Tag: Real Life

Trunks

So recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about trunks. Not elephants or swim trunks, but storage trunks. I’ve heard the phrase ‘Trunk Book’ tossed around a lot and have been thinking about the purpose of a trunk.

A Trunk Book, by my understanding, is a book or story that’s written and tossed into a trunk. It could be poorly written or needs more research or was just an idea that needed to be written down so you can focus on the current story. Trunk Books are, more often than not, tucked away and forgotten.

So, why keep them? If the book or story is no good, why write it in the first place?

Honestly? I feel like there are no bad ideas, just undeveloped ideas. Tucking a book away for later because it needs time to cultivate is a totally valid method. For me, the hardest part of writing is just getting the words on a document. Getting that initial pressure off my chest? Feeling like the book just needs to be edited? It makes the second draft process that much easier.

Having the first draft finished, even if it’s something I can lock away and forget about until later, is a huge relief until I’m ready to tackle the project more thoroughly.

Granted, we don’t all have room for a trunk or briefcase, so I just have a folder on my computer for such projects. Just cause a project isn’t working or well-written doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. Sometimes backing away from a story (locking it away) gives a fresh perspective when it’s ready to be tackled again.

Please Stand By…

Due to a couple of things happening this week, there won’t be a short fiction piece until next week. In the meantime, I recommend going here to check out some of the fiction that’s been here in the past! I’ll have something before the end of the month, I promise!

If you’re interested in knowing what I’m up to these days, follow me on Twitter and Facebook! I post random thoughts, books and short stories I’m reading and I’m going to start doing more exclusives (like my very short reaction piece from a whale watch I went on yesterday).

Feeding the Muse

When I tell people that I write, one of their first questions is where I get my ideas and how I keep my creative spark active. Anyone who creates art knows how hard it can be to keep the creative juices flowing, whether that’s drawing, writing, creating music or cooking. So how does one keep the creative spark active? In a world that is constantly demanding attention and brainpower to just function in the day-to-day activities, keeping creative is a challenge for anyone with a creative side hustle.

Repetition helps, doing the thing until it becomes muscle memory. The random word doodles that I do (and sometimes post) for this blog can often lead me to “What if…?” or “Imagine this character in…” trains of thought. The creative part of the brain is a muscle and muscles only ever get stronger through work (and often resistance). Even if one out of every one hundred things you write is tolerable, you increase your odds of creating something you like.

I found that letting the mind wander is as important as having intense focus on a creative endeavor. Sometimes, doing menial chores or just walking around the city, I’ll have ideas for stories, characters, settings, and even plots. I have a special note on my phone for ideas I have while out walking about.

Paintings, music, and physical movement also keep the creative juices flowing. Other art can sometimes be the best inspiration. I have images of old maps and paintings saved on my laptop that I look at when things feel a little stale, trying to reinvigorate the mood of whatever I’m working on.

And, of course, a good cup of tea is a good energizer at the end of the day.

How do you feed your muse? Music? Art? Power nap? Tea? Let me know!

Making the count…

So, almost every day since early January, I’ve been posting Facebook status first thing in the morning. Since getting my new office job, I’ve been waking up first thing in the morning, writing and posting my word count.

Usually, I shoot for around 400 words or so. I do my best to stay positive about it, even on days when I don’t make my goal. I do my best to try and write a coherent story, working on one project. Some days I can only manage an out of place scene or a character sketch. More often, I make a continuation of the same story from the day before. Either way, I feel that having that time first thing in the morning is important for my mental health and my creativity.

But why post it on Facebook? What does a daily number mean in an endless stream of updates, photos, links and humble bragging (myself included)? I don’t use it to track my total word count or judge the quality of my work. So why do it?

One of the most important things when writing is accountability. It’s easy for me to say I’m gonna sleep in for the morning and skip my day, but people notice now. I once had my mother text me when I didn’t post a word count to make sure I was still alive (her words).

As I’ve been doing this, I’ve been seeing the same likes and comments and realized that I have a personal community that is supportive and encouraging. And, in an endeavor that’s primarily done in solitude, it’s a good feeling to have visual confirmation that friends and family are supporting you.

