? Humorous? Both?
Would you buy him and if you did, would he be relegated to the guest or master bathroom?
One guess where he resides in our home…
Oh, he’s FABULOUS! HWMNBMOTI would find him too distasteful for the main bath (erm.. if we had more than one) but the kids and I would love him enough that we would buy him and find a suitable spot. Mr. McStuffypants would just have to blow his darned nose on toiletpaper. (he SO regrets not marrying somebody classy)
Glad you have your antagonist nailed! I suspect I have more work on that front. My basic understanding of mean people is that they are stupid and evil, but that isn’t enough for fiction.
Hart, you lost me at NWMNBMOTI. What does that mean?
I never remember to buy Kleenex. In fact, my biggest fear about this guy, whom we have yet to name, is that he’d remain empty, and would therefor lose most of his whimsy.
As for mean people, I suspect my fiction is doomed; I don’t care to write about evil people, but rather people who have good reasons to oppose my main character.
A great reminder that ideas come from the unlikeliest of places. Also, never underestimate the power of just being present. Ideas are all around us. We just have to be available to recognize them:)
It’s true, Steph. Being present resolves so many issues.
Hey! THat’s Rudy! I have Rudy the tissue holder – GMR bought it for me and I put it in my bathroom, Haw! 😀 good ole Rudy!
Ha ha ha. I should have known, since you are my kind of people. 🙂
“Rudy” won’t work for me, though.
I love Kleenix-man. I’d simply buy one for every room in the house so no one missed seeing him. And Kat, you would name yours Rudy! Ha! I love that. 😉
Congrats on the antagonist! Mine does the same with me always. I have to write the whole book before they reveal themselves.
Thank you, T. I’m not feeling like such an idiot. I had no idea how many people are baffled by their books. Mayhap I’ve been hanging out around too many outliners. 😉
Kleenex-man was put in the half-bath on the main floor, where all visitors and householders see him. 🙂
Okay, if you don’t like Rudy, how ’bout Mr. Kleen-nose? Or Snuffa-big-lug-agus?
Your foil incident reminds me: I recently heard where the term ‘gone haywire’ came from. It seems the wire to bale hay came in big coils, and every once in a while they would sprong when you cut the clips, knotting themselves up so badly they were unusable. Don’t know why. Just did. 🙂
I’m working on the third major rewrite of my first book, and I’m STILL learning about my characters’ motivations, and what drives my antagonists to do the things they do. One of the greatest things for this rewrite was finishing the ‘prequel’ to my trilogy (Just a quick exercise–only took eight months :/). I learned so much about so many of them–much by getting to know some of the parents. It was very interesting to me. I can only hope it’s interesting to a reader or two someday. 😉
Good luck nailing your characters–I know you’re on the right track!
Neat about the entymology of “gone haywire.” Uh about the 8-month prequel.
You know what that engineering husband of mine should do, because this would be a most practical application of his brainpower? (Infinitely more than keeping a business running.) He should come up with a formula that shows the relationship between time to write a first novel and its successors. Call me a silly hope monkey, but I believe we might develop a technique.
Jan
Love the tin foil metaphor! Sadly, it’s so true!
And thanks to Night at the Musuem, I’ll always refer to those heads as “dum dums”! My cousin went travelling last year, went to Brazil, the Amazon, The Antarctic and, Easter Island! She showed me all sorts of lovely pictures of these heads and told me the meaning, and all I could think of was “look at all the dum dums!”
Have a great weekend!
Michelle, I forgot about that dialogue! Too funny. I’d like to have seen the expression on your friend’s face.
Love the Aluminium foil check list. That would be so me too…if I stopped to be more introspective, analytical and creative during that type of event. Ha. Normally, I’m too distracted. But I WOULD roll it up perfectly so that there were no wrinkles and the edges were aligned. Obviously that’s says something else that’s not quite as appealing and quirky. 🙂
So happy for your zombie manuscript. It makes my heart glad that it can be resurrected, and encouraged for my own.
As for Easter Island man, I would definitely buy it for teenage son’s bathroom, but I’m a bit too much in the coordinated, theme-ish vein for master and powder room. Otherwise, I really am a free spirited Aquarius! Really!
Deborah, I don’t stop to be analytical, exactly. These things simply occur to me and I run with them.
I imagine Easter Island man would be embraced by teenaged sons in particular, though in our family, it was 3 out of 3 present at the time. 😉
Good luck with your own zombie manuscript!
That kleenex box was made with me in mind. That is just soooo my sense of humour! Oh dear, what does that say about me?
I don’t know, Botanist, but I’m a little surprised at the undiluted support here. I thought you guys would bust my chops on my choice of home decor. 😉
Yay on discovering your antagonist, Jan, and I love your Kleenex Man! We find our inspiration in the oddest ways but we need to grab it when we can and hold on tight.
A couple of years ago, during a trip to Banff, I encountered an Angel so ugly she was beautiful. I circled around her for an hour, debating whether or not to buy her, unable to leave the store because it was a good place to wait for the bus back to the hotel, but also unable to get the angel out of my mind. Finally, minutes before the bus arrived, I went with my heart and purchased her. I don’t think anyone but my husband understands my choice of decor but I love her. For the winter months, she hangs over the toilet in the main bathroom and every time I’m in there, I smile.
Now, where is that role of tin foil …..
Sheila, if you’re looking for tinfoil, doubt you’ll be wanting to share mine. 😉
Your angels sounds lovely. I’m all in favor of silly things that prompt unwitting smiles.
Love the tissue box. I’d put it in the master bedroom.
I hate that dilemma with aluminum foil. I’ve thrown out many rolls because of it.
I had to work on an antagonist recently. My latest revision made her and the entire work stronger.
Happy writing and have a lovely weekend.
Medeia, with some effort I was able to rescue the foil, although it remains misshapen. I don’t have Deborah’s patience. 😉
A good antagonist does help with story pacing and structure, doesn’t it?
Thank you, and same to you.
I find the Kleenex box to be brilliant 🙂
Thank you, Sara. 😀