Tiger on the Watch, by Jean-Leon Gerome, 1888.
More soon.
Friday, June 24, 2011
A Hint of Things to Come...
Not exactly this. But this very cool old illustration puts one in the proper mood...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Happy Summer!
Summer solstice today, and in LA the temperature's in the 80's and sunny.
As it should be.
This is the longest day of the year, and as a person who grew up in a state (Hawaii) where the days stayed pretty much the same length all year ('cause Hawaii's close to the equator) I have a strong love for this day. I still find it very odd to have daylight around 8pm. When I visited Ireland in August a few years back, I took photos without a flash at ISO 100 at 10pm at night. To me, this is miraculous!
In ancient Egypt, the summer solstice marked not only the day the sun was at its highest, but the beginning of the all-important inundation of the Nile. In their mythology, it was at this time that the sun god Horus defeated his uncle Set, Lord of Darkness.
Which reminds me, lots brewing right now, writing-wise. Can't share, but it feels good to percolate. I am coffee! A strong, slightly bitter brew no doubt.
Monday, June 13, 2011
In Which My Tweet is Quoted at Ew.com
Did you see episode nine of Game of Thrones yet? If you have, you can see that I'm quoted in a (SPOILERIFIC) article at ew.com here.
If you haven't, don't waste time reading this. Go and watch, little grasshopper! Go now, I say!
I read the books by George R.R. Martin first, loved them, and was thrilled when HBO announced they were adapting them for cable TV.
And here's the thing. The series isn't perfect. But in some places it's actually better than the books. This is coming from a book lover, from one who has read all the books several times.
They proved it big time last night in episode nine, entitled "Baelor." Again, it wasn't perfect. Some of the exposition in the middle dragged a bit, although the acting and character work was as always fabulous.
Then they got to the final scene of the episode, a scene which, in the books, is infamous and celebrated amongst fantasy readers. I won't spoil it for you here, just in case you haven't seen the show or read the books. (Go do both! Now, fucking now!) But after I first read the scene, I literally sat there dumbfounded, mouth agape, for five minutes. It's bold, it's harsh, it's completely wonderful.
So I knew what to expect with this ep of the show. I knew it was coming. I was thrilled to see what they'd do with it, braced for the emotional impact.
It was far better than I ever could have dreamed.
How often does that happen? So I tweeted about it. Fifteen minutes after the east coast feed of the show ended, I tweeted. "I read the books. I knew it was coming. Still, it was shocking, horrific, and fantastic. #gameofthrones #baelor."
And ew.com used it in their article.
I'm too famous now to bother telling you more. *sniff*
Actually, I didn't gain a single twitter follower from it. But it was pretty cool just the same.
If you haven't, don't waste time reading this. Go and watch, little grasshopper! Go now, I say!
I read the books by George R.R. Martin first, loved them, and was thrilled when HBO announced they were adapting them for cable TV.
And here's the thing. The series isn't perfect. But in some places it's actually better than the books. This is coming from a book lover, from one who has read all the books several times.
They proved it big time last night in episode nine, entitled "Baelor." Again, it wasn't perfect. Some of the exposition in the middle dragged a bit, although the acting and character work was as always fabulous.
Then they got to the final scene of the episode, a scene which, in the books, is infamous and celebrated amongst fantasy readers. I won't spoil it for you here, just in case you haven't seen the show or read the books. (Go do both! Now, fucking now!) But after I first read the scene, I literally sat there dumbfounded, mouth agape, for five minutes. It's bold, it's harsh, it's completely wonderful.
So I knew what to expect with this ep of the show. I knew it was coming. I was thrilled to see what they'd do with it, braced for the emotional impact.
It was far better than I ever could have dreamed.
How often does that happen? So I tweeted about it. Fifteen minutes after the east coast feed of the show ended, I tweeted. "I read the books. I knew it was coming. Still, it was shocking, horrific, and fantastic. #gameofthrones #baelor."
And ew.com used it in their article.
