Category: Thoughts and Ramblings

Time on my hands

Some people may know that I recently quit my office job. I took a week long vacation in Oregon to reset myself and spend some time with family. When I got back, I started focusing on getting a new job and focusing on my writing. The easiest way for me to do that has been to make a schedule.

My day usually starts around 6:00 with breakfast, a run and showering. Then I write until noon. Sometimes, I’ll do this in my apartment or head to the downtown library to focus on my work there. Then I’ll figure out something for lunch and take a quick break (usually practicing French or ASL). Then I’ll take some time to submit, either to agents or short fiction magazines. Afterwards, I tend to edit–either what I’ve written earlier that day or one of the short stories I’m planning on submitting in the near future. Around 5, I apply for a day job or two before it gets too late. In the end, I tend to close up shop around 5:30 or 6:00 and spend the rest of my night decompressing.

Some days obviously go better than others when it comes to my word count, but with time and space to focus on my writing, I’m getting a pretty frequent 2,000 words a day. It’s comforting to have the schedule in place and it gives me a reason to get up in the morning. Like any job, the schedule is a little bit flexible. Still having a usual, established writing time that people don’t interrupt me and I don’t have to squeeze it in the hour before leaving for work.

Do you have a regular writing schedule? Do you have a usual schedule that you dedicate to your writing or art? If you work on your art full-time, do you have a specific schedule that you try to adhere to?

Workin’ for a Living

“Don’t quit your day job.”

Every artist, comedian, musician or other creative has heard this at some point. It’s well-meaning advice in some cases, but sometimes given in a less friendly tone. This coming week, however, I am not taking that advice.

Yes, I’m leaving my current place of employment. Without going into too much detail, it was a good run, but there’s a time when things come to a natural stopping point and I felt that I was there. And while I’m not the first desk jockey with dreams of leaving their office with dramatic flair, I haven’t been the first writer to also shuffle papers during the day.

So, both as inspiration and a little brain storming for myself, here are some famous writers who started out pushing the 9-5. I stumbled on this interesting article, but here are some of my favorites!

Arthur Conan Doyle started his career as a surgeon. This actually makes a lot of sense considering Holmes’s famous sidekick was a surgeon as well. According to some lore, Holmes was actually based off of another surgeon that Doyle met who could analyze people and learn things like their hobbies, professions and living conditions.

Jack London was a self-proclaimed Oyster-Pirate, stealing oysters from oyster farms and selling them himself. Eventually, his piracy turned to honest sailing work that probably inspired his many adventure stories at sea.

Charles Dickens was a factory worker for a period of time. And by “period of time” I mean when he was 12-Years-Old and working in a factory. I can’t help but feel like this inspired the dynamic to the group of orphans in Oliver Twist. By the way, the name of one of his coworkers? Bob Fagin.

Jack Kerouac had a number of odd jobs, including dishwasher, night guard, fire lookout, deck hand and rail brake operator.

Stephen King– Famously, Steven King was a high school janitor while writing Carrie, what would become one of his classics.

Obviously, some of these aren’t very practical for me (though, Oyster Pirate sounds like a great career choice). But in a very real way, it’s comforting to know that there’s no one singular path in life. Whether that means you drop out of an Ivy League school and become a teacher like Robert Frost or start your career as a Theatre Critic writing in his spare time like Bram Stroker, if you have drive–and a lot of luck–you’re only a few steps away from the job of your dreams. For now I’ll just have to keep sending out resumes and keep writing in the early hours before the rest of the world wakes.

Of Sins, Virtues and Humors

Whenever I start a new piece of fiction and start experimenting with the characters, I tend to try to think of a few different defining factors. Obviously these get modified as I go deeper into the characterization process, but I don’t always want my characters to be carbon copies of each other. So when I start to think about who they are I try to decide three things: their humor, their virtue and their sin.

Whether it’s the Ninja Turtles, The A-Team or the gals of Sex in the City, the four humors are cornerstones of any ensemble. They’re different enough that they sometimes get at each others throats, but at the end of the day they all need each other to be balanced. The Four Humors as a medical practice is outdated and inaccurate, but the idea of using the temperaments represented by these humors is a practical method to make sure that your ensemble is well balanced. While having a group comprised of “No-Rules Anti-Heroes” sounds fun, it gets a little stale when there isn’t a more rational, moral brain to try and balance their habits out. Facing off against the Big Bad is good conflict, but fighting within the group is a good chance for character growth.

