The Writer's Comfy Corner

Review of The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Imagine the daughter of an Al Qaeda member snuck into the Pentagon because she cared for a US service person.  Then she gets caught.  Sure, it’s not likely to happen.  But what if our enemy stood in our midst and said they meant us no harm?  What would we do? What would the enemy do? There would be distrust, trials and, mostly likely, cruelty.

This is the premise for The Host, only with a science fiction twist.  Alien parasites have taken over 99% of the human population.  Our heroine, named Wanderer, is one of these parasites.  In the first pages of the book, we see her placed into a human body.

Wanderer quickly realizes that the original body’s owner, Melanie Stryder, is not going to give up without a fight.  Melanie has secrets.  She has people she loves and is still trying to protect, even though she can’t even move her own fingers.

In an effort to manipulate Wanderer, Melanie keeps remembering the love of her life, a man named Jared.  Wanderer is deeply touched and leaves her alien culture to find this man in hopes of helping him and keeping him safe.

Instead, Jared’s very angry community of  rebel humans capture Wanderer.  They think of her as a worm, an it, barely worth the bullet it would take to kill her.  Except that Wanderer wears Melanie’s body.  No matter how much they hate the idea of Wanderer, the humans keep Melanie’s body alive.

So Wanderer, the enemy alien, must come to terms with emotions she’s never experienced before in all of her other lives: fear, hatred, betrayal, and love for human beings that is so powerful she will have to decide just how far she’ll go to protect them from her own people.

I liked this book because it is really about human psychology.  What makes you trust another soul?  When is violence an answer?  How much do you give of yourself when you love someone?

Stephenie Meyer gives her reader time to care for Wanderer.  Poor Wanderer goes through most of the horrors you’d expect a prisoner to suffer in desperate times.  However, the story constantly keeps both alien and human points of view in perspective.  Yes, the readers love Wanderer, but her kind erased the minds of nearly the entire human race.

Most of the drama of this book takes place inwardly, decisions have to be made, fear must be overcome, and personalities must be tested to their limits.  There are great action scenes, don’t get me wrong.  But this is a contemplative book.

I didn’t want to let Wanderer go in the end.  I’ve been thinking about her and the other characters with affection and longing.  If you like books that take their time to create the reality of emotional drama, then surrender yourself to the intricate interiors of The Host

Making Characters Breath

In my opinion, nothing adds more to a story than the characters. I can’t imagine A Christmas Carol without Scrooge. His miserly ways are burned into my brain. If I close my eyes, I can see his white night shirt, his skinny legs, and his long fingers counting all his cold coins.

How can you make a character come alive? Simple. Watch the people around you.

I don’t mean you should spy on your neighbors. But when you’re in a doctor’s office, watch the nurse behind her desk. Let’s imagine she’s wearing little dolphin earrings. Why? Oh, and her hair is a bland mixture of blond and gray. How old do you think she is? Then you notice she’s watching the lobby television instead of doing her work. Has she ever lost a patient’s paperwork? Think of the conflict involved in a story about a nurse who loses the paper work for a very sick patient.

If you watch people long enough, you’ll see things that will amuse and shock you. Once, while eating in a Chinese restaurant, I saw a teenager lift up her shirt and apply deodorant right over her bowl of soup.

Seeing that gave me the willies, but it also gave me lots of ideas for new stories. So the next time you are standing in a crowd of people, pay attention. They may be the inspiration you need to write a masterpiece.

Bust the Writer's Block with Tabasco Bottles

If you ever run out of things to write about, start collecting stuff.

You’re thinking, “That doesn’t make any sense.” Hang in there with me.

When Writer’s Block strikes, it’s because you’re stressed out. There are a million topics in the world to write about. You are blocked because you are trying to MAKE yourself write.

You need a mental diversion. So collect stuff.

I collect stories of famous people. Did you know Willa Cather hated the first book she wrote?

Collecting stuff makes your mind travel in a thousand different directions.

Inevitably, when I learn about famous people, I’m getting tons of information on history, culture, and how people handle adversity. I’m not going to write about Willa Cather, but I might wake up tomorrow with a story idea about Nebraska.

What can you collect? You can use anything as mental exercise. Maybe you like to collect Tabasco bottles? I bet you’d learn a lot about the process of making Tabasco, the way people distribute Tabasco, and the other seven people in the world who collect Tabasco bottles.

There’s no pressure to write about Willa Cather or Tabasco bottles. And that’s the key. Bust that block wide open. Distract yourself, do some mental stretching, and come back to your writing with a million different ideas that will set your pen flying