I'm too famous now to bother telling you more. *sniff*
Actually, I didn't gain a single twitter follower from it. But it was pretty cool just the same.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
More Food For Thought on Blogging
A veddy interestink post by writer Kristen Lamb here about why you shouldn't blog just about writing if you're a writer.
The main reason? It limits your audience.
I've struggled along with what to blog about on this blog a bit. How focused on a topic should I be? How often to post?
So this sort of article from an expert is helpful.
1. Post three times a week. (Gulp.)
2. Write about stuff you like and that the general public likes. Throw promos for your book in there somewhere and make it feel organic, by gum.
Of course, I don't have a book to promote (yet!). And I do post about stuff I like - movies, Ancient Egypt, writing, travel. I haven't gotten up to three times a week. That's partly because I don't have anything to promote! Why bug people when you have little to offer?
Perhaps I shouldn't view my blog as "bugging" people, ey? Step #1.
One of the issues is that I work in an industry that makes things I love - TV and film. This is a good and lucky thing for me. But it means I can't really blog too freely about the product it produces. I can't rave about my fave TV shows too much or rant about ones that suck. I work with these people! That's not cool.
But I do love and can discuss things like: old movies, language, bodysurfing, travel, history, poetry, art, animals, RPGs, underdogs.
So I'll ponder how to make a blog identity out of some amalgalm of that.
The main reason? It limits your audience.
I've struggled along with what to blog about on this blog a bit. How focused on a topic should I be? How often to post?
So this sort of article from an expert is helpful.
1. Post three times a week. (Gulp.)
2. Write about stuff you like and that the general public likes. Throw promos for your book in there somewhere and make it feel organic, by gum.
Of course, I don't have a book to promote (yet!). And I do post about stuff I like - movies, Ancient Egypt, writing, travel. I haven't gotten up to three times a week. That's partly because I don't have anything to promote! Why bug people when you have little to offer?
Perhaps I shouldn't view my blog as "bugging" people, ey? Step #1.
One of the issues is that I work in an industry that makes things I love - TV and film. This is a good and lucky thing for me. But it means I can't really blog too freely about the product it produces. I can't rave about my fave TV shows too much or rant about ones that suck. I work with these people! That's not cool.
But I do love and can discuss things like: old movies, language, bodysurfing, travel, history, poetry, art, animals, RPGs, underdogs.
So I'll ponder how to make a blog identity out of some amalgalm of that.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
My Favorite Movie in On
It's The Searchers and it's on AMC right now and I can't tear myself away except during the annoying commercials. I already own the dvd, which comes from an amazing print, but this is one of those movies, like Jaws or Casablanca, that when I catch a glimpse of it on TV, it ensnares me for hours.
I know folks have issues with it. They think it's racist. And indeed, John Wayne plays a racist bastard in the film. But the film thinks he's wrong. In fact, one of its major themes is that our entire country is based on racism. What else could've made us think we had the right to take it from the people who were here before us?
The movie's about other things too - vengeance, love, and how an old love can turn vengeance into forgiveness. But ultimately, the racist old blackguard played by Wayne can never be forgiven, can never be part of civilization. He made America possible, but he's too awful to ever be let inside. We wouldn't have to live with our terrible past, now would we?
The ending is justly famous. Wayne brings home the girl (young Natalie Wood) who had been kidnapped by Indians (I'll call them that here, not Native Americans, since that's how the movie refers to them), whom he had sworn to kill himself. He couldn't kill the daughter of the woman he loved, no matter how much he despised the fact that she's now "tainted" by living with Indian chief Scar. He saved her, redeemed himself, in a way. But it's not enough. It'll never be enough. As he said of the dead Indian who's eyes he shot out, he's doomed forever to wander between the winds.
Blogger won't let me post this widescreen (it's shot in 1.85), so it's best viewed here. Or see the slightly cropped version, below.
I know folks have issues with it. They think it's racist. And indeed, John Wayne plays a racist bastard in the film. But the film thinks he's wrong. In fact, one of its major themes is that our entire country is based on racism. What else could've made us think we had the right to take it from the people who were here before us?
