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May 03, 2007
Brainprint: Writing the Unexpected
Yesterday morning, as I clicked away at the keyboard, brainstorming motivations for my antagonist's unpredictable behavior, something caught my eye out the window. It was the stray cat Pumpkin, as the neighborhood kids call her, who protects the back of our property, as well everyone else's along the backyard run. She shares the space with a herd of deer, a fox, a gaggle of turkeys (I know, a group of turkeys is actually called a rafter, but I like gaggle better), and an entire forest of other creatures. I love gazing out at the gang and often find inspiration in their natural, graceful passage.
This morning, engaged as I was in my writing exercise, I took a moment to watch Pumpkin. Many times, I find myself looking on as she crouches in her pre-pounce stance. She is a true huntress, having to fend for her own food (I'm guessing at this, as she wears no collar). But I have never actually seen her come up with a prize. I often wondered how she survived. She must be eating something out there.
Just then, the taller grasses on the hillside shivered, and Pumpkin pounced. She proudly pranced over to the rock and released her catch, a baby snake of some kind, probably a foot-and-a-half in length. She pawed at the snake as it squiggled a snake-ish limp along the rock and eventually dropped into the more manicured part of the yard. Jumping down, Pumpkin taunted him, biting and pawing until he stopped moving completely. The whole process didn't take more than a couple of minutes.
Then, I heard the caw of crows as they swooped and entered my window-framed view. This was Animal Planet live, just a few feet away, with only a framed window between me and the wild.
With the lack of movement in the shorter grass and the mini-vultures overhead, I wondered, Will Pumpkin eat the freshly dead snake? Do cats eat snakes?, Neighborhood cats and baby snakes? Eeww, this was strange.
I continued my silent surveillance. Pumpkin pecked and nibbled and, sure as can be, devoured the snake, at least in part. I had my answer, cats eat snakes. But then, another unpredicted happening (for me, anyway) occurred.
Pumpkin climbed the hillside through the young crown vetch and stopped at a spot about halfway up. Her back was to me as she sat facing the hillside, tail swooping the foliage, back and forth. What was she doing? I wondered. She couldn't be searching for new prey, could she? She should have been satisfied from her recent meal.
Zapping that thought, Pumpkin's next move paralyzed me, mouse in hand. I witnessed the fur covering her body ripple from neck to hind haunches. Ripple and ripple and ripple, again. It looked far too uniform to be a convulsion. And soon I realized her body was ejecting her latest intake of food. So, cats don't eat snakes? Or they do, but they shouldn't, like dogs eat pebbles and babies eat crayons. I was learning here, that much was certain.
Throughout the day, the scene with Pumpkin popped into my mind several times. I talked with family and neighbors and friends about what I had witnessed earlier that morning.
Last evening, then, while I nibbled trail mix (because all real meals sent my stomach a-churning), it occurred to me. This brainprint -- my term for the unforgettable, unexpected image that fully engages, evokes a response, and then continues to haunt -- is what we writers strive for in every passage, every paragraph, every line. Pumpkin did for me, what I long to create and struggle to deliver to every reader who encounters my writing.
Think back to scenes in books and movies that have left a lasting brainprint for you. They don't have to be graphic in nature, but can be emotional, disturbing, fulfilling, unsettling.
One such scene that comes to mind for me I saw in, yes, I'll admit it, a LifetimeTV movie selection. I apologize for not remembering the title, because I've watched more than a few of these. (They can provide a quick, refreshing study of mood and character, and they sometimes offer up those desired, unexpected plot twists.)
In this particular movie, the protagonist, a thirty-something professional woman (probably Kate Jackson, in which case she would have been forty-something), is being followed on a deserted highway in the middle of the night (okay, it's a bit cliche but it still catches a basal human fear) by a large pick-up truck. As she increases her speed, so does the truck driver. As she slows, he in turn decelerates. With sparks flying, he bumps her around, making me anxious for her to take the nearest exit ramp.
Instead, she does the unexpected. She slows her car on a bridge deck and comes to a stop on the shoulder of the road. As expected then, the big truck pulls in behind her. At this point, I'm thinking she's done for. He's going to come up to the window, whip open the door (or blow the door open with a sawed-off shot gun), yank her out of the car, kill her, and dump her body over the bridge. At least, this is what I expect to happen.
Instead, Kate surprises me again. She opens the door and steps out of the car. Don't do this, I think. Turn the other way and run! Kate turns toward the still-illuminated blinding lights of the truck and walks toward her aggressor.
Now, I'm thinking he's going to run her over. He revs the engine, the truck rocks with the surge. Uh-huh, Kate, I told you so. Now run!
Kate continues to walk toward the hood of the car. But then, rather than run Kate down, the driver shifts into reverse and backs up a few feet. Now, that's unexpected. She continues to walk. He backs up again.
I assumeded the protagonist would act in one way. She didn't. I expected the antogist to respond to her actions in another way. He didn't. This is great stuff!
