I finished the rewrite of my fourth story today.
During the rewrite, I noticed how the protagonist got a kick out of cold things - "She rubbed her phone like a talisman that would bring her courage, the plastic casing cool against her burning skin."
I wondered if people reading the novel will appreciate the cold as much as me, or will they think it's freakish? I must explain: my hands and feet are always several degrees warmer than the rest of me, so I sleep with my feet sticking out the side of the bed and I often squish the cold underside of The Ours' arms between my fingers until he is black and blue.
Hangovers are the worst; my feet become glowing embers, and even brushing them against The Ours will cause him to yelp in his sleep. Thankfully the walls in our bedroom are like marble so I often prop them up, wiggling my toes around to find the best spots.
My father and some of his side of the family share the same problem - they wear sandals with white socks to counteract their thermostat issues, but my vanity still (thankfully) trumps
my discomfort!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Cold
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19 comments:
Yup, have the opposite problem too (though not in Bangkok ...) feet like ice! I squish them into Husband to get them warmed up.
Sandals with white socks?? I might have to call the fashion police!
I'm not too extreme either way, luckily, but Lovely Husband is boiling whatever the weather.
I too have the opposite problem; cold hands and feet that I have to warm up on my husband who is like a radiator. He goes round wearing shorts all year round! He even wears shorts when it snows.
The reader of your book will probably pick it up as one of your character's traits which will stand out from the millions of characters that have been written with cold hands & feet!
Good luck with the rewrite.
Kat :-)
Yvonne, thanks for dropping by my blog! You're always welcome.
I live in a tropical country and have never coped with the heat well. This is probably why I'm a night owl - it's so much easier to function then when it's cooler. I also seek cold surfaces so I wouldn't think your character weird at all.
My mother and sis are the opposite, always complaining that they're cold.
Maz, I've found that a lot of women have that problem, really cold extremities. Thanks for the lovely words!
JJ, I can imagine that Bangkok would cure you of that!
Karen, it's hillarious. He has a brother who dresses the exact same way.
Katw, welcome! Is your husband Australian by any chance? I'm always amazed by their shorts-wearing in the Irish climate. Thanks for what you said about the trait standing out, it really boosted my confidence. :)
Wordtryst, thanks for visiting! I cannot hack hot weather either, and tropical would probably send me over the edge. There's nothing better than a kitchen counter for a bit of relief! ;)
Hi Yvonne or 'she who has hands and feet of fire' (your Indian name),
Are you worried about 'over personalising' your novel from a 'world reference' point of view?
I shouldn't if I were you... there are a lot little details I don't get in books (many more in life!).
I think it's themes, characters and the relationships between characters that draw people into a book and therefore have to be concerned with being 'universal'.
I'm reminded of an episode of Buffy, where Willow scans a demon into the internet - that's a pretty obscure concept, which took a little suspension from even the most devoted Buffy fan (I suspect), but what made the episode draw you in was that it was also about meeting someone online, the dangers of that, the appeal it can have, and how easy it can be to get carried away in that context, particuarly for a person lacking confidence and feeling a little socially left out like Willow.
At the end of the day, you can only write your novel. You can only write your world (maybe not it physical terms, but in emotional terms). I'd have thought quirks and obscurities from the mind of Yvonne will be what gives the novel its colour and makes it stand out from the crowd. That private conversation you feel you having with the Author... those little whispers in your ear about how they see the world... tucked away in all those words and story.
I'm pretty sure it's you who talked to me about that idea... I mean, who else would a cinema-junky like me be talking to about books?! ;)
TTT, great comment! I always love the little details in novels, the texture and the feel of things - it does feel like you've been given a window into a private world. I was wondering what other people thought of it, but I don't think I was worried about it, I quite liked the fact I'd given her the same trait as me, even if it was subconsciously!
I'm the other way too, even sitting here with the temperature at 28 my toes are cold!
I agree with the other comments I love details in novels and I always notice the things that are the opposite of me more for some reason.
Well done of finishing!
M&T I must remember that, it'll make my characters more interesting! Thanks!
Mmm, yes. Cold surfaces - I do get it! Good character trait.
Helen, these comments have been very useful - it's giving me a ton to think about ahead of my next story!
I love to run my bare feet under the cold spots of the sheets. Even as a child, I had a blanket and it was trimmed with satin that was always cold to the touch. I would endlessly run my fingers around it to get the cold sensation. I now, as an adult, attribute this to my mom's cold hands. Her hands were always like ice and always my spot of safety.
You are on to something...
I'm in the ice block camp, but I love that unique detail. It's funny to find a piece of yourself in your novel that was unintentional, isn't it?
Congrats on finishing the story! :)
Suzanne that's very interesting - the echo back to your childhood. It's got me thinking...thank you.
Angie, thanks! I love it when these little details emerge, it's a kind of mirroring.
I fall into the opposite camp too and sleep with a hot wheat bag and a couple of hot dogs on my feet.
Well done on the fourth story!
Lane, thanks! I just realised my hot feet is the probable reason why cats love sleeping at my feet - even visiting ones can't get enough of them. They do love the warmth...
...urm... isn't that a bit strange?
Lovely place you have got here, found you whilst blog-surfing. I'll be back!
girlwiththemask x
I'm just cold all over.
Nice writing!
--Jannie
Jannie, welcome and thank you!
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