These are boxes I've made, inspired by Joseph Cornell. They sit on the wall above my desk.
This is the CHARLES DICKENS BOX. I took my favorite examples of his dialogue, character description, action and exposition from various novels from TALE OF TWO CITIES, DAVID COPPERFIELD, OLIVER TWIST, to remind myself that there are many kinds of writing in a novel. Dickens was a master of them all.
This is the DIALOGUE BOX or perhaps it should be called the FRUSTRATION BOX. Anyway, it's designed to alleviate mine. A few classic lines from movies (why do movies have no memorable lines anymore?) to remind myself that great dialogue come after many tries.
This is the TOM BEDLAM BOX. The novel took me three years to write, and there were times when I didn't think I'd ever finish it. So I built a box containing all the elements of the story: my grandfather's war photos, Queen Victoria, the figurines that feature in the story, a piece of music. It made the whole effort seem more tangible.
