Tuesday 25 October 2011

Be Careful of Your Default Settings

Last week I asked a friend to read my current work in progress (and it IS progressing, albeit slowly). She returned it and I waited for the feedback. She started with: "What's the pizza fetish about?"

I certainly hadn't been expecting that. What pizza fetish?

"Well," she said. "He goes for a pizza on p5, she's thinking about getting in pizza on p8, they're at a pizza restaurant on p10, her mates are heading off for a pizza on p17..."

Oops. My default setting when I think of food eaten outside the home is obviously pizza. Which is weird because I hardly ever have one, but it's obviously my default setting: when in doubt, let them eat pizza.

I think we all have our own personal collection of default settings, and it's a good idea to become aware of them. Character gestures - biting lips, running hands through hair, running fingers round the rim of wineglasses are all some of mine. Scene settings - my characters often settle down for tea in their kitchens, one of the dullest settings possible. Food - pizza, obviously, but also mushrooms and red wine because they're the two food stuffs I can't stand and I want to make it totally apparent that the characters aren't me. (If only it were that easy...)

One of my writing friends has a tendency to have her characters take long, long baths. Another has characters looking at their hands in minute detail as their fingers stroke things, or stuff nestles in their palms. I've seen short stories featuring Ron, Don and Ben, with the author blissfully unaware.

When the first draft is being written you're trying so hard to get the story down you grab at the first thing that comes into your mind. That's fine, but but you have to be prepared to go back and eradicate any sloppy gestures, settings or whatever you've given as a default position. So, expect no pizzas in my next book. It's going to be fish and chips all the way.

11 comments:

Liz Fielding said...

Pizza is just shorthand for easy food, but now I'm worrying about the book that I've just finished. There was a bit of a thing about cake...

Sally Zigmond said...

Definitely cups of tea. And copious cigarettes (well it is set in the 1920s and I'm relishing the lack of Elf and Safety.)

Sarah Duncan said...

Sally and Liz, I used to have endless cups of tea, but with this book I've graduated to pizza. Cake is obviously for the more advanced writer.

Karen said...

My male characters all tend to smell lemony. NO idea why!

Dan Purdue said...

I fully relate to your comment about giving your characters traits and tastes solely to prove they aren't you, Sarah. Many's the time I've given my male protagonist a steaming hot cup of coffee, for no other reason than the fact I never touch the stuff.

Diane Fordham said...

Thank you Sara - another wonderful post from you. You've really got me thinking now (that's a good thing). Going to go through my novel draft today and look out for that sort of thing. The things you listed were ringing many bells and now I'm wondering whether I've overdone it in my writing. Thank you so much for bringing this to attention x

Sarah Duncan said...

Dan, I've written more about personal habits today (Friday). Forgot the coffee one though - I'm like you, don't drink the stuff. But funny how we think that makes characters not us. Illogical, really.

Diane, you learn after a bit which are 'your' things to add and therefore how to avoid them, but I think it's harder spotting what you unconsciously omit and need to add.

Diane Fordham said...

Thanks for that Sarah. What I unconsciously omit and need to add? I definitely will be giving this more thought. I'll work on that. You inspire me!

Sarah Duncan said...

Awww, that's nice to hear. Good luck - and inspiration - for your writing.

Nina Killham said...

Wonderful. This post made me laugh. My characters are either raising eyebrows or staring at something. I have to use the find button to get rid of them and still there are too many...

Sarah Duncan said...

Nina - Perhaps we ought to all list our character tics and then swap - mine often run their hands through their hair, so I think I'm going to introduce some eyebrow raising.