The movie's about other things too - vengeance, love, and how an old love can turn vengeance into forgiveness. But ultimately, the racist old blackguard played by Wayne can never be forgiven, can never be part of civilization. He made America possible, but he's too awful to ever be let inside. We wouldn't have to live with our terrible past, now would we?
The ending is justly famous. Wayne brings home the girl (young Natalie Wood) who had been kidnapped by Indians (I'll call them that here, not Native Americans, since that's how the movie refers to them), whom he had sworn to kill himself. He couldn't kill the daughter of the woman he loved, no matter how much he despised the fact that she's now "tainted" by living with Indian chief Scar. He saved her, redeemed himself, in a way. But it's not enough. It'll never be enough. As he said of the dead Indian who's eyes he shot out, he's doomed forever to wander between the winds.
Blogger won't let me post this widescreen (it's shot in 1.85), so it's best viewed here. Or see the slightly cropped version, below.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Why You Should Use Obvious Blog Post Titles for Search Optimization
... Because people rely on technology to find things for them on the internet, and tech doesn't "get" the cool, ironic, poetry-referencing title you used for your post.
I've been reading up on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and I still have much to learn, but seriously, I'm considering retitling my blog. (Well, not really, but you get the idea.) If this blog were titled "How to Become a Successful Writer" it would be misleading as hell, but it would get me lots of hits.
Of course, you want folks to linger on your web page too. So don't mislead them, tempting as it may be! You need to offer up the goods you promised in the title, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because you need to get them to click on something, to go to the next page of your blogpost.
Which is why I need to figure out how to make you click on a link to read the rest of this post.
I've been reading up on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and I still have much to learn, but seriously, I'm considering retitling my blog. (Well, not really, but you get the idea.) If this blog were titled "How to Become a Successful Writer" it would be misleading as hell, but it would get me lots of hits.
Of course, you want folks to linger on your web page too. So don't mislead them, tempting as it may be! You need to offer up the goods you promised in the title, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because you need to get them to click on something, to go to the next page of your blogpost.
Which is why I need to figure out how to make you click on a link to read the rest of this post.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Nape of Your Neck
I've been out of town for the past couple of weeks to help out with some family stuff. It's left me a bit drained and tired, a combo of jetlag and the dazed sort of "hunh?" feeling that comes from seeing people you love having difficult times.
So I haven't blogged or written much at all. I can feel the psychic hole that leaves somewhere near the base of my neck. That's the spot where the chills start, where the hair on your nape stands up when you spot a knee-meltingly hot man or you experience a mind-blowing moment in a story. So that's where I feel the absence, the lack, the void, when I don't write for awhile.
But things and people in my life are on the mend, and I'm back in my Hollywood homeland. My head is fuzzy with fatigue in the afternoons, despite the sunshine, but it can't stop buzzing about the idea for a TV Pilot burbling around in there, as well as three or four different ideas for the next novel.
Sometimes I like to draw out this anticipatory time before I plunge into the actual writing. Much of the writing process doesn't actually involve putting words on paper. Daydreaming is essential. Imagining scenes between your characters can spark plot ideas, inspiration, thematic insights, and on and on.
Jogging last night down Hollywood Boulevard, admiring the silhouettes of the palm trees against the darkening sky, I realized that in one of my ideas I was giving way too much plot to a minor character. I could easily give that activity to the main character. In fact, that activity made the main character much more interesting to me. It fleshed her out. Action = Character as we writers all know. What she does shows you who she is. So give her the cool stuff, for crying out loud, Nina!
So the daydreaming, mulling, fantasizing, all that is vital. If you sidestep it and plung into writing too soon, it can rob you of not only some of the fun of writing, but of some really good ideas.
Just keep in mind - this is the exhilarating part. Many people burble over with ideas. They offer them up to me like precious jewels, telling me I can turn them into books or scripts if I want.
I have to tell them then: ideas are the easy part. It's the writing that's hard. So don't put off the tough stuff of putting words on paper too long, or an idea is all you'll ever have.
