What's Elizabeth Reading? ...Leo Tolstoy

Leo himself. Pretty intense beard.

(Note: This post was written less than an hour after finishing Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. My mind was still reeling a bit.)

I have finished reading Anna Karenina and am left feeling overwhelmed by its scope, its ideas and how intertwined it is with other literature I had not previously associated with it.

I almost need to sit down and read it all again for the sake of digestion, but the first run-through took around nine months and I don't know that I want to spend that much more time on it at present. So instead, I did some reading online of others' analyses and am going to use this post to think aloud.

I spent the bulk of this book wondering what it was about. Leo Tolstoy has so many characters and storylines that I could tell he had a message to convey more than a story to tell. Luckily, he took his time getting there and so it felt like a story instead of a philosophy text.

I know, I just said it is lucky it was so long. In his defense, it came out serially. If you get a few bites at a time and don't see the whole feast, you wouldn't be bowled over by it. It was meant to be read slowly.

Tolstoy addresses several themes throughout the book, and many of them would have been easier to understand were I aware of the current events and debates of the time. He wrote this for a contemporary audience and got political with it. Authors these days do it too, but you don't notice because you are living in the same world as that author.

There are some universal themes, however, most notably marriage and the aristocratic lifestyle. By "theme," I mean he is speaking to a topic without any particular message in mind. This book contains a marriage where the woman is cheated on and stays, a marriage where the man is cheated on and stays, a marriage where the spouses separate without divorcing, a new marriage, a marriage with children involved, an unwedded relationship with one child who is neglected, a healthy marriage, a man with a prostitute for a mistress, and others. Tolstoy doesn't say what is best, but he does have his characters reflect on their marriage situation. That is what I mean by theme.

His message, on the other hand, the one that transcends the era and place Tolstoy lived in, is revealed in the final pages of the book. I think I would have understood better had I known the message from the start and been able to read in light of it.

That said, I give you Tolstoy's message.

"Fyodor says that Kirillov lives for his belly. That's comprehensible and rational. All of us as rational beings can't do anything else but live for our belly. And all of a sudden the same Fyodor says that one mustn't live for one's belly, but must live for truth, for God, and at a hint I understand him! And I and millions of men, men who lived ages ago and men living now—peasants, the poor in spirit and the learned, who have thought and written about it, in their obscure words saying the same thing—we are all agreed about this one thing: what we must live for and what is good. ...

Now I say that I know the meaning of my life: 'To live for God, for my soul.'"

Anna Karenina is a book about why. This universal question is the reason that despite the then-contemporary references and exceedingly high page count, it is a classic that is still read today.

You could teach an entire college writing class solely on Anna Karenina, and there is so much of it I don't even know what writing lesson I would pull for you. Here is one, though: If you are trying to be philosophical in your fiction, take your time. If your philosophical idea is good enough, it will be worth the pages it takes to get it across through story.

I've been thinking about musicals

I've been thinking about musicals lately and how they work. Most importantly, is there a written equivalent to a "show tune" in prose?

I did some research and found this great essay by Dr. Larry A. Brown of Lipscomb University (I think). He identified the key characteristics of songs in a musical. My thinking is that maybe if prose writers incorporate these characteristics, they have given their work the equivalent of a song. Maybe? Let's look into it.

"My Fair Lady" - my favorite musical.

1. Story has priority. Dr. Brown suggests that songs are not there to usurp the plot, but to hold it up. In prose writing, or in poetry, you could equate this to not letting your writing get in the way of the story. Flowery writing does this just as much as awkward or confusing writing.

2. Opening numbers establish mood and setting. This translates into "Use your beginning to evoke an atmosphere for your book/poem." There is always a lot of focus on the first sentence, but perhaps we should expand that to the first paragraph, or even the first couple sentences.

3. Collaborators work to achieve smooth transitions from script to music. A lot of the time, it grows naturally from the dialogue that is already there. So in writing, allow emotion to expand dialogue. This can be more than just choosing the words that fit the situation; make the words sound like the emotion. Put assonance and alliteration to work. I'm thinking of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." Read this aloud and see if you can hear the raven:

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

The consonants give us a hard sound that almost literally taps in "tapping," "rapping" and "muttered." Notice that the last line in this quote has no hard sounds. It sounds sleepy in comparison. Tricks like this can be used in prose just as well as poetry.

