Tag: Terrence

The Lily Pads of Progress

When my frog-like brain fails to catch any flies of inspiration, attracted by the literary stench of my current writing project, I can typically hop to another creative lily pad to get a fresh start, and my brain will miraculously fill with flies again.

That’s the secret to my success.

If you will permit me, I would like to introduce you to a few of my favorite pads.

I already mentioned my toyed-with Animal Farm ‘reboot’ in a recent post.

There is also a pure parody romance novella taking shape, featuring a likely pairing of a supermodel and an outlaw drifter.

But my principal goal is to write a series of amusing farcical novels about a character named Terrence Winkworth. They will be quick, feel-good reads (even though poor Terrence suffers some indignities along his journey).

The first Terrence novel is An Aspiration to Lie Flat, completed and going to market shortly. It introduces the recurring cast of characters and establishes their relationships.

The second Terrence novel is titled Travel Is A Bad Idea. Asked to attend a college friend’s wedding in Mumbai, Terrence takes ‘getting lost’ to a whole new level.

The third Terrence novel is ‘In Development,’ meaning ‘Stanton has some ideas.’

One of those ideas is this little sketch of a scene. For context, Reggie is standing in a doorway addressing Terrence.

——

“I wrote her a poem. I’m going to send it to her.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Reggie? Maybe you should reconsider. I don’t think women find men who write poems appealing, or at least they haven’t for the past century or so.”

“No! This poem’s different. Let me read it to you. You’ll see.”

He was using his body to block my path. There was no escape.

Reggie cleared his throat and looked at the screen in his hand, studying the poem one final time.

“It’s called ‘Her,’” he announced. “Are you ready?”

I nodded grimly.

“Plunk, plunk go the pebbles
Into the pool of my heart
Tiny waves of longing
Lap against the shores of my soul.”

Dear God! Absolutely not. It was appalling. There was no way I was sitting through the rest.

“Reggie, I just remembered…” I began.

Lost in his art, Reggie plowed on.

“A gentle breeze of knowing
Sweeps the tortured valleys within
Guiding me along the softened path
Because I miss her.”

He looked up expectantly.

It was as awkward a moment as I had ever experienced. Why didn’t life come with a little thumbs-down button one could press before walking quietly away?

“It’s really…good,” I said with the mildest enthusiasm, taking care not to appear so effusive as to encourage an encore.

Intro to Terrence 101

As the first in what I hope will be a series of Terrence books nears release, I thought I would introduce the main character, or at least reveal the manner in which I think about him.

Terrence is a character who struggles mightily against being forced to have any sort of arc in his stories, let alone having some sort of ‘growth’ imposed on him by a know-it-all author. He only wants a quiet life where no one is trying to control him.

Terrence’s burning desire for solitude is an isolationist instinct we all likely feel, to varying degrees, at different times. But in Terrence, it’s all-consuming.

Terrence can act in ethically dubious ways, but he is certainly not a malevolent character. Without giving away spoilers, he knows he isn’t really getting people into lasting trouble beyond inconvenience when he (infrequently) acts dishonorably. Ultimately, I think he demonstrates that he cares about people (if rarely in their presence, which would be too awkward). He would simply rather they go happily prosper somewhere else.

He doesn’t have the effortless cheer or sociality of a Bertie Wooster, but then his life is much more difficult. Wodehouse’s collection of meddling aunts didn’t have a legal system they could manipulate to further their ends.

——

I launch the series in the full knowledge that readers are likely to believe I’m Terrence. And, to a certain degree, I will confess that I am.

But sometimes I’m Darren. Sometimes I’m Reggie. Sometimes I’m Emily.

(Darren, Reggie, and Emily are all characters in Terrence’s universe. We’re only talking fiction here, people. I’m not ‘one tough day away’ from posting about having multiple personalities on social media. I want to make that clear, before rumors inevitably begin.)

I try to step into my characters’ heads when I imagine scenes, especially when I’m writing dialogue. And I find it easier to identify with a character whose traits I share. For example, I don’t particularly identify with Jim. So Jim is laconic, which fits the character and makes my life easier. (And surely that’s our shared goal: a happier Stanton.)

So the ease with which I write a character like Terrence, who eschews interpersonal connection, is perhaps revelatory, even mildly alarming. But it may simply derive from spending time writing anything longer than a short story in Terrence’s world. Having him on the brain for long periods of time…it warps you.

An Aspiration to Lie Flat launches April 1. 

Book cover

Seriously.