It's this path of the unpredictable that we writers should strive to walk. Rather than allowing your character to act in a way the reader might anticipate, empower her to react in a unique way, all the while keeping within reasonable margin of her true nature. The same goes for your antagonist. Don't allow him to do what other bad-guys do. Delve into how he is different and how he can, in turn, unexpectedly respond.
Other than the truly powerful images that we've all experienced (like when Hannibal Lector rubs Clarice's hand in Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris), which scenes have you read or observed that took you by surprise, set you off, made you react, gave you a lasting, burning imprint-of-a-memory? Or better yet, how can you create such an enduring brainprint in your work-in-progress today? Let us know.
Aside: Just now, I steered the computer mouse to highlight the "Publish" button on this entry, when something moved in the corner of my view. Pumpkin? She was who I looked for to climb onto the rock. Instead, a white cat meandered through the crown vetch. I watched and waited for the unexpected.
Posted by Judy at May 3, 2007 10:12 AM
Comments
It's tempting and easy to let your character(s) slip into expected behavior - excellent advice to take another look (and repeat looks) to avoid that. I love the Kate Jackson example...I will think about ones I've read or seen over the years. (I know they're in my brain; I'm just too tired to recall!)
Posted by: Susan at May 3, 2007 02:18 PM
Judy, great post. Striving for the unexpected action with an antagonist reminded me of another thing to strive to create: some level of empathy for your antagonist, or at least a kind of understanding of their twisted logic. I think the most intriguing "bad guys" aren't pure evil.
Posted by: Julie at May 3, 2007 06:18 PM
Hey Judy, a completely disgusting post, I must say! I def. have a brainprint of it, so you succeeded! I'm sure all your fiction does the same. I can't wait to read some! Sorry to have been gone so long.
Kathie
Posted by: kathie at May 3, 2007 08:13 PM
Susan, you are right that it's sometimes natural for us, especially in the first draft, to allow the characters to perform as expected. During the second and third drafts, however, is when you can really begin to twist things around.
Julie, you mentioned one of the greatest challenges, for me, anyway. I can make an antagonist mean and unlikable, but giving him/her an endearing quality is difficult. I try to be careful not to make my antagonist's good aspect too contrived, like a killer who knits baby blankets for hospitalized kids, or too cliche, like the mobster who donates to the Catholic church.
Kathie, I'm so sorry I disgusted you! I was completely fascinated by the scene, but I didn't mean to spoil your appetite. I guess a brainprint sometimes does that, among other reactions like keeping us awake at night or forcing us to choose a different course in life.
Thanks again for your comments! Keep writing!
Posted by: Judy Schneider at May 4, 2007 08:18 AM
Very vivid post, Judy. :) Your story reminded me of a snake story that happened to me about eight years ago, and which was definitely one of those brainprint moments. The day my husband and I got engaged, we went for a walk by the pond at a local park. It was a gorgeous June afternoon, we were both feeling blissful and floaty, when we noticed something thrashing at the edge of the water. On the sandy bank, a small black snake was struggling to drag a fish out of the water. The snake wasn't more than two feet long, while the fish was a good eight or ten inches, seemingly far too big a quarry. But somehow the snake prevailed. It dragged the fish, which was now gasping hideously and flecked with dirt, up the slope through the grass, across our path, and into the woods. Now, whether or not fish do to snakes what snakes do to cats (at least in your story), I don't know, but as disturbing as it was, we couldn't help but be impressed by the snake's feat. We also wondered if this was some sort of omen for our future life together... especially when we saw, a short while later, a very large turtle stranded on its back and kicking its legs on the opposite side of the pond, where no one could come to its aid. A miserable day for marine life, strangely juxtaposed with a very happy day for us. I'm relieved to say that it did not foreshadow anything that's happened in our marriage thus far!
Recalling this is a great reminder to strive for those brainprint moments in everything I write -- the more vivid, the better!
Posted by: Beth at May 4, 2007 09:26 AM
Hi,Judy
I can certainly relate to your experience with Pumpkin and the unexpected. I have four cats of my own! They continue to surprise me as do my fictional characters. The idea of the unexpected is what keeps characters interesting and keeps the audience reading.
Keep up the good work. Your entries continue to inspire me.
Constance
Posted by: Constance at May 4, 2007 10:19 AM
Wow, Beth, what a story! I have never seen a snake catch and drag a fish. That truly was a brainprint moment. I guess it's unfortunate that it happened on your engagement day, but maybe it's a good sign -- that you two will conquer the impossible together!
Thanks for the interesting comment, Beth. Good luck with adding those brainprint scenes to your novel!
Posted by: Judy Schneider at May 4, 2007 10:36 AM
Constance, you are right that unexpected happenings keep readers on the edge of their seats. I'm looking forward to hearing your unexpected moments at the Xtreme Critique Weekend!
Good luck with the writing!
Posted by: Judy Schneider at May 4, 2007 10:41 AM
As I start work on the second draft of my first novel and strive to eliminate the predictable--a very timely post! I really enjoy your blog, and always find the topics helpful.
Posted by: Christy Rippel at May 6, 2007 08:56 PM