Writing Fiction as an Anthropologist

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When people find out that my educational background and most of my research interests are in anthropology, I often get looks of confusion.  "Then why are you... ?" questions hang in the air.  The answer, "Because you're clueless," seems so obvious to the other person that they rarely formulate the question out loud.

That's probably a good thing most of the time, because I'm not sure I have a good answer most of the time.  When it comes to, "Then why are you writing?" I actually do have a good answer.  In fact, I have a lot of good answers.  Some of them are the obvious sort of appeal to an interest in the human experience.  Some of them are a little more precise.

One of the most important things to me about anthropology is the anthropological method, which has researchers moving from an outside observer's descriptive stand-point toward an insider's experiential perspective.  Both are important, and both most be included.

 

Another tenet of American anthropology, ever since the days of Franz Boas, has been relativism.  What that means for anthropology, especially in the theoretical vein known as historical particularism, is that every culture should be measured against its own ruler and understood on its own terms.  This does not preclude the researcher from holding personal value judgments at odds with that culture's ruler.  It simply means that, in a very real way, you put yourselves in the mental and cultural shoes of the folks you're trying to understand.

This anthropological approach has really come to define how I engage with people.  I try to move from the description and analysis that I can do on the outside to come closer to an understanding of their real experience.  That's nearly impossible to do with real people, one-on-one in the context of daily interaction.  One of the things that I get personally out of writing is a chance to do just this thing.  Developing characters in writing is my chance to take those external descriptives to create a model of a person and then I toss a narrative at them to get an idea of how they actually experience things.  It's one of the reasons why I've come to enjoy writing in the first person so much, and why I place such value on voice.

It's not really the same thing as doing anthropology, but it's close enough to get me by.

.Nevets.

The Searing of the Shire

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This post really has nothing to do with the searing of the shire, but at the end I'm going to announce the winners of some of the Hobbit's Birthday contests and so it just seemed like an appropriate wrap-up title.

Before that, though! Fellow author of psychological suspense and comrade in the darkness, Jennifer Hillier tagged me in a blog-post, and I thought it was about time I did one of these things again. So, here we go. Your chance to get to know the mind of Nevets.

19 Questions, and my 19 answers!


1). If you have pets, do you see them as animals, or are they members of the family?
I have a cat, and, of course she's an animal. In some ways she's also part of the family. In some ways, she's obviously not. I suppose I tend to insert myself into her kinship diagram more than I incorporate her into mine.

2). If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?
I don't prioritize one dream over another, really, and I live with the intent to do everything possible to realize all my dreams.

3). What is the one thing most hated by you?
People who sneak-attack the self-esteem of others and undermine their dreams and their belief in themselves.

4). What would you do with a billion dollars?
Move to a country house somewhere I wasn't allergic to. Live, write, support family members and friends.

5). What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?
The necessity to act on behalf of someone else.

6). Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
Something about this question bothers or annoys me.

7). What is your bedtime routine?
Shower, brush my teeth, annoy my wife while she's making the bed, maybe read a little.

8). If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?
I met my wife through a mutual friend. I had recently sworn off women. Rose had recently sworn off mine. Our friend said, "Hey, you've gotta meet. You'll love each other!" We did. :)

9). If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?
The creative process of other people really, really, really bores me to tears.

10). What kinds of books do you read?
Thrillers, mysteries, sci fi, fantasy, wu xia, historical fiction, westerns, literary fiction, and others. And that's just the fiction.

11). How would you see yourself in ten years time?
If I think to much about this I'll get ill. So I'm gonna pass.

12). What's your fear?
Well, I already opened this can of worms elsewhere today, so I'll try to avoid a repeat fiasco, and just say, "living an unfulfilled life without having met my purpose, whatever that may be."

13). Would you give up all the junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit space?
I don't do questions that hypothetical. They don't make any sense to me.

14). Would you rather be single and rich, or married and poor?
Married and whatever. What with loving my wife and all.

15). What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
Feed the cat...

16). If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner, what would it be?
Pfft. For those of you are still single, here's some advice: find someone you love because of, not in spite of.

17). If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?
I'll let you know after Yat-Yee's had some time to cook something up for me.

18). Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?
I'll forgive just about anything. I can't forget anything at all, no matter how much I may want to.

19). If you could only eat one thing for the next six months, what would it be?
Speaking of hypothetical questions that don't make any sense to me....

haha

So now that I've spoiled the fun of the tag by being a curmudgeon, here's some news about prizes!

The winner of the signed copy of my story, "I Need this," the piece that got me into Notes from Underground is Jennifer Hillier! Jennifer, e-mail me your address, and I will get this out to you!

