Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Know Who This Is?

Know who this is?

Images are a great help to me in character development. They give my subconscious something to latch onto. Today’s image is a well know Icon of the screen. She is a Resin Figurine which is a rather common type used in everything from toy soldiers to action figures. Many would distain to call these “Figurines” at all but quality comes in all forms of media. When I examine a figurine the first thing I look at is the treatment of the eyes. It is in the eyes that a thread of the spirit is captured by the artist and imprisoned. Next I look at the overall composition. All compositions are not equal even by the same artist. If I don’t like the composition I don’t go any further. The same is true of writers. Sometimes they hit the lotto and sometimes reading them is a waste of time. Then there are the interludes which can be incredible boredom spiked by writing that blows your socks off. It is like a term paper my brother once submitted with an introduction and conclusion stuffed with meaningless filler in the body.

This is what I am finding in book four of the Game of Thrones. There is too much back story and little that moves the story along. Still I know that things will pick up eventually but does that justify several hours of tepid reading?

After composition I look at painting. Even on a resin model sometimes the painting is incredible. It is sort of like Shakespeare who had some rather thin story lines but his monologues and dialogues were then and still are captivating. I entered my Play Andromache into a College Contest where the winner gets a production. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Wouldn’t it be something to see a play I wrote actually produced?

Yesterday I bought a Chinese piece at Princeton for $1. It is really quite nice and the detail is exquisite. The lady who sold it said she it came in a lot with some other things and wasn’t “Her Cup of Tea.” Chinese and Middle Eastern figures are full of that elusive spirit. Those from India of the girls dancing with a multitude of arms seem to exude it, compared to Western Art that, while often beautifully rendered, seems asleep by comparison. Their art can be seen in resin action figures produced for export and if you know what to look for there is excellence for a pittance on the dollar.

What I am getting at that a work of literature must contain both the science and art of writing. I can help with the science but the art must come from the writer. Both are necessary and they must be combined in a way that brings together the synergism of both.