Oh, the Irony

We can't control The Muse.  She has a mind of her own, flittering about, landing wherever she pleases, whenever she pleases, dropping ideas on us or leaving us dry.

Her timing always seems to be a bit "off."  I've talked to other writers about this phenomenon too, how the creative process seems to hit at inopportune times -- in the middle of work, in the middle of a meeting, in the middle of driving, etc.  Rarely does my Muse decide to visit when I'm begging her to-- when I've got all the time in the world (like a precious summer!) and I'm itching to write.  Sure, I always have bits and bobs of ideas floating around.  But I didn't have the flood of creativity this summer I was hoping for.

Technically, I'm at the end of my summer.  In fact, I have one week left before the first big faculty meeting.  Before the whirlwind of students and planning and papers and duties and obligations.

And so, naturally, what happens today of all days??  The Muse decides to hit.  Ideas are flowing, wheels are churning.  Yes, I'm grateful.  But I'm also frustrated.  Because I've been struggling with a new novel for several weeks now, but nothing's really gelled.  Sure, I've had some good brainstorming sessions.  And I have worked.  But it's been mostly hit-and-miss....until today.  Ugh.  I finally, FINALLY feel "in the groove" with this story.  I can see the characters more vividly, and I know what I want them to do.

But now?  Time is running out.  It's not that I can't or don't write during school semesters.  But it's harder to do that.  It takes more commitment, more energy, to squeeze in those creative moments between essay-grading and faculty meetings.

Oh, well.  Guess I should be grateful the Muse showed up at all.  But man, she has a wicked sense of irony.  ;-)

Love this...

Open a book this minute and start reading. Don’t move until you’ve reached page fifty. Until you’ve buried your thoughts in print. Cover yourself with words. Wash yourself away. Dissolve. ~Carol Shields 


And this!


Books say: She did this because. Life says: She did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren’t. I’m not surprised some people prefer books. Books make sense of life. The only problem is that the lives they make sense of are other people’s lives, never your own.  ~Julian Barnes 



source

EPIC ideas

I've been watching the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (DVD, director's cut) over the past few days.  I've seen them before, but had forgotten how intense they are.  And how wonderful.


Confession:  I've never read the books.  I know I should, and I might someday, but I really enjoy the movies.  And, I feel that movies are a form of writing.  Someone had to write that screenplay.  And in this case, from what I understand, the screenplay was quite true to the books.

But what I wanted to highlight in this particular post are the ideas of LOTR, the nuts-and-bolts.  The themes, the elements, the symbolism.  They're so rich and meaningful.  (I won't get too detailed, for those who haven't read the books or watched the movies).

First, the epic nature of the trilogy:  I love the immense scope of it -- all the different terrains and settings (forests, mountains, caves, swamps), the characters/races (dwarves, elves, kings, trolls, orcs, wizards, hobbits), the individual storylines (dozens of them!) that actually all meld together in the end.  It's a BIG, sweeping movie, and it feels....epic.  In fact, you feel rather exhausted after finishing it.  But in the best possible way.  You've escaped into another world, an epic world, and immersed yourself in it.

Then, there are the themes.  Friendship, loyalty, jealousy, sin, forgiveness, family relationships, war, honor, love (<----friendship, romantic, familial), sacrifice, good vs. evil.  Those are just a few I rattled off in seconds.  I'm sure there are many more.  Again, epic.

And the symbolism -- though there are many symbols, the ring is, of course, the primary one.  A tiny piece of metal.  It looks so harmless.  Beautiful, even.  But it symbolizes all that's evil and wrong with this world, and with humans.  When the bearer of the ring is affected by it, such a clever picture is painted, of what sin does, and how human nature is drawn to it.  I especially loved (and cringed over) the "evolution" of Gollum/Smeagol that begins the third movie.

Even though this is a "big" movie/trilogy, probably the most meaningful moments are the small moments within the epic.  The nuances of friendships, decisions made that seem insignificant at the time, but produce enormous outcomes with consequences.

Bravo, Tolkien.  And bravo Peter Jackson, and his entire team.  Both works - the books and the movies - are masterpieces.  Epic masterpieces.

Award!

