Sunday afternoon loaf

[erastes]

oh yum. Hidalgo. Never seen it before. Viggo Mortensen in chaps (no, not that sort of chap, SADLY) horses and Omar Sharif. I may implode.

And I realise, just as I work on a - or "the" big argument scene, that I've never really written one before. Granted Fleury and Ambrose had their disagreements, as did Ambrose and Rafe, but not in the same way as Ed and Phil are just about to do in Junction X. I suppose I'm finding it difficult because... I dunno... a real argument is completely spontaneous - that you bounce off each other and you don't know what you are going to say next. Anyway, it's bleedin' tricky. I've been vocalising the dialogue in the car to try and get it right. If anyone has done this before succesfully, or can point me to any tips, or has any themselves, I'd be grateful.

Comments

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

I find arguments to be one of the most useful ways of fleshing out a character and even generating subplots. I just let the characters have their heads and go at it, tell *me* what the problem is. Not too helpful for your question, I guess, but....

[erastes.livejournal.com]

In this case it IS difficult because it's the 1960's "happy" suburbia, where everything is "nice" and you don't allow the neighbours to suspect that there might be anything wrong. So there's a lot of denial, and a lot of not saying what one really thinks. It's not until it all goes pearshaped at the end when pepole start blowing up at each other. I suppose I might just need to learn more about the characters, a little. That's an interesting idea though, I may try that in later books. It has highlighted a lack of skill on my part, and makes me realise it's something I need to work on.

[angrboda]

My favorite thing about that movie was all the beautiful scenery and the bajilion times I found myself wishing I had this or that screenshot as a poster. But somehow I suspect you might not have noticed that all that much... ;p

[erastes.livejournal.com]

*snorts*

No, it is beautiful!

And goodness me. HOW Old is Omar? And he's STILL hot?

And I found a slashy line! Go me!

"If you tossed a horseshoe into a pot, would it stand upright?"
"At your age, uncle, it is the only thing that might."
"Boldly spoken for a man with no wives..."

:)

Hidalgo

[valkovalin.livejournal.com]

Hidalgo -- what a fun movie!

Re: Hidalgo

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It has almost the same plot as Iron Will, but I forgave it for the wonderful locations, horses, hot arab men, hot arab horses, Omar Sharif and a mustang with more sense than Viggo.

:)

Re: Hidalgo

[valkovalin.livejournal.com]

Hidalgo does have a great adventure plot and those great locations. I heard that Viggo adopted the horse afterwards and it now enjoys life on his ranch somewhere. A nice reward after all that stunt-work in the movie!

Re: Hidalgo

[angelabenedetti.livejournal.com]

Yep. The horse's name is TJ and the ranch is in Idaho. And he actually rode TJ into the theater for the Hidalgo premiere, LOL!

Angie, hiding her Viggo Fangirl card

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

A real argument, especially between people who know/love each other, also usually has one person who tips the argument ugly by hitting you where it hurts then emotions start blurring the original points of the argument.

Arguments aren't always spontaneous. There are the arguments that simmer for hours or days before someone finally explodes and THEN it's on. Plotted arguments, if you will. I am guilty of these sometimes. Not that I like arguing. I actually hate it more than I hate having to nag.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Perhaps that's part of it - I hate confrontation, I'm a natural peace-maker when I get the opportunity, but when I do explode, I'm vicious. Neither of these are either of those.

But there are a lot of simmering unsaid things, so yes, thank you - you have a point there - the argument needs to break away from where it starts and end up with the core of it, which is something else entirely.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Even with suppression, you have the bits where things sneak out that you didn't intend to say, but which are related to the real elephant in the living room. And which get reacted to as violently as if you*had* brought up the elephant itself, if the subject is extremely touchy.
I sometimes think of it as a case of "upping the drama quotient". At this point, if youwere this person, what is the worst possible thing you could say to rile up that other person? Whether you knew it or not? And if you did, would you soften it down and try to take the sharp edges off, or not?
Then I turn it around and try to think, if I was the person *hearing* this painful remark, thinking, ooh, that hurt. Now what am I gonna do about it?
You do have legitimate issues of standing your ground in any relationship. Some folks, it's barely perceptible, others are pretty noisy about it. Roomates, working relationships, sexual relations, whatever, we all have areas where you establish your expertise or your do-not-cross-line, and when they cross it, you have to figure out what you're going to do about it. Rooomate consistently leaves the shoes where you fall over them, whaddyou do about? Some folks wouldn't speak to them for week, some folks would take the shoes and set them on fire on the driveway, others would just dump them in the trash and say, "OH I dunno," when roommate can't find them. Very different characters, no?