Nov 28 2008
Simple Pleasures
I began watching a new show this year, one that I only watch while my kids are busy or at school. It’s Crusoe, and while it has a formulaic plot and falls into the melodramatic pattern of old Errol Flynn movies, I still enjoy the hell out of it. More than likely, it won’t last, so I DVR every episode, watching every frame with relish.
Is it good literature? Nope. Will it last the season? I’d be surprised if it did. Then why do I watch? One word: Beefcake. The two main characters, Robinson Crusoe and Friday, are, frankly, HOT. And this is the first show in a long time where I was as attracted major characters. At first I was embarrassed to be so shallow–I, the ephemeral life-of-the-mind sort of intellectual–yet once I realized my reasons for tuning in, I relaxed a bit and decided I didn’t always have to be Ms. Smartypants. Two cute men could be eye candy, and that didn’t mean my IQ had suddenly fallen to neaderthal levels.
Besides, it’s these simple pleasures that keep me going when my book isn’t generating any interest, when I’m stuck on some plot detail and can’t find my way out. And sometimes neglecting the thought process–and just feeling–is exactly what I need to get back on track. My second novel is filled with such moments (and, no, it isn’t a romance). Writing these sorts of scenes improves my mood, even if it doesn’t further my intellectual goals. And rereading them generates the same warm feelings (am I getting too graphic?).
In fact, Crusoe reminds me a lot of Homer’s Odyssey, for even though I know the main character wants nothing more than to get home to his wife, I can still enjoy his muscular chest, his blue eyes, and the attraction he stirs in women who meet him on the island. It isn’t just the journey…it’s also how he gets there that can be fascinating. And all this makes for a better story, in the end.
So, look at your own writing, and ask yourself this: are your characters too cerebral? What’s driving them, beyond their “big picture” goals? What other needs do they have, beyond the intellectual? You might be surprised you have the same needs they do. So, you’re the writer. Satisfy them.
You’d be surprised how many other people may be satisfied as well.
I think you are…and more than that, I think we need it. That’s why I enjoyed older episodes of The X Files: I liked all the creepy stuff, but I also liked the Mulder/Scully match up, and the tension it created.