CHAT ARCHIVE - 9-9-2000, Character Resolution, section 2

[Meeting was moved to private chat room]

<Wwombat> So witch witch is witchie ?
<Casey> Okay. Back to topic.
<Casey> Know thyself.
<Sea Witch> doncha mean which wirch is Witchie?
<BeckyB> So, know thyself.
<Wwombat> I mean -- would you have me for a Hero in any story !!
<Casey> Understanding yourself is key to making characters that live,
in my opinion.
<Sea Witch> So then...character
assassination...er...deconstruction...er...you know, what Casey said
<Casey> (You are a hero in some story, Richard.)
<BeckyB> I wouldn't have me as the hero. I can be the quirky pain in
the butt.
<Goshwin> Hero> well if eating and sleeping were what I was looking
for...
<BeckyB> Or the villain.
<Casey> Because if you understand yourself--what motivates you,
honestly, then you have a good start on being able to create characters
with honest motivations.
<Sea Witch> Hot Stuff was a damn good villain Becky Mwah hah hah
<Wwombat> And dis honest ones ? Actually that's the hardest. Villains
all think of themselves as great guys
<BeckyB> What can I say, I look wicked in pick vinyl.
<Jean> Ok, so is there a lesson for us?
<BeckyB> Sure, no one is completely black or white.
<Goshwin> Humm Motivation? don't forget, I'm male (a no brainer on
motivation)
<Casey> And the motivations that drive your characters are what
makes them realistic.
<Sea Witch> or pink
<Wwombat> I'm black on white in this forum. I used to be virgin white !
<BeckyB> I like to have the villains have some good traits and the good
guys have some bad ones.
<Casey> Villains see themselves in the right as much as our heroes do.
<Sea Witch> in the soup of life everything comes up carrots
<Casey> Or at least see their actions as justified.
<BeckyB> Not a no brainer gosh, after all sometimes you're hungry too.
<Sea Witch> yeah. World domination is so avant garde this year
<Wwombat> I agree with Witchie. No brussle sprouts for me
<Goshwin> Food, of course what did you think I was saying? *Grin*
<Casey> The physical aspects of a character are there to provide first
impressions.
<Rose> this is an interesting topic for me, I'm still learning about
myself, as most of my life I've been put down or teased, and the belief
is just coming back,
<Rose> this is going to be a very long journey for me
<Goshwin> I'm still learning about myself (humm never seen that mole
before)
<Wwombat> Why Rose ? You're participation here is always
intelligent and helpful
<Casey> *shaking head*
<Sea Witch> but a quick one if you learn to throw a good right hook <g>
<BeckyB> What I find interesting in learning to know myself is during
those points when I realize after a big fight that I really was wrong.
<Rose> I guess I know more than I give myself credit for
<Sea Witch> I think this one is in danger of running seriously wild
tonight Casey
<Jean> Don't you hate it when that happens Becky!
<Wwombat> That must be interesting. I'm never wrong. Only less
right sometimes !
<Jean> Don't sell yourself short, Rose
<BeckyB> It's terrible.
<Jean> lol
<Casey> And the measure of your character is what you do when you
discover that you've been wrong.
<Casey> Do you pretend you weren't wrong?
<Rose> I try not to, but it's hard sometimes Jean
<Casey> Do you go apologize?
<BeckyB> So I should stop hiding under the bed then.
<Sea Witch> or just keep your gob shut?
<Jean> Well, at least your not in the closet Becky
<Casey> Hiding under the blankets is more comfortable, Becky.
<Sea Witch> Definitely Becky otherwise the under-the-bed monster will
get you
<Goshwin> I'm never wrong,,,, cuz I keep my mouth shut!!
<Jean> smart
<Sea Witch> I'm with you there Gosh
<Wwombat> At least in the company of women !
<Casey> There's a man who will remain married for the rest of his life.
<Sea Witch> sensible marsupial
<Rose> I know this doesn't apply here, but I've always kept my mouth
shut because I felt that I had nothing worthwhile to say most of the time
<BeckyB> I have to eat crow and say I'm sorry, Sometimes it works.
<BeckyB> I am the under the bed monster.
