Emotional tension

In July, I'll be giving a workshop in San Francisco with fellow Romance authors Jessica Hart and Barbara McMahon. We'll be talking about emotion, emotion , emotion and its global appeal and one of the sections that I'll be dealing with is emotional tension. For that reason, I have my antennae trained for ways others writers develop emotional tensions.

And tonight (on Australian ABC TV1) will be screened the series final of BBC show Life On Mars. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about writing tension, this is an episode you shouldn’t miss.

For those of you who live in Oz and haven’t been watching the series, it’s about Sam Tyler, who had an accident and woke up in 1973. He doesn’t know if he’s mad, in a coma or has travelled back in time. Throughout the series, he’s been trying to get back where he came from. He believes if he doesn’t get back he will die!

For me, the big draw card besides the plot, is the character Gene Hunt played by Philip Gleinster (I’ve had a small swoon on this blog about him before. E’s not all that happy about how I like this guy so much, but at least he and P.G. share the same birthday. That’s supposed to keep E happy.J)

Last week, we were out but our son copied the episode for us and we caught up with it yesterday (just in time).

Normally, Sam and Gene are detectives solving crimes and hunting down criminals, but approaching their jobs with entirely different perspectives. Gene, a 1973 man, is very un PC and little more than a thug, while Sam is the careful and cautious 21^st century cop with knowledge of all the modern technology, which is frustratingly no longer available to him.

Last week the tables were turned on Gene.

Wow! Talk about racking up the tension!

Gene became a murder suspect. Sam managed against all the odds to discover who actually committed the crime and he saved Gene’s bacon -- or so he thought.

However, in a last minute twist, the baddie (for want of a better term) told Sam that he can’t save Gene. If he tries to help him again, he will never be able to go back to his real time!!!!!

Which leaves Sam with the hugest of dilemmas. This is the stuff that makes a really good story – a choice that is truly difficult, when a character has to give up his long cherished, vitally important goal, or do something self-sacrificing, but very worthy. (I’ve often wondered if Claiming His Family won the RITA because Erin faced the challenge of giving up her very important goal to keep her son Joey, and was prepared to let him go with his father, Luke.)

Anyway, back to life on Mars, I can kind of guess what Sam might choose, but I’m hoping tonight’s episode will answer all the questions the series has raised (we have to at least see a glimpse of Sam in 2007 surely) and still keep me on the edge of my seat.

As a writer, I find the story options open to fellow writers and the choices they make endlessly fascinating

I’ve just had a few magic days away in our beloved Misty Mountains. The rain stopped virtually the minute we arrived and didn’t return during our whole stay, so we had clear, crisp, cool days, perfect for gardening. The nights however were cold!!!!

The Cairns Post reported that it was -7 degrees Celsius at Ravenshoe (the highest town in Queensland). I don’t think it was quite that cold at our place, but we had ice on the car and frost on the ground – two firsts for me! Our wood fire was very much appreciated and kept our cottage beautifully snug and warm.

We returned on Saturday, stopping off at our favourite funky café, Off the Rails at South Johnstone, for lunch. We were a little early, but hung around until their sensational three cheeses and spinach pie came out of the oven.

On Saturday night we attended Tropic Sun Theatre’s production of Othello. It was supposed to be played in Queen’s Gardens, but it has been too cold and wet, so was transferred to the Cowshed at James Cook University.

It was fabulous. I’d never seen Othello before and what a riveting play it is. Othello was played by Tom Lewis, the Aboriginal actor who starred in the movie based on Tom Keneally’s book, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith. Andrew Hare who played Iago was also superb.

I love watching actors stay in character from the minute they step onto the stage. And I love watching their characterization deepen as the play goes on. Another actor I am fascinated by because of his deep characterisation is Philip Glenister in Life on Mars. He has developed the character of the bad cop Gene into such a larger than life figure with his long overcoat, undone shirt collar and permanently loosened tie, his constant petulant scowl and twisted sneer.

It amazes me to remember he is the same actor who was the equally appealing but so very gentle Captain Dobbin in Vanity Fair. Swoon.

Anyhooo… Yesterday and today, are my days for reading through Nell and Jacob’s story and giving it a final polish. Tonight, I will kiss them goodbye. But I won’t have time to miss them too much as Lilly and her parents are coming to dinner and Elliot is cooking his magical twice cooked duck.:)