The winner of her choice of either Tim Stretton's Dog of the North or R. N. Morris' A Razor Wrapped in Silk is... Misha! Misha, take a look at the books and then send me an e-mail at c dot n dot nevets at gmail dot com, letting me know your choice and whether you want a print a copy or an eBook and then we'll work out the details on getting it to you!

Now, don't forget! You have until tomorrow to add me as a friend on Facebook maybe a week or two to comment on author profile pieces for the remaining two contests.

.Nevets.

When The Invincible System Breaks Down

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Ruins
photo by Aisog

I've talked before on the blog about one of my favorite benefits from outlining, even the coarse and vague way I do it: I'm not dependent on being in a zone or in a particular mood to write.  I have the guideline there,  so if I don't "feel it," it doesn't matter. I can just sit down and discipline myself to write.

As much as I'd like to think this makes my writing invincible, it is not so.

Like any other offer, there are the "ordinary" challenges of time, energy, and and health, all of which can wreak havoc upon the ability to properly chase a project.  More than those, though, what makes my writing really start to become a shore is when my own emotions are strong are conflicted.

I've written many times about how I approach writing by getting into character and more or less roleplaying them or acting them out on paper.  It's great for voice, development, and reader experience.  But when my own emotions battling for my attention, it's much more difficult to be able to drown them out with my characters.

This is something that I have to work on.  Right now, Sublimation is very close to being finished, but I'm really struggling with the middle of the end.  The end is written.  The beginning and middle are written.  The middle of the end is a jumbled up skeleton.  And getting it into shape is really a beat right now, because of the "intrusion" of my outside life.

Once I have a book contract, that's not going to fly.  While I do respond well to deadlines, it will require some major tinkering with my internal writing process.  After all, you don't tell your publisher, "Sorry, things at the day job are weighing me down, and there's some other stuff going on that I'm trying to sort through."  It's not an option.  Professionals push through and perform anyway.

I'm not yet sure how to make it work, how to find that switch when a psychological fog prevents me from seeing it clearly.

But I'll try to distill my experience down to some takeaways that you might think about.

• No matter what your system or approach, it will break down sometimes.  Every writer needs to be aware of this, and every professional writer needs to have a way to manage their writing projects when it happens.
• It's not easy to treat your writing like a job when you have another job.  We all know this, but I think sometimes it's also an elephant in the room, like we're ashamed to admit it's a struggle.  Well, it is a struggle, and there's no point in acting tough about it.
• Just as you should never depend on external motivators and evaluators for your writing, you can't depend entirely on internal strength either, for it comes and goes.  At some point, something else may have to pull you through, if it's truly important that you get through.

What do you guys think?  What do you do when when your invincible system breaks down?  When your immortal muse gets its head lopped off?

.Nevets.

Soundtrack for writing this post provided by Queen.

Take Your Manuscript and Spray It with Cologne or Perfume. Right Now.

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I'm not joking.  Spray your manuscript with cologne.  And I don't mean you need to do it because it stinks.  I mean you need to it, because it's part of good writing.  What am I talking about?  Read on, my friends, read on.

I think a lot about how the human mind works.  (Some say too much. lol)  But over the years I've learned something that, for many, seems counterintuitive.  When I was growing up, I was pretty close to another kid who had pretty severe ADD, before it was super-trendy.  He used to tell me that the only way he could concentrate on his homework was to have music on, and that never made sense to me.  Wouldn't that be another distraction?

Well, over the years I've learned something about my own mind.  I don't have ADD, but I have some sensory issues that make me easily overwhelmed.  Clutter is stultifying to me, groups people oppressive, and jarring or repetitive noises (even when quiet) are literally painful.  I've found ways over the years of managing a lot of that, but I never understood why a couple of my tricks were helpful.

One thing that helps me when I'm in a crowd, like out and about, is if I'm listening to music in headphones.  Not necessarily so loud I can't hear the people I'm with, but loud enough that I can clearly hear it.  Why would that help?  It's more noise!  Ridiculous!

Another thing that helps is scent.  Burning incense.  Wearing a bit cologne.  Nothing overwhelming, but something that stands out that I can smell.  And what does that have to do with anything else?

Then one day I realized some others I do, subconsciously, to help manage those situations, and it finally dawned on me.  By giving myself one, single sensory input that's stronger than the others, I'm giving my brain something to focus on, rather than splitting its focus, and suddenly the other things that are around not only are "quieter" but are more manageable.  The strong sensory input takes the lead portion of my brain, so there's no more competition for that spot.  The brain is then more free to process the rest and prioritize appropriately.

