The Gilmore Girls' Diet
A lesson in story and tread milling
Welcome to my new subscribers. Thanks for coming along and spending a few minutes with Research for Writers and Other Curious People.
How are you handling the current angsty-swirl of life these days? I hope if I’ve landed in your in-box, you’ll let me distract you with my latest goings on and perhaps inspire a few fun connections along the way.
Ok, Ok, I’ll Watch the Gilmore Girls
The Gilmore Girls was a popular dramadey (drama-comedy) that ran for seven seasons from 2000-2007. It features a single mother whose back story is she got pregnant at 16, ran away from her wealthy and snobbish parents and moved to a fictional Connecticut town called Stars Hollow. She raised her daughter in the loving bosom of the quirky townsfolk and our story begins with the mother now running the historic town inn and the daughter attending an upscale re: expensive college prep high school.
I never watched the show. From 2000-2007 I was running my writing and editing business, finishing my MFA and oh, I gave birth to two children. I wasn’t living under a rock. I just didn’t have time to sit and do…anything. So, I missed it.
Then came my move to fiction writing. Part of selling a novel is finding comparable titles “comps” that you can say your work is like to quickly let agents and editors understand where in the market your opus fits. Comps could be an entire discussion. If you’re super interested, give me a call.
Haunted by the Gilmore Girls
As I have studied comps and pitches to find the perfect comparison to my own work, time and again the Gilmore Girls shows up. I would see write ups like this book (insert x) is like The Gilmore Girls set on an island with vampires. Or The Gilmore Girls crossed with some bestselling book.
Even recently.
Nina Simon's, Mother-Daughter Murder Night was described as The Gilmore Girls but with a murder mystery.
Ok, I give up. Seventeen years AFTER the last episode, this book is using The Gilmore Girls as a comp reference. Clearly I have missed a cultural and story telling juggernaut and my education must be completed.
I will watch the show but… while I like visual media: TV, movies, cartoons, plays, I’m busy and restless. I’m all in on attempting to stay in the know about what the latest (insert) thing is. I consider it research. However, clawing even 45-minutes to watch an old show when I’m doing my best to catch up on everything current, is a hard sell.
The Solution!
Scientists have shown exercise spurs creativity. I can attest this is true. I often take “plot walks” to work out story structure, scenes, characters, and stuck ideas in my novels. However, it’s been colder than cold this winter and I’ve refused to dress like an Everest climber to walk outside. I’ve taken to my treadmill.
Ah-ha! I will watch a few episodes on the treadmill for some additional exercise. Additionally, I will pay expert attention to the story structure, emotional resonance of plot lines, see if I can predicts the ending, etc. These are all important elements as I am plotting out a new story idea.
Off I Went…
Or rather down I went as my treadmill is in my basement. (I realize an in-house gym is a total luxury in terms of space, time, and costs.)
The Diet Part
Prior to this decision, I was lifting weights three days a week and attempting two days of some sort of cardio. Then I began having allergic reactions to my high blood pressure medication (apologies for the TMI) and I’ve had to stop, leaving my blood pressure control to a I really have to be serious about what I eat plan and exercise.
The Characters are Always Eating
Setting is insanely important in a story.
Where does the story take place?
What can place add to a mood?
Who are the people you find there?
What is the social-economic structure of the characters and story?
What are they surrounded by?
The fictional Connecticut Stars Hollow is barf-worthy quaint. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and it was nothing like this show. However, this is for the sake of story.
The town has a square where they hold snowmen building contests and pep rallies. You’ll find the Inn, a dance studio, market, bookstore, antique store, and of course Luke’s Diner, where the main character has palpable chemistry with the owner in a constant near miss of romance. Will they or won’t they from episode to episode. It’s a classic plot thread.
As I’ve been monitoring my diet, I’ve been alarmed and a bit grossed out at what these characters eat: Burgers, pastry, gallons of coffee, ice cream, candy. They are awash in comfort food and rich meals. Yet their perfect figures and glowing skin mocks their diet.
The show features beautiful food displays at the kitchen of the Inn where the chef, played by Melissa McCarthy swoons over fresh vegetables and heirloom berries. In story world, this would be replaced with rich descriptions. They begin their eating day at Luke’s where pancakes and bacon are a favorite. I can’t imagine eating so much in the morning and staying awake. However, characters have personalities and quirks and their eating patterns are mentioned from time to time.
Unlike Me, they are Impeccably Dressed
The external character mirrors the internal. These people dress for Friday dinner. Dad wears a suit and tie and mom looks like she’s attending a cocktail party. The main character despite being of limited financial means has an envy worthy wardrobe, salon perfect hair, and camera ready make-up. Yeah, yeah, TV I get it, but it’s one part of the story world that bothers me.
Back to the Diet and Exercise
I had no idea what to expect from a daily fix of The Gilmore Girls. I groaned my first few days that the show ran about 45 minutes (now without commercials). I hate the treadmill and usually shuffle twenty-minutes and stop. But my feet thumped steadily from plot thread to secondary characters, to bits of humor, and often then to the final scene of emotional awakening. Sometimes the show ends happy, others not. I treat each episode like a novel where the writer provides variety and leaves enough to turn the page.
The Results Are Still Coming In
I’m in the middle of season two. I’ve continued with my weight lifting, strict diet, and I have managed over 30 straight days of Gillmore-Cardio. I’ve lost three pounds!
No, I haven’t walked off the weight - if only. The cardio supports changes in my diet. The time spent has also been a master class in story structure as I’ve labeled the episodes, the mother-father episode, the love interest episode, moving along the secondary story line episode, the heavy emotional episode, the light-hearted. I take the story lessons back to my pages. We’ll see if that works too.
What Media Powers Your Workout?
I doubt I’ll make it through 7 seasons of the Gillmore Girls, at least not at this pace. If you have a favorite TV show that I likely missed, I’d love to know.
In Pelican News
I’m still on the road with The Pelican Tide. I’ll be speaking on April 2nd in Miami at Florida International University Conference on Narrative. And I’m super excited to be on a panel with JoeAnn Hart and Julie Carrick Dalton. We will be speaking about climate change in the non human world.
I’ll be giving an Earth Day presentation about my book on April 22nd at the Woburn Public Library from 6-8. This is a free event open to the public. I’ll have more information on that soon. If you’re in Massachusetts, I’d love for you to attend.
Hope you’re finding a way to stay motivated. If you listen and exercise to audio books, check out the audio version of The Pelican Tide. It’s my favorite version of the book.
What great insight!!
I am like you, having never watched the show despite it being referenced everywhere! I finally bit the bullet and started watching at the beginning of this year. I’m on season 3, episode 3 and now I actually sing along with the intro! It’s one of those great shows that despite having drama feels like a safe space to relax into. But you are SO right about the diet. It is strange how they are championed for eating junk food and take out but it’s glamorized because they have perfectly skinny figures. It feels VERY pick me/cool girl.
Additionally, we need to talk about how amazing Paris is as a female figure. I think if I had watched the show when I was young I wouldn’t have liked her. But now? She is a force!
I loved Gilmore Girls so much that I had viewing parties with themed snacks and custom-burned soundtrack cds as party favors. Rewatched recently and for me it holds up, but nostalgia is a big factor.
I watch something in the elliptical in the morning and I love junk tv for that. It’s 6 am and I’m sweating in a freezing garage. My favorite this year has been Doctor Odyssey, which is ABSURD but delightful.