Today I spent a little time reading scripts online and learning about formatting. As I'm slogging through my NaNoWriMo manuscript, I'm (surprisingly) looking ahead to Script Frenzy and deciding whether it's something I'd like to do in April. I'm undecided for a few reasons, including a.) I don't know much about script writing, b.) I'll only have one hand to type with thanks to shoulder surgery, c.) I have my hands full writing this novel, and d.) I don't have any excellent ideas right now. But at the same time, I would absolutely love to try my hand at writing a stage play.
Writers control novels very closely, engineering the reader's experience from beginning to end. Scripts are more living documents, left open to a lot of interpretation by actors and directors so the final product is a confluence of many artists' work. Just like I'd love to get a book published someday, I think seeing a play performed -- even in the world's smallest venue -- would be a great achievement.
The only question is, should I choose this April to start writing?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Inspiration #8: Communication
We've been snowed in since Friday night. Slowly but surely, this has pushed me to clear out the backlog of emails and notes I've been wanting to send to my friends. After you hit a certain threshold of playing video games in your pajamas it just has to happen.
Part of this is 100% social, but I've also been thinking more and more about how I might use my friends to research my novel. Quite a few of my characters have had life experiences that I find very impactful and have seen tangentially, but I haven't actually been through it myself. Right now these characters are basically likable, but underdeveloped because there are aspects of their lives I need to learn about and understand in greater detail.
So when I'm not pushing for that level 70 milestone in World of Warcraft (really have to reign that habit in), I'm going to be catching up with friends who are far away and -- hopefully! -- learning a bit about my fictional characters as well.
Part of this is 100% social, but I've also been thinking more and more about how I might use my friends to research my novel. Quite a few of my characters have had life experiences that I find very impactful and have seen tangentially, but I haven't actually been through it myself. Right now these characters are basically likable, but underdeveloped because there are aspects of their lives I need to learn about and understand in greater detail.
So when I'm not pushing for that level 70 milestone in World of Warcraft (really have to reign that habit in), I'm going to be catching up with friends who are far away and -- hopefully! -- learning a bit about my fictional characters as well.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Inspiration #7: Handwriting
Because I love handwriting! This will be a short post, just to say that as I read through my manuscript (this is a running theme because I've been stuck in the house for days with it) I can't get over how much I love receiving handwritten notes. From middle school through college, my best friend and I often exchanged lengthy notes and letters in addition to margin notes on each others' writing. Now that I've gotten that again, it brings me no small measure of joy to decode all those little scribbles. Somehow it just feels so much better than the much drier, more professional comment feature in Microsoft Word.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Inspiration #6: Quiet, Clean Work Space
Some creative folk can have a messy studio/workshop/whatever space. Not me. I have a terrible weakness for clutter, but I make sure it stays out of the room where I do most of my writing.
Last night we got thunder and lightning during a snowstorm. Scary and amazing and eerie! It made me extra glad for my little safe haven in the back of the house.
Last night we got thunder and lightning during a snowstorm. Scary and amazing and eerie! It made me extra glad for my little safe haven in the back of the house.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Inspiration #5: Friends
Tonight in Baltimore we're eagerly glancing out the window and wondering how much snow will be on the ground by morning. Forecasts are calling for a legitimate blizzard, so all signs point to a weekend spent solidly indoors and away from the roads and sidewalks.
Today I was lucky enough to get the first 60 pages of my manuscript back with comments from a friend -- the best way to prepare for some dedicated time inside. While this kind of peer review can be scary, it is in many ways what I've been trained to do. Critique -- including critique of work in progress -- is part of being an artist, part of having a fine arts degree.
Skimming over my pages was without a doubt the most inspiring part of my day because the comments in the margins were exactly what I was looking for: the kind of feedback you can only get from someone who is comfortable enough to be 100% honest with you and also willing to think critically about what they're reading. Creative people don't share works in progress with each other to hear things like "oh, it's really good, you're a really great writer/painter/photographer." They do it to hear things like "I don't think this character would have done this" or "your proportions are off -- see how that shoulder doesn't look like it fits with the rest of the body?"
I feel privileged to share my life with people who will provide me the kind of feedback I also love to give: feedback that you have to be ready to take constructively, feedback that makes you realize you're still a long way from the finish line but you have something excellent to work with. Sure, there's plenty that can be hard to hear, especially when you've already invested a lot of time and energy in a project. But it's exciting and difficult and ultimately what helps you become better at what you do. I guess it goes back to that old cliche I hate so much: "you can't create art in a vacuum."