Here's where we get the writing part.

I've always sort of understood the idea of anchors in writing.  Of needing to help ground your readers so that they don't feel like they're just floating around in your narrative.  An unanchored reader feels a bit lost and bit aimless.

I got that intellectually years ago.

But it wasn't until I figured out this sensory stuff that it truly clicked with me what that anchoring stuff is all about.  It's about giving the reader a focal point or something that draws them through the narrative or through the passage.  It's about bringing something to the forefront to help give the reader's brain a chance to process and prioritize everything else.

Often times, these anchors are the things that seem unnecessary.  Rich settings.  Props in characters' hands.  Objects in the space.  The weather.  The smells.  Sounds.  Writers often want to cut them out when they get in slash-and-tighten mode.  Anchors don't always seem to advance plot or character development.  And if they don't do that they need to go, right?

Well, I hardly need to wear a little cologne to get through my day in a literal sense.  I don't need to burn incense to write technically.  Wearing headphones in the mall doesn't contribute to my shopping or socializing experience.

So wrong.

Their contribution is not to the direct activity.  Their contribution is toward my ability to effectively engage in the activities.  Just  as your anchors may not contribute directly to your character development or to the advancement of your plot, but they are essential parts of helping your reader engage with your narrative in an effective way.

So take out that manuscript and spray it with a little cologne.

.Nevets.

Ease Your Aching Head with 20 Nevets Tidbits

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There have been a lot of brain-bending posts on Nevets.QST the past week or so, so let's lighten the mood a little.  Fortunately, two of my favorite blog regulars, Golden Eagle xiaojie and Summer Ross, gave me the perfect distraction: blog awards!  I don't normally do these, but I thoroughly enjoy the active, lively participation G'Eagle and Summer always have here, and I find them both engaging and intelligent, so I very much appreciate their thinking of me.  Plus, I figured it would be a great opportunity to change up the pace a little.

So, thanks, G'Eagle and Summer for the Honest Scrap award!  In response to this award, I'm supposed to offer up 10 honest tidbits about myself.  Since I got the award twice, I'll do twenty.  Shazam!

In order that they pop into my head...

1. Loved the TV show M*A*S*H* so much growing up that I always wanted to be over there during the Korean war as a field medic.  Now I volunteer with the local EMS ambulance.
2. I love language, and would probably be proficient in several by now if I were disciplined enough to focus on learning one at a time.  I think my all time favorite language is Mandarin Chinese both to hear and to speak.
3. I play rudimentary guitar pretty soundly and when my asthma is in check I can sing okay-ish.  These skills are the foundation on which I've written 80 to 150 songs.
4. There is no overestimating my fascination with Asian martial arts.  I have taken some aikido and wish there was somewhere near here I could take more.
5. I have done archaeology in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa, Alaska, and Mexico.
6. When I did forensic anthropology, I was known for my willingness to get in the muck and dig in.  My picture is on the wall in my old lab, covered in mud and goo in the back of a formerly submerged car, retrieving remains.
7. I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for two years -- and I still don't know how to ski.  At all.
8. My wife's step-mom works at a ski resort in Northern Michigan -- and I still don't know how to ski.  At all.
9. I cook the same way I write: blind instinct and dumb luck.  It usually works out.  When it doesn't, I think I'm more depressed than when my writing fails.
10. Coffee.
11. I once created a The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe board game.
12. I also once created a Dark Crystal board game and a The Dirty Dozen role-playing game.
13. The book that inspired me to write my first novel when I was around twelve was Louis L'Amour's Jubal Sackett.  I remember being struck by the mixture of philosophy and adventure, of action and human interest, and of personality and rich setting.  That novel was Crow, a ~20 page single-space Western.
14. The most-played genres in my iTunes library are Bhangra, rap from 1988-1991, alt.folk, folk rock, emo, and progressive classic rock.
15. The first song that turned me onto the wonders of indie music was, "Do not Feed the Oyster" by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks."
16. Onions.
17. My favorite science fiction shows are Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
18. I can ski better than I can dance.
19. If I had my druthers, I would live in a tropical rainforest, the American or Canadian west, or a tropical island.
20. I miss the smell of the darkroom and the intimacy of talking to people on the radio.

And there you have me. :)

Since I don't really do the usual award scene, I don't feel comfortable handing it out back, but anyone who's commented on Nevets.QST should feel encouraged to post up 10 tibidts of their own.  Sometimes it's good to take a break from the headaches.

.Nevets.