Pages

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

It's time to smash things up

Now I've gone and done it. I've written my main character into a corner. While I try to get her out, I'm doing all the usual things to distract myself  to that I can clear enough noggin space where the solution will land neat and tidy all in one piece.

Ironing, grocery shopping, vacuuming, reading something not even remotely related, looking up British idioms, joylessly eating brownies, contemplating raking leaves, rejecting the idea of raking leaves, watching copious amounts of The Secrets of World War II and watching bits and pieces of my favorite movie.


.

Which is kind of like a busman's holiday, but some movies are like comfort food and this one is it for me. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen this film. So many times that even Sophie can and does quote lines from it. She absorbed them by osmosis, I swear.

And then there's the moment when I realize that Dish left us with The Cooking Channel and I watch hour after hour of people making vegetable dishes that appeal to me. And then I think I've go that one last Vidalia onion and those potatoes that really must be used before they turn and the left over chicken stock from yesterday so now we have Pommes de terres a la boulangere. Talk about comfort food.



What do you return to over and over again?
By at
Tags: , , , , , ,

31 comments:

  1. susanNovember 15, 2011 at 9:00 PM

    Reading. When I'm completely stuck or not feeling like communicating any more than absolutely necessary I bury myself in a book. I read at least six novels last month and some big chunks of old favorite non-fiction. As soon as I hang up the computer this evening (after my 10 blogs wander) I shall return to 'The Spell of the Sensuous' by David Abram.

    I'm now wondering just what kind of corner you've managed to devise for your heroine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Phoenix BerriesNovember 15, 2011 at 9:26 PM

    I watch Jane Austen films and Jeeves and Wooster episodes over and over. I especially like the classic Colin Firth P&P, of course, but I'm also fond of Persuasion.

    Oh,and remember you have a willing beta reader here waiting to see how the battle with those Huns goes down :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. willNovember 15, 2011 at 9:38 PM

    "What do you return to over and over again?"

    Sex.




    your character in a corner: deus ex machina

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fragrant LiarNovember 15, 2011 at 9:52 PM

    Okay, this is what I do when I paint my character in a corner. First, celebrate. Putting Baby in a corner is exactly the way to amp up the tension. A good thing. Next, go to your room, shut the door, and lay down. Just do it. Then visualize the scene behind your closed eyes. Visualize it again, with what if this happened and what if this happened. Pretty soon, if you don't fall asleep first, you will hit on something that really resonates or sparks an idea for something else, which sparks yet another idea, etc. Totally works.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousNovember 15, 2011 at 11:09 PM

    Wine.
    Food.
    And if I'm in a foul mood, and need to read funny, I always return to The Confederacy of Dunces.

    I have never, not ever turned to ironing, grocery shopping or vacuuming. I'd write all day every day if that was my escape. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. joanneNovember 16, 2011 at 12:38 AM

    eating, reading, eating, eating, mindlessly eating, watching tv and eating...yanno.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousNovember 16, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    As if procuring a pearl necklace were that easy!

    Cleaning helps me gain control. Then, when I've got my wits about me, I go out into the world with my camera and see what I can find. The world is a perfect place to return to. It rarely disappoints.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©November 16, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    Smash things up?

    I've heard of people stomping on mushrooms...
    ~

    ReplyDelete
  9. Randal GravesNovember 16, 2011 at 10:18 AM

    So you're the Fred Durst of the interwebs? No, he breaks stuff, smashing is completely different.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Not FaintheartedNovember 16, 2011 at 12:02 PM

    I'm at a loss these days. All my usual go to solutions are paling and just not doing it for me.

    It's a sad day when even one's self-soothing tactics need to get back their mojo!

    ReplyDelete
  11. DownithNovember 16, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    Lisa, whenever I'm stuck I go for a walk. If you start thinking about the WIP, an idea often comes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. LauraNovember 16, 2011 at 3:11 PM

    My favourite movie is Persuasion. I've watched it about 50 times. :)

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! Glad that you enjoyed my crushing! :)

    ((Hugs))
    Laura

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousNovember 16, 2011 at 3:47 PM

    Agatha Christie. Apples with peanut butter and granola. Hair clips. Chapstick. Sex. (Bill beat me to it.) Mary Jane. Luther (BBC show). Sense and Sensibility. My bike, the green machine, with big fat tires and a black wire basket on the front.

    ReplyDelete
  14. DebNovember 16, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    Fried Green Tomatoes. I love that movie. And lately, walks. But mostly obsessive popcorn eating.

    ReplyDelete
  15. TeriNovember 16, 2011 at 7:25 PM

    I want to come over for the potato dish. I'm all about the comfort food.

    As far as what I return to, I watch the same movies over and over again. My husband will walk in the room and say, "How many times have you seen Apollo 13?"

