The Nightshift

The Nightshift

Sleepless in Seattle brings on new meaning when staying up all night has nothing to do with another person but rather the shameless addiction of the written word. I would love to be a day person at some point, maybe when I grow up because I do miss that late morning air however, the night dawns so quickly thus my day begins.

Like a ghost I prowl the halls and corners at night searching myself for that next article or some great witty words that will stand out among the thousands. The right word that will make a difference in someone's life between crossing the line or playing it safe. The article that will either entice the customer to read more or to move on.

Writing at night leads to solitude and serenity which delivers to the hand the thought processes that fills the mind from happenings during the day. Every now and then you have to take a stroll to get the oxygen flowing from the brain. Like a vampire sucking every word that I can pen; writers block is not pretty. As I wake a family member while roaming the badlands they wonder what is wrong with me. As my family watches by day I keep guard over them at night; sounds pretty safe to me.

Writing is not for everyone. You either have it or you don’t. You can train someone who has it to be better however for those that just don’t get it, should not try this at home. You have nights where the words just flow but then you have long sleepless nights trying to figure out what to put down. It has to come natural, like being a musician, you hit the notes or you don’t. You drive your family nuts with what is your first love as they continue to urge you to get some sleep.

What am I going to do in the day that I can’t do at night? Become a part of the early birds, in which society thinks of as “normal.” Yeah I’ve heard all the aphorisms, early bird gets the worm. Can’t soar with the eagles if you hoot with the owls at night. Tell me who says that hooting with owls is a bad thing? Do you ever think I can change from being like a ghost, a vampire, a night watchman or a scribe? Probably not so for now, I’m on the nightshift.

BONUS : The One You Love To Hate

Many of the best stories in fiction have both an antagonist and a protagonist.

The protagonist is the main character or hero that we cheer on and hope conquers all.

The antagonist is the story’s villain. The best bad guys are the ones we love to hate. We don’t need to know why they are bad, we don’t need a play by play of the choices they made early in life, we simply recognize they are bad and we don’t want them to win.

A story can operate without an antagonist; however the use of an antagonist is the best way to demonstrate conflict within a storyline.

Conflict in a well executed work of fiction provides the friction that keep readers tuned in. In most cases the antagonist reigns supreme through the majority of storyline. The reader wants the forces of good to triumph, yet the villain remains in charge of the bulk of events that thread through your tale.

This combination of good versus evil creates suspense and causes your reader to wonder how exactly the protagonist will gain an advantage.

One of the primary benefits fictional conflict is the reader is often forced to consider how they might respond against such odds and in similar circumstances. In a best case scenario the story assists the reader in learning more about themselves.

Conflict can also be used to disrupt a normally predictable plot. By presenting conflict that is, in many ways, worse than the previous conflict you can instill a greater desire for evil to be defeated while keeping the reader guessing where the story may be headed next.

Ultimately the story must provide resolution. For the fiction writer of faith this resolution process often provides the simple message that good will triumph over evil although other threads of faith will likely work their way through your text – sometimes without you being consciously aware of their presence.

If you allow the antagonist to loose the struggle too early in your story it becomes anti-climactic and the fire in the story is reduced to an ember that may leave your audience cold.

The use of a villain (may not be a human, could be an animal, ideal, political agenda, etc.) goes a long way in conveying a story with elements that emotionally involve your reader.