Is your character charitable? Are they kind? The less popular cousin of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Principle Virtues are a good starting point for defining your character. These often coincide (to an extent) with the humors above, but it’s nice to figure out what your character tries for. Even villains believe they’re doing things for the right reasons, so why shouldn’t your hero have a defining trait that drives them?

And, on the other side of the coin, each character I make tries to incorporate a sin. No one is perfect, nor should your characters have to be. Maybe your Anti-Hero has a problem with Wrath. Your great hunter takes their reputation a little too seriously and suffers from pride. Figuring out the fault that your character has creates conflict not only within the group, but within the character. It gives them something to overcome or something to hinder them on their journey.

With these building blocks in place, you can start to flush out your character by asking ‘Why?’ rather than ‘What?’. These help you to ask more questions and ultimately find the characters in an organic way.

What do you look for in a character? Where do you start?

Spoilers (A Subject, Not Content)

If you’ve been near the Internet in the last few months, you’ve probably seen posts along the lines of “No Spoilers about XYZ” or similar. People do their very best to avoid ruining the big plot twist of a book, movie or TV Show. We’re all guilty of walking into the office and covering our ears to keep people from blabbing the big reveal. Reasonably, how long can we demand this as the standard?

Firstly, as soon as something comes out, you have to give at least as long as the media itself takes to absorb. A movie? Give it a couple days. TV show? At least a day. A book? Better be prepared to wait awhile. Even after these time durations, you’re only allowed to ask if someone has seen something. The most I tolerate after this period is “Oh, let me know when you’ve seen/read it!” I encourage excitement, but would much rather experience why I’m excited about it myself. This is the usually the first week. 

The second week gets a little fuzzier. By now, more people have viewed whatever media you’ve worked so hard to avoid. By this point, people still have to ask if anyone has seen it in the room before talking about it. At this point, it’s up to you to inform others of your intent and the responsibility they have in preventing spoiling your view experience. Don’t expect conversations to come to a screeching halt, but feel free take a walk about so people can share their excitement. Brace yourself, here comes the doozy…

Week three. Somehow, you’ve done it. The minefield that is the speed of Internet has not taken you out with a misplaced article title or untagged blog post. You’ve bobbed and weaved through conversations with friends and family and managed to stay spoiler free. Still, you better hurry. If you haven’t made time to see that movie/episode or made the time to read that book? You’re deep in the trenches of Spoiler Mountain. 

That, for me, is a good guideline for when you talk about new media. For books, I give it a little bit longer, but if you’re complaining about me spoiling Star Wars or Dark Knight Rises? You knew the risk going into this game. 

The Work Space

Some of you may have heard that I moved recently, but it occurs to me that I never told you about my new writing space. I have a bedroom with an actual door (which is a big upgrade) and I moved my kitchen table into the bedroom to try and make it a proper desk. The thing I love best about my new space is the window that lets me look out and see the big tree that’s starting to show it’s leaves now.

The biggest difference from my old workspace is that I have a little egg-timer at my desk now. I used to time myself on my phone, but it was a little awkward and my anxiety brain kept checking it and interrupting my writing. The new set up lets me check frequently and provides a regular drone for me to write to. I do my best scene blocking to music, but I’m finding I need quiet as I write.

When I’m not at my desk, I bring my laptop to work and tend to write on my lunch breaks. We have a few conference rooms and it’s rare that they’re all in use, so I can close myself off for an hour and get some writing done over a sandwich. When they are all used? I just eat and work at my desk.

It’s very important to me that I have a special place to get my writing done. The secret for me is that there’s a little splash of green. Whether that’s a real tree outside or a plastic ficus inside? I’ve had to be flexible.

Writers on the move!

Currently, I’m at 30,000 feet. Sadly, I have not inherited a zeppelin, turned it into my floating base overlooking the city below. That comes later.

I am currently on a plane to California where I’ll be spending the weekend away from work and with my wonderful girlfriend. But it does pose something worth noting. On the one hand, I am very glad to be away from the usual humdrum of work and the city shuffle. However, I also want to keep up with my usual writing goals. To date, I’ve been able to make at least 400 words a day (and sometimes even a1000). So I intend to make my minimums, at least.

How do writers continue to work on the go? What challenges do we face? Time? Space? Resources? For some people, it’s a question of what to do when you aren’t surrounded by your pens, reference books or away from Wifi.

