How to Write Chopsticks Into Your Novel
Let's say a character in your novel needs chopsticks. Why? He or she might need to eat or build a fire or poke somebody asking why he or she needs chopsticks. Who knows? They're needed. What you should be asking is how to get them into your story. There's the easy way...
He grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the kitchen drawer.
That's succinct and plausible. A normal human being could very well keep a pair of chopsticks in the kitchen drawer. Readers expect this, which is exactly why it's wrong. Readers don't want the same old thing. They want original. They want unexpected. So, to improve your story, you might write instead...
He grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the bathroom hamper.
Now, that's original and unexpected. It also reveals something about your character to your readers. This is someone you don't borrow chopsticks from, but if you do, sterilize them.
While it's a good start, it really doesn't achieve the goal of this month, which is to maximize every opportunity to increase your word count. Forget succinct and plausible. Think verbose and convoluted.
He needed a pair of chopsticks. He rummaged through the bathroom hamper, but came up empty. He looked everywhere. It wasn't under his bed or in the DVD player like last time. He was losing hope. Out of desperation, he peeked in the kitchen drawer, but only found a phone, the garage remote and a pair of boxers.
There wasn't much time. The band would be practicing in ten minutes and it would be embarrassing to have to play the drums with his fingers. Again. A thought came to him. He opened the phone and hit the second button on speed dial.
"Splendid Dragon Gourmet Express? Yeah, I want an order of chicken chow fun for rush delivery. It's an emergency. And can you make sure the guy brings extra chopsticks? Preferably plastic. I got a splinter last time. Thanks."
See? Much better. Your character gets his chopsticks, your readers learn more about him and you have an astounding 140 words, instead of a measly 10. Everybody wins!
This was inspired by my own attempts to get a pair of chopsticks into my novel. I now have an ancient Chinese restaurant, a quirky owner with a mysterious past and a place where my characters can eat tasty dim sum. Oh, and chopsticks.
Categories
nano nano2 Comments
As a dabbling drummer, I do feel compelled to provide some pedantic nitpicking and point out that chopsticks are okay on tabletops but I think they would be absolutely useless on an actual drumhead. I imagine you would be better off using your hands and fingers.
That, plus I think real drummers tend to have an abundance of spare sticks on their person. They break pretty often and sometimes fly out of your hands during gigs. Especially for drummers who like tossing 'em and spinning 'em.
But note that this is coming from someone who is woefully behind pace on wordcount.
Hmm, I bet you're right. Of course, now I'm curious to hear what real chopsticks sound like on drums. I think I need to grab a pair from Panda Express, drop by the Guitar Center and test it out. The sales clerks wouldn't mind, yeah? :P
Perhaps, in time, our aspiring drummer will smarten up and buy spare sticks. He'll also learn how to spin them without injuring himself or others and start being more organized. Until then, it's plastic chopsticks and chow fun for him. :D
As for word count, forget the pace. Just keep writing!