So, whether you have a Facebook or Twitter, I encourage you to celebrate your small victories. Cause working alone is hard, but the beauty of social media is having people to celebrate small victories with you. And those build up pretty quick into bigger victories!

Life through a lens

I have a lot of creative hobbies. I write, obviously, I doodle and I draw maps. I (attempt) to play the ukulele and, in my past, I used to do theatre and improv. Most frequently, however, I like to grab my camera and take some pictures.

All of the pictures I use connected to my blog posts or short stories are my own. I like taking pictures to help remember other senses. Taking pictures of the ocean, I can always recall the smell of sea air, the spray of salt water, calls of seagulls in distance and a dozen other sensory details that could easily fit into a scene. My favorite subject is wildlife, especially wolves (if you hadn’t noticed).

Here are a few photographs I’ve taken over the years. Some might seem familiar, but I hope you enjoy them all the same.

 

For the Non-Chatty Commuter

I’ve always been very jealous of anyone who could read in the car. I got motion sickness when trying to focus on anything in a moving vehicle. As I’ve gotten older, I listened to music in the car and eventually podcasts. I’m not what people would call a “chatty commuter”.

Recently, I’ve started listening to audiobooks that I’ve borrowed from the library while on my commute to downtown. Altogether, my normal commute takes an hour each day either way. The library here in Seattle uses the Overdrive program, so I can download books and keep them on my phone and enjoy listening to a novel as I’m coming or going from work. Most recently, I’ve listened to The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and it was wonderful (a good choice since it reads so much like an adult fairytale). As of right now, I’m listening to Fledgling by Octavia Butler.

I don’t know which I retain better, but I certainly feel like I’m doing more reading during the week. When I only have 30-40 minutes on my lunch break or a few minutes as I’m drifting off to bed, I feel like I’m enjoying more stories on a regular basis. I’ve heard that there’s no real difference between reading a paper book versus listening to audiobooks. but there are those who argue there’s a difference. Either way, for me, audiobooks make the commute in the morning one of the better parts of my day.

Terry Pratchett, An Author’s Legacy and The Steamroller

Recently, fantasy fans around the world cried out in agony as Terry Pratchett’s hard drive (containing 10 unfinished novels) was destroyed as per his will. As was his wish, the hard drive was crushed by a steamroller and, honestly, I can think of no better send off. But reading the news got me thinking about other authors and what it means for a work in progress when it’s creator, for whatever reason, ceases to be able to work on it. Is death really the end for an author?

Despite his death in 1973, J.R.R. Tolkien’s works are still published regularly with revivals of legends of Middle Earth or companion guides to his world. Easily the most recognizable name in fantasy today, Tolkien’s impact on the realm of fantasy cannot go unnoticed, his stories still fresh and new 44 years after he died. His world and words live on by those who tell his stories and build upon them either on the page or the big screen. The Children of Hurin or The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, for example, were both published within the last ten years, drawing on the influences from the legends in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.

Douglas Adams, on the other hand, was continued with the best intentions. However, And Another Thing… didn’t quite have the same feel as the previous iterations as the rest of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series did. It was written with the best intentions to honor Adams and his legacy, but it fell flat, in my opinion. It’s a nice, neat continuation of the world of Douglas Adams, but it failed to have that same charm that I had grown to love while reading the books.

I feel that an author’s world doesn’t have to continue after their death. But the unfinished worlds, defined only by the author’s own imagination and intent, should be left. I respect and agree with Mr. Pratchett’s final wish, though I am sad to know we will never read them. But if that’s the end of his unfinished novels, I can think of no end more fitting than what he asked.

Burnout Recovery

Man this month, I tell ya.

After a thorough (counts on hands) three weeks of being understaffed and overworked, the day job really starts getting to you. When I’m not on my feet, most of my time is going to writing or errands (with the occasional bout of D&D mixed in for flavor). I’ll be very glad when this month is over and things make sense again. But I’m still trying to keep dedicated to my writing work.

Writing while combatting burnout is, to say the least, stressful. But I find myself doing a lot of plotting/planning while riding the bus or during my almost daