Good Story Friday

Books are important to writers. I am always reading when I have time. Every week I will review the last story or novel I have read. This week's is Foot by Darrin Doyle, who spoke on campus this past Tuesday.

Despite being very short, Foot is unpredictable. Doyle gives the picture of a happy married couple who have just had their first child. Dad's a head chef at a four-star restaurant. Mom is staying at home with the child. Their life seems nice.

Yet, their son has a very unusual appetite. He does not eat what most of us would consider food. Instead, he prefers motor oil and other strange appetizers.

What are his parents to do? Head Chef Father's gourmet mac and cheese is only being eaten by, well, Head Chef Father. To be fair to the child, I would not have eaten gourmet macaroni and cheese either. Although, I would still eat those cereal foods.

They do what most of us would not do. They indulge him. I found this typical of how wealthy parents are portrayed as treating their children in most media. What is unusual is what they do when his tastes turn to flesh.

This story left a bad taste in my mouth. The characters, including the child, start out believable, but the very last paragraphs made me lose any appetite I would have had for quite some time. I do not want to give away the ending, but be prepared to feel disgust if you do read it.

While Foot did murder my appetite, I still liked it. It shows the problems with indulgence, greed, gluttony, and revenge. I could probably read it again for many reasons. I could see people I know as the characters even in the unbelievable instances. If you are ready for something unconventional, I suggest reading this very quick read by Darrin Doyle.

Socrates and Writing

Philosophy and writing may seem disconnected to most. After all, Plato believed that writing would destroy learning. While writing is now an integral part of education, many forget about the man who created modern learning: Socrates.

Socrates is one of the most famous philosphers to have ever lived, and he revolutionized the way people think. He made it the right thing to question everything. Plato made it famous in his dialogues, Euthyphro and Ion, which both star Socrates.

Socrates' method of learning was questioning. Why do you think the way you do? Why do you act the way you do?

That is a very simplistic version of the method, but it has worked so well that it is still how humans (at least in the Western hemisphere) learn about themselves and the world around them today.

Think about how many times you have ever questioned your parents or teachers. It is astonishing how one word, why, and the using of that three-letter, monosyllable word can lead to an infinite amount of discovery.

So what does this have to do with writing?

I always question my characters. Why are you doing this? Honestly, if I cannot find out their motives for what they do, the story withers and dies. It could have been good if the character made any logical sense to me at least.

Even with the seemingly simple things: Why do you play piano? Why do you want a pet monkey? Why did your mother never let you get a mohawk?

Sometimes the answers make me realize why I decided to play piano, why I am fascinated with primates, and why I listen to punk rock.

So, why?

What Do You Think About....

when you are on the subway?

For those of you who have never ridden the New York subway or the Chicago Elevated, or "El", I can tell you from experience that it is not the most pleasant thing in the world.

For example, a few days ago I was on the green line in Chicago. There was only one other person inside the train car besides me. He approached me and starting asking questions. I was polite but I had to pretend to be a completely different person. Basically, I lied. What got him to leave me alone was when I pretended to call my police father. I was actually calling the person I was visiting. (For further clarification, my father is not a police officer.) I was pretending.

Everytime I am on the "el" I pretend to be somebody else. It's generally an uncaring person who only wants to get her work done. I look college age so reading a book is not that hard to make look like work especially when I have a notebook and a pen. One of my characters is based on this persona I use to keep the creepier passengers away from me. She has always been put down by males so she has to work extra hard in order to feel like a success. She doesn't have any close friends because of how busy she has made her life, yet she's not lonely. I'm not going to tell you more because I will probably post more on her and her life later, but I hope you can see how a simple experience like being in a crowded train car can lend itself to the creative process.