  1. Editing- This one depends on your style of editing, but I like the idea of being stuck in the air without Wifi or any other distractions. I like to crack open my laptop and whatever my current project is and making some tweaks that I’ve been meaning to do. You might need a dictionary app (I have one on my phone that I can use) if that’s your style. Most of my travel editing time is spent with word choice and content, so it’s a good way to pass the time.
  2. Brush Up Your Query Letter- No one likes doing this, but frankly, it’s an important thing to do. If you got ten minutes in the morning, you can prepare your next Query Letter for your current project.
  3. Flash Writing- When I’m in a new place, I like taking notes in a notebook throughout the day and then use those notes to recall as much as I can later on. The ability to build scenes is the bread and butter of a writer. I like to describe places that I visit in as many details as possible, make stories for random people that I see and journal things I’ve done and seen throughout a day. It takes a few minutes at the end of the day (or beginning of the next day), but it keeps your writer brain active the entire time you’re out and enjoying new things.
  4. Rest Your Creative Brain- If you work a day job as your side hustle (like myself), having some time to rest your creative brain is just as important as resting your day job brain. Focus on the details around you, but really take time to experience thing.
  5. Make A Post For Your Blog- Patting my own back on this one, but writing out a post for your website to post for later is a quick and easy way to get some ‘real work’ done. It’s not the most fun way to spend part of your vacation, but it’s definitely a useful way to spend flights, train rides or road trips (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…those are the big ones, right?).

At any rate, I’m off and away! Some well earned Rest and Relaxation.

How do you keep your writing brain a little active during times when you’re on vacation? Let me know your strategies for writing on the go!

Creative Slump

It has been a week, let me tell you. I was sick on Monday and couldn’t get as much done as I’d like, followed by the usual stress at the office job. On top of all of that, I’ve been hitting a creative slump more than usual.

I’ve still been able to keep my 365 words a day (61/365 as of today). Don’t know how much of those words I’ll end up keeping, but I’m proud that I’ve been able to use those muscles every day (yes, even on sick days). There are some days, however, where I worry that I’m writing isn’t very good or creative. So, I’m trying to pull myself out of a creative slump.

Rather than trying to force new ideas, I try to let my brain work through the problems on their own. I’ll take some time to identify what needs work and then leave it to stew. I try to get as far from my work as possible, rather than forcing it. The office job sometimes helps with this division, letting my creative brain work while my rational brain is distracted. But sometimes, even a desk job doesn’t let my brain work through the problem properly.

When that happens, I’ll do one of two things.

First thing is I’ll go out and do something. It might be a walk in the woods, a trip to the zoo, or just a walk to get groceries. I need to get out of my head and let the ideas work themselves out. It’s important to let the brain go through the motions without forcing things onto paper. I usually take my camera, so I’m focused on the area around me rather than my brain still focusing on the problems in my creative slump. Sometimes the act of looking at things more carefully gives me a better creative jumping point for when I get back to the keyboard.

Alternatively (or additionally), I’ll bake. My coworkers call it ‘Rage Baking’. During a particularly bad snowstorm, I brought cookies for everyone at the office who braved the weather (snickerdoodles, by the way). When they asked about why I bake, I said it helps relieve stress. I find baking (and cooking) to be systematic and methodical. You have to follow the instructions of the recipe: measure things out, mix them correctly, and cook them at the right temperature. It’s simple and allows my creative brain to do its own thing.

What are some of the ways that you get creativity flowing again?

The Silver Screen

In early January, I started taking a screenwriting class. It’s very different from the writing I’m used to (mainly short fiction and novels). It requires more focus on dialogues and visuals than the normal tools of prose writing. It’s made me think a lot about movies and the differences, but I think it’s still storytelling at the core. It got me thinking about some of my favorite movies, a surprising amount of them are based on books. So, here’s an attempt at listing some of my favorite movies that don’t have book or tv show equivalents (which turned out to be harder than I thought).

  1. Mad Max: Fury Road- Admittedly, I haven’t seen any of the other movies in the Mad Max franchise, but I thought this movie was fun and had really good worldbuilding in a very short amount of time. For a two-hour car chase, it has a lot of material worth dissecting for the minor details that make it interesting.
  2. The Rock- Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage in a reverse heist? What’s not to love? It’s a simple prospect, but the adventure is still a lot of fun and it’s a movie that has a lot of rewatch value.
  3. Alien- This is a classic of science fiction movies. Frankly, I think it’s one that everyone should watch. It’s one of the few cross-genre movies that really works out. It’s a haunted house thriller with a science fiction twist. And the dinner scene is a classic of film making.
  4. The Incredibles- For what it’s worth, this is probably my favorite Pixar movies. I’m a sucker for a good superhero flick, but the idea of a retired superhero coping was great. It was quick-witted without being overly comedic and had a lot of heart without being too sappy.
  5. Young Frankenstein- This one is just pure humor. It’s so abundantly fun and occasionally absurd, but the dialogue is so well done and has one-liners that I used to run through with coworkers when I worked at the library. It’s also, to be honest, the best sick day movie that a person can have in their collection.

