What I Learned About Character Development, I Learned from Joss Whedon

True story. I was thinking about character development  and how instrumental it is to my process and in my reading of books. My work tends to be more character driven (what often describes literary) and not as plot driven (what often describes genre), though, depending on the story, the two intersect a lot.

And while I read a lot and have read a lot in my younger days I also realized that television has had a big impact on my writing style.

It was after watching The Avengers and soon after the full season of the much too short-lived Firefly that I returned to doing (really contemplating doing) revisions on my YA novel that I sat still and looked up and (internally) said "Holy crap." I had just realized that much of what I'd learned about character development hadn't just come from books but came from a very specific place. And that place is a little show you may have heard of (especially for my generation) called Buffy.

YES. Buffy. Buffy was my LIFE. It was one of the reasons I had to have a television. I barely watch TV now. But then, it was imperative that me and my best buddy at the time call each other at 7:59pm on the dot and watch Buffy, in silence, and then discuss what happened over the commercial break.

Discussion often went like this in clipped sentences: Can you believe who died? I bet she's not really dead. Who's evil? Who's good? He's not going to college? He's getting his own show! Who's this douchebag she's dating? No...way...he's a werewolf?! Alternate dimensions! How creepy are The Gentleman? Wiccans!

When the show started (and ended) Buffy and I were the same age, so we hit our highs and lows together. She was a new student at a new school. (Been there.) She felt out of place. (Been there.) But she was also a good a** kicking female. (Not quite there yet but I do have some attitude, or at least I'm told.) She made friends and those friends (Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Angel) were distinctive through their funny and/or acerbic dialogue and their own character arcs. The show was called Buffy the Vampire Slayer but it really was an ensemble (just like Angel would be and would become a Whedon trademark in general). There was adult intervention (thanks to Buffy's mom and Giles) and fantasy elements and it all worked so well yet felt realistic. And that was because of the characters. Even when fighting other-worldly beings the cast had the same issues we all did, just add the horrors of dating, of insecurity, of not knowing your path to the fact that they went to school on the Hell Mouth and faced an almost-apocalypse every week.

Whedon had written the Buffy movie, which I liked, but in the Buffy series I found fully layered characters, plot arcs that bonded both the realistic and the fantastical with the fantasy elements often serving as a metaphor for life.

As the show moved forward it gained more depth and poignancy. And as Buffy moved through high school, so did I. As she went to her first year of college, I did too. There was the point of first loves. Lost loves. Feeling like you'll never find love again. Losing parents and friends and not knowing what to do with your life. Being burdened with new responsibilities and feeling like you couldn't handle it. Man, oh, man, oh man.

Some episodes that still stick out to me to this day are:

Please note if you haven't watched any episodes of Buffy (and I'm not sure why you haven't yet) you may want to stop reading here so you don't hit spoilers.

• "Innocence" (season 2) - The night after Buffy loses her virginity to Angel he turns to an evil douche. Cue metaphor! How many times has a person, especially a young lady, trusted a guy only to have him do a complete U-turn on her after getting what he wanted? This isn't just a teen thing but a human thing and seeing Buffy's realization that the man she loves is not that person anymore is heartbreaking to a point that it doesn't matter he's a vampire or not, the realness of it is palpable.
• "Ted" (season 2) - A staple for me because it showed a very great performance by the late John Ritter. Since her parents divorce Buffy was fine with it being just her and Mom and then all the sudden this dude Ted shows up outta nowhere. And he seems too good to be true. In usual teen angst style she's opposed to the new addition already seeing him as bad and getting a nice once over from everyone else who sees Ted as a good guy. This won't be the only time Buffy is dealing with paranoia and wonder "Maybe I'm not giving him a chance." That is until... Again, here we get something relatable with outer-worldly elements or the sci-fi nature with a robotic guy who wants to have the perfect family and will try to live forever in search of it and Buffy who wants to keep what she has intact because she's suspicious of everyone. As a New Yorker, I get that. And as a daughter of a single mom, I got liking the two lady dynamic and not wanting any testosterone intervention. We ladies? We run this!
• "Normal Again" (season 6) - Well, the last couple seasons were a doozy and Buffy went through A LOT in them. So in this episode it's more about dealing with the stresses of life. What do you choose? The life you prefer or the one you have? Who do you help? What's real and not real? It's all so intricately woven together in a way that you start to believe the whole show is unreliable and you can understand both Buffy's want to disown the "fantasy" life she has as a slayer and embrace one that would allow her to be "normal" for once. Who doesn't want that? And after several seasons of following her life and her pain and wins you kind of want closure for Buffy also, but in the end you understand her ultimate decision. A great episode dealing with internal conflicts manifested as a big old demon.
• "Entropy" (season 6) - Anya, a secondary character, was a vengeance demon turned human and goes back to her roots. Bitter and hurt to a point of no return she wants to get revenge on the man that hurt her. When Anya was introduced the vengeance demon thing was cool sounding, still is. They preyed on the hurt and got them to make wishes and give them powers. It was great. And then Anya became one of the Scooby gang and she was short and to-the-point filling a gap left by the equally brutally honest Cordelia and became a friend. And then, well, pain makes you do bad things. But again, taking these fantasy elements and putting forth what our biggest wish would be "To hurt those who've hurt us" and whether or not we'd make the choice is a tried-and-true question of morality and also consciousness. Again, I could understand the choices Anya made whether positive or negative.
• "The Replacement" (season 5) - My man Xander is split in two. One of him contains all his desirable and strong traits and the other his less desirable traits. And guess which one is better at life? Weak Xander watches Strong Xander succeed and is jealous of his own self. Yet, he's not incapable of doing these things because this guy is him after all. Sound familiar? I know I've been jealous/envious of friends who've succeeded and realized that there was just as much potential in myself to do the same. You just needed that fire to push you to DO those things. And when Xander sees the woman he loves charmed by his alternate self he finally steps into action. Character growth through forced events making him/her see what they really are capable of.

