I teach the “2-story” story.

Never mind the three-act structure, the best stories can be said to consist of two stories separated by a bottomless hole. Where the hero “dies.”

STORY ONE—from the opening line to the protagonist’s loss of faith in him/herself.

STORY TWO—the protagonist emerges from the hole armed with the moral authority to resolve the story.

THE HOLE—the heart of the story, where all is lost and all is gained. And where audiences, instinctively aware that principles and beliefs obscure our greatest happiness, swoon.

In the first of six classes I’m giving here in my seaside village of Gibsons, British Columbia, I asked the class to consume their fiction with an eye out for that blessed hole in the story. Films depict this essential story moment more obviously that novels. But to my surprise the novel I’m currently reading offered up one of the most graphic examples.

Ask the Dust, by John Fante.

Even you, Arturo, even you must die

The protagonist, young Arturo Bandini, a struggling writer in L.A., jeopardizes his happiness by treating other ethnics as badly as he was treated as an immigrant child in Colorado. After sexually mistreating a Jewish woman, his self-respect plummets. Listen as Arturo comes untethered from his own long-held beliefs about the way the world works:

“Then it came to me like crashing and thunder, like death and destruction. I walked away in fear… passing people who seemed strange and ghostly: the world seemed a myth, a transparent plane, and all things upon it were here for only a little while… We were going to die. Everybody was going to die. Even you, Arturo, even you must die.”

Arturo’s first thought is of death, corporeal death. But until that happens he’s stuck suffering the more painful loss of his belief system.

“Sick to my soul, I tried to face the ordeal of seeking forgiveness. From whom? What God? What Christ? They were myths I once believed, and now they were beliefs I felt were myths.”

A sick soul cannot fuel the organism. A person with no beliefs has no goal. Character, which is synonymous with plot, comes to a full stop.

End of Story-One.

“I said a prayer but it was dust in my mouth. No prayers. But there would be some changes made in my life. There would decency and gentleness from now on. This was the turning point. This was for me, a warning to Arturo Bandini.”

Story-Two begins. It’s a different protagonist who drives the story to its completion.

So, who else spotted a hole in a story this week?

Look! The story has a hole in it!

I have critics who insist that my so-called “story heart” presents nothing new, that I’m simply describing the well-known Act II crisis, which is true. There’s no need for me to stand on my soapbox and shout:

“Look!—there’s a hole in my story! And everything’s flowing into it!”

But, really, I do. In my opinion, its significance overshadows all other story elements. Look what’s getting sucked into that black hole:

The protagonist—disillusioned with the utter failure of his strategies, he falls off the time line into the hole. Really, he’s out of time. What a relief.

Ergo, the plot likewise disappears—bye, bye, for now.

The readers, there they go. Vicariously escaping the prison of narcissistic beliefs, they’re free at last. Every story is an escape story, and the hole is the portal to freedom. For readers, this is the payoff. But for real life interfering, this is where our deepest yearnings would lead. This is where drama delivers. This is where we get our money’s worth.

The writer, too, of course. There she goes, having spent how long loving her protagonist all the way to this dark heart. A writer lives for the moment she can deliver her hero to the hole in the story.

Arguably—I’m working on a proof—we writers are nourished daily by loving our fictional characters in this way.

In this week’s class we discuss “characters.”

Character as plot, as the story engine, and why the hero must die.

I’ve lived in Brooklyn since 1999, longer than I’ve lived anywhere else, even Miami. It’s been good in many ways but also difficult for me. City life tends to exacerbate my anxiety. I’ve missed living near wild green places.

I’m sure I’d have a much harder time leaving New York than I realize, but I’d be happy to give it a try, if not for Max. The city is his soul-home. He can’t imagine leaving the communities of artists and musicians he’s part of — living anywhere that doesn’t have a Stereographic Association, for instance. After all these years, he still endlessly and lovingly photographs the subway. Even the asphalt seems to nourish him. We’re both introverts, but we have different needs.

So we’re moving, as people sometimes do in this situation, pretty far out into Queens. We’ll still be on a subway line but also right next to Forest Park, a hilly stretch of land with hiking trails and tangles of trees, bordered by lots of cemeteries. I’m going to get a puppy. At least for now, we’re not getting a car. 

We don’t move for nine days, but: goodbye, Brooklyn! Thanks, and fare thee well. I’m sure I’ll still see you pretty often. Excited to get to know you, Queens.

