Yin-Yang

The yin-yang is all about balance.  The Japanese are some of the healthiest people in the world, balancing out their McDonald’s to plenty of veggie plates.  Many struggle for feng-shui, or balance of large to small object to a room.  And almost all large cooperation offer gyms or have a morning stretching programs, usually outdoors.

We can use these examples in our writing.  Does the manuscript have an array of characters?  If you have a shy side character maybe toss in a boisterous one to bring up the balance.  Also, make sure your lead characters are a good balance. True masculine and feminine, soft and hard are opposites.  But if the female is all about power, and the male is fine being underfoot, then that’s not a tension building mix.  Both have to be matched, or if one is all about physical power have the other balance it out with brains.

And what about the over all story?  I have a problem with talking heads, especially on my first draft.  So I need to go back and layer inner thoughts for my characters to even out the pace.

Also, what about you?  Is your writing time balanced?  This is something I struggle with, too.  Once finished with a manuscript you should spend some time editing, then some time creating a new story.  Editing uses the left brain while creating uses the right.  If you are lacking a piece to edit, or you don’t have a new idea to spill out on paper then do something outside the writing world.  If editing then paint or craft something.  If creating then pause and play a puzzle game, like bejeweled or tetris.

Hope you have a balanced week 🙂