<Sea Witch> heh heh
<Wwombat> Blessed is he, who, having nothing to say, refrains from
giving verbal evidence of the fact
<Casey> In order to begin to develop a character, it's useful to
understand what role that character holds in your story.
<BeckyB> It takes me 30 minutes to reinforce the fact that I have
nothing intelligent to say.
<Wwombat> It is sometimes interesting to try and figure the motives of
those who oppose you
<Rose> so I think that is where part of my shyness comes from
<Goshwin> If I don't think, does that mean I wink out of existence?
<Casey> You haven't so far, Gosh.
<Wwombat> Only if no tree is watching
<Casey> *ducks!*
<Goshwin> Grr
<Sea Witch> grin
<Casey> You left yourself wide open for that one. Sorry.
<Sea Witch> I think that passed right over their heads Wwombat
<Wwombat> Anyone else winking ?
<Sea Witch> good observation though
<Goshwin> Oh I got that one
<Casey> A character who must provide comic relief will have a different
set of characteristics than a tragic hero or the villain.
<Goshwin> If a tree falls on a mime, does anyone care?
<Casey> Different motivations.
<Jean> Are there any corners in this room?
<Casey> There are always corners and wastebins in any room we
occupy, Jean.
<Rose> yep, hehehe
<Jean> That's probably a good thing.
<Sea Witch> yes there are Jean and Witchie has occupied every one of
them. Which corner tonight Casey?
<Wwombat> Check them out for discarded lollies
<kissfan> HEHEE
<Goshwin> I once asked chipmonk "if you shoot a mime, do you have
to use a silencer" her answer "no, but is he wants to return fire, he
does"
<kissfan> especially what one were the blue ones?
<Casey> In conjunction with what role the character takes on, the
author must consider what that character will be called upon to do in
the story.
<Sea Witch> If you lock a mime inside a glass room will he die of
exhaustion?
<BeckyB> In one story idea I was working on, the 2 main characters are
working together to stop the slaves from being killed and the second
half of the book fighting because one wants to free them and one wants them to be released slowly or not at all.
<Wwombat> Search the waste baskets, obviously -- or find the
corners
<Casey> Why slowly, Becky?
<Sea Witch> that would certainly cause a conflict Becky
<Jean> or not at all?
<Wwombat> I would have expected the other one wanted to keep them
for him/her self
<Sea Witch> Then that wouldn't be freeing, only stealing Richard
<Casey> Reluctant to give up the luxuries that slaves provide?
<BeckyB> There can be a lot of problems with releasing a large
population of people who aren't culturally ready for it. Many black
slaves died after they were released.
<BeckyB> You have to set up some sort of support structure.
<Casey> I understand the rationale now.
<Jean> Oh, so it was a compassion thing then?
<Sea Witch> good point Becky
<Wwombat> Freeing 'slave' societies also leads to problems. See
third world countries
<Jean> Sounds like you have good character structure, Becky.
<BeckyB> And there were others who wanted slaves for themselves
too. It just is interesting that different motivations can lead people to
the same actions.
<Casey> Very good point, Becky.
<Sea Witch> I believe stripping third world countries of their natural
resources and then granting the population liberation is responsible
for that
<Wwombat> Like Stalin and Churchill as allies
<Sea Witch> war produces strange bedfellows that's for sure
<Wwombat> No, it's leaders who don't understand large economics
<Wwombat> And ultimately the greed of the people they have promised
to get support
<BeckyB> probably because they took college economic classes. They
teach the stupidest theories.
<Jean> Wwombat for President!
<Jean> lol
<Sea Witch> you mean they have difficulty paying back the loans made
by the countries that raped them
<Casey> With Becky's two characters, what they must do in her story
helps with the creation of their characters.
<Wwombat> Sorry: what they have promised the people for their
support
<Sea Witch> Just like western politicians you mean
<Wwombat> But, also in Beckies story, when they meet they will know
they have different motives and ultimate objectives
<Casey> Right, Richard.
<Sea Witch> bunch of greedy, lying bastards
<Sea Witch> Not you lot. the politicians!
<Casey> Ahhhh. Some of Witchie's favorite people to hate: politicians.
<Wwombat> Politicians are like bananas ! They all start green, quickly
turn yellow
<Sea Witch> sheepish grin
<Wwombat> And have you ever seen a straight banana ?
