Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "imagination"
Stretch of the Imagination
Surely, a stretch of the imagination—by far, Margaret Mitchell’s 'Gone with the Wind,' published on June 30, 1936, when the US was still suffering from the Depression. Nevertheless, this one-hit wonder spanning 1037 pages, penned by an unknown author, and eventually considered one of the Greatest American novels, was raked over the coals in a 'New York Times' review shortly after the book’s publication:
“The historical background is the chief virtue of the book, and it is the story of the times rather than the unconvincing and somewhat absurd plot that gives Miss Mitchell’s work whatever importance may be attached to it.”
https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/b...
Margaret Mitchell ended up winning the 'National Book Award for Most Distinguished Novel of 1936,' and the 'Pulitzer Prize' for Fiction in 1937.
So, there! Believe in the merits of your own work, and let no one dissuade you from your literary endeavors.
Which brings me to my own stretch of the imagination:
Working in earnest on my third novel in the genre of Contemporary, I have finished part 1 comprised of 20 chapters (23,420 words) whose plot spans a 24-hr. time period! How’s that for stretching one’s imagination?
Prior to conducting a massive proofreading/editing/tweaking session, there were 16 chapters. However, the dictates of logic mandated I stretch it out to 20. Voila!
It’s a stretch for me to predict when I’ll finish this novel due to my boundless imagination to deliver a story without cutting corners or skimping on substance—no matter how many pages it takes to get the job done.
My Twilight Zone
“You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"
(Rod Serling’s opening monologue prefacing each episode of ‘The Twilight Zone.’)
A writer who is committed to creating a believable fictitious world inhabited by fully-fleshed figments of my imagination, I enjoy venturing into a wondrous wilderness of my own making grounded in the reality of local setting. The setting for my novels in the genre of Contemporary is my native state of Rhode Island.
My WIP takes place in the rural “twilight zone” of Foster.
From the Prologue:
Sparsely settled with 90 persons per square mile at the time of the 2010 census, the town of Foster is a state of mind as much as it is a geographic entity for those who live here. Areas of dense woodland by the acre afford each homesteader plenty of elbow room between their nearest neighbors. Properties accessed by narrow driveways snaking homeward, and flanked by a tangle of trees on three sides, grant privacy. So much for swatting at an onslaught of flies and mosquitoes every summer. As for winters, “No school, Foster-Glocester!” This public announcement was heralded often enough by Rhode Island’s beloved radio broadcaster, Salty Brine, on WPRO AM.
The only boundaries reining in my imagination are those pertaining to basic grammar rules as they facilitate cadence and flow:
Comma common sense
Subject – verb agreement
Otherwise, I make my own decisions in constructing sentences and paragraphs along the journey inside my twilight zone where imagination runs wild.
Eva’s Byte #353 – A Sigh of Relief!
I’m one of nearly 11 million along the East Coast who battened down the hatches on January 29th during a blizzard which dumped up to 25 inches of snow in the throes of powerful wind gusts.
While anxiety-ridden for most of the 24-hour period, I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t lose power during temperatures plummeting from 25 to 8 degrees by the following morning. That morning, I breathed another sigh of relief when I discovered there was hardly any snow to remove from my vehicle. The wind gusts had worked favorably in blowing the light, fluffy snow elsewhere. Yet another sigh of relief escaped me when I didn’t have to grapple with frozen door locks.
Sighs of relief, for whatever reason, remind me of a literary denouement: a resolution to a dramatic complication. Speaking for myself—my overactive imagination often creates my own dilemmas.
In the capacity of a writer, my runaway imagination is an asset, often running ahead of me as I draft my Contemporary work in progress. I completed Chapter 6 (1571 words) which is fraught with dramatic complications. Far from resolving anything just yet, I did breathe a sigh of relief for having satisfied my inner critic who will hound me throughout Chapter 7.
*May our sighs of relief accompany a feeling of comfort in the wake of real or self-induced anxiety.
My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
While anxiety-ridden for most of the 24-hour period, I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t lose power during temperatures plummeting from 25 to 8 degrees by the following morning. That morning, I breathed another sigh of relief when I discovered there was hardly any snow to remove from my vehicle. The wind gusts had worked favorably in blowing the light, fluffy snow elsewhere. Yet another sigh of relief escaped me when I didn’t have to grapple with frozen door locks.
Sighs of relief, for whatever reason, remind me of a literary denouement: a resolution to a dramatic complication. Speaking for myself—my overactive imagination often creates my own dilemmas.
