Help Me Replace Free Association and Win a Writer's Guide of Your Choice!

I've been doing the free association chain for about 2 years. (Well, I didn't do the exact math, but 161 posts, only on Fridays...it might even be longer.)

The intention behind the free association chain was to have blog readers feel free to comment on something fairly non-intimidating. I realize a lot of my posts don't lend themselves to reader interaction, and this was my attempt to change that.

But now I need your help.

I'm committed to posting Mondays and Wednesdays, but would really love to have an interactive Friday post. I'm hoping that my readership has some great ideas!

Leave your idea in the comment section below, and regardless of whether I pick yours or not, you'll still be entered to win any one of my Writer's Guides, covering subjects like Personality Disorders, Personality Types, Grief, Creating Rich Backstory, and my newest Guide to Breaking Character Stereotypes.

So get creative, think about what you'd personally be interested in commenting on, and remember, the sky's the limit. I'm looking forward to your suggestions.

Chicago Fire Heats Up Prime Time

I've recently been turned on to Chicago Fire. I'm in total awe of this show, even though I'm only on episode 11 of the first season. Each episode pushes the envelop just a little bit further, and one moment I'm literally biting my nails (ask my husband!) and then the next I've got tears in my eyes at some poignant moment.

The writers are genius. Every character plays an integral part of the show, and we get glimpses into their lives as the layers are peeled back. (BEWARE: spoilers below!)

We see the stark reality of prescription narcotic addiction with Lt. Severide. Lt. Casey and his fiancé are on again off again because they aren't in agreement about when (or even if) to have kids. And Casey and his sister don't talk much because he believes his mother should be on parole after killing their father and serving 15 years while his sister believes she needs to stay in jail. (Whoa! Major drama!)  Cruz is faced with the repercussion of letting the gang member die who held 10k over his head to "pay out" having Cruz's brother in the gang. Dawson fights with unrequited love. Mills desperately wants to follow in his deceased firefighter father's footsteps, but its causing relationship difficulty between him and his mother, who wants him safe and working at their family diner.

And then there's the chief. Seriously....this man is amazing in his role. He watches his men with this
stealth, misses-nothing eye. He's fair, honest, full of integrity and expects the same out of his men. He's got trouble at home though, emotional scars to go with his battle worn physical scars. He commands respect, in a quiet way until rubbed the wrong way and then it's no joke.

Each character is achingly real, dealing with messy life stuff. They have yin and yang. It's a show similar to ER, in that its an ensemble cast, in a high-stress job with fast paced action and drama. If it hasn't already, it is sure to win awards.

Why?

Becaus I understand why Severide would take the pills! In his situation, facing permanent disability, I might do the same. I understand wanting to have my mother out of jail, even though she did something terrible like kill my father. I think we all relate to wanting someone we can't have romantically, or disappointing someone we love with our live choices. I just finished watching the episode where Cruz les that gang leader die, deliberately. Wow. What a terrible thing....but dang if I didn't almost applaud his actions, as he only did it to save his brother, who would eventually end up on a cold slab.

My article next month for Christian Fiction Online deals with this issue. Don't put your characters on a pedestal...because then you don't get to write the incredible scenes where they fall off. (Click to tweet!)

Let's Analyze

Have you seen Chicago Fire? Which is your favorite story line? I'm a huge Casey/ Dawson/Mills love triangle fan....

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

Over 2 years ago, I wrote a post about Finding Nemo and all the mental illness implications within the movie.

Courtesy of Pixar

Little did I know that this post would become the runner up to the most popular post on my blog. Since 2/23/11, the post has received over 11,200 hits.

That's a lot of people checking out Finding Nemo.

So perhaps folks might be interested in knowing that Pixar is coming out with a sequel called...yep. You guessed it: Finding Dory.

There is a lot of speculation about how Pixar will handle having a main character who suffers from significant mental and cognitive disabilities. One can only assume that she gets lost somehow, courtesy of her disorder, and Marlin and Nemo will likely be looking for her. While she was a only a supporting character fish in Finding Nemo, she will take center stage. 

Dory isn't just quirky. That's important to put on the table. She not only suffers from short-term memory loss, she also has a lot of anxiety, confusion, and disorientation when she's left on her own. There is arguably some dependent personality disorder traits exhibited as well, but this is muddied by her mental handicap which prevents her from living independently. 