<Sea Witch> and shed their skins just like snakes
<Wwombat> A good addition, Witchie
<Casey> When they shed their skins, what's underneath can be rotten
and yucky.
<Sea Witch> Pity they don't make like a banana....and split!
<Rose> I feel that most politicians make promises bigger than their
own pocket book, (wallet)
<Wwombat> But if we got rid of all politicians -- we'd just have to
invent more
<kissfan> What do they care Rose all they have to do is raise taxes
again
<Sea Witch> and when they gain power they line said wallet with a
heavy layer of folding stuff
<Casey> Just as you don't have your hero pull an atomic weapon out of
her bra when you never told your readers she put it in there before
heading to church, you also don't have your main character willingly lose
his child or his job or face prosecution without establishing early on that
he has the meddle to make those kinds of sacrifices.
<Wwombat> I don't wear a ..... !!!!
<Sea Witch> nukes have no style
<BeckyB> I did with hot stuff. Big bra.
<Goshwin> Not fare, I don't have a bra..
<Sea Witch> what, not even a little one?
<Wwombat> The difference between a surprise and a twist in a plot
<Goshwin> but it adds a whole new meaning to "loaded bra"
<Rose> I know Kathy, but my own feeling about making promises, if I
do make one, I try to make it so, or say I'll try, without promising one
way or the other
<Wwombat> And surprises can only happen at the very beginning
<Sea Witch> Interesting. What do you feed them? Whiskey or beer?
<Wwombat> Twists are allowed throughout and as an ending
<Casey> Okay. For the guys: No fair stuffing atomic weapons into
pants to try to impress the women.
<Sea Witch> or bananas
<kissfan> Politicians don't- care rose
<Wwombat> Is that a Surprise has no previous warning or clue or
justification
<Goshwin> Is that a nuke in your pocket? or are you just happy to see
me?
<Wwombat> Whereas a twist arises out of the story line
<Wwombat> So the reader can say "Of course. I should have thought
of that"
<Casey> Exactly, Richard.
<Rose> I know, but if only they could spend six months or so in our
shoes, they may look at things a little differently, but that's my opinion
<Sea Witch> I like the twists that defy conventional thinking.
<Sea Witch> sort of lateral twists if you will
<Wwombat> Yes, they give one satisfaction
<Sea Witch> only if you're athletic grin
<Casey> When describing characters, impressions can be more
powerful than physical details.
<Wwombat> Rose, do you think men and women are SO different ?
<Goshwin> (Ahem)
<Wwombat> Apart from the obvious
<Goshwin> he he he
<Sea Witch> I agree with you there, Casey. Impressions can evoke
strong emotions in a character
<Jean> I do, I do!
<Rose> no, just the body, but the minds are somewhat a like, we each
want to be more than what we are at this time in our lives
<Wwombat> Casey, I agree. Too much physical description can
prevent readers identifying with a hero
<Sea Witch> Yeah. I wanna be rich
<Casey> I found a great example by Charles Dickens in *Bleak House*
<Rose> and I want to be happy, with whom I am, which I am, but I am
always learning and gaining more in knowledge than ever before
<Wwombat> Rose, do you think women are more moral in the pursuit
of those things ?
<Jean> I don't think looks are especially important, more than their way
of thinking and attitude
<Casey> "She was a formidable style of lady, with spectacles, a
prominent nose, and a loud voice, who had the effect of wanting a
great deal of room. And she really did, for she knocked down little
chairs with her skirts that were quite a great way off."
<Sea Witch> I can never decide whether or not I like Dickens
<Jean> You just have to put the looks in there so the reader can
visualize the person
<Rose> no, there are men out there with the same goals
<Jean> Good pull, Casey!
<Casey> That para even gives you an idea of the POV character.
<Wwombat> Such writing evokes visuals and forwards character
<Casey> As well as an impression of this imposing woman.
<Casey> And the only physical description you get is spectacles and
nose.
<Sea Witch> and the impression that she may be rather...um...wide
<Wwombat> You couldn't have one without the other !
<Casey> Exactly, SW.
<Sea Witch> yes you can.
<Wwombat> They'd fall off !
<Casey> Not if they're in a pocket.
