Tag Archives: Writing

Inspiration

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In yesterday’s post I mentioned that one of the reasons for writing this blog is to help other writers.  Another is to remember what’s going on (what was going on – hopefully one day I’ll be reading these for my memoir) in my day as I navigate this treacherous terrain. I have a horrible memory. The script I’m currently working on is a sci-fi/spy piece and I was a little lost on it’s direction.  I keep a journal of tidbits (ideas, dreams, fractions of dialogue or scenes, images, and what-have-you) and I couldn’t trace the inspiration behind this current script. I hadn’t written anything down.  Then, while listening to YouTube, I heard a song, the theme from a Japanime series called Elfen Lied.  (*Side note, this is not for children.  It’s bloody, violent, and contains nudity.)

ElfenLied

That was it!

I remembered watching it and loving the opening sequence.  A young girl with her face covered in a special helmet is quietly walking the hallways of this facility while the military men around her are being torn apart by some invisible entity.  There’s blood and violence, and yet she appears serene or in a trance.  I’m not going quite in this direction, but it was nice to remember why I started this script in the first place, tentatively called Projection.  I got the spark back!

Today’s tip: Write things down.  Write down that snippet of an interesting dream you can barely remember.  Write down that odd conversation you unwillingly overheard.  Use Pinterest (I love Pinterest!) to keep images that inspire you all in one place as you surf the web instead of writing (it’s okay, I do it too).  These are a writer’s arsenal.  You never know what might spark that next burst of creativity.

Good luck!

Thick Skin

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One of my goals in writing this blog is to share helpful tips, websites, information, etc. for fellow writers.  When I find something useful I will pass it along.  I joined litreactor.com recently and it’s filled with loads of information including the following article, which is something I definitely need a lesson in:

http://litreactor.com/columns/thickening-skin-6-tips-for-taking-criticism

Take a look around the rest of the site, and if you find something interesting, send it my way.

Wishing you all the best!

Pick yourself up…dust yourself off

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So, I’ve been absent for a little while.  I received another rejection, this time from a job opportunity, and then went on a mini-vacation (literally – this is not a metaphor for what has happened to my brain).  It was good timing.  I’ve been wanting to get out of Los Angeles, if at least for a few days, and regain some perspective.  I haven’t been away since last Thanksgiving and the walls have been closing in.

On the drive in and out of town there is such darkness and calm; there are stars enough to resemble a layer of glitter across a vast expanse and for miles in all directions you can feel like the only one in existence.  Those moments allow you to reflect on your life, your choices, your present course and remind you how small and insignificant you are in the face of such infinite wonder.  It’s not as if I had some grand epiphany, but I did reflect on my current situation and come to terms with the fact that there is truly nothing else I’d rather do.  I don’t always know where the story ideas come from, but they keep coming (fingers crossed/knock on wood)…so what else would I do?

The life of an artist, any type of creative, is a difficult one.  We not only have to produce the work but then try to make everyone else take notice of it and hopefully pay us for it so we can survive a little longer in order to produce another work.  I don’t think we, artists, choose this life willingly.  We have no other option.  For who would choose to be poor, take menial jobs to survive, spend hours upon hours alone, have your family continually tell you to find a “real” job, have naysayers demean your value, etc?  This is the hand we were dealt, and without us the world would be a very different, boring, lacking in imagination, and colorless place.

So take heart, have faith in yourself and your work, and continue on!  Surround yourself with people who encourage and support you, for they are the ones who make this journey bearable and help you retain any amount of sanity.  Here are two of mine (when they were babies) —

IMG_0774

Rejection

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This year I entered two screenwriting competitions with my second script.  It was the first time I had entered anything, and I was hopeful, but not naive.  When the first rejection letter came in, that my script had not advanced, it stung, and I was sad for a couple of days.  At the end of the mourning, I was more determined.  That’s when I really started taking things more seriously.  I was gonna show ’em all!

When I received the second rejection I was unfazed (well, not as sad as the first time).  Rejection is a part of the process.  Every successful writer I’ve read about has always mentioned the heap of rejection letters tucked away in some box, hidden away, never to see the light of day…and I was on my way to following in their footsteps.  And I found that I was proud of myself for putting my work out there.  That was a stressful click of the mouse.  That first “SEND” had never looked so ominous, but I found it gets easier.

So for those of you in the same boat, here are a few inspirational rejection quotes:

A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success. – Bo Bennett

Rejected pieces aren’t failures; unwritten pieces are. – Greg Daugherty

We will not allow rejection to beat us down. It will only strengthen our resolve. To be successful there is no other way. – Earl G. Graves

We all start somewhere.  Go get ’em!  Wishing you all the best of luck!

Deadlines!

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I love deadlines.  I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. — Douglas Adams

Hi, my name is Rachael, and I am a procrastinator.  If there were a group, I’d most definitely be a member.  Procrastinator.  That’s what I am.  Try as I might, plan as I will, nothing really gets done until the last minute.  I seem to do better now, now that I’ve acknowledged I have a problem, but mostly it still takes a looming deadline to force me to action.  And it can’t be some lofty idea of a deadline, that self-imposed type.  It needs to be a solid, no exceptions type.  I do well under pressure.  And if I know there’s no wiggle room, it’s easier to accept and to make things happen.

But that was the old me…

I am on a new mission, doing things differently.  I set some broad, realistic deadlines to start.  Then I discovered that the more I put myself out there, researching sites, trying to find contacts, etc. I found actual deadlines I could impose on myself of things I wanted to be a part of which helps in putting me on track with a very specific schedule; so far, two screenwriting competitions, an author quest for a new book series, and a fellowship, in addition to reading others’ screenplays to offer feedback and writing/rewriting my own material, reading, blogging, and the rest of my daily routine.  And I’m one of those that does better when they have more on their plate…so heap away!

So, here’s my tip of the day:  If there’s something you want to do, set a deadline, or find one out in the world that will force you (as I have).  Sometimes we need a little blood pumping, sweat, tears, panic, and chaos to achieve great things!

Good luck!

You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic. ― Bill Watterson

It’s all about the routine!

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In an effort to approach my career more professionally I’ve taken to reading numerous articles daily about “the craft” and the like.  I came upon this article recently, originally posted by James Clear (jamesclear.com/daily-routines-writers) about the daily routines of 12 famous writers and how they can be applied to our own lives.  Most writers wake up early and exercise.  I have two dogs so I walk and jog a little daily, but today I tried exercising.  We’ll see how long that lasts.  I hate mornings.

I, myself, am all about routine.  Having the dogs helps too, as they keep me on track, but I’m a night owl.  I write best, I feel, in the late hours of the night when the world is asleep, dark and quiet.  There are no distractions; no phone calls, few Facebook updates, no pressing matters.  And I can play a few mind numbing rounds of Tetris without feeling guilty.  I read somewhere that Bret Easton Ellis plays too.  That makes me feel better.  Sometimes, while I’m spaced out, negotiating odd-shaped blocks into a perfect pattern, I can workout whatever little bump in the writing road I’ve encountered.

Henry Miller’s routine in particular struck me so I thought I’d share – In 1932, the famous writer and painter created a work schedule that listed his “Commandments” for him to follow as part of his daily routine. This list was published in the book, Henry Miller On Writing.

  1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.
  2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.”
  3. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
  4. Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
  5. When you can’t create you can work.
  6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers.
  7. Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.
  8. Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.
  9. Discard the Program when you feel like it—but go back to it next day.Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.
  10. Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.
  11. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.

Good Luck!