diary of an Endorphin Junkie

One of the things I've been struggling with as a writer has been "white room syndrome". I am apparently quite good at making characters be real and strong and coherent, but it's very hard for the reader to understand where the character is, what their environment is.

I've been considering that I'm writing as if you can see what I see -- and since the reader can't, I need to do a better job laying out it. Very simple, see? Not so much.

I learned Wednesday night that this is categorically untrue. Why? Because I was bored in class and to entertain myself I decided to write six adjectives or descriptive phrases about the background/room/environment for each scene in Children.

Guess what... I couldn't do it. I slammed hard into a wall trying to do this. I did complete the exercise, but it took me over an hour to do this simple exercise for 12 scenes. It was probably the hardest thing I've done as a writer.

No, really, Jo... you don't know the background for your scenes. You are so in love with your characters and their interactions that you ARE operating in a white room.

It's time to put my head down and address this.

• 23:28 Party floor is dead tonight. #westercon63 #
• 01:52 Snuggling with some good friends. #specialmoment #
• 12:31 I've moved to room 202 on the party floor. #westercon #
• 12:34 My father is within a few hundred miles today so I'm leaving the con to go visit with him. #
• 12:52 This articles hits a nail straight on the head. bit.ly/9Fm9ah (via Jay Lake) I grew up poor, and he nails the problem well. #
• 12:53 I would go further: with so many "bee stings" and anticipating more, your dance is going to be incomprehensible to one with lesser problems. #
• 19:39 Long, frank but easy talk with Dad over dinner. It rocks to have a Dad you can call BS on. #specialmoment #

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