<Sea Witch> you can have a nose without spectacles.
<Casey> Or spectacles stuck in your hair.
<Sea Witch> did I tell you I got bats?
<Wwombat> I surrender
<Wwombat> Now you're going to describe your belfry ?
<Casey> How do you mix descriptions with dialogue?
<Casey> Or use dialogue to convey descriptions?
<Wwombat> "Keep you big nose out of my business !"
<Sea Witch> the belfry is close by. There is a roost of Pipistrells there
and they hunt in my garden
<Wwombat> "I recognised your bald head in the crowd".
<Casey> That's an obvious way, Richard.
<Casey> What one character says about or to another character.
<BeckyB> "Sara, you know I just hate to gossip, but I really think Becky
has been shoveling in the twinkee's lately."
<Sea Witch> I thought he was being personal for a moment
<Casey> Good one, Becky!
<Casey> "I just don't know." Betty bit her lip.
<Casey> (Replacing dialogue tags with action.)
<Rose> that is one thing I have a hard time with, is to many tags with
dialogue
<Wwombat> And those people who object to replacing the so called
'invisible' he/she said'
<Sea Witch> "You mean Dave really *was* dropped on his head when
he was a baby?"
<Casey> A goal is to make characters so distinct that a reader can
recognize who is talking by what they say.
<Wwombat> That's why they call him 'flat head'
<Wwombat> Easy in a duologue, difficult in a crowd
<Casey> A good example, as has been pointed out numerous times in
the past, is each member in this group.
<Sea Witch> but not if it's done by Monty Python
<Wwombat> I'm a good example ! Wow, a compliment !
<Wwombat> But surely Witchie is NOT
<Jean> Did she really say Good example? he he
<Sea Witch> big grin
<Sea Witch> Witchie is a good example of a bad influence
<Jean> oh yes, I agree
<Sea Witch> Witchie takes a bow
<Wwombat> As one GOOD example to another, you are suggesting
that we each have our own voice ?
<Sea Witch> or vice?
<Casey> If one character speaks with a Scottish accent, even in a
crowd, a reader isn't likely to confuse him with the gardener or the
cook.
<BeckyB> Yes, like usually if you see a *Grin, who said it?
<Wwombat> Unless he mimes !
<Sea Witch> unless you're in Glasgow or Edinburgh that is
<Casey> Goshwin in the grinner, with Witchie a close second.
<Wwombat> Who would want to be there ?
<Casey> I did mention "one character"
<Sea Witch> not me
<BeckyB> And if someone starts talking about her soft cute fuzzy tail,
that's a clue to identity.
<Casey> In Glasgow, the one who spoke with a U.S. accent would
stand out.
<Goshwin> !
<Casey> Exactly, Becky.
<Wwombat> Don't anyone dare mention my tummy !
<Rose> yes, just like us here in Canada would stand out in the US or
anywhere but here
<Casey> A character's actions can identify them as surely as their
dialect or the words they use.
<BeckyB> Richard, it isn't your tummy, it's your make-up you're known
for.
<Sea Witch> not really. at this time of year there are as many
Americans as locals in historical English towns and cities. And
Aussies!
<BeckyB> that face is classic.
<Wwombat> If Witchie started in about broom sticks ?????
<Casey> Witchie's more likely to start in about dismemberment and
decapitation.
<Sea Witch> Sod the broomsticks. This Witch zooms around in a TDi
<Sea Witch> with scimitars welded to the hubcaps
<Wwombat> Yes, I had noticed a bloodthirsty streak
<Wwombat> A mile and a half wide
<Sea Witch> heh heh
<Wwombat> through her character
<Casey> Other rarely used traits:
<Casey> noises.
<Sea Witch> grinding teeth
<Sea Witch> flatulence
<Casey> tapping
<Wwombat> On delicate foods
<Casey> clearing throat
<Sea Witch> squeaky shoes
<BeckyB> But there are other characters that you don't have a main
characteristic for. It reads like a comic book if each character has their
own catch phrase.
<Casey> humming, whistling.
<Casey> Exactly, Becky.
<Wwombat> And you don't want secondary characters to be
remembered as much as the hero
<Casey> I would never give every character his own dialect. A reader
would never get through the book.
