University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-2005 Hammers and Strings Christopher Gale Morelock University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Recommended Citation Morelock, Christopher Gale, "Hammers and Strings. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2005. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/4573 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Christopher Gale Morelock entitled "Hammers and Strings." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in English. Allen Wier, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: ARRAY(0x7f6ff89f6d98) Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a.thesis written by Christopher Gale Morelock entitled "Hammers and Strings." I have examined the final paper copy of this thesis forform and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in English. Dr. Allen Wier, Major Professor We have read this thesis Vice Chancellor and Dean of Graduate Studies HAMMERS AND STRINGS A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Christopher Gale Morelock August 2005 ABSTRACT This thesis is a novel that explores the estranged relationship between a fatherand son. The protagonist, Benny Headley, has followedhis musical dreams to Nashville, but after ten yearshas returned home to the small town of Morristown, Tennessee to care for his ailing father, Ben Headley, who is in the latter stages of Alzheimer's. The style is simple and straightforwardand does not call attention to itself so that characterization is better served. The plot is chronological with flashbacks incorporated to reveal important information. I will continue to revise this manuscript towards the goal of publication. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Book One: Old Bethel Road 10 Chapter One 10 Chapter Two 32 Chapter Three 46 Chapter Four 74 Book Two: Labor Days 116 Chapter Five 116 Chapter Six 161 Chapter Seven 175 Chapter Eight 179 Chapter Nine 194 Chapter Ten 208 Book Three: Bethesda 235 Chapter Eleven 235 Chapter Twelve 244 Chapter Thirteen 266 Chapter Fourteen 286 Chapter Fifteen 296 Vita 298 Ill Introduction Hammers and Strings The Creative Process The creative process begins in the abstract. It brings to light that which is lost in the darkness. At times inspiration whispers. Sometimes it shouts. The writer has two primary responsibilities. The first is listening. The second is delivering. One of the most important challenges for the writer is to locate his playground, the place where his imagination is let loose. This place is not the same forall writers. For some it is a busy location surrounded by noise and activity. While forothers it is secluded and quiet. Some writers' have to change their surroundings to become inspired, by moving to a new city or going on a weekend getaway. While others' imaginations come alive within their daily routine and casual interactions. Although many writers create an artificial setting to aid in the creative process, there is no set formula to entice inspiration's voice. The job of the writer is to listen and remain faithful to the idea that first captured its attention. If inspiration were the only aspect of creating that the writer needed, then the writing process would be simple. The second stage proves difficult formost writers. Delivering is the writing techniquethat includes not only the first draft, but the process of revision. In his book, On Writing, Stephen King states that he writes ten pages every morning · and doesn't stop writing until his ten pages are finished. He says that this may take him three hours or eight, but the point is that he has discovered and implements a writing discipline that works forhim. I have modeled my firstdraft writing schedule after Stephen King's, except, I limit my work week to fivedays. Without setting a certain number of pages goal, finishing the firstdraft would prove difficult. The revision process is where elements of plot, characterization, setting, consistency of voice, imagery, and the overall writing style is judged with a critical eye. In revising, I become the editor, and the real work begins. The creative writing instructors at the University of Tennessee have assisted me the most with revising. Inspiration cannot be taught, but the elements of story and various writing techniques can. Coming into the. creative writing program at the University of Tennessee, I knew that language was my weakness. While writing a first draft I never considered if an expression or detail was cliched, or if I violated the point of view. In revision these considerations are vital to the maturation of the novel and the writer. I have discovered that I have a habit of over-explaining and that I have to watch out for point of view shifts in the narrative. Overall, this program has helped me become a more concise writer and has given me an assortment of editing tools. Marketing a novel does not come naturally for me. But this is a vital aspect of the writer's process that cannot be ignored, unless the writer enjoyskeeping a closet filled with unread manuscripts. Stories are meant to be shared. If the writer craftstales only forhimself, he has gained nothing. I have to become not only more disciplined in revision, but in seeking publication so that my stories can be read. 2 I have a passion forwriting forchildren and young adults. It is in writing for this age group that I experience the most creative freedom. I am interested in all types of genres forthis group. When writing for children there are no limits to imagination. They arean audience willing to suspend its beliefs and travel any where a fantastic story leads. Literary Influences Among the several writers whose work has influenced mine, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens stand out. Charles Dickens was an inspired writer who crafteddistinct characters and placed them in outrageous circumstances. Many modernreaders findhis characters somewhat cartoon-like, but in the mid-nineteenth century when his serial novels first foundtheir audience, his characters seemed authentic. Regardless of how a modernreader judges the realism of Dickens' characterizations, it cannot be denied that his characters are unique and memorable. Dickens had a flare for bringing to life a seemingly unimportant characterand keeping him alive in the reader's imagination without ever encountering him again. Dickens breathed life into each member of his cast by giving each of them a distinct voice. I wanteach character I write to be distinct like Dickens'. In Hammers and Strings, I have focusedon each character's dialogue. I have tried creating specificspeech patterns for each. Word usage is one technique I used. For example, Marcy is the only character who says, "Oh heck." Dialogue also distinguishes a character through pace and rhythm. For example, Outlaw Richard talks in long run-on sentences. Yet Ben Headley rarely speaks. 3 The novel that has influenced me the most has been The Adventures of HuckleberryFinn. In this story Twain makes not only a rebellious youth lovable, but a Negro slave sympathetic to a readership consisting at firstof mainly whites. There is a combination of elements that contributes to this, but one that cannot be denied is Twain's use of dialogue. Both Twain and Dickens excel in the ability to craft unique characters through dialogue, but they also incorporate coincidence in their plots. For example in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, after Huck runs away, it is coincidental that he finds Jim. However, their reunion is essential for the progress of the story, which consists mainly of their adventures riding down a rafton the Mississippi river. Or in Great Expectations, it seems like coincidence when Pip discovers that his financial backer is not Miss Havisham but none other than the convict that he helped escape in the beginning of the story. Some readers reject the use of coincidence. Other's hardly take notice and accept these ironic events as credible. To these readers it cannot be denied that lifeis full of coincidences. However, forthe writer the incorporation of coincidence into plot is difficultto achieve. Twain and Dickens make these unbelievable moments acceptable. I am striving to be a novelist who followstheir example. I am not yet certain how to mold coincidental moments into a narrative so that they are acceptable to most readers, but I will continue to explore. On Writing Hammers and Strings This story came froman idea I had a fewyears ago for a stage play. Originally, I wanted to write a two man play set in Ben Headley's living room. The story would have 4 been written in two acts with a total of four scenes and an overall time span of three months. Since the story deals with Alzheimer's, the time shifted from present to memory throughout. I didn't write it as a play because I wanted to expand the setting to encompass the entire town of Morristown and not just Ben Headley's living room.