Lamott - Polaroids - Character - Plot - etc.

When beginning this passage, I started to think about all of the times I've written something. There is always an immediacy about it; I never sit down and plan to write. I'll be mid-sleep and my brain will provide me with the strangest, most beautiful phrase that I had ever thought up. I'll be driving and a song--with lyrics and melody--will suddenly erupt my senses, forcing me to pull over and record it with my cell phone. However, these instances never form a complete piece of work. I can't just whip out a song because my brain tells me to. They give me the building blocks that completeness crave. This is the thought that sums up my opinion on Lamott's work. It all starts with a Polaroid: "First you just point at what has your attention and take the picture" (Lamott 1).
As she goes on to talk about characters, I realize the love/hate relationship that I have with some of the characters I've created. I love them because they can do things that I can't. They express thoughts and ideas that I've had built up for years. And I hate them for the same reasons. I think the main thing I took away from this section is that your characters are a part of you, and that I should be putting every detail I can think of into them: "You are going to love some of your characters, because they are you or some facet of you, and you are going to hate some of your characters for the same reason" (Lamott 4). Creating characters is like getting to know somebody new; you interview, observe, and probably over-exaggerate their qualities. You have a deep talk that strengthens your friendship, or you have a huge fight that weakens it. I don't really do this with my characters, and I'm excited to try.
Finally, I love Lamott's take on plot. The plot can't happen unless you have characters. Plot's remind me of life in a big way. You have thousands of choices everyday, but the choices you make create your plot, in a sense. It really strengthens the argument that you make your own life; this should be even easier with characters you are creating, right? I think it's harder because the pieces of you that are your characters aren't whole. You may make them whole, but plot has a lot to do with who they are: "Your plot will fall into place as, one day at a time, you listen to your characters carefully, and watch them move around doing and saying things and bumping into each other. You'll see them influence each others lives, you'll see what they are capable of up and doing, and you'll see them come to various ends" (Lamott 10). Overall, Lamott has shown me that the important aspects of writing are your experiences, and what makes you whole will eventually make your story whole.