<Sea Witch> One that I loathe is some happy, smiley git insisting that
you "Have a nice day."
<Sea Witch> What if I want to be miserable?
<Casey> LOL! That's my favorite line to hate, SW.
<BeckyB> Then you're sick and wrong.
<BeckyB> What should they say "Thanks, now beat it."?
<Wwombat> You mean: "Please pay this toll, and have a nice day"
<Sea Witch> It's in the British psyche not to like happy people cos we're
a very suspicious bunch.
<BeckyB> Must be why my ancestors left.
<Wwombat> No Becky -- "Pay up and I wish you bad luck"
<Sea Witch> Someone being nice to you usually means they want
something. Call me cynical if you will but it's a fact of life over here
<Casey> What about textures associated with a character?
<Jean> Now that's just sad, SW
<Wwombat> Ok Witchie. I'll stop being nice to you
<Wwombat> ( thinks ) 'cos I only really want your b........
<Wwombat> bats
<BeckyB> over here everyone wants something from you too, but it's
different. Isn't it more pleasant if the people who want something are
nice rather than the ones who want something and aren't?
<Sea Witch> Of course, I blame the media.
<Wwombat> Yup. Smile as you stab em in the back
<Goshwin> Gimmy... NOW
<Jean> I think Sea Witch has issues
<BeckyB> I blame the rocks, darn point things, if they'd just go away
wouldn't the world be a better place.
<Wwombat> I think Witchie has BLOODY problems
<Sea Witch> only one. He's nearly twelve. heh heh
<Rose> it's the same here, just today, Jim paid for a lady and her two
children meal without giving a second thought, and that question
never came up, what do you want in return,
<Sea Witch> the bloody problem is I wanna write and I can't cos I can't
get my PC set up
<Rose> some people can except a gift without any strings attached
<Wwombat> Have you heard of paper and pencils ?
<Sea Witch> I never accept any gift unless it's from someone real close
to me.
<kissfan> grab a notebook Witchie at least it is getting it down
<Jean> bad excuse, SW
<Casey> Textures: rough wool jacket, satin negligee, floor-length gown,
all provide different impressions and feelings about a character.
<Wwombat> So I needn't send anything from down under ?
<Sea Witch> I keep jotting down notes but I really need to put them into
some sort of narrative.
<BeckyB> pencil & paper? isn't that something like stone chisel and
rock wall?
<Sea Witch> I buy my own smalls thank you very much Richard
<Wwombat> Yes, but you want to banish those hard pointy rocks
<Rose> Jim and I both do that every once and awhile, doesn't charity
begin at home, and giving like that never hurt anyone, in my eyes
<Wwombat> Mine are larges !
<BeckyB> I think it's a very good thing to do.
<Sea Witch> You're so right Rose. We sponsor a child, a little girl in
Kenya
<Casey> Likewise, smells convey impressions of characters. The
scent of pine might suggest an outdoorsman.
<BeckyB> I attend friends Tupperware parties, does that count as
charity?
<Sea Witch> or a lavatory attendant Casey
<Casey> Yep, SW.
<Rose> I don't, but I've seen us in a store, and see a young child
looking at a toy, and buy it, and give it to their parents and ask for
nothing except the smile it brought to that child
<BeckyB> Or a used car salesman who puts in the air fresheners.
<Sea Witch> I didn't know that there was any Tupperware in need of
help <g>
<Wwombat> The smell of cooking .....
<BeckyB> lol
<Casey> What other scents could imply a profession?
<Casey> yes, Richard.
<Wwombat> I can smell it now
<Casey> garlic.
<BeckyB> Formaldehyde.
<Wwombat> My Sunday lunch is ready
<Casey> Good one, Becky.
<Wwombat> It's getting cold on the table
<Sea Witch> manure
<Casey> That means you need to leave us?
<Wwombat> It's NOT manure !!!!
<Sea Witch> that wasn't a comment Richard
<Goshwin> So if your a sewage worker?..... ew
<Sea Witch> or a farmer
<Wwombat> I know what you think Wombats eat
<BeckyB> or a gynocologist?
