Inspiration part 19 - the circus

Welcome back,

           Inspired by April's Fools, the theme for this month's inspirational post will be about something that has brought many people both joy and dread. It is not many subjects that can inspire such diverse reactions from people, but after reading this article, I am sure you will understand why.

I am speaking of course of the time honored tradition that is the circus. The idea came to me at work, as I was clearing copyright for old school circus posters for an online exhibition project. I learned quite a bit of the history of circuses in North America since the late 1800’s, and thought this would be a great subject for April’s inspiration article.

Circus parade around tents, in lithograph by Gibson & Co., 1874

           The circus has been entertaining spectators, young and old, for several generations now, with it’s attractions, games, performers and animals. With so many different features, it comes as no surprise that the circus can be a such great source of inspiration for writers. Let us take a look at some of the circuses most prominent aspects.

Common circus acts include acrobatics, gymnastics, aerial acts, juggling and a variety of other routines. These also include Daredevil stunts such as the human cannonball, fire eating/breathing/dancing, knife throwing, or sword swallowing. These routines are meant to be breathtaking and exciting, and describing them in narrative can be very useful for action oriented storytelling.

Speaking of circus performers, another mainstay to the big top are clowns. Clowns are common to most circuses and are typically skilled so that they can accompany any of the other performances. Clowns can be a great tool for someone trying to write a comedy.

Though they have been around for decades, these flamboyant comedians have a received mixed feeling from the public. Many will find their antics hilarious, while some find them creepy and off putting. For this reason, the fear of clowns, or coulrophobia, can be useful for authors writing horror or thriller stories.

Joseph Grimaldi as Clown

Ferenczy Clown 1910

1870 photo of British duo the Payne brothers as Clown and Harlequin

Polack Bros. Circus 1965 clowns

Standard clown

Horrific clown

Animal acts have been part of the circus going as far back as the early eighteenth century. Many different types of animals have been used; from big cats, elephants, horses, birds, sea lions, bears, and even domestic animals such as cats and dogs. The earliest involvement of animals in the circus was just as a display of exotic creatures, but it eventually moved on to live performance such as equestrian acts or lion tamers. It should be noted that in the past few years, the inclusion of animals in circuses has been highly scrutinized, as cases of animals being mistreated or forced into poor living conditions had been reported.

Sideshows are also part of some circus activities, and may include chapeaugraphy, magic acts, the strongman or the infamous ‘’freak show’’. Below are some genuine color posters from the Coney Island Sideshow dating back to the 1930’s/40’s (Source: The Library of Congress). Though meant to entertain, it is obvious that some of these attractions were meant to shock or scare patrons. From a writer's perspective, some of these could be very useful for horror or paranormal mysteries.

 

 

 

The final element is mostly in regards to how a circus can help add color to the setting. Some circuses were known to be accompanied by carnival rides, such as ferris wheels, pendulum rides, drop towers or funny/haunted houses. A carnival can be a great setting for a romantic story, or an abandoned amusement park can be a great hiding place for a villainous character.

As you can see, a trip to the circus can be especially beneficial for a writer looking for inspiration. Maybe you need references for a character working as a full-time clown, various rides for a theme park setting or maybe ideas for a creepy urban story. Bottom line: go visit one, you'll be surprised at what you will find.

           I hope you enjoyed this month's inspiration post and that I encouraged you to go out there and experience it for yourself.

Until next time.

Cheers,

Patrick Osborne

**Please note that most of the photos below were taken from free stock images sites such as StockSnap.com, or were found doing a public domain search via Google.**

Inspiration part 12 - Parents

Welcome back!

I had no overall theme planned for May, so while trying to think of what to discuss in this inspiration post, I got an idea from one of  this month's holidays; Mother’s Day. So I decided to share with you all the source of my artistic talents and interests, my parents.

Parents play an important role in all of our lives. They supply us with the building blocks from which we assemble ourselves, be it from a mental, emotional or genetic standpoint. We are defined by their actions, choices and lifestyles. Your origin is the result of their encounter, and whether you get along with them or not, you are part of them as much as they are part of you.

 

My parents and me.

    So what role can parents play in terms of storytelling? There are two ways to answer this question; the first is as being part of the story, the second is as influencing the story.

    As being part of the story, parents can have a direct or indirect role. What I mean by indirectly, is that parents may affect the story by not even taking part in it. Parents are such a big part of our lives, than their absence can be just as influential as their presence. Without them, characters suffer a loss, and are forced to take responsibility and continue on their own. We see this often in Disney movies, where the loss of a parent (mostly the mother) motivates the main character to move on or react in some way.

As for directly, parents have often been seen playing important roles in storylines. As main protagonists, parents (or parental like figures)  can make good heroes, as trying to perform their parental duties can be good character motivation. Here are a few good examples:

• Sarah Connor from the Terminator franchise, whose main objective was to protect her son and prevent a future holocaust.
• Ripley from the original Aliens movie, who risks her life to save the young girl, Newt.
• The unnamed father from the book The Road, who spends the length of the story protecting his son in a post-apocalyptic world.