What are some of your favorite movies? Were they a book or a movie first?

New Year, New Goals

It’s that time of year again! Gyms are bustling with newcomers (welcome!), people are finding lost treasures in an attempt to get organized, and we’re all writing the wrong year on tests, checks, and calendars. It’s January and that means preparing the year with new goals! I always try to do some writing specific goals for every year. Here are some of mine:

  • 365 for 365: This one is an exercise I started working on recently. The idea is to write at least 365 words every day for 365 days (hence the name). Nanowrimo is wonderful for building writing endurance and getting things down on paper. 365 for 365 has habit and stamina in mind. So far, I’ve been doing pretty well by working on the same project every day. I do my 365 in the morning and can manage to squeeze out a little more over my lunch break, which brings me to…
  • Use Free Time for Writing: Since I work at an office job, I don’t have the luxury of being able to have a set, firm writing schedule. I usually will write for 45 minutes before I leave for the day, but what I do afterward depends a lot on how bad the day was. I started bringing my laptop with me to work, working on my projects over lunch or going to the downtown library branch to write after the day is over. Frankly, some of my best writing is done away from home so I want to start taking time on weekends to go work at the local library branch or coffee shop, etc.
  • Submit More for Publication: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” -Wayne Gretzky.  Admittedly, I’m a yellow-bellied coward when it comes to submitting. This year, I want to submit more to magazines, agents, publishers. It’s hard, but I have to put myself out there a little more. I don’t always believe in luck, but I do believe in opportunity. I need to work harder to make more opportunities for myself to improve my chances.
  • Focus on Craft: Writing is fun. Studying? Not so much. However, I do want to take more time to work on some of my weaker points. I want to particularly focus on self-editing and being more aware of shifting from present to past tense. Lots of other things to work on, either through personal study or classes and workshops. I am taking a screenwriting class later this month and I’m pretty excited to give that a try since my dad has told me that my strongest writing comes from my dialogue (why not try a writing format that’s mostly dialogue?).

I have other personal goals for the year, but these ones are more writing specific than a lot of the others. What are some of your writing goals for the new year? Any hopes, dreams or aspirations that you can focus on?

Finding Family

One of my favorite group dynamics–whether it’s a movie, TV show or a book–is the Found Family dynamic. When a group of friends, and sometimes strangers, come together and form something stronger. It’s one of the few tropes that I actively strive for when I create a group of protagonists because there’s something very comforting about making and finding your own family. I think it stems from a few of my favorites.

  1. Firefly- This is one of the first encounters where I started to get a sense of what a Found Family entailed. Despite the (very) short run of the TV series, it was clear that this was a group of strangers who came together with a common goal. Anytime the crew was together, whether it was a one-on-one interaction or all of the crew gathered in the cargo hold, there was a lot of subtext to their interactions. It was a family, from annoying little sisters to overbearing father figures.
  2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Another great TV show with a found family. You had Giles metaphorically adopting about half a dozen young adults by the end of the show. And there were really strong family dynamics within the show. Despite the constant forming and breaking of love triangles and relationships, there was always a familial love underlining everything. The heart of the show was a group of strangers who were working toward a common goal and finding love in that goal.
  3. Lord of the Rings- Both the books and the movies give an example of an odd, estranged found family. From the moment the Fellowship was formed, they treat each other like brothers, willing to lay down their lives for the others in the Fellowship. Despite overwhelming odds, dangerous adventures, and leagues between them, the Fellowship all work together for each other and the fate of the world.
  4. Critical Role- I’m a long time fan of this D&D show and I’ve seen the players form a family from strangers twice. The beautiful thing about the show is that we can see so much of the love the cast has for each other come about in their character interactions (even if they’re only joking around half the time). The cast does a wonderful job of blending story with character development and the core of that is in their interactions with one another. And over time that develops into a family unit, whether they want to or not.
  5. The Muppets- OK, hear me out on this one. The Muppets are this strange collection of birds, mammals, amphibians and felt humanoids that seem to have no real connection (aside from their dream of stardom and some apparent relationship in college). I feel like this was my first exposure to what a found family was, even if I didn’t realize it. They certainly weren’t related, but there was more love there than expected!

I’ve always loved the idea of finding a family in friends. You fight and argue, but only because you know you love each other at the end of the day. What are some of your favorite Found Family dynamics?