In the capacity of a writer, my runaway imagination is an asset, often running ahead of me as I draft my Contemporary work in progress. I completed Chapter 6 (1571 words) which is fraught with dramatic complications. Far from resolving anything just yet, I did breathe a sigh of relief for having satisfied my inner critic who will hound me throughout Chapter 7.
*May our sighs of relief accompany a feeling of comfort in the wake of real or self-induced anxiety.
My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Eva’s Byte #365 – Never Have I Ever
While nothing is impossible, and anything can happen—thus far, I’ve never:
Gotten a tattoo.
Ran a marathon.
Participated in a protest.
Been to Disney.
Paraglided from a high place.
Oh, there’s plenty more I’ve never done! For the sake of brevity, I’ve limited it to five.
I’ve never murdered anyone either.
Nor, do I intend to in the foreseeable future. However, it’s never stopped me from incorporating such an atrocity, or other squeamish occurrences, in my capacity of a writer. The browsing history of many a writer has potential to evolve into a virtual “mind” field strewn with disturbing subject matter.
Setting aside all that’s daring and edgy in those “Never Have I Ever” lists, I think it’s fair to say most of us have undergone enough trauma and drama throughout our everyday living. It’s more than sufficient to elicit an array of spin-off emotions spawned by categories of: enjoyment, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust.
A writer’s ability to tap into these emotions and incorporate them into his/her story may have little or nothing to do with having lived on the edge, or committed a crime. It’s about wielding imagination.
In my own capacity of a writer, I’ve gotten inside the headspace of my characters all the way to the finish line of Chapter 11 (1503 words) of my Contemporary work in progress. I’ll be firing up Chapter 12.
*May each of us enjoy our creative pursuits without going to extremes.
My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Gotten a tattoo.
Ran a marathon.
Participated in a protest.
Been to Disney.
Paraglided from a high place.
Oh, there’s plenty more I’ve never done! For the sake of brevity, I’ve limited it to five.
I’ve never murdered anyone either.
Nor, do I intend to in the foreseeable future. However, it’s never stopped me from incorporating such an atrocity, or other squeamish occurrences, in my capacity of a writer. The browsing history of many a writer has potential to evolve into a virtual “mind” field strewn with disturbing subject matter.
Setting aside all that’s daring and edgy in those “Never Have I Ever” lists, I think it’s fair to say most of us have undergone enough trauma and drama throughout our everyday living. It’s more than sufficient to elicit an array of spin-off emotions spawned by categories of: enjoyment, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust.
A writer’s ability to tap into these emotions and incorporate them into his/her story may have little or nothing to do with having lived on the edge, or committed a crime. It’s about wielding imagination.
In my own capacity of a writer, I’ve gotten inside the headspace of my characters all the way to the finish line of Chapter 11 (1503 words) of my Contemporary work in progress. I’ll be firing up Chapter 12.
*May each of us enjoy our creative pursuits without going to extremes.
My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Eva’s Byte #434 – A Ticket to Ride
If I were given a free ticket to ride…
Harnessing the wild imagination of a writer, I’d set my sights on Morocco. Solely because of its captivating setting in my all-time favorite film, Casablanca, where Rick’s Café is the figment of some other writer’s imagination for Sam to play “As Time Goes By”—again.
As time goes by, I’m still happily barnacled to my native state of Rhode Island, renowned for its sandy shores and picturesque Colonial-era towns.
Rhode Island is the setting for Etta’s Fishing Ground (2021) which takes place in the rural town of Foster. My current work in progress is anchored in seaside Charlestown.
Coasting along, I’ve finished drafting Chapter 38 (1619) in a scene which rides the tide on Sea Lea Avenue in Charlestown’s village of Quonochontaug (Quonnie). I’m at the puttering stage for Chapter 39 of my Contemporary work in progress.
*May each of us derive pleasure along the rides navigated by our imagination.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Harnessing the wild imagination of a writer, I’d set my sights on Morocco. Solely because of its captivating setting in my all-time favorite film, Casablanca, where Rick’s Café is the figment of some other writer’s imagination for Sam to play “As Time Goes By”—again.
As time goes by, I’m still happily barnacled to my native state of Rhode Island, renowned for its sandy shores and picturesque Colonial-era towns.
Rhode Island is the setting for Etta’s Fishing Ground (2021) which takes place in the rural town of Foster. My current work in progress is anchored in seaside Charlestown.
Coasting along, I’ve finished drafting Chapter 38 (1619) in a scene which rides the tide on Sea Lea Avenue in Charlestown’s village of Quonochontaug (Quonnie). I’m at the puttering stage for Chapter 39 of my Contemporary work in progress.
*May each of us derive pleasure along the rides navigated by our imagination.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
