Judy Schneider's Writing Lab

Welcome back, Judy!

Your scene with the villain sounds great.

I have to say though that there is sometimes a fine line between outrageous and ridiculous. I just finished reading a thriller that definitely was into the ridiculous category. It was way over the top. Here's one example: Near the end of the book, his heroine is electrocuted. She has to be revived with CPR, but immediately afterward sees the killer with a knife, kicks it out of his hand, then stabs the killer. In an earlier scene, her house is doused with a tanker full of gasoline and explodes, but she manages to carry her lover (who weighs 100 lbs more than she does) out a second floor window and into a tree. And suffers no injuries.

I think we have to be careful to keep it realistic while at the same time push the limits. Not always an easy thing to do.

Joyce, you are so right! I have read many outrageous scenes that were so over-the-top they were beyond annoying. One that stands out in my memory had an unrealistic climax in which a woman in heels chased down her attacker and knocked him out with something ridiculous like a tube of lipstick.

It's great to hear from you! I hope your writing is coming along well!

Best,

Judy

Hey Judy, so, so, so glad you're back! I understand what you're saying as I always try to inject some outrageousness into my work. But, yes it has to fit and in my opinion it has to be peppered in throughout. I love odd little details, things that make someone chuckle in a serious book or gives pause in a humorous one. I just crafted an outrageous scene for my WIP myself and I have to say, it has me chuckling. BUt as you know, my sense of humor is in fact, odd!

Kathie, so glad you stopped by! Your writing contains excellent examples of reasonable outrageousness. One of your characters, Bitsy, responded in a fresh and interesting way to just about every stimilus she encountered! I'm glad to hear you're still writing those quirky, outrageous scenes, Kathie. I look forward to reading them!

Best to you!

Judy

Yes, even a non-fiction garden writer utilizes outrageous.

"Peas, onions, lettuce, arugala, parsley and radishes have been sown. Maureen has a knack for choosing the perfect day. She also knows as soon as the soil is workable is a good time to get a few things in the ground. Besides what I already mentioned, she scattered flower seeds of bachelor buttons, larkspur, sweet William, and poppies. Poppies … poppies will make them sleep, now they'll sleeeeep. I apologize, but every time I hear, say, or read about poppies I have to do my impression of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Speaking of wicked, is it me or do y'all think groundhogs have gotten braver? Maybe they have in some areas because on the way home from Slippery Rock recently I saw one rummaging along the edge of Rt. 208, within feet of the pavement, just past the construction zone. It was heading towards Gray's Nursery, with purpose. I bet it knew about the tractor-trailer load of new plants that had just been delivered."

Judy:
I love the cane as a long-handled kitchen utensil! The only problem is that I take my 82-year-old mother to a doctor's appointment in Oakland tomorrow, and every time I look at her cane I'll be imagining your outrageous scene! And--my mother loves to cook, so I'll be even more distracted by the possibilities! Seriously, you mentioned using "the outrageous" in nonfiction. That's a great idea, and I'll have to give that some thought. This technique also has intriguing Brain-Stretch possibilities for camp! Great inspiration, Judy--thanks! mary

Many thanks for your comments, Mary & TC. In nonfiction, it's particularly effective to write catchy, bordering-on-outrageous titles and subtitles to attract attention to your topic and create your own buzz words. I'd like to think we did that with words "Frantic Woman" in our book, The Frantic Woman's Guide to Life. As long as you use words and phrases that don't become obscure or require explanation, being outrageous in nonfiction can be fun (and time-consuming)! My advice: Grab a venti java with one hand, a thick thesaurus with the other, and create!

Mary, good luck with your mom and that cane. Hope she's not making chicken soup tomorrow!

Judy

I love it when I'm researching a topic and I discover something that is outrageous -- meaning outrageously true! Those are the details that can transform text that is purely informational into something more entertaining.

Thanks for your comment, Kelly! I, too, love to uncover nuggets of relatively unknown information and sprinkle them in to a work in progress in order to more fully inform readers. In fact, just this morning I was reading the NYTimes online and found a fascinating article that opened my eyes in many ways.

To name one, I had read before about hospitals treating polio patients by wrapping the paralyzed legs with hot, wet blankets. Of course, I assumed the blankets were cotton. But the man featured in the article, Mr. John Welton, said he still shudders when he thinks of the smell of wet wool. Ewwww! Now, that's offensive and memorable and great stuff for bringing the reader in close enough for a whiff.

Here's the link for the article, one well worth reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/nyregion/05assistant.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

Let me know what you think!

Thanks,

Judy