But even beyond these moments where the bigger story has a kind of Boom! Bang! Pow! momentum to the action there are quieter ones too like at the end of "Potential" when Xander notices that Buffy's sister Dawn is feeling out of the loop and group because she doesn't have powers and he can relate to her on that level. Or in "The Body" where Buffy loses her mom and much of the episode is just dealing with that loss on a human level. These are elements of a show that takes a break from that fantastical or science fictiony bits and just relates to you as a person and continues to do so throughout every episode, every season.

So yeah, I learned a lot from that show and it hit me about a decade after it left the air and years after I'd seen an episode. Yet, in reading summaries I am reminded of character development, evolution of self, and the writing and experimentation that catered to making these characters people you'd want to fight for and fight with. And when I go back to my revisions for my YA project I'll keep that in mind with every word and scene to make sure that these people I created could make even the smallest difference in their world and for a potential reader.

In summary, thanks Joss Whedon and the writers of Buffy. Keep up the good work. No pressure.

Residency 2013: @BrushCreekArts Overall

This is an overdue post. And for that I apologize. Reality hit me smack-in-the-face as soon as I landed back in NYC with the humidity enveloping me after being in a WY hailstorm just several hours prior. And being atop a mountain means rain turns to snow, people. Snow in May. Yup. So what sums up my thoughts on Brush Creek? Peaceful. QUIET. Calm. Comfortable. Yes. What I may have missed out at Ragdale I had at Brush Creek. So, as I am prone to do. Let me break it down for you:

PROS

Space

For the writers this is spacious and warm. Mine was designed more for comfort while I feel like the Rancher's Daughter studio beside me was a bit more stylish. Either way I really liked both spaces as they were twice the size of Jentel (which was lovely and cozy) and separate from my room unlike Ragdale. Each writer's studio equipped with extra chairs (each studio had a La-Z-Boy), a couch, I had bongos for some reason, and lots of pillows, lighting, and a blanket. It was definitely cozy and if I could have or had more time I probably would've napped in there at some point.

The visual artists studios are a bit smaller than ones I have seen. Lighting comes in straight through the glass doors in the front and via some windows higher up that you'd need a ladder to reach for on the other side. They are spacious but again, not as big as I've seen visual artists work in at other studios.

The composers have houses! The Schoolhouse is massive and was a school house so it has several rows of pews and a stage. Armstrong studio has a piano and a good amount of space for a couch and fit several people in for a jam session so I'd say that's a nice space in and of itself.

The resident rooms were small, not really meant for lounging, but more as a place for rest and storage. But the bed was super comfy (foam) and the bathroom spacious. You get a robe and several sets of towels and cute toiletries. You have a big dresser and area to hang items with wooden hangers and a nice spot for your shoes/boots. There's a lot of light and a heater/air conditioner and it is QUIET. Everyone is respectful of being quiet once back in their room and you cannot hear sounds from the other studios. The housekeeping ladies are the sweetest and clean every Monday morning and they do a phenomenal job. Love them to bits.

The artists lounge is a bit small in terms of the library and computer area but very cozy as I read in there a bit. The library is still being built so feel free to add to it and send donated items! There are also games and some more additions we made when we went to a couple rummage sales on Saturday in the town of Saratoga. The kitchen is great but not well stocked in terms of cooking items since you're meant to reheat more than cook but this may get fully stocked as time goes on and if things change.