<Sea Witch> lollipops
<Goshwin> urk
<Wwombat> So, if you will all excuse me
<Sea Witch> what does a gynecologist smell of. No..don't tell me I
don't really want to know
<Wwombat> I must away to my lickers
<BeckyB> bye richard
<kissfan> LOL SW
<Casey> Good to see you again, Richard.
<Casey> I was really afraid to ask about the gynecologist.
<Sea Witch> just as well I did then. Evil laff
<Casey> How about a daughter's hair that smells of strawberry
shampoo?
<Rose> or lavender bubble bath
<Sea Witch> did her mom run out of the real stuff then?
<Casey> How about taste?
<Casey> Your husband's mouth tastes like coffee.
<Rose> sour grapes, real pucker power there
<Jean> the sweet taste of maple syrup smothered her pancakes
<Sea Witch> lemons are better Rose
<Casey> Or like mint mouth rinse.
<Jean> I've read a lot of books that the man's kiss tasted of tobacco
<Jean> YUCK
<Jean> I can't find that romantic at all
<Casey> I can see his clothes smelling of tobacco.
<Jean> Yes
<Jean> but the taste, yuck
<kissfan> that guy didn't brush his teeth much then
<BeckyB> since the way 2 a man's heart is (in theory) through his
stomach, there could be the girl who keeps cookies on the table
in case her boyfriend drops by.
<Casey> I agree. Mouth cancer from kissing.
<Sea Witch> the fact is...men usually taste of their last meal
<Casey> The salty taste of sweat.
<Jean> Good one, Casey
<Jean> I say that all the time to my hubby
<Jean> when I kiss his neck
<Casey> Ewwww! The yucky taste of a man's aftershave lotion.
<Jean> Don't even have to be sweating to taste like that, though
<Casey> They need to invent good tasting aftershave lotion.
<Sea Witch> depends on the aftershave.
<Casey> Is there any that tastes good, Witchie?
<kissfan> lol the taste of booze from the night before EEEEWWWW
<Casey> (None Harold uses does.)
<Sea Witch> Chanel isn't too bad. It smells better though
<Rose> I don't think there is Casey,
<Casey> Great. I'll go in the store and ask if I can taste the aftershave
before I purchase it.
<kissfan> LOL
<Sea Witch> Used sparingly. I don't like to be suffocated by the smell
of it
<BeckyB> Dave hates most perfumes so if I want to smell nice I
sometimes use vanilla. He loves it.
<kissfan> it works Becky
<Casey> Lemons are nice, too, Becky.
<kissfan> the women used to use that all the time
<BeckyB> That would smell good.
<Sea Witch> keeps the mozzies off too
<Rose> I like Charlie, and vanilla sounds interesting
<Casey> I grow lemon balm, so I don't have to buy actual lemons. Mint,
too.
<BeckyB> What other senses do we need to cover?
<Goshwin> touch?
<Sea Witch> touch
<Sea Witch> or have we done that one
<Goshwin> beat yah to it... nayyy
<Rose> I haven't seen that one yet
<Sea Witch> no ya didn't nyah nyah
<Casey> Going along to impressions: a character who hands a
girlfriend a dozen hothouse roses is perceived differently than one who
gives a branch of lilac picked from the back yard. (Or even the
girlfriend's front yard.)
<BeckyB> Makes sense that tasting would lead to touching.
<BeckyB> Sorry guys, I'm in a really strangle mood tonight.
<Goshwin> so who are you choking?
<Sea Witch> You're right Casey. One is a burglar and the other a
cheapskate
<Rose> or one is a gentleman, and the other one is a jerk
<Casey> Or one is rich and the other poor.
<Casey> The one swiping it from the front yard is in poor taste and a
lousy planner.
<kissfan> what about the man that don't bring a woman flowers of any
kind?
<Sea Witch> what's wrong with a box of choccies I'd like to know
<Casey> Nothing at all, Witchie!
<Rose> I get both, hehehehe,
<Casey> Okay, you wanted to address touch.
<Sea Witch> lucky Rose
<Casey> Here's your chance to do so!
<Sea Witch> Yeah but I don't know where he lives
<Rose> sorry, but I'm very spoiled
<BeckyB> Shaking hands is a good way to do it.
<kissfan> I get nothing but ironing board covers and things like that
<Casey> Touching another's arm during a conversation.