Today I was lucky enough to get the first 60 pages of my manuscript back with comments from a friend -- the best way to prepare for some dedicated time inside. While this kind of peer review can be scary, it is in many ways what I've been trained to do. Critique -- including critique of work in progress -- is part of being an artist, part of having a fine arts degree.
Skimming over my pages was without a doubt the most inspiring part of my day because the comments in the margins were exactly what I was looking for: the kind of feedback you can only get from someone who is comfortable enough to be 100% honest with you and also willing to think critically about what they're reading. Creative people don't share works in progress with each other to hear things like "oh, it's really good, you're a really great writer/painter/photographer." They do it to hear things like "I don't think this character would have done this" or "your proportions are off -- see how that shoulder doesn't look like it fits with the rest of the body?"
I feel privileged to share my life with people who will provide me the kind of feedback I also love to give: feedback that you have to be ready to take constructively, feedback that makes you realize you're still a long way from the finish line but you have something excellent to work with. Sure, there's plenty that can be hard to hear, especially when you've already invested a lot of time and energy in a project. But it's exciting and difficult and ultimately what helps you become better at what you do. I guess it goes back to that old cliche I hate so much: "you can't create art in a vacuum."
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Inspiration #4: Home & Pictures
A while back I stumbled on a photo blog called A Walk Through Durham Township, PA. Durham Township is right in the area where I grew up -- I guess what you'd call the next town over -- so the photos are all "pictures of home." I hesitate on whether the photographs themselves inspire me because in a way they're just beautiful pictures. They're technically gorgeous but don't necessarily push any artistic/conceptual boundaries. However, I do find myself looking at them to remember what it feels like to be in a place, and I think that's important too, not just how avant-garde or postmodern something is. I'd guess this blog won "Best American Photoblog" because it captures the spirit of some quintessentially American landscapes, and it's special to me to think I come from just that place.
The blog author seems to value copyright pretty highly so I'm not going to reproduce her images here, but I suggest you check it out at http://www.durhamtownship.com/
The blog author seems to value copyright pretty highly so I'm not going to reproduce her images here, but I suggest you check it out at http://www.durhamtownship.com/
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Inspiration #3: I Like You
Having silly little crushes on people always makes life more fun and interesting, especially when it's the kind of feeling where you just want to make them a mix CD and talk about music for hours over some Yuengling Black & Tan.
The last time I felt this way about someone I made a playlist and decided not to make it official because that person...well, they wouldn't have loved it in the way I wanted them to. Anyway, today I was inspired again to make a playlist, sing along to it while making dinner (french onion soup with little toasts and goat cheese, since you asked), and imagine burning it to a CD with a little note attached. And maybe I will! If I like you, I've probably made a mix tape for you at some point -- or a mix CD in recent years, since times have certainly changed since the days of painstakingly recording mixes on my boom box. My favorite music -- and the pieces of it I think you'll love -- is sort of how I explain the finer details of who I am. And if I've ever really, really wanted to compile a bunch of music and throw it on a CD for you, it means I'd really like for us to get to know each other a little better, I just can't quite find my own words to say so.
The last time I felt this way about someone I made a playlist and decided not to make it official because that person...well, they wouldn't have loved it in the way I wanted them to. Anyway, today I was inspired again to make a playlist, sing along to it while making dinner (french onion soup with little toasts and goat cheese, since you asked), and imagine burning it to a CD with a little note attached. And maybe I will! If I like you, I've probably made a mix tape for you at some point -- or a mix CD in recent years, since times have certainly changed since the days of painstakingly recording mixes on my boom box. My favorite music -- and the pieces of it I think you'll love -- is sort of how I explain the finer details of who I am. And if I've ever really, really wanted to compile a bunch of music and throw it on a CD for you, it means I'd really like for us to get to know each other a little better, I just can't quite find my own words to say so.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Inspiration #2: Kiss Me It's Beginning to Snow
Today felt frustrating at a number of points, and for the most part I was more than happy to hole up inside with some good friends after work and catch up on a few episodes of American Idol. Maybe the day made me more cynical than I thought, because I refused to believe we were getting a real snowfall until I stepped out the door to catch my cab home. Then I found myself in the middle of that beautiful snowfall silence that feels like it just stops the world.