Michael Arbeiter of Hollywood.com likened Dory and Marlin's relationship to that of the relationships between Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. This got me thinking of all the similarities. Tom Cruise utilized his mentally compromised brother to forward his goal of getting their father's inheritance. He took advantage of him, and Marlin does the same with Dory's ability to read English and talk whale. Tom Cruise was frustrated by his brother's handicaps (such as not being touched, not being able to fly, having to watch certain shows at certain times, wear certain types of underwear, etc). Marlin wants to pull his hair scales out with Dory's mental handicap, and eventually leaves her alone toward the end of the movie, which really does a number on Dory.

I just want to see Pixar show a heroine challenged by mental illness but not beat down by it. People (and fish) can rise above their limitations. Pixar has shown that they can go deep with certain movies, such as Toy Story 3 and Wall-E. I sincerely hope that they go there with Finding Dory.

Let's Analyze

Have you heard that Pixar will be releaseing Finding Dory in 2015? What do you hope they do with the film?

And I'm still offering a giveaway of Julie Lessman's newest, Love at Any Cost! Just click here to enter the giveaway!

And HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! I'm so proud so many of my family members have served or are currently serving. Thank you to Allan, Marion, Dave, Cheryl, Jason, Gene, Mark, Wes, and George. Your service is and always will be greatly appreciated.

Friday Free Association Chain

In honor of my daughter, 
the words are....

PORTRAIT.

RULES: First commenter free associates (writes the first word that comes to mind) with the above word. Second commenter free associates to the first commenter's word, and so on. Remember - the FIRST thing that comes to mind.

Go!

And don't forget that I'm running a giveaway through next Wednesday of Julie Lessman's newest book, Love at Any Cost! Click here to read my character assessment of her hero, Jamie MacKenna!

Review and Giveaway of Julie Lessman's Highly Anticipated Love at Any Cost!

Julie Lessman has begun a new series, The Heart of San Francisco. Book One, Love at Any Cost, released in April, and it's my pleasure to have the hunky hero, Jamie MacKenna, on my couch at last.

But first, a bit about the book from Julie's website:

Fooled by a pretty boy once, shame on him.

Fooled by a pretty boy twice, shame on me.

Jilted by a fortune hunter, cowgirl Cassady McClare is a spunky Texas oil heiress without a fortune who just as soon hogtie a man as look at him … until Jamie MacKenna, a handsome pauper looking to marry well lassoes her heart. But when Jamie discovers the woman he loves is poorer than him, Cassie finds herself bucked by love a second time, sending her back to Texas to lick her wounds and heal her heart. In her absence, Jamie discovers money can’t buy love, but love built on faith can set a heart free, a truth he discovers a little too late … or is it?

Jamie, Jamie, Jamie.

Hard-headed. Haunted. Hottie.

Wait...therapists aren't supposed to pant over clients. *cough* My apologies, Jamie.

Jamie is from the wrong side of the streets. Kinda got a chip on his shoulder as a result, but it's actually well-deserved, given the hard life he's known. How it must dent his pride, having to wear hand-me-downs from his wealthy best friend. But circulating with the elite crowd on Nob Hill is his ticket--not just to his own way out of poverty, but his mother's and sister's as well.

He suffers from a roving eye, of sorts...one that only roves amongst women of circumstance. And crashing into spunky Cassady McClare was definitely the fates looking on him with favor. He's basically in like Flynn with the San Fransisco McClares, after having gone to school (on scholarship, of course...no way he could afford it otherwise) with them, becoming friends, and later, coworkers.

Getting Cassady should be a piece of cake, given his track record.

But this delightfully good "bad boy" had another think coming. Not one to put much stock in religion of a God who orchestrates lives from heaven, and always believing that he had more to do with his success to date than anything or anyone else...he didn't expect Cassady's ultimatum: Bible study and church and...no kissing! Say what?

And all that before he realizes Cassady's daddy isn't as rich as Jamie thought he was. That's a tough nut to swallow, especially for a guy who desperately needs money to assuage the guilt he feels over his sister and mother still living too close to the seedier part of the city.

Betrayal. Devastation. Sacrifice. He's felt it all, and it threatens to overwhelm him. Dare he believe that his life isn't up to fate? That there is One who cares for him, and provides for him, even when Jamie didn't realize the provision was there?

You'll have to read it to find out.....[evil therapist laugh inserted here].