So this weekend - writing will happen.
So I haven't blogged or written much at all. I can feel the psychic hole that leaves somewhere near the base of my neck. That's the spot where the chills start, where the hair on your nape stands up when you spot a knee-meltingly hot man or you experience a mind-blowing moment in a story. So that's where I feel the absence, the lack, the void, when I don't write for awhile.
But things and people in my life are on the mend, and I'm back in my Hollywood homeland. My head is fuzzy with fatigue in the afternoons, despite the sunshine, but it can't stop buzzing about the idea for a TV Pilot burbling around in there, as well as three or four different ideas for the next novel.
Sometimes I like to draw out this anticipatory time before I plunge into the actual writing. Much of the writing process doesn't actually involve putting words on paper. Daydreaming is essential. Imagining scenes between your characters can spark plot ideas, inspiration, thematic insights, and on and on.
Jogging last night down Hollywood Boulevard, admiring the silhouettes of the palm trees against the darkening sky, I realized that in one of my ideas I was giving way too much plot to a minor character. I could easily give that activity to the main character. In fact, that activity made the main character much more interesting to me. It fleshed her out. Action = Character as we writers all know. What she does shows you who she is. So give her the cool stuff, for crying out loud, Nina!
So the daydreaming, mulling, fantasizing, all that is vital. If you sidestep it and plung into writing too soon, it can rob you of not only some of the fun of writing, but of some really good ideas.
Just keep in mind - this is the exhilarating part. Many people burble over with ideas. They offer them up to me like precious jewels, telling me I can turn them into books or scripts if I want.
I have to tell them then: ideas are the easy part. It's the writing that's hard. So don't put off the tough stuff of putting words on paper too long, or an idea is all you'll ever have.
So this weekend - writing will happen.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
42 Third Act Plot Twists
I can't fit the entire image on my blog and still make it big enough to read. (Plus I don't want to steal something and make it look like my own.) So go to Desden Codak's website here and see his genius table of 42 Third Act Plot Twists.
I can't pick a favorite out of all of them, but I'm particularly fond of "Food Starts Eating People" and "Ancient Druids Lose Interest."
I'm tempted to write 42 stories and incorporate each one. Which one will you write?
I can't pick a favorite out of all of them, but I'm particularly fond of "Food Starts Eating People" and "Ancient Druids Lose Interest."
I'm tempted to write 42 stories and incorporate each one. Which one will you write?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Rock the Drop!
It's Teen Lit Day!
To celebrate and promote reading to teens, Readergirlz is promoting Rock the Drop - where folks attach the above bookplate to a YA book and leave it somewhere random for a lucky teen (or adult!) to find and read.
On twitter, authors and readers are tweeting photos of themselves leaving books everywhere from Panera to bus stops. I'm printing up a bookplate and will let you know where my own contribution lands.
Interested in Rocking the Drop? Check out Readergirlz, get a fave YA book, and do it!
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Never Satisfied
I hope soon to post about how I got my agent, so that others will not despair in their own quests.
However, am a bit slammed - working the day job, family stuff, sleep, and trying to write a TV pilot.
I've got ideas for another YA book, but scripts are faster to write, and I think I've got an interesting pilot idea. I hope to get a first draft down in another six weeks, depending on how crazy my already crazy life gets.
So, as is my usual wont, I'm taking a class to help along in this writing endeavor. I favor mediabistro.com's classes - so far all three have been very much worth my while. They feature professionals as teachers, who can pass on their real life experience as well as their more academic insights to their students.
My teacher in the TV Pilot writing class gave me a great insight I thought I'd share to any readers who either watch or write TV. It's very simple, and maybe I'm simple for never quite seeing this before but...
In TV, the protagonist wants something they can never have.
Lightbulb! I'm always thinking about my protag's desires and how active she is, and inner and outer goals and so on. In books and films, usually the inner desire is fulfilled (in an unexpected way, hopefully) by the end.
But TV doesn't really end, does it? You want an idea that a network will see possibly going five years, if not more. So you must give your lead character a driving inner goal that can never be fulfilled.
