Aug 31, 2020
Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?
I admit it. I had to look it up. What capers meant in a literary sense. I had an idea, but I’ve never studied the form and wanted to make sure. What I found was “an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous.” In a literary sense, “The caper story is distinguished from the straight crime story by elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity.” They usually focus on the bad guys. Think Oceans Eleven or The Sting.
But then I got thinking about a few of the ‘interesting ‘ situations Harmony has gotten herself into. Of course, they are all on the side of good.
I giggled as Lando adjusted the support stockings. They hid the thick bandages he had wrapped each leg with to make them appear fatter. “Luckily it’s getting chilly outside,” he said, handing me a heavy sweater. “The more layers of clothing you wear the less you resemble yourself.”
With the foam form strapped around my belly, I thought I had plenty of padding already. It was designed to give a man the concept of the extra weight women carry when they are pregnant, but mostly it made me look fat. The over-sized dress with the huge Hawaiian flower pattern exaggerated the effect. Under all the foam and extra layers of clothing, it wouldn’t be long before I started to sweat.
The gray wig was a nice touch too. It was hard getting all my hair to stay under it, and thank heavens the curly hair hid the lump my bun made. Lando worried the makeup he had applied didn’t fill my face out enough, but he did the best job possible with his limited supplies. He hoped the huge glasses he’d found would help. The plain thick glass meant I still needed my contacts. The ugly white nurse’s shoes were a size too big, but with the thick socks they fit just about right.
A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.
I smiled back and pointed the end of the cane at him. “That’s enough out of you, sonny.”
He got thoughtful. “I almost forgot!” He dug into one of the bags. “Teeth!” he said. They were some of those fake ones that slip on over real teeth. I put them in and ran my tongue over them. I wouldn’t be able to eat corn on the cob, but an ice cream sundae would a possibility. “Try talking now,” he said.
I tried but it wasn’t easy. It reminded me of when I lost both front teeth at the same time as a little girl. “It’ll take some practice,” Lando told me. “But in the meantime you don’t sound like you and that’s a good thing.” He crooked an arm. “Shall we go show Eli?”
Walking slightly bent over was harder than I anticipated so I appreciated the arm he offered for extra support. I shuffled more than walked to the far room.
“Aunt Martha, meet my friends Eli and Scotty. Guys, this is Aunt Martha.”
From The Marquesa’s Necklace
All of that to go out for supper. And to take a walk in the park. Visit the Post Office. Innocent, right? But when I think about it, they all share one or more elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity
I don’t claim I can write an entire story as a caper. I pull off a scene here and there for the fun of it. Harmony likes going in undercover to places she shouldn’t be. Lando didn’t know what he started when he taught her how to use theatrical makeup.
But then there’s Harmony’s ex-boyfriend, Jake. Jake won’t reveal his secrets to me. Maybe because I take him too seriously. His alleged history as a gentleman jewel thief would be the perfect setup for a caper. He has the right mix of irreverence and seriousness, and the ability to charm himself out of almost any situation. I’ll have to think about it.
And there are a few capers out there. One I read recently was Hook Dead to Rights by Melissa Snark. It may not be a caper in the traditional sense of the genre, but it comes close.
On the stream-of-consciousness part of this question. I do. Write that way. Frequently. And I’m betting there’s a few others on this loop that do as well. (Richard and Lela, I’m looking at you.) Let’s see who owns up to it by following the links below.
Until next time, stay safe!
Aug 31, 2020
Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?
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My Andorra Pett mysteries are definitely capers, I don’t think any of my other work can be classed as stream of consciousness, but I was looking out of the window for that lesson!
I need to read one of your books. I am so behind in my reading it’s shameful.
I’m in the same boat. Richard is on my list, but my list is three-miles long.
I read one. Those are cozy whodunnits in the Laura Levine vein. Not as cutesy as old ladies with cats or recipes, but definitely cozies. Capers need not resolve.
My take is that certain readerships and authors, consciously or subconsciously, seek resolution or order. Procedurals, quests. There’s something to hang on to. While some capers resolve, most simply come to an end when somebody dies or the caper blows up in their faces. The last Hiaasen I read had nothing to hang on to. Leonard’s “The Switch” is a classic no handrails with a great twist. So is “Tishomingo Blues.” You mentioned the scene where the FBI knocks on Bobby’s door as an opener scene. But you didn’t see the following machine gun toting bikini model, a custom car hotdog on the skids, a stripper, a pimp, two gulf coast trailer park weirdos, a heavy hitting Baton Rouge attorney, an angry girlfriend…the character lunacy has to be part and parcel of the whole. Funny scenes are not the complete tale, but how to make something ridiculous seem everyday mundane while moving forward.
I’m one of those who seeks resolution and order. But I have fun putting my characters pinto situations that are out of their comfort zones on the way.
Characters out of their comfort zone makes great tension. Since I write series, I resolve some things and let others linger. It makes people want to read the next book — hopefully and so far it appears to be true.
I do write some stream of consciousness, but it’s not really in the traditional Faulkner sense. I use some punctuation, for example. I can’t bring myself to write 27-page sentences. I think readers prefer some punctuation, just to keep them oriented.
I’ve written stream-of-consciousness poetry in the distant past. It was a different form. You got to use line breaks and such to provide natural pauses