<Sea Witch> there is such a thing as a domestic appliance enema you
know Kathy
<Casey> Scratchy clothing.
<Rose> caressing each other in floor play, and I won't say any more,
<kissfan> LOL
<BeckyB> rock in the shoe.
<Jean> floor play?
<Casey> You do it on the floor, Rose?!
<Jean> lol
<Sea Witch> Rose!
<BeckyB> You do it somewhere else Casey?
<Rose> ME! I don't know what it's like any more
<kissfan> there is cast iron frying pans placed squarely against the
skull
<Casey> Fifth Amendment for me.
<Sea Witch> I'll just plead insanity
<kissfan> FLOOR PLAY?
<kissfan> kinky Rose!
<Rose> hehehe
<kissfan> rough on the back though
<Sea Witch> I don't have a frying pan. Do they make good projectiles?
<Casey> Here we thought she was shy and reserved . . .
<kissfan> when swung like a baseball bat
<Sea Witch> Silent waters etc
<Casey> Any other touches?
<BeckyB> You can hit them with a toaster. I bet witchy could hit with
accuracy at 50 yards.
<Sea Witch> good chuck me one over and let me test the weight
<Jean> He touched my heart
<Rose> now who is shy and reserved Casey
<kissfan> HEHEE
<Casey> You guys are downright violent.
<Sea Witch> She brushed away his tears
<Rose> not me!
<Casey> The brush of the curtain against an arm.
<Casey> Feathers, tickling.
<kissfan> HEHEE I am just thinking of ways to get revenge!
<kissfan> where Casey?
<kissfan> HEHEE
<Casey> An encounter with stinging nettles.
<Sea Witch> A mousetrap in his underwear might prove interesting
<Casey> LOL! SW!!!
<Rose> running into a giant cacti, we have one in a corner of our
bedroom
<kissfan> OUCH rose
<Jean> ouch
<Casey> You have to watch that floor play.
<kissfan> lol
<Rose> we have one of those, it goes from the floor to the ceiling
<Sea Witch> and not wander around in the dark
<BeckyB> Dave was showing a house to a potential client and the guy
was stung by a bee when he went in the door. Didn't buy that house.
Could use pain for foreshadowing.
<kissfan> OOOOOOOO just what I need to hang his clothes on
<Casey> "But without my glasses, and that cactus being the same
heighth as Jim, I thought . . ."
<Rose> LOL , hehehehe
<kissfan> LOL!
<BeckyB> lol
<Sea Witch> Can't be a boost for Jim's ego if she couldn't tell the
difference
<Rose> good one Casey
<kissfan> the feeling of cold metal handcuffs around his wrists
<Casey> I'll behave now.
<BeckyB> The real question is how far she got.
<kissfan> and then pull out the baseball bat
<Sea Witch> Jim's in big trouble if it was all the way
<kissfan> LOL
<BeckyB> Could Jim's whiskers be that prickly?
<kissfan> then there is the feeling of rough hand along ones cheek
<Casey> Interior characterization--what a character thinks--goes far in
creating a believable character.
<Sea Witch> "That woman is the limit," Jim thought
<Sea Witch> Just now I'm competing with a moth and a Daddy
Longlegs for the screen. It's bloody annoying
<kissfan> I hate that when that happens
<Casey> That's what happens when you live in the country. You get
wildlife.
<kissfan> whether you want it or not
<Sea Witch> I'll have to have a stern word with the bats.
<Rose> well, my Jim said to me, " If I keep this up. I'll have to make an
honest woman of you, and marry you." I wonder what he meant by that
<kissfan> I wonder Rose
<Jean> lol rose
<Casey> I read a wonderful contrast of character thoughts and
dialogue the other day.
<Casey> A boy went to his teacher's house. The teacher opened the
door in a ratty bathrobe, and the boy recalled how he hated old men's
bumpy chests and white legs, especially on the beach. But the first words out of his mouth were, "I got your note, Sir. Thank you."
<Sea Witch> getting married didn't make me any more honest. Only
more irreverent
<kissfan> getting married made me feel more miserable that before
<Rose> Casey, could we try icq again, this is really hard on the eyes
<Casey> Sure.

[Meeting returns to ICQ.]