Monday, April 05, 2010

More More More Novel in a Paragraph

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A word of explanation: I am writing a novel where short snippets will hopefully tell a story all by themselves but will also combine with other short snippets to reveal a deeper story. Here in my blog, perhaps once a week, I will share a few snippets, but in no sequence or logical order. That part comes much later.
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Virus
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First Casey researched “Malaysian women personality traits.” Yan and others had encouraged her curiosity when they asked if Catherine’s cruelty and indifference could be cultural. So Casey goggled the topic. She found an academic study that seemed to be exactly what she wanted to know, but it turned out only to be a study about the study. She tried again. The next click appeared to match her search almost perfectly. She read two paragraphs that explained at an eighth grade reading level that most Malaysian women faithfully care for their marriages, their children, their households. They allow their husbands the freedom to spend as much time as they want with their friends, they are willing and available sexual partners.
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It was not until Casey reached the third paragraph that she understood that this was not research at all but a wife matching site; a modern mail order bride catalogue. She clicked out, ready to try again. At that same moment a red box appeared at the bottom of the screen that said ‘Urgent! You are infested with the Trojan 32 virus. You need urgent help. Your records and your passwords are at great risk.”
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One day and $ 89 later, the virus had been purged and purity restored. Casey sat on the red couch, acknowledging the irony. “Catherine,” she thought, “are you telling me to butt out of your history as well as your life?” Casey chuckled,“You’ve taken care of the life part, girl, but I need to find out more about why and how you became so important to me.You're gone, but I’m still here, and I need to know what's at the root of all this. I’m looking for the truth, not your revisionist version of it."
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Casey chuckled again. “So please for once, Catherine, give me a break and cool it with the fucking viruses.”

18 comments:

  1. kj,

    Go back to my blog.....now......I order you! LOL!!! :D

    XXOO!!
    Anne

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  2. First-Smooches right back at you.
    Second-Great writing, but for me I have let go of the need to KNOW why people do what they do, because it does not change it and it is mostly a waste of time :-).
    So to Casey-Move on girl.
    xoxo

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  3. I am with you about trying to find out why people do what they do; without that knowledge one cannot be either forewarned or forearmed.

    As Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra said: "Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory" Once one can learn motivations it becomes much easier to detect the warning signs, otherwise to me it is condemning myself to living in insanity, as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. There is an old saying about "once you burn yourself with milk, just by seeing the cow you cry". Once you know where the fault lies all you have to do is to avoid it.

    Learning is power, particularly in situations like Casey's. Keep on digging, that is what psychiatry is all about. Finding the truth among the ruins.

    Hugs from here.

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  4. Haha .. I'm glad it wasn't a 'real' site. Who knows why people do what they do . . there's nout stranger than folk!

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  5. there is a lot in this short bit. for example, is there a lesson in or reason for Casey catching a virus as she obsessively hunts for the truth? Secondly, although in my real life I agree w/Annie that I have to let go of the need to know why people do what they do. As a writer, it is the opposite. As a writer i feel (or felt when I did write) it was my job to probe people's psyches and motivations and to delve into where they were coming from and how that affected the other characters. For me, all my characters were a meld of my imagination and any number of real people glommed together and the characters i created we often created to try to figure out events or people that puzzled me.

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  6. i agree with annie, i can only control what i do. and keep remembering the impermance of everything. however, it makes for interesting conversations in reading dear kj.

    xoxo lori

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  7. i forgot to say, i wonder where this paragraph will fit in the eventual story? :)

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  8. Nice piece of writing here kj :)

    If we understand ourselves we in turn have a better understanding of others... after all we are much more alike than we are different.

    love to you
    Robyn xx

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  9. anne, hilarious!

    annie, i think it's a waste of time at some point but sometimes it helps to try to make sense of things that don't seem to make sense. :)

    allegra, the writer in me thanks you loudly! :)

    baino, tsup! my dear friend.

    suki, you've nailed this. i only hope i do justice to each of these characters. xoxo

    lori, i don't like impermanence. i prefer loyalty! that said, of course you make a good point!

    lori, i have no idea. i thought the paragraph was/is comical so i'm enjoying the reactions here. xoxo

    robyn, yes. stephen covey: understand before seeking to be understood..... ♥

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  10. Casey, unwilling to walk away is not so much searching for reasons me thinks but rather ways to get Catherine back. Understanding your opponent is the first rule in attaining victory in both love and battles.

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  11. RE: The AWARD (from hell, I think...)

    Hi kj,

    Oh dear......here we go again.
    (sigh!)
    Well, we can't send fire-ants to Pam because she might get the housecleaning robot, so this is suck-it-up time.
    I'm going to have to put you two girls in a room to duke it out.
    Or maybe I should contact the WWE and we could arrange a steel cage match, and all of us make some $$$$ off this!!! I think that is better than Fire-Ants.
    I can manage you, Deb can manage Pam. We split the profits.....

    LOL!!!! LOL!!!!

    XXOO!!
    Anne

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  12. 'only the shadow knows...' ;)

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  13. Some of us grieve by shutting a door firmly on the past, others by trying to find all the information they can to make some sense of the loss. I think you fall into the seeker category, as do I.

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  14. This is a very interesting discussion, kj! In life, I would not spend very much time at all trying to figure out the motivation and history of someone who hurt me like Catherine did Casey. I would spend some time thinking about my own part in the drama, of course, and try to learn from that, but I am the original "life is short, so it's time to move on!" gal. :) In writing, I would be sitting next to Casey, having a long chat about about her, and digging for those nuggets that make characters feel 'real'. Right now, I am wondering why Casey is so obsessed with this? Why is it so important to her? So well done, Ms. Writer! You have caused my curiosity antennae to twitch! xox

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  15. mark, please come closer so i can give you a little hug. ah, ambivalence....

    anne, my dignity cannot allow a match in a cage. i am going to embrace pam et all instead. that is my new plan. please hold on to the fireants in case :)

    wolfie! it is so nice to hear from you! thank you. that shadow knows too much! :)

    cs, yes, there we are. somethings are as matter of fact as the shape of one's nose. i must be a writer and a counselor in some part because i am a seeker. and i am glad you walk that same path. i like your company. xo

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  16. pam, i am jumping with joy over your comment! thank you for this HUGE compliment, because the why of the cruelty and the why of the obsession are what this novel is about. actually, i can't wait to find out myself, which as you know is a great place for a writer to be. thank you, pam. this is better than a sunshine award. tsup!

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  17. "So Catherine, for once, give me a break..."
    Sounds to me like Casey's getting stronger and trying to move on. I understand the seeker in you though, wanting to know why even though it won't change the outcome.
    Sometimes though, the only answer is a simple "because."
    If we were 4 years old or maybe five or eight (;)) we'd say "because why?"

    I love what walking Man said...and CS ;)

    Love you! I'll call you later. Emma had a seizure this morning and it changed my day :(

    xoxo

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  18. lo, i have the best blog friends and visitors. every comment is so precious and wise!

    later, aligator ♥

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