A trip abroad =  the perfect opportunity to go book shopping!  While in Paris I spent an afternoon at a bookstore called “Chantelivre,” perusing their delightful collection of picture books and comics/graphic novels. (The latter category, “Bande Dessinée,” are hugely popular in France, for all ages.)

Picture Books on display at Chantelivre

The same titles and names seem to dominate the shelves at my book stores at home, but in France I found lots of new treasures to discover. (There were a couple familiar faces: Mike Curato’s Little Elliot and Oliver Jeffers’ crayon books, and some classics like Max et les Maximonstres, a.k.a. Where the Wild Things Are. )

I was dazzled by this pop-up book by Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud, Dans la Foret du Paresseaux (In the Forest of the Sloth.)

There's something magical about opening a pop-up book.

The complexity of the pop-up engineering was nicely balanced by the simple geometry of the illustrations. With just a few words, the text made me anxious for the plight of the sloth, who we watch napping as danger nears. The book shows the ravages of deforestation, but it is not without hope.

The saleswoman asked me the age of the child I was shopping for. I explained (slightly sheepishly) that I was just buying books for my own collection. She introduced me to a few French classics, including Gabrielle Vincent’s Ernest et Célestine series:

In this volume, Ernest and Célestine lose Siméon (the stuffed penguin) in the snow.

…And she also pointed out Benjamin Chaud’s Poupoupiadours, which combined whimsical and detailed illustrations with creative use of die cutting. Children could read this book again and again and see new things every time. There are several books in this series and they’re all pretty delightful.

Holy detail, Batman!

I couldn’t resist Franz, Dora, La Petite Fille et sa Poupée by Didier Lévy and Tiziana Romanin for the charming story and elegant illustrations of Berlin in the 1920’s. Franz is none other than Franz Kafka, and the book tells the story of how a chance encounter in the park with a little girl who lost her doll brings a smile back to the girl’s face and helps the disillusioned writer rediscover the joy of creating.

I enjoyed the expressive lines and restraint in the illustrations.

Then there was Le Merveilleux Dodu-Velu-Petit, by Beatrice Alemagna, which was like stepping directly into the weird and wacky imagination of our plucky little protagonist. What is a “Dodu-Velu-Petit,” you say? Why, it’s this pink creature (obviously!) It is described as, among other things, “hairy, inedible and extremely rare.” The creature’s many uses are shown on the page at right. (They translate as follows: pillow, scarf, decorative plant, personal masseur, incredible hat, treasure-collector, domestic help, living sculpture, and paintbrush.) I think this is actually an Italian book translated into French.

My favorite page, showing the many uses of the Dodu-Velu-Petit.

Then there's this fold-out page, where the butcher threatens the little girl with a bloody knife.

Among the Bande Dessinée, I particularly enjoyed Les Carnets de Cerise By Joris Chamblain and Aurélie Neyret for the way that the story alternated between standard comic book cells showing action and scrapbook-like pages showing the protagonist’s journal and sketches. The series follows the eponymous 11-year old, a curious aspiring novelist, on her various adventures. Digital illustrations can sometimes feel a little cold, but in this case the artist did a great job of adding detail and texture to bring the art to life.

I think these books would be a lot of fun for kids in the 8-12 range.

The only problem was finding enough space in the luggage to bring them all home.

नाम बदलना कितना सार्थक – जब गुडगांव बना गुरुग्राम जब से गुडगांव का नाम गुरुग्राम किया तो बहुत प्रतिक्रियाए आई खासतौर पर सोशल मीडिया पर मजेदार टवीट पढने को मिले . कुछ टवीट पर आधारित है ये कार्टून बडा प्रश्न यह है कि क्या वाकई में नाम बदलने से बदलाव आ जाएगा या हमे मिलकर […]

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हम, हमारा समाज और आस्था तृप्ति देसाई यानि भू माता ब्रिगेड की एक खबर ने फिर ध्यान आकर्षित किया. खबर है कि महा लक्ष्मी मंदिर में उन्हें प्रवेश करने से मना किया गया क्योकि उन्होने साडी नही पहनी हुई थी जबकि मंदिर में साडी पहन कर आने का ही निर्देश है .. शनि मंदिर मे […]

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भारी स्कूल बैग, बचपन और बच्चे भारी भारी स्कूल बस्ते पीठ पर लादे बच्चे जा रहे होते हैं तो एक दर्द सा उठता है कि आखिर हमारी शिक्षा प्रणाली मे सुधार क्यो नही आ पा रहा है… हर साल स्कूल वाले चाहे सरकारी हो या प्राईवेट दम्भ भरते हैं कि  बस्ते का वजन कम करेंगें […]

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If you do know, for God’s sake, tell me.