I've been just been awarded this.  How cool is that?!?!

Many thanks to the clever blog/blogger at Single Writer Mom Rants for this.  She's a super-sweet, uber-witty gal, and she's got an equally-witty blog:  link here

So -- the rules for the award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to the awarding blog.
2. Answer 7 questions about yourself.
3. Provide 10 random factoids about yourself.
4. Hand the award to 7 deserving others.

Questions about myself:

1.  Favorite song?  "Slide" by Goo Goo Dolls

2.  Favorite dessert?  Sea-salted caramels.  Oh my.

3.  What do you do when you're upset?  Either shut down and close off from people, and/or vent about it by writing.

4.  Favorite pet?  Corgis!!  Here's my Darcy:

5.  White or whole wheat?  White.  Definitely.

6.  Biggest fear?  Losing a loved one unexpectedly.

7.  General attitude?  Generally pessimistic/realistic, but with a few sprinkles of hope on top.

10 Random Factoids:

1. I have a real weakness for donuts. I could eat 5 of them, easily, in one sitting.

2. I'm an Anglo-phile and would probably live in England if I wouldn't miss my family and friends so much.

3. Nothing makes me laugh more than slapstick. I love a good pratfall.

4. I hate it when I feel like a friendship/relationship is terribly lop-sided - when I'm doing most of the giving, and that other person is doing most of the taking.

5. I adore sarcasm, but don't like using it much, myself. I'm always too afraid the other person won't "get" it, and will be offended.

6. I know my love of Shakespeare came directly from my watching the 70's movie version of Romeo and Juliet. I was 13 years old and hadn't read the play yet, so I had no idea about the tragic ending. I got so absorbed in it that I think I might've even talked to the screen, to Romeo - "No - she's ALIVE. Don't kill yourself!" lol Alas, he didn't listen to me...

7. I wish people didn't feel the need to judge other people. We're all in the same boat, living this life. So why point fingers?

8. I'm guilty of being way too sensitive, of hurting too much when I get let down by someone.

9. I hate seafood. I know it's supposed to be good for me, but ick. Hate it.

10.  I'm a Christian and I'm not ashamed of it.  No, I don't push my beliefs on other people, but I do love having respectful conversations about different people's views.  My good friends all range from other Christians to Buddhists to atheists.  I believe in freedom of choice, that people are totally free to believe whatever they wish.  Do I wish they'd seek/choose Jesus, and discover the same peace I've found?  Absolutely.  But I still respect their decision not to.  :-)

Other deserving blogs to award:

The Sweet Life  http://www.beckybray.me/

Pensive Sarcasm   http://pensivesarcasm.blogspot.com/

Author's Echo  http://www.adamheine.com/

"What If?"

There's a cartoon I found online that has two men, both digging through tunnels.  The first one, on top, is working hard, teeth gritted, determined to make it.  The other one, below him, has changed direction.  He's got his pickaxe over his slumped shoulders, and has given up, walking the other way.

If we look to the right of the cartoon, we see what the men were digging for: diamonds.  But more shocking than that, we see how close they were.  A mere inches away.  The man still digging WILL find those diamonds in a few more minutes.  But the one who gave up?  He never, ever will.

There's a quote that goes with this:  "If you give up too soon, you'll never know how close you were."  ~Unknown

That image and quote are so powerful.  And they perfectly embody how I feel about following your dreams.  To the end.  Even if they're years in the chasing, dreams are worth the pursuing.  Because the "what if" question is just too hard to bear. What if your dreams are right around the corner?  And what if you gave up on them moments too soon?

They're Not Stupid

It took me awhile to learn something, when I first experimented with writing novels.  Readers aren't stupid.  And my over-explaining, my telling-instead-of-showing, my overuse of adverbs, etc, was treating them like they were.  I just didn't realize it.

I found a great blog post today by Kristin Lamb, and I agree with 100% of it.  It's a must-read for new authors, as well as a good reminder for those of us who've been around the block awhile.  Link here

And here's a link to an earlier post of mine, talking about this Readers-Aren't-Stupid issue.  I think it's crucial that writers find the balance between offering information readers must have, but not hitting them over the head (treating them like they're stupid) with information they don't need.  It's tricky, but if we become aware of the pitfalls, we can avoid them.