This is another favorite of mine.

4. Songs should express the deepest thoughts and feelings of the characters at that moment, using the character's vernacular. Read: Express your characters' deep selves, but in a way they would say it. One of the joys of reading is being able to see the world from another's point of view and to see into that person. Note: Minimalists will say not to be obvious with this like musicals are. Maximalists would argue for drawn-out soliloquies about just how each character is feeling. Find the best middle ground for you.

5. The style of music relates closely to the specific lyrics. I could see this playing into setting--have your description of the setting match the mood you are trying to convey. Don't have it rain because your character is crying, unless they have some sort of weather magic or something, though. That's cheap. Instead, if your character is crying, bring out the grays and blues, focus on the sad memories associated with the props around them, or find some other way to describe things sadly. Give them some sad background music of words. If you want to read a brilliant setting description with emotion in it, read the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

6. Reprises are often used to show development of character. So put in a reprise. The usual approach to this in stories is to bring the character into the same situation all over again and see how they respond differently. You could also reprise an argument, put in a flashback that shows a difference in perspective, or bring your character into the same setting, one you've largely abandoned (then describe it a bit differently to show the character development).

7. Rather than choreography for its own sake, song and dance should tell a story through music and movement. In essence, make movement count. Why is your character moving? Does it advance the plot? The scene? Their development?

One other thing from Dr. Brown's essay I should mention is that "The addition of music to a standard play heightens emotion, reinforces dramatic action, evokes atmosphere and mood in ways that words alone cannot." Perhaps you should look at your current draft as the play and focus on these functions during a revision, making your next draft the musical version? Just an idea. Either way, try to prove him wrong about the words thing.

For more on musical analysis, if you're interested, check out this website.

Last of the "Writing Tools" notes - endings

Today, we discuss endings in honor of the last of the Writing Tools posts.

Roy Peter Clark notes that everything has an ending; sentences, paragraphs, sections, chapters and of course, books, all have endings. He divides them into types.

Closing the Circle

Poor girl.

This type of ending reminds the reader of the beginning. Country songs love to do this when it comes to sad songs, and in musicals, this is the refrain's job. I personally would have loved it if Frozen had done a refrain of the "I Want to Build a Snowman" song just after Anna sacrificed herself for Elsa. It would have added some nostalgia for their childhood, thus saying she wishes she could undo all those years. Someone put one together on YouTube and it would have worked beautifully in the movie. But oh well.

The Tieback

This is that moment in a story where you remember the seemingly insignificant tidbit the author threw in back in Chapter 4, and suddenly that tidbit is the key to the solution to whatever problem is plaguing the main character. For example, in Harry Potter where you realize that all along, the fact that Harry's eyes looking like his mother's actually means something.

This happens pretty often, especially in mysteries. The key to writing this sort of ending is having the key thrown in nonchalantly enough that your reader doesn't think much of it, but it needs to be memorable enough for them to remember it and get excited when things click for your main character.

The Time Frame

This is when a story ends because the time is up. This type of ending is classically used in coming-of-age stories, using a school year to shape the beginning and end of the book. Another example would be "Tuck Everlasting," which ends when the summer does (unless you count the jump to the future, when the family sees the grave, but that's more of an epilogue).

Since that particular competition, trial or school year had a definite conclusion in sight, that helps to give a time element throughout, increasing tension. Your characters are constantly facing the end. A Time Frame also provides easy closure. Hopefully you've thrown in other plot lines that are ending in other ways, all around that same time.

Not one of my favorites,
but definitely interesting.

The Space Frame

This is like the Time Frame, but instead of finishing something in time, it's when the characters reach the destination. Examples would include "Land Before Time," Life of Pi, and The Odyssey, though that last one does go on a bit longer. Still, his reaching the destination signals the end of his journey.

The Payoff

This is a satisfying ending--a reward, the revelation of a secret, or the solution to a mystery. Sherlock Holmes stories are completely built around this sort of ending. One doesn't read them to find out whether or not he can crack the case; one reads Sherlock Holmes to figure out how, and his debriefing at the end is the payoff.

Surprise and delight your reader if you are going for this type of ending. It's not as good of a read if it's not what you want or you could see it from chapters away, obviously.