I’m teaching a course in the fine art of blitzing a 1^st draft and it occurred to me that I ought to know what a story is.

A definition of story, I’ll start with that. A writer who knows exactly what a story is will write more efficiently and won’t waste time unnecessarily. Here for instance, a definition from a respected source.

“Once upon a time, in such and such a place, something happened.”

Okay, true enough, sure, fine, as far as it goes. Next?

“A story is the journey someone goes on to sort out a problem.”

The experts have been arguing over story for a long, long time and this is the best they can come up with? Next.

“Stories are the flight simulators of human life.”

Stories, a practice for living? This is the conventional wisdom on this subject, and that’s reason enough to be suspicious. But no student of story should be caught dead buying into such a utilitarian rationale. How can anyone, much less a story-academic reduce the fiction experience to a training session? Training us to do what—navigate politely through a culture that’s underpinned largely by lies?

The same expert goes on to say:

“The main virtue of fiction is that we have a rich experience and don’t die at the end.”

Wait a minute. I consume good fiction so I will die at the end. Don’t die at the end is just dead wrong. That the hero “dies,” and the reader, too—that’s the virtue of fiction. Who are these people who say, Don’t die? Fiction has been telling us since forever that no one grows up who doesn’t die and die and keep on dying to old and outmoded versions of themselves.

Stand by—I feel my own definition coming on—but first more from my research vault:

“A narrative deals with the vicissitudes of intention.”

I like this one, first of all because I know what vicissitudes means. Secondly, it suggests that what we want is going to backfire. “Desire—it carries us and crucifies us,” says author-philosopher, Muriel Barbery. There’s a gutsy definition of story. Next.

“A story transforms the monster into a lover.”

I found this as a reader’s comment to an online article about Scheherazade. “Monster to lover” defines the dynamic at the heart of most good stories. It’s the radical change of heart. Heroes leave their monstrous narcissisms behind. And the upshot looks for all the world like love.

Addicted to stories—why, why, why?

My 25-year study of fiction leaves me convinced that the conventional wisdom about story overlooks its essence. The same blind spot characterizes discussions of Why We Read.

For example: We read to escape a world of troubles. Excuse me? Since when are stories about anything but trouble? “Trouble is the universal grammar of stories,” says story aficionado, Jonathan Gottschall.

Ditto for Why We Write.” Here’s Gloria Steinem: “Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.” I love that, but—why is that so? What is it about stories that has hooked us since the dawn of time?

What is it about us—our human condition—that is so addicted to stories? Perhaps I should begin the course with a definition of the human condition:

The human condition

A marvellously workable matrix of mental constructs, beliefs, delusions and lies—that’s the mind, that’s our culture, that’s us, that’s your average protagonist. In other words, the status quo of a fictional hero is a house of cards. We’re a precarious situation, and readers instinctively know it.

If you were to write a novel called The Valley of the Happy Nice People, readers would anticipate disaster. Probably be a best seller. Because the status quo is untenable, stories naturally depict characters on a journey toward something more real. Along the way, the blessed disillusionment occurs.

So, what is a story?

I’m working on it.

But it concerns characters trapped within the prison of their belief systems. And they escape the monstrosity of it. Or it’s tragic, and they don’t. Or they come to terms with their imprisonment, armed with a new and more all-embracing point of view.

In every case, the reader of the story is compelled by the hero’s trajectory toward the death of the false.

Not infrequently a protagonist will actually die in the aftermath of their awakening, and despite the death, audiences swoon.

Don’t die at the end? Who are these people who say don’t die?

They better come to my class. It starts tomorrow.

