Spotlight On: The Lace Reader

This is a winner, folks. The Lace Reader is the best-crafted modern adult novel I've read in the last five years. It's not out yet, so I'm not going to include any spoilers in this post, but the book is a great study in character development in relationship to plot and environment. The book is sometimes startling, but is never misleading. It's got all the psychological intrigue common to the modern novel or play, with enough of a sense of magic (grounded in the environment) and physical threat to satisfy a fan of Camelot and Robin Hood. The sense of place is remarkable. The characters are as vivid as the imagery. This is the type of book that you should just read: don't bother to read the back or find out what it's about; just get ahold of it and read it.

Resolution: Take Public Transportion

Taking mass transportation is better for the environment, and it will reduce what you spend on gas. But even more important here, it's a great place to find stories.

On a subway or train or bus, keep an ear out for interesting conversations, or try your hand at starting one. If the crowd seems too preoccupied or unsociable for conversation, just observe. Find unusual details of dress, body language, etc. that you can use in a future story.

It has often been remarked that no plot is unique - in short that every story has been told before. But if you make your story detailed and specific, it will be an old plot told in a way that no one but you could have told it.

Variation: Walk. Keep an eye on the people around you and how they interact. Do they smile at you or avoid eye contact? Do you move out of their way or vice versa? If there aren't many or any people around, look for details in the environment instead. For more info on the benefits of walking, check out the 10,000 Steps Program.

Setting the Story

A set designer builds a set that will support the story. If the play deals with issues of status, the set designer may create a set with different levels. Perhaps the king will stand on the higher levels, making other characters look up to him. Or in a play like King Lear, he might stand on the lower levels, as Lear's daughters ignore and make a fool of him.

How does your character's environment define him? Is he stuck in a small room throughout most of the story? Does he accept this or rebel against it, literally or figuratively bouncing off the walls? Does she revel in the great outdoors or is she more comfortable in the prim drawing room? Does she seek to conquer the land or to lose herself in a maze of streets?