Out and About

Hiking you can do in abundance here. And not just hiking along a road but on trails, on roads too, but going to see land and nature and animals! Mainly moose, deer, and dogs, but still nature!

Also you can use the facilities at the main lodge. Colette and I tended to go to the gym every few days and once Jim started us in on the game room Hoop Fever and Buck Hunt became staples in our routine when we needed to get out and were restless. Plus, unlimited Gatorade in the game room!

CONS

Wifi

You have to log into the open access internet once every 24 hours which can be burdensome and irritating if you're using the internet steadily in that it'll conk out on you in the middle of something. Also range isn't the best, mainly suitable in your studio but not as great in your room if you can even get access on your computer/devices.

Culinary Delights?

As I may have mentioned, the food was mighty lackluster. And if you're a vegetarian be forewarned that the kitchen staff didn't seem to comprehend that there's a vast amount of things you can make for vegetarians outside of salad, quickly fried tofu, and pasta/pizza. A lot of times one of the other residents off-set the vegetarian items with leftovers and store bought items to appeal to the vegetarians who did not get as much protein as necessary.

In addition to that it seems that the variety of food doesn't improve for artists unless guests are present. Which is sad. It seemed that we were an add on and not a focus so the food was often uninspired and not great. The desserts were standard fare once guests came but nothing outstanding. You know I'm a foodie so that is important. But dinner was often better than lunch which I ate twice out of the ten lunches I was provided because I got sick of sandwiches doused in mayonnaise with lettuce and tomato on plain white bread that was heavy and soggy when I received it--often sandwiches were made early in the morning (around 5 or 6am) and left out until delivered to us around noon.

Activity-less

I did not get to go on any activities as by the time this was all sorted I was on my way out. Residents are allowed one activity per two week stay and it was odd that it would not be until the guests arrived that we residents would be allowed to get in on their activities. Which just seemed weird. So by the time guests did come which was the 16th we were waiting to be told every morning of what activities were available and after three days it was just not a good way of communicating/organizing. The director tried her best but it seems there's a real disconnect between staff at the lounge and the artists camp and hopefully this'll be fixed with new leadership.

In Summary:

If I could take Linda, Ragdale chef, and bring her to Brush Creek and add in a bit less tension between staff and the Artists Camp this would've been ideal and on par with Jentel for me. Speaking with other residents who had gone to Jentel and were at Brush Creek with me we agreed, hands down, that Jentel is the best residency experience we've ever had.

Of course you shouldn't always compare things. Every conference, retreat, residency, everything has it's pros and cons. But for the fact that the staff of one director was super attentive and kind, add in the amazing amounts of quiet, the cool people, the atmosphere, the cleanliness (in my room at least), and the lack of bugs it was delightful. I got so much more done at Brush Creek and I enjoyed every moment. Food be damned, though that is a big point for me, I would go back to Brush Creek and definitely recommend it to others to apply to with the caveats above. I think knowing more about your residency location can help you be more productive rather than being surprised. So, as a new residency they did a really great job and I'd encourage others to go if not for the peace and quiet in itself.

Day Eleven at @BrushCreekArts

Yes, it's quite sad. I am nearing the end of another two week residency. Time flies much too fast for my taste and I've bonded with these amazingly talented and kind artists. It's weird being here for only two weeks while the others will stay on for another 10 days and other residents will fill in the space left by me and one of the composers/performers when we depart on May 20th. * sigh * Well, as I mentioned before I had nine things (9 points) I wanted to get done while here. And progress has been good. I have focused on one item a day for the most part, a couple extending to two days. My mornings have been more about sleeping late, going to the fitness center with one of the other residents, and/or hanging out. Initially I got work done in the mornings but that has transcended more to the afternoons mostly.

What I find funny is that I can get enough of what I need done in a few hours here with no other disruptions. But at home I have to set aside a whole day for myself to write. No hanging out or freelance work or anything else can interrupt that time at home. But here I can accomplish a good amount in 3-4 hours. Crazy.

It's funny the divide here. At Jentel everyone was so focused everyday it was like we went to work from 9a-5p and that was our routine. At Ragdale many tried the same thing but for some of us we got wrapped up in convo for hours during breakfast and/or lunch and after dinner. Here there are several of us who get work done on our own clock and that can be late at night or early in the morning or in the afternoon. I find that in the evening I am spent and may just talk to other artists over a drink or camp fire.

So how's it been here at Brush Creek? The weather has been chilly and warm. This past week was more warm than anything but changed on a dime once hump day came along.