अंधविश्वास , महिलाएं हमारा समाज और विवादित बयान बात बहुत ज्यादा पुरानी भी नही है जब महिलाओं को तीन दिन तक अपने ही घर मॆं अछूत की तरह रहना पडता था . वो रसोई घर नही जा सकती थी किसी पूजा व अन्य कार्य में शामिल नही हो सकती थी पर धीरे धीरे समय बदला […]

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मोदी सरकार के दो साल – मेरे मन की बात दुखी मन की बात …. अच्छे दिन आने वाले है या मोदी लहर बहुत चली और सुनी भी .. पर हुआ क्या … ना तो अच्छे दिन  आए और न ही मोदी लहर ने सूकून दिया … !! जब भी देखो यही सुनने को मिला […]

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मोदी जी के विदेशी दौरे और मेरे मन की बात Stand up …बच्चे खेल रहे थे चिडिया उड, पहाड उड … और मेरे मन में चल रहा था मोदी जी उड … यह सिर्फ इसलिए कि मोदी जी की विदेशी यात्राए बहुत हो गई या दूसरे शब्दों में कह सकते हैं कि मोदी जी उडते […]

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विश्व स्वास्थ्य दिवस और हमारा खानपान हम अपने खान पान को लेकर जरा भी सजग नही है. महिलाओं मे खून की कमी होती जा रही है पर शरीर फूलता जा रहा है.. बच्चे कुपोषण के शिकार होते जा रहे है और युवा नशे की लत से अपना स्वास्थय खराब कर रहे हैं … मैं अपनी […]

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When I travel I love to write and sketch during the trip. It takes a bit of effort (and the co-operation of any fellow travelers, who are stuck for 20 minutes while I work) but the sketches capture details that the photographs miss, and the process forces me to take the time to genuinely observe the environment instead of rushing off to the next attraction.

Marée au Mont Saint Michel

Sketching the above scene of the tide coming in at Mont Saint Michel (just before it started to rain.)

These images are from a recent trip to France. Drawing outdoors poses exciting challenges, including distracting crowds of gawking tourists, unpredictable weather conditions, and constantly changing light. It started to rain part way through the above sketch of Mont Saint Michel, and I was forced to quit and finish it later. (I was also afraid I’d drop something off the cliff. It’s hard to tell from the photo  but that ledge is actually convex, so things kept wanting to roll off toward the ocean.)

One easy place to sketch is from your hotel window. Here’s my morning view of rooftops in the medieval heart of Blois, France:

Some artists have portable supplies like folding stools or lightweight easels so they can easily and comfortably paint anywhere. Maybe someday I’ll get my own fancy plein air equipment. For now, it looks like this:  (Notice how I am precariously balancing the palette on my knee. It’s a delicate setup.)

Sketching the Chateau de Chambord. Photo by my patient husband, Jonathan.

My sketch of Chambord. I'm not sure that roof line could get any more complicated.

I’m consistently amazed at the difference in color between my sketches and photographs of the same subject. The photographs tend toward gray, with all color completely lost in the shadowy areas.

Les Faux de Verzy: weird, genetic mutant trees in Champagne.

Incredibly, this is the same tree as above. Maybe I just have an overly colorful imagination?

I noticed so many details while I sketched: birds singing, bumblebees crawling into holes, clouds drifting by, the murmurings of conversations around me. Sometimes I was greeted by a stray cat or had a chat with a local or tourist who also had an interest in art. The sketches don’t always turn out as perfectly as paintings made in a studio, but they’re so much more interesting.

Do you sketch and paint while you travel? Share any tips you have in the comments!

St Malo. The tide changed drastically while I painted this.

Painting the walled city of St Malo.

समाज में मीडिया की भूमिका और आत्महत्या का बढता ग्राफ अचानक एक खबर ने हैरत में डाल दिया कि एक मशहूर टीवी अदाकारा प्रत्यूषा बनर्जी में आत्महत्या कर ली … बेशक दुखद खबर थी क्योकि टीवी धारावाहिक में सजीव अभिनय करने वाली अभिनेत्री का अचानक , बेसमय जाना अनेक प्रश्न छोड गया. वैसे आत्महत्या की […]

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शिमला और खूंखार बंदर जो भी शिमला जाता है उसका सामना बंदरों से तो होता ही होता है… पहाड और बंदर यकीनन पर्याय ही तो है… जहां शहरी लोगों के लिए ये बंदर  आकर्षण का केंद्र बनते हैं वही कुछ देख कर डर के मारे चिल्लाने भी लगते है… और कुछ लोग  इनके कोप के […]