    ReplyDelete
  16. tony powersNovember 16, 2011 at 9:16 PM

    it's the cooking channel for me. and all the HBO series...and BBC-America...and...i'm a TV addict, right now Rachel Maddow is ranting there - i've confessed my vice. are you happy Lisa h ? :- ) continue...

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Divorced Lady's Companion to Living in ItalyNovember 17, 2011 at 1:59 AM

    I'm laughing hard! I hate/love that possessed feeling where you're on the brink of overhauling your main character.
    What do I go back to? How boring but I clean, throw out stuff, the start craving a new pair of shoes.. Good luck with your cornered character.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Geoffrey Kruse-SaffordNovember 17, 2011 at 8:01 AM

    Geez, lady, now you got me thinking and it's not even seven a.m. I return to sounds I know, to books I love, to the arms of my lovely wife. When I need comfort in my tummy, that's easy - chicken and noodles. Not soup, more stew, with my wife making the noodles from scratch. That is the ultimate comfort food in our home.

    These are the things that keep me grounded. Sad to say, like you, I need to cut some tethers, so I need less of these things (not Lisa's physical company, no, that I need or I get all twitchy like a junkie).

    And reading you, of course. That always helps.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Deb and BarbaraNovember 17, 2011 at 9:00 AM

    Pride and Prejudice. The one with Keira Knightly that lots of people hate, and I just love and get caught up in and forget the world. Also good sitcoms. Lately my forget-it-all gulity-leasure sitcom is reruns of How I met Your Mother. PS the 2nd pic was blank on my screen...
    B

    ReplyDelete
  20. Susan TinerNovember 17, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Edwardian. We recently re-read Brideshead Revisited, watched the original BBC TV production of it for the umpteenth time and are currently reading the Anthony Powell series A Dance to the Music of Time.

    Good luck with your character. If she's like our Gray kitty all you have to do is accidentally leave a window open.

    ReplyDelete
  21. meleah rebeccahNovember 17, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    I have faith you'll be able to get through this block, and have your main character come out of that corner better than ever.

    "joylessly eating brownies"

    Yes, please!

    ReplyDelete
  22. KarenNovember 17, 2011 at 10:24 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. rennrattNovember 17, 2011 at 10:26 PM

    I read, eat, practice yoga, and bake.

    I watch "Beavis and Butthead", "NCIS", or, if I'm lucky, a random episode of "Holmes on Homes". Mike H. is kinda good looking...for a Canadian, anyway.

    I also read a lot, but mostly to escape reality. My new favorite to re-read is "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousNovember 18, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    Barkinginthedark was right to nominate you in the award he got early November. You've got a GREAT page :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. lisahgoldenNovember 18, 2011 at 6:57 AM

    I knew you all would have great taste in your comfort seeking. There's definitely an anglophile and bookish trend here.

    Thank you for the comments. You guys are the best.

    ReplyDelete
  26. SusanNovember 18, 2011 at 2:08 PM

    Reading anything I can get my eyes on. Lately re-watching has lost it's charms, so I am trolling for new BBC stuff. Unfortunatly for my health, I turn to food instead of long walks.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Laura MayleneNovember 18, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    Lately, I don't have a certain movie that I return to over and over again. I did when I was a kid, though. I was obsessed with The Mosquito Coast and Field of Dreams. I could watch them over and over and over. My mom was a little confused about The Mosquito Coast, because I was like 8 or 9 at the time.

    Now, my healthy option is to take a walk when I'm stuck. I always feel best after that option. Unfortunately, the unhealthy option is sitting in bed watching bad TV on my laptop while eating. Guess which one I turn to most in stressful periods?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Lisa TognolaNovember 20, 2011 at 7:48 AM

    Sadly, I ruminate over my most embarassing moments--over and over again. I need to start watching the food channel. . .

    ReplyDelete
  29. MorganNovember 20, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    Molly Ivins and The Shawshank Redemption

    ReplyDelete
  30. sherry stanfa-stanleyNovember 20, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    There's nothing more comforting for me than watching old musicals, especially from the sixties: stuff like Gypsy, Funny Girl, Bye Bye Birdie. I've probably seen my favorites a dozen times. Best if I'm alone, so I can sing along without any dirty looks.

    ReplyDelete
  31. MommyLisaNovember 21, 2011 at 8:09 AM

    I read Gone With The Wind when I was about 8 or 9 and I watch that whenever I see it on. I read The Pillars of The Earth like 7 times and plan on reading it again - then World Without End right after. I used to read Kathleen Woodweiss romance novels....and Jane Austen.

    ReplyDelete

And then you say....

(Comments submitted four or more days after a post is published won't appear immediately. They go into comment moderation to cut down on spam.)

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)