Much like Jentel Presents Brush Creek also has a reading/presentation with the visiting artists. This happened on Tuesday night at the Saratoga Community Center and was super cool. Those that visited were very attentive and kind and turns out that Saratoga/Laramie has a booming artist community. They were sweet and kind and spoke with us at length about what they're working on being excited to meet other artists outside of WY. I was invited to one of the local writing groups that meet every other week and sadly had to decline since I'm leaving soon. The whole presentation enforces the idea of artists helping other artists and really encourages them to pursue it. An older man had told me that while criticism could hurt it was helpful and I couldn't agree more.

What else can I say? The food is mighty lackluster here. We get fed by the chefs at the Brush Creek Lodge and it has been lots of carbo loading thus far. The desserts we got, which seemed an after thought, were not that great as well. And y'alls know I am picky. I have baked two desserts for the residents which was much appreciated and the elevation didn't alter them, which is why I specifically chose to make snickerdoodles and dulce de leche chocolate bread pudding since I knew I wouldn't have to worry about whether they rose or not. I may make one last item before I go. And it's super nice to bake for people who appreciate it so I'm glad to do so for the residents, especially since the rest of the food we've been getting "lacks love" as one of the residents mentioned.

However, as soon as I started baking (and guests arrived at Brush Creek Lodge) don't you know we got a several layer chocolate cake (super light in texture but super rich in taste) red velvet cake (with buttercream icing not cream cheese), and a rhubarb/strawberry tart (with a heavy dough crust that needed more butter). The treats were fine but if you've had some of the highest class desserts in the world they just don't compare. Yet, it was a nice treat to get.

The new director of Brush Creek Arts Foundation, Sara, is awesome. She's vibrant, friendly, efficient, and just plain cool. Love her to death and am glad I got to meet her before I left. She seems like she's really going to re-establish good relationships here at Brush Creek and make it a bigger part of the Lodge and get better food!

Outside of working and chatting it up not much else to report really. Two of the visual artists and myself have become addicted to the game room and playing Horse, Hoop Fever, NFL 2-Minute Drills, Ping Pong, and Buck Hunt. The games are free in the game room so you can play as much as you want and there's complimentary Gatorade/bottled water. Awesome.

Needless to say, I'm going to miss it when I'm gone for sure and am looking forward to keeping in touch with these artists and learning more about what they do and where their projects go.

So, with that I'll end with lots of pictures!

Day Five at @BrushCreekArts

Did you hear that? No? EXACTLY! It is friggin' quiet here in Saratoga, WY. I loves it. I've gotten so much sleep it's ridiculous. I arrived at Brush Creek on May 6th and after two days of orienting myself with the area, getting treated to some ice cream, bonding with  the other residents, and attempting to catch my breath in high altitudes I have to say I am making progress so far. And am happy to be back in the place I had my first residency.

You know what's funny? A couple people here at Brush Creek, including the interim director Beth, has been at Jentel and loved it. So high five on Wyoming residencies. What else is funny? Practically every resident here was at a residency before this one or is going to another one soon after Brush Creek. We're multiple residency peeps!

So, as per my routine, let me break it down for ya.

The Digs

We reside in a cabin, a lengthy place that holds eight rooms (each with their own private bathroom!). A few feet away to the left is the artists lounge (where the kitchen is for dining), library (for lounging), and visual artists' studios (for working, obviously). Though one composer is in one of the visual artist studios. To the right of the cabins is the Schoolhouse.  A huge studio for composers with a stage and grand piano. Lovely.

Past the artists lounge & artists studios further down near the road leading up towards the mountains, river, and yurts are the writers' studios (Peryam-mine, and Rancher's Daughter-the other writer). Between the lounge/studios and writers' studios is a small shack that the interim director uses as her studio for writing. Behind that along a road that leads to cabins for guests further up the mountain is Armstrong, the second studio for a composer.

The Artists Camp is set apart from Brush Creek Ranch which is a spa and resort. Pricey per day and has nice activities like shooting, horseback riding, biking, yoga, and in the winter months snowboarding and skiing.

The Routine

So, like Ragdale you get meals made for you for dinner. But you get a bag lunch from the main Brush Creek Ranch staff and have materials available for you to make your own breakfast. There are also leftovers for you to munch on. So far the lunch options have been a bit lax. Egg salad, tuna, and the latest PB&J sandwiches. While the dinners are more diverse with options if you are vegetarian. We've had stir fry, tacos, pasta with meatballs, pasta with veggies and so on. Not as extravagant or filled with love as from the lovely Linda at Ragdale or at MacDowell as I've heard but it's good and filling and the carbs  keep you warm.