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ट्रैफिक, लाईक, कमेंटस का ट्रैफिक और वायरल होता सोशल मीडिया का बाजार E Media और मन की बात सोशल मीडिया,वायरल होती पोस्ट और लाईक, कमेंटस का बाजार Like  के लिए कुछ भी करेंगें.. हर रोज खबरे पढने या सुनने को मिलती रहती हैं कि सैल्फी छ्त से लेते हुए या समुंद्र के किनारे लेते या  बस […]

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स्वच्छता अभियान और शौचालयों की भूमिका ग्रामीण ही नही शहरों में भी स्वच्छता की दरकार !! जरुरत है मानसिकता बदलने की !! स्वच्छता की अलख जगाने की… !! अपने देश को साफ स्वच्छ रखने की… !! मैं और मेरी सहेली मणि बात कर ही रहे थे तभी मणि की पडोसन वहां से जा रही थी. […]

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 May I Come In Madam?  आज मिर्चा सोमा राठौड   हास्य धारावाहिकों की दुनिया में अपने  अलग अंदाज और वजनदार भूमिका लिए  अपनी  अलग पहचान बना चुकी है . लापता गंज, भाभी घर पर है या May I Come In Madam ? मे अपने अभिनय से सभी को गुदगुदा रही है. आमतौर पर महिलाएं अपना […]

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आत्महत्या, कारण और हमारा समाज कल्पना कीजिए कि आपको एक व्यक्ति का पता है कि वो बार बार आत्महत्या की बात कर रहा है उसे कैसे समझाएगें आप ?? असल में, हम टोकने में या बुराई करने में तो जुटे रहते हैं पर समाधान नही निकालते कि कैसे उसे समझाए कि वो अपना इरादा बदल […]

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टी 20 मैच में जब धोनी ने पत्रकार को धो डाला हमारे देश मे क्रिकेट फीवर चल रहा है.. मुझे क्रिकेट मैच देखने  का ज्यादा शौक नही है हां,पहले सचिन तेंदुलकर का शतक देखने का क्रेज जरुर था और फिर  भारत पाकिस्तान का मैच हो तो वो जरुर ही देखती हूं. इस टी 20 में जितने […]

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गुस्सा शांत करने के उपाय  Stress Management- Easy Ways to control anger   गुस्सा शांत करने के उपाय –  Stress Management- Easy Ways to control anger 60… 70… 80… 90… 100… 110… ओह कोई फर्क नही पडा. अरे आप हैरान और परेशान मत होईए कि मैं ये क्या और किसलिए कर रही हूं… असल में वो क्या […]

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 तस्वीर गूगल सर्च से सा आभार सोशल नेटवर्किंग साईट और विराट कोहली की नाराजगी कल सारा दिन विराट कोहली का अनुष्का शर्मा के लिए किया गया टवीट और इंस्टाग्राम पर लिखी पोस्ट सुर्खियों में रही और देखते ही देखते न्यूज चैनलों ने इसे बहस का मुद्दा बना लिया. टी 20 के नम्बर वन बल्लेबाज विराट […]

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स्वच्छ भारत अभियान और हमारा समाज कुछ देर पहले एक सहेली के घर जाना हुआ. उनका दस साल का बेटा स्कूल की पिकनिक से लौटा था. मेरी सहेली ने उसको कपडे दिए और उसकी यूनिफार्म तह करके रखने लगी अचानक जेब में कुछ मिला और चिल्ला कर अपने बेटे को आवाज दी. मैं भी सहम […]

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टी20 वर्ल्ड कप क्रिकेट और विराट कोहली   (तस्वीर गूगल से सा आभार ) जब हमनें मैदान मार लिया …. भारत और ऑस्ट्रेलिया के बीच सेमीफ़ाइनल की दौड़ के लिए मैच मोहाली में खेला जा रहा था ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने टॉस जीतकर पहले बल्लेबाज़ी करने का फ़ैसला किया. ऑस्ट्रेलिया की मज़बूत टीम कहलाती है इसलिए  बहुत […]

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हमारा जीवन और छोटी छोटी बातें अक्सर खुल्ले पैसे नही होते तो दुकानदार टॉफी थमा देते है पर यहां कुछ और ही चक्कर हुआ … क्या आप बाजार जा रहे है … !! अरे !! मैने तो इसलिए पूछा कि अगर जा रहे हैं तो खुल्ले पैसे ( change)  साथ ले कर जाईएगा कभी मणि […]

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