In some stories, the Protagonist needs some form of assistance in order to achieve their goal. In these situations, parents can come in various incarnations, such as mentor, protector or emotional support. Here are a few good examples:

• Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther from The Jungle Book, who act as adoptive parents to the human child, Mowgli, and teach him how to survive in the wild.
• Mr. Levenstein from the American Pie movies, who tries to give his son, Jim, helpful advice, though often in an awkward and comedic manner.
• The Weasley’s from the Harry Potter series, who take in Harry after he leaves the residence of his abusive aunt and uncle.

Parents playing the role of the antagonist can have a particularly strong impact on a story. Placing the protagonist in a confrontation with a parental figure creates a scenario that can be highly volatile and emotional scarring. Here are a few popular examples:

• In the classic tale of Cinderella, the evil stepmother forces Cinderella to work and prevents her from leaving the house.
• Doctor Crane, a serial killer posing as a dentist and loving father in the novel Deeper than the Dead.
• Darth Vader, the tragic villain from the Star Wars franchise, attempts to convert his son, Luke Skywalker, to the dark side of the Force.

Finally, we have parents that affect literature by inspiring the writer. As mentioned above, parents play a large role in who we are since they raised us to act and think like them. Their views and opinions will affect who you are, and will inevitably be translated in how you write as well. In my case, my mother was the loving, artistic type, whereas my father was the down-to-earth, opinionated type. The end result (me) was someone who was passionate about his views, which becomes apparent in my conversations or my writing.

My tastes for literature may differ greatly from my Mom and Dad’s, but in the end, I can still see them in everything I do. They played a big part in my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.    

    Thank you all for stopping by, your continued support is truly appreciated. I hope this article has helped you in some way.

    Until next time.

    Cheers,

    Patrick Osborne

**In loving memory of Henriette (Lamoureux) Osborne -- 1948-2006**

By the Book: The Time Traveler's Wife

Welcome back!

    This month’s book review marks my first foray into the romance genre. Apprehensive about reading a love story, I decided to make the experience less jarring by finding a novel that had a hint of science fiction to it. The book in question is “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger, and it had me pleasantly entertained (and maybe shed a few tears).

    This book actually came into our possession after the kids brought it home from the library at our campground. Being a fan of the Doctor Who television series, I was attracted to this book by its title. The idea of time travel made the aspect of reading a five hundred page love story much more interesting to a sci-fi fanatic like myself. In the end, I’m glad I gave it a chance, as it turned out to be one of the best stories I ever read.

    “The Time Traveler's Wife” is the debut novel of author Audrey Niffenegger. This book tells the love story of Clare Abshire, a strong-minded artist, and Henry DeTamble, a  resourceful yet troubled librarian. Henry has a genetic disorder known as Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a condition which causes him to time travel unpredictably. The tale examines how an issue like Chrono-Impairment can affect a relationship, exploring themes such as miscommunication, distance, loss, free will and of course, love. Their attempt at a normal relationship, despite dealing with a condition they can’t control, makes for a truly unconventional and original love story.  

Back of the Book:

This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

What I learned from this book:

• Timeline mastery: The story uses alternating first-person perspectives between Henry and Clare. With Henry bouncing back and forth in time, keeping track of historical events from each character's lives is important. I sometimes had a hard time figuring out why a specific character didn’t know certain information, only to realise they were too young at that point in the story. To help the reader keep track, Audrey states the age of each character at the beginning of each chapter (Example: Henry is 43,Clare is 36, etc). I’m sure the author had to make some sort of chart to map everything out on the timeline.
• Chrono-Displacement Disorder: Viewing time travel as a genetic disease was an original approach. Dealing with issues like memory loss, disorientation, medical treatments and inevitable death made it feel like a cross between amnesia, alzheimer's and cancer. It added an extra layer of depth to the story, as well as helping the audience get attached to the characters.
• Foreshadow is a bitch: Being able to move back and forth in time, Henry (and the audience) get to see certain events before they happen. The sad part is, despite knowing the future, Henry comes to the realization that he is powerless to change it. This helps add tension to the story, as readers see devastating events earlier in the story, knowing full well they will inevitably happen later on.
• Wish you were here!: This section is more of an experience than something I learned. The story takes place in some of the more notable locations Chicago, like the Field Museum or the Art Institute Museum. Having been there last summer, I had the unexpected pleasure of being able to envision the scenes as if I was there. This is the first time a book has had this effect on me, and it was a great experience.

Audrey Niffenegger is a professor in the Department of Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago. Published in 2003, “The Time Traveler's Wife” was her debut novel, which became a bestseller after an endorsement on The Today Show. The book was so popular that it became a movie in 2009 (but do yourselves a favor, read the book first).

For those interested in reading more books from Audrey Niffenegger, please check out her website and wiki description, where you can find a listing of her published works and all other pertinent information:

http://www.audreyniffenegger.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Niffenegger

In closing, I would like to thank everyone for the encouragement and for following my blog. And thank you to my wife Linda for the support.

Until next time!

Cheers,

Patrick Osborne