The Epilogue

The purpose of an epilogue is to satisfy reader curiosity or set things up for the next book. I'm sure you're totally familiar with what these are, so I'm going to just move on.

Problem and Solution

After all, cats
are clean creatures.

This is self-explanatory. The character was faced with a problem -- How am I ever going to get this house clean before Mom comes home?! -- and the solution signals the end of the book -- Oh, look, a cat did all the cleaning just in time.

Most stories end this way in some form or another, since a conflict is built around a problem and it is resolved with a solution.

The Apt Quote

Essays, speeches and blog posts will end this way relatively often. As for stories, perhaps this translates into finishing off the story with dialogue:

"An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any o those things ... Atticus, he was real nice. ..."

"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them."

He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning. (To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, final lines)

This is what people use when they want to end with people thinking profound thoughts. I'm sure it can be used, and is used, to also finish with a laugh.

Look to the Future

This is when the author gives a hint of what may happen or when the author points toward the logical consequence of what just happened. It's like when a chick flick ends with a kiss. And almost every chick flick ends with a kiss. Whether you take that to mean they started dating or they got married is your own business.

Mobilize the Reader

This is a call to action, often seen, again, in essays, speeches or opinion articles (Op-eds). Can you do it in a story, too? Yes, especially a nonfiction one. Fiction doesn't tend to have a transparent agenda that makes a call to action an option. However, I did read one fiction book, The Poisonwood Bible, which tried this type of ending.

I hated it (and wrote a post to that effect). The book was great until she threw in her call to action.

The end of my Writing Tools posts. There's a whole lot more in the book, so if you felt like my notes were doing you good, maybe you should pick up a copy. (Name that type of ending!)

"Writing Tools" Notes - Who's on your team?

In Writing Tools, Roy Peter Clark brings up an interesting question: Who is in your writing support group?

He argues that every author has the following:

• a helper who keeps them going
• a helper who understands their idiosyncrasies
• a helper willing to answer their questions
• an expert helper to match the topic
• a helper who runs interference
• a coach who helps figure out what works and what needs work

Here, without their names, are the people who make up my writing support group. I gave it some thought, and though I don't have a support group like this at work, I do in my outside-of-work writing life.

Who keeps me going? I have a friend who writes a lot. Like, she writes thousands of words every day and never seems to run out. While many writers depend on NaNoWriMo for drive, I just have to look at what she's been up to and I get that kick in the rear I need to get writing and finish. The only problem is this friend lives in a different state; I'm sure I would do more writing if she lived in my basement.

Who understands me? My husband may roll his eyes, but he is used to me stopping to take a photo, grabbing his phone to text myself a note, or droning on and on about the book I'm reading and my analysis of it. He's known me since high school and has witnessed or heard about my method-authoring (such as when I had my sister gag me so I could accurately describe how it felt). He's even had himself quoted in my work and recognizes when I borrow pieces of him. He knows it's all inevitable and is supportive.

Who answers my questions? I suppose Google doesn't count? I actually tend to pepper one of my brothers with questions when I am brainstorming how things should work. He can apply logic to abstract thinking, so that makes him a good fit for when I ask questions like, "If you were to kill someone in such a way that you could capture their soul before it left the body, how would you do that?" If he isn't handy, I'll ask whoever is nearest. Be prepared.

What expert do I consult? That depends wholly on the topic, but I return to my Google suggestion. I have a nursing friend I consulted about a science fiction story having to do with anatomy; I asked my physics-minded husband about a science theory question I had for another story; I talked to a former coworker who does archery when I had a technical question to ask about it. I turn to whoever I know who would know the answer. This changes per story and per page, sometimes.

Who runs interference? The idea behind this one is someone who keeps everyone, including myself, from interrupting my writing time. I do not have a person like this and sorely could use one. If you want to apply, let me know.

Who helps me sort out the gems? This would be my sister-in-law right now. She's a reader, not a writer, which means she brings a different perspective to my work. She reads a lot and has good taste, and when she critiques my work, she gives honest feedback, both the positives and the negatives. On top of that, I trust her, which goes a long way in an editing relationship.

I'll end this post with a quote from Writing Tools. Don't undervalue any member of your team, no matter the part they play.

Talk to copy editors. Learn their names. Embrace them as fellow writers and lovers of language. Feed them chocolate.