First day is orientation and the director gives you a tour around these parts which is expansive and gorgeous. Beth took us into town for the second day and we got ice cream! Beth is awesome, we'll miss her terribly when she goes. If you've been to Jentel don't expect a weekly trip per se. Beth was nice to give us one and since Brush Creek Arts doesn't yet have it's own car and must borrow from the larger ranch it may not always be weekly. But this may become something steadier with the new director,Sara, coming in end of May.

For the most part we seem to get together and talk but everyone can be on their own schedule. Dinner is a nice time for us to all sit and talk for a bit and bond, which has been great. And yes, wine has been available every evening.

The Artists

There are three composers, though one just came from a residency in which he focused on his visual art and he also does videos. There are three visual artists, and two writers. We all get along and the personalities are great. Every is generally interested in each others work and we have a good rapport which I've been extremely lucky to have with residents at each of the residencies I have been to so far as well as at conferences. So in general I have a deep love for artists and for the ones I'm housed with for the next week plus.

We had a jam session in the Armstrong studio on Wednesday and it was so much fun! Way better than karaoke. One of the composers is creating an opera and is friends with another composer. It turns out they applied to work together. So one played the cello, the other rocked the guitar, bongos (which I brought from my studio), and piano. Another used his guitar and another visual artist brought his guitar and we looked up chords for songs along with lyrics and sang everything from Johnny Cash to Adele to Garbage to Oasis to the Beatles and Queen. It was awesome.

Next night one of the visual artists made a fire and we just hung out while smoke blew in our faces and we attained a hickory flavor on our clothes and bodies. We didn't make s'mores though we have the goods for them and instead just talked and tried to evade the smoke from blinding us.

We have a presentation coming up next week on a Tuesday which follows the Jentel model of having the residents present our work to  those interested in the community so that should be fun. I plan on reading some short sections from my Collection and we'll see how that goes.

My Plan

So far it's been hanging with the residents. Whether by the fire or on Friday going hiking with the other writer and just hanging and having her kindly hold my hand while going over a disturbing swing bridge. It's been to do work but also get to know people. One of the other artists said it best: He's essentially here to learn from others and he can and will work at any time of the day but it's important to also form these relationships and get a better sense of you and what others do to inspire your work. Well said, Jim!

However, as for my work, I laid out a plan. As you know the first part of Ragdale was not as productive as I'd hope. I think if I do get into another residency I'll opt for 3 weeks or more if I can swing off the time from work. Two weeks proves to go very fast and so when a few days pass by you already feel behind.

I had had a plan at Ragdale of sorts and at Jentel I just let everything flow on a day-to-day basis. But here I made a 9-point plan. Basically 9 things I wanted to get done while I'm here and not necessarily do everything to perfection but to get it done as something I can revisit so that I at least have content to work with down the line. So my plan is to draft several things and edit several things. And in this way it works because I can work on one thing a day and it may take a few hours out of my day but not the entirety of it per se. And since the first two days were a wash with travel and orientation and my last day will be more travel it means in reality I have 11 days to work and not 14. Having 9 items to focus on leaves me the opening of missing a day or even doubling up. But, the plan has been to only work on one project a day.

Being on day 5 (going into day 6 by the time this posts) I'll have gotten 4 things done of the 9 and at anytime can go back and try to solidify. Even in the drafting phase I am not entirely happy with the product but I am at least not feeling like I got nothing done and have options should I feel blocked on one project and go on to something else.

At Ragdale I just flipped a coin and worked on whatever won the toss. I think this is a better method for me. So hopefully when I return home I'll be able to devote time to what I've done here and can move forward. We'll see. Wish me luck!

Residency Time, Again! Next Stop, Brush Creek (Residency 2 of 2)

So April brought me April showers, in abundance, at Ragdale and hopefully May will be all sun at Brush Creek in Wyoming. I am particularly amped about Brush Creek because it means returning to Wyoming where I had my first and most exuberant and wonderful residency experience. And while the first several days (week) of Ragdale was a bit of a bust in terms of mental capacity and creative flow I am hoping that my time at Brush Creek will entail much, more, much more productivity and not an end of time burst. But we will see.

Brush Creek is a newer residency in Wyoming. It started over a year ago or at least their trial started. I had heard about Brush Creek from those who run Jentel and then later one of the residents I was housed with at Jentel did  trial run for Brush Creek and said she enjoyed it though they were still getting their bearings in terms of structure. So, now that there's been a bit more time in terms of defining Brush Creek I'm eager to see what it can offer and what I can produce.