Snow inspires me for several reasons. One, that silence seems to give my heart room to feel and my mind room to think. I love the winter, love the cold and the snow -- it's just so invigorating! On another more practical note, there's a distinct possibility our office will experience a snow delay or even a closure tomorrow. I'm already closing my eyes and imagining waking up and brewing a steaming mug of coffee, wandering around in my bathrobe and PJs, sitting down to a project, squinting at the light reflecting off the snow and shining in my windows.
And lest you think my white balance is off, nighttime snowfalls really do look like this under our streetlights.
Snow inspires me for several reasons. One, that silence seems to give my heart room to feel and my mind room to think. I love the winter, love the cold and the snow -- it's just so invigorating! On another more practical note, there's a distinct possibility our office will experience a snow delay or even a closure tomorrow. I'm already closing my eyes and imagining waking up and brewing a steaming mug of coffee, wandering around in my bathrobe and PJs, sitting down to a project, squinting at the light reflecting off the snow and shining in my windows.
And lest you think my white balance is off, nighttime snowfalls really do look like this under our streetlights.
Monday, February 1, 2010
NaNoWriMo Revisited: Clip #2
It's time for another excerpt from my NaNoWriMo novel! I've had to be a little strategic so I'm creating interest rather than giving key plot points away, which is a challenge I didn't anticipate. Anyway, this is actually only half of the excerpt, so I'll be posting Part Two soon. Enjoy! And thank you Oli for picking it out!
Inspiration #1: Old College Try
Over the weekend I started to feel like I was in a little bit of a creative rut. I think it's easy, as we're focusing on getting to and from work, cleaning the house in the aftermath of holidays and winter vacations, battling flu outbreaks, to forget to just feel inspired on a regular basis.
I used to keep sketchbooks where I'd write down random thoughts and ideas, sketch little abstract figures and designs, and glue in interesting clippings from all over. Now I tend to keep a writer's notebook that is much more focused if not in subject matter, then certainly in content. The pages are filled with, well, scribbly writing. When given license to keep whatever sort of artist's diary I can, I've chosen to be a writer for now.
However, I'd like to use this blog as my sketchbook for the month of February, including one thing every day that inspires me. It might be a poem, a lyric, a photo from my day, a performance, a joke -- anything.
Today -- as I do many days -- I found myself admiring John Darnielle's lyrics. He fronts a band called the Mountain Goats, who are somewhat little-known but have a pretty sizable cult following. My husband hates the Mountain Goats. A lot. And I'll grant anyone the truth, that John Darnielle isn't the world's best guitarist or singer, the instrumentations on my favorite songs are pretty sparse, and in general the music may be an acquired taste. But his lyrics are very honest and literate and descriptive in a way that I feel gets to the very core of his subject matter. In anything I write, I hope to achieve those passages that can cut through you like a knife -- I think we all do. Anyway, here are the words to one of my favorite songs by the Mountain Goats: Old College Try from their album Tallahassee. I particularly love the simile at the end.
I used to keep sketchbooks where I'd write down random thoughts and ideas, sketch little abstract figures and designs, and glue in interesting clippings from all over. Now I tend to keep a writer's notebook that is much more focused if not in subject matter, then certainly in content. The pages are filled with, well, scribbly writing. When given license to keep whatever sort of artist's diary I can, I've chosen to be a writer for now.
However, I'd like to use this blog as my sketchbook for the month of February, including one thing every day that inspires me. It might be a poem, a lyric, a photo from my day, a performance, a joke -- anything.
Today -- as I do many days -- I found myself admiring John Darnielle's lyrics. He fronts a band called the Mountain Goats, who are somewhat little-known but have a pretty sizable cult following. My husband hates the Mountain Goats. A lot. And I'll grant anyone the truth, that John Darnielle isn't the world's best guitarist or singer, the instrumentations on my favorite songs are pretty sparse, and in general the music may be an acquired taste. But his lyrics are very honest and literate and descriptive in a way that I feel gets to the very core of his subject matter. In anything I write, I hope to achieve those passages that can cut through you like a knife -- I think we all do. Anyway, here are the words to one of my favorite songs by the Mountain Goats: Old College Try from their album Tallahassee. I particularly love the simile at the end.
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