RIP, Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron -- author/screenwriter of such mega-hits as Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and Julie and Julia -- has passed away.

I always feel an extra sense of loss when a favorite author passes because her writing "voice" is forever silenced.

I remember watching my favorite Nora Ephron film, When Harry Met Sally, as an 18-year-old in the theater.  It was influential to me, the idea that these affable characters could be so witty, could have such important, smart dialogue coming out of their mouths.  It all seemed so natural, so effortless.  That movie changed the face of romantic comedies, in my opinion.  It showed that characters could talk about real things (fears, break-ups, sex), and it showed that a genuine friendship between a man and woman could lead to a solid relationship.  Combine that with Rob Reiner's direction and Harry Connick Jr's Sinatra-esque soundtrack, and you've got a sure-fire winner.  A classic.

So, here's to Nora Ephron.  Thanks for your influence, and for giving your characters such heart and wit.  And most of all, for your influence on me as a writer.

**edited to add:  in a beautifully-ironic twist, her final work (written just last year) is a collection of witty and poignant anecdotes about life, aging, etc:    link here

Shake Things Up

This morning, I was planning out a scene in my novel.  I knew what needed to happen in it, but as I started making decisions, I found myself......bored.  The scene's situation and the details and the timing all felt too predictable, within the story I'm trying to tell.

So, I decided to put the brainstorming on pause and do other things.  Then, I came back to it and decided to shake things up.  The core content needs to remain the same (the main character is having a fight with his father, crucial to the storyline).  But instead of having this done privately, with another main character overhearing, I'll stage the fight publicly -- in the pub, in front of the other villagers.  That way, the tension is ramped up, and embarrassment (on both sides) also becomes a factor.  Loyalties will have to be chosen, sides taken.

I always find that if I'm bored by a scene, the best way to improve it is to shake things up.  Change the atmosphere (time of day, location), change the situation (characters involved), etc.  It seems to add a freshness that was lacking before.

Comparison...

"Comparison is the thief of joy."  ~Unknown

I had to remind myself of this today, when I read that one of my favorite authors only queried ONE agent before getting signed.  That was 12 years ago, and she's written/published at least that many books since then.  Sure, I was hoping to hear some inspirational story, of her being in the Query Trenches for years, getting discouraged, then finally receiving a well-deserved "Yes!"  A story of triumph where she almost gave up several times, but kept plodding along.  But that's not what her story was.  And that's okay.

It's easy to compare our journey with another writer's journey and feel that we've come up short.  Or even to be jealous of his/her path to success.  But truly, I'm thankful for my own journey.  It's given me time to mature as a writer, to experience life, to hone my craft by studying my genre, to re-write, to get to know other writers, and mostly, to enjoy writing for the sake of writing (and not just for getting published).

Am I anxious to publish my series someday?  Absolutely.  Do I wish/hope/dream I could make a career out of it?  Absolutely!!  But whatever the future holds, it's okay if my journey doesn't match someone else's.  Our journeys are our own.  Maybe we just need to own them.  ;-)

Disappointed Again

I'm nearing the end of yet another novel that has disappointed me.  That didn't live up to its own hook.  The scenario on the flap sounded pretty amazing at first--the identity of Shakespeare's "Dark Lady" finally discovered, at great cost to those who discovered it (people dying left and right), all set against the romantic backdrop of the Italian countryside.

But, in the end, I found several flaws in the narrative that got in the way:  heavy-handed descriptions that slowed the pacing, over-explaining and repetitions that slowed the pacing, unnecessary detail about art/architecture/literature that completely diverted away from the plot (it felt like the writer was just "showing off") and slowed the pacing (see a trend, here?).  Nothing takes the steam out of a suspense novel faster than poor pacing.  Yikes.

As a writer, it's good for me to read fiction that's disappointing, because I can study it--realize what not to do in my own writing.  Even a disappointing novel is a beneficial one.

Still, I hope to break this trend and read two NEW books from my current favorite two authors (is there anything more glorious than cracking open a new book of a favorite author??  I think not!).

Here they are:

Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand
Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans


So, what are y'all reading this summer??