Julie writes with her trademark passion with purpose, and Jamie's character arc is one you don't want to miss...especially since today's books are saturated with very unrealistic portrayals of playboys. Jamie is one playboy who breaks the mold, and it was refreshing to read, quite honestly. Don't be put off by the blurb. I wondered how I would ever like a guy who was such a money-hungry piranha (sorry, Jamie), but Julie does such a great job with his motivation that I never once questioned it...in fact, I championed him. That's good storytelling, folk.

While I am giving away my review copy from Revell of this book, for those who can't stand waiting to see if you won, here are the links where you can buy it right now:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Berean Book Stores, Books A Million, Christian Book Distributors, Indiebound, Lifeway

UPDATE 5/30/13: Giveaway is now over. Thanks for participating!

Let's Analyze

To be honest, I wasn't completely sold on falling in love with the new McClare clan. I mean, I invested years into the O'Connors. Sigh. But I'm totally invested in them after reading this book! I can't wait to see where book 2 in this series goes.

Have you read a Lessman book? Which was your favorite? (And of course, by that question, I mean...which hero was your favorite?)

Character Archetypes 101: The Lover

I'm happy to have The Lover with me today, who took time off from passionately seeking personal fulfillment in order for me to analyze (and only analyze) him while he's on my couch. The Lover is also known as The Partner, Sensualist, Intimate, Friend, Enthusiast, Spouse, and Team-Builder.

The "Good"

When you think of the word "lover," the mind goes to sex, but the Love is far more than the physical act. Think broader in terms of sensuality--using all one's senses in all the areas of one's life--to passionately open up the realm of his experience and be moved on a deeper level. The Lover appreciates beauty and relationships of all types, and enjoys connecting with and committing to others through shared interests, social pursuits, and emotional intelligence.

Lovers are charming and charismatic, friendly and fun. They have an enthusiastic appetite for life (bon vivante), and greatly appreciate emotions, intense feelings, idealism, optimism, and harmony. They are most fulfilled by building relationships, whether romantic or platonic. However, infatuation, seduction, falling in love...these are states of being with which the Lover is most familiar.

They put a lot of energy toward gaining the reciprocal love of another and achieving intimacy. Romantic forms of expression are fulfilling, a way of being whole. A Lover may want to engage in multiple sexual encounters or simply have sex for the sake of the act, but they may also be celibate Lovers who prefer to fantasize about being in love instead.

The "Bad"

As you might expect, there is no small amount of drama with Lovers. From teen heartache to tawdry affairs to broken homes and marriages, the impulsive search for intimacy and fulfillment can lead to jealousy, envy, fixation and obsession. (Glenn Close, anyone?) Maliciousness and vindictiveness can take root, and Lovers can use their skills to lure others away from their quests (like a siren) or seduce for sake of conquest.

Lovers can objectify others and even develop addictions to romance and/or sex, which leads to out-of-control behavior and sexuality. Promiscuity is one thing, but taken to an extreme shadow side, the Lover can experience a need to greedily devour the object of their love.

Lovers are known aesthetics who appreciate physical beauty. They work hard to make good impressions, and their self-esteem can be tied to their perception of how others interact with them. They might have such an outward-directed desire to please others that they risk losing their own identity. They may avoid conflict to be part of the clique, resulting in them being untrue to themselves.

Likely Goals

To be intimate
To be in a relationship
To sustain a relationship
To experience life to the fullest
To create harmony amongst others

Likely Fears

To be alone
To be rejected/unwanted/unloved
To lose the love they already have
To instigate disharmony 

Examples in the Media

Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic
Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca 
Glenn Close as Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction
Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility
Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet
Delilah in the BibleAnthony Quinn as Alexis Zorba in Zorba the Greek
Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
Nicholas Cage as Ronny Cammareri in Moonstruck
Don Juan
Cassanova

Archetypes Who've Completed Therapy

The Innocent
The Orphan
The Hero  
The Caregiver
The Explorer  
The Rebel

Let's Analyze

After reading about The Lover, are you surprised that s/he also has the moniker "The Friend?" It seemed a bit out of place to me at first, but upon reflection, I can see many ties. What about you?

Friday Free Association Chain

In honor of my daughter, 
the words are....

My Little Pony.

RULES: First commenter free associates (writes the first word that comes to mind) with the above word. Second commenter free associates to the first commenter's word, and so on. Remember - the FIRST thing that comes to mind.

Go!