I just watched the ending of Big Love, and even before (spoiler alert!) Bill was killed, I kept thinking - he'll never get what he wants most, which is to live openly as a polygamist, in peace and harmony with his wives and society. "How the heck can they end this?" I pondered. They can't give him what he wants. It just wouldn't be believable. Sure enough, instead they got rid of Bill at the end. That provided us with a conclusion without violating verisimilitude.
And think about it - all the most successful TV protagonists will never be satisfied. Even the cops on shows like Law and Order and CSI have a driving desire for justice. This can never be completely fulfilled because there will always be another murder to solve, another killer to find.
So I gave my protagonist an impossible goal that I think will work for the TV idea I have. That's just one little step, but I think it helped me keep moving forward.
Do you have a desire that can never be fulfilled? Atter all, life doesn't come to a conclusion either.
However, am a bit slammed - working the day job, family stuff, sleep, and trying to write a TV pilot.
I've got ideas for another YA book, but scripts are faster to write, and I think I've got an interesting pilot idea. I hope to get a first draft down in another six weeks, depending on how crazy my already crazy life gets.
So, as is my usual wont, I'm taking a class to help along in this writing endeavor. I favor mediabistro.com's classes - so far all three have been very much worth my while. They feature professionals as teachers, who can pass on their real life experience as well as their more academic insights to their students.
My teacher in the TV Pilot writing class gave me a great insight I thought I'd share to any readers who either watch or write TV. It's very simple, and maybe I'm simple for never quite seeing this before but...
In TV, the protagonist wants something they can never have.
Lightbulb! I'm always thinking about my protag's desires and how active she is, and inner and outer goals and so on. In books and films, usually the inner desire is fulfilled (in an unexpected way, hopefully) by the end.
But TV doesn't really end, does it? You want an idea that a network will see possibly going five years, if not more. So you must give your lead character a driving inner goal that can never be fulfilled.
I just watched the ending of Big Love, and even before (spoiler alert!) Bill was killed, I kept thinking - he'll never get what he wants most, which is to live openly as a polygamist, in peace and harmony with his wives and society. "How the heck can they end this?" I pondered. They can't give him what he wants. It just wouldn't be believable. Sure enough, instead they got rid of Bill at the end. That provided us with a conclusion without violating verisimilitude.
And think about it - all the most successful TV protagonists will never be satisfied. Even the cops on shows like Law and Order and CSI have a driving desire for justice. This can never be completely fulfilled because there will always be another murder to solve, another killer to find.
So I gave my protagonist an impossible goal that I think will work for the TV idea I have. That's just one little step, but I think it helped me keep moving forward.
Do you have a desire that can never be fulfilled? Atter all, life doesn't come to a conclusion either.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Good News is... I have an Agent!
Hee hee! I'm so tickled! Now that I've officially signed I can tell you...
I HAVE A FABULOUS LITERARY AGENT!
Her name is Tamar Rydzinski and she's part of The Laura Dail Literary Agency. She loved my YA fantasy novel, gave me some amazing notes, and now we're working together. I'm so lucky to have her in my corner.
I could blab on about how this all came about and how great she is all day, but will keep it short for now. Not only does she love my writing, but she GETS it. She gets it so well that at points she understands what I need to change more than I understand it myself.
This is key. Because no novel is perfect. But as a writer you can get entrenched in your own flawed thinking You will need to rewrite to make it better, even after you think it can't get any better. You need someone to come along and point out where it can get better, and maybe hint as to how. Sure, a good editor will do that, but in order to impress an editor, an agent with this ability is a huge help. And now I have that help! Huzzah!
Plus, Tamar really knows the business. This is also TOTALLY KEY. Because I only know it a little, and I need help in that arena. A good agent will target editors, write a pitch letter, help you get the best contract for publication, and are respected by their peers. Again, color me very fortunate in snagging Tamar in this department.
Basically, agents rule!
Okay. I'm off to add her agency link to my Links thingie on this blog and to hug myself some more. It's been a long road full of hard work to get here. And there are still many steps on the road to publication, but this is a biggie, and I'm thrilled!
Woo hoo!
I HAVE A FABULOUS LITERARY AGENT!
Her name is Tamar Rydzinski and she's part of The Laura Dail Literary Agency. She loved my YA fantasy novel, gave me some amazing notes, and now we're working together. I'm so lucky to have her in my corner.
I could blab on about how this all came about and how great she is all day, but will keep it short for now. Not only does she love my writing, but she GETS it. She gets it so well that at points she understands what I need to change more than I understand it myself.
This is key. Because no novel is perfect. But as a writer you can get entrenched in your own flawed thinking You will need to rewrite to make it better, even after you think it can't get any better. You need someone to come along and point out where it can get better, and maybe hint as to how. Sure, a good editor will do that, but in order to impress an editor, an agent with this ability is a huge help. And now I have that help! Huzzah!
Plus, Tamar really knows the business. This is also TOTALLY KEY. Because I only know it a little, and I need help in that arena. A good agent will target editors, write a pitch letter, help you get the best contract for publication, and are respected by their peers. Again, color me very fortunate in snagging Tamar in this department.
Basically, agents rule!
Okay. I'm off to add her agency link to my Links thingie on this blog and to hug myself some more. It's been a long road full of hard work to get here. And there are still many steps on the road to publication, but this is a biggie, and I'm thrilled!
Woo hoo!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Good News is coming... along with Spring
I have to wait just a little while longer, then I can share my good news with you. It concerns writing. And waiting, and the rewards that come with persistence and luck.
And it's great!
Meanwhile, the rain pours down here in SoCal as I eat chocolate and spend lots of time playing with my cat Lucy. She misses Max and isn't eating much, but we're getting by. My boss had her adorable baby girl, also named Lucy. I told her I loved the name, but not that I my cat's name is Lucy. Plenty of time for that later - people don't want to think about your cat when they look at their gorgeous new baby.
And it's great!
Meanwhile, the rain pours down here in SoCal as I eat chocolate and spend lots of time playing with my cat Lucy. She misses Max and isn't eating much, but we're getting by. My boss had her adorable baby girl, also named Lucy. I told her I loved the name, but not that I my cat's name is Lucy. Plenty of time for that later - people don't want to think about your cat when they look at their gorgeous new baby.
My cat Lucy is named for the youngest, bravest of the Pevensie children in the Narnia books, and a character I loved from an early age. The cat Lucy is not particularly brave, as it turns out. Once, she escaped from my apartment through a screen, and I found her just a few feet away, flattened out like a fluffy black pancake, terrified. Yes, Lucy is rather plump. Now that I don't have to leave food out for too-skinny Max, I'm limiting her food intake in an effort to get her lose weight. Meanwhile, she still likes to sit on my pillow, looking like a flluffy black pyramid with big yellow eyes:
Yes, my bedroom walls are grassy green. Green's my favorite color, and not just because it looks good on redheads.
I didn't set out to get two black cats. It just happened. But it turns out that both black cats and dogs get adopted less often than animals of other colors. I don't know it it's superstition or that other colors are cuter or stand out more, but let me tell you - black cats rule! Max was the friendliest thing on four legs, and Lucy is really quite gorgeous, with brown highlights and a fluff-tacular curly tail.
I looked after my friend Natalie's all-black chow chow Frances for four months a few years back, and she was the smartest, sweetest dog you could ever hope to meet. If you're adopting a pet, consider a black one. They only look mysterious and cool. Really, they are darlings.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Cheshire Cat Moon over Hollywood Boulevard
I had to let an old friend go yesterday. My beloved furry feline friend Max. It's been over a week now since I lost him, and only now can I bear to post about it.
He has gone on to the big Catnip Fields in the sky after gracing me with his presence for 19 of his 20 years. His dementia was becoming too difficult for him, so I had a vet come to the home to ease him out of his distress. My other cat Lucy even got to say goodbye.
Max was a very special cat. He was charming, friendly, whimsical, and sweet - a spirit with fur, as my friend Brian described him. There was a lot of eye contact with Max. You can see it in the photo below. He wanted to get to know you. Pick him up and he'd shove his nose in your mouth to say hello and see what you had for lunch. Kittens followed him around worshipfully. He presuaded dog-people to say, "I'd get a cat, if I knew it would be like Max." Dogs themselves would beg to groom him, and he'd deign to allow them to nibble his fluffy black fur.
Despite the sharpness of his claws and his ability to kick the butts of cats twice his size, he eventually earned the nickname The Cat of Peace. Max was proof that you can live a small, quiet life and still make the world a better place. He did that for me every day.
The night after he died, I went for a run, sniffing and trying to just listen to my breathing rather than to the grief whispering in my ear.
As I turned right down Hollywood Boulevard, I got an eyeful of a luminous crescent moon in the perfect "smile" position above the palm trees. Of course I thought of one my favorite fictional characters, the Cheshire Cat. And I thought of Max. And for a moment my heart swelled with happiness as I thought perhaps the Big Cat in the Sky was grinning down at me.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
The Mysterious Giant Cow
(Currently listening to insanely catchy new tune by The Strokes called "Under Cover of Darkness," which you can stream from their MySpace page here, or download for FREE for the next two days here.)
So I'm outlining a new story, and I'm currently in that nebulous zone where my unconscious and conscious mind need to work together and I can't quite tell if they're doing it or not because, hey, half of it involves my subconscious.
By which I mean that I'm busy trying to think of how the story should go - how the central theme should be reflected in the plot and characters, what cool twists the story could have, who should do what to whom, and so on. I'm scribbling in notebooks and typing random things in between tasks at work. I ponder and juggle scenes in my head while I'm driving, sometimes so intently that I realize I missed my favorite song on the radio just as it's ending.
All of this is work. And that's the conscious bit.
I've learned over the years that my subconscious is busy working on things at the same time. Only it doesn't inform me of its progress until something burbles up from the depths and presents itself to my conscious mind as JUST. SO. INCREDIBLY. OBVIOUS.
And that's the trust part. I have to trust that my subconscious is going to step up and point out the obvious to the rest of my brain. Over the years it's seemed to work, mostly. There have been projects I abandoned because the ol' subconscious burped up an answer. I hammered away for awhile, then realized it just wasn't going to work, and moved on.
But usually I have a sense that the answer will come. I don't know where or when or how or what the hell it'll be. But it will come. I have to make a leap of faith about my own brain. I trust it to step up to the plate if I just keep hammering away.
So writing is major work. And that work is necessary. The conscious work provides the raw data (I think) that the subconscious masticates and savors and digests through various stomachs, finally pooping out a more cohesive strategy for the book.
And yes, I just used a metaphor that makes my subconscious out to be some sort of mysterious giant cow. Not the most flattering, given that it also turns my story into manure. But it's fertile all right, so I suppose it all works out in the end.
So I'm outlining a new story, and I'm currently in that nebulous zone where my unconscious and conscious mind need to work together and I can't quite tell if they're doing it or not because, hey, half of it involves my subconscious.
By which I mean that I'm busy trying to think of how the story should go - how the central theme should be reflected in the plot and characters, what cool twists the story could have, who should do what to whom, and so on. I'm scribbling in notebooks and typing random things in between tasks at work. I ponder and juggle scenes in my head while I'm driving, sometimes so intently that I realize I missed my favorite song on the radio just as it's ending.
All of this is work. And that's the conscious bit.
I've learned over the years that my subconscious is busy working on things at the same time. Only it doesn't inform me of its progress until something burbles up from the depths and presents itself to my conscious mind as JUST. SO. INCREDIBLY. OBVIOUS.
And that's the trust part. I have to trust that my subconscious is going to step up and point out the obvious to the rest of my brain. Over the years it's seemed to work, mostly. There have been projects I abandoned because the ol' subconscious burped up an answer. I hammered away for awhile, then realized it just wasn't going to work, and moved on.
But usually I have a sense that the answer will come. I don't know where or when or how or what the hell it'll be. But it will come. I have to make a leap of faith about my own brain. I trust it to step up to the plate if I just keep hammering away.
So writing is major work. And that work is necessary. The conscious work provides the raw data (I think) that the subconscious masticates and savors and digests through various stomachs, finally pooping out a more cohesive strategy for the book.
And yes, I just used a metaphor that makes my subconscious out to be some sort of mysterious giant cow. Not the most flattering, given that it also turns my story into manure. But it's fertile all right, so I suppose it all works out in the end.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Write the Book You Want to Read and Give the Speech...
I didn't attend SCBWI's New York conference this year, but I wish I'd been able to listen to keynote speaker Sara Zarr. The kidlit internet has been alive with admiration for what they heard her say, and after reading more about it here, I just had to post the link.
It's the speech she wanted to hear when she attended conferences, before she was published, while she was filled with frustration. It's about leading a creative life, and how that's the point of it all.
An agent at a conference told her: "The time between when you are no longer a beginner but you are not yet in the business is the hardest and no one can tell you how long this phase will last."
So what do you do during that phase?
You lead a creative life.
How?
Read more about what Sara Zarr said here.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Walk Like an Egyptian
I don't know what's going to happen, but I can't help hoping that the Egyptian people will soon be enjoying a freer, a more democratic government. Meanwhile, though, it's tough to hear about the deaths, the injuries, the oppression, and the destruction of antiquities.
It's astonishing how fast a country can go from a stable but corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship to who-knows-what when the people are sufficiently galvanized. Egypt is not the same country it was a mere five days ago. I'm dumbfounded by the bravery I've seen. I'm having trouble pasting the photos here, but you can see amazing shots like a protester kissing the police here, and of protesters praying as they are blasted with water cannons here.
I was in Egypt a few years ago, and along with the amazing antiquities, friendly people, and beautiful scenes along the river, I was struck by the grinding poverty suffered by so many of the people there. I've heard that nearly half of the 18 million people living in megalopolis Cairo live on just a couple dollars a day. Meanwhile, those in power have lived in ridiculous luxury, separated by an enormous gulf from the people they were supposed to be serving.
That gulf is narrowing as I write this, and it's fascinating, horrifying, and inspiring to watch. The internet and social media of all kinds makes this possible. It connects us to those who are marching on the streets of Alexandria, Suez, and Cairo, to their family and friends demonstrating in Washington DC, Britain, and New York. It's one world, whether we like it or not. And I find it a constant source of wonder and astonishment.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Top Picks of 2010
Book Pick: Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.
Okay, I haven't even finished this yet and it's my pick. That's how much I love reading about Cleopatra, and how good the book is. I first discovered the brainy Egyptian queen when I was seven and a grad student my parents had asked to babysit me while we were in Paris gave me a copy (in French) of Asterix and Cleopatra. One look at her nifty falcon throne and uraeus-bedecked crowns and I was in love.
Movie Pick: Winter's Bone.
This movie showed me a world I hadn't seen before (backwoods crystal meth-land, USA) and featured a teenage heroine stronger, more complex, and (in her own way) more badass than any who came before. She willingly takes on a burden strong men would (and have) run from.
Sports Pick: Zenyatta
If you've even glanced at this blog this year, you've notes my obsession with this amazing race horse. You can read my Goodbye Zenyatta post here to get an idea of the type of overwhelming emotion she evokes. But since she's a sports pick, I'll post the video of the race I watched in person at Hollywood Park in October. It was her 19th consecutive win. Just listen to the crowd noise rise as she rounds the far turn. One of the other horses here, Switch, is a top filly herself. Every time I watch it, I get worried, thinking Zenyatta might lose. And I know the outcome! But that's the Queen of Racing for you. She provides drama, excitement, unmatched athleticism, and inspiration wherever she goes.
Pop Music Pick: F$%& You by Cee Lo Green.
Warning: contains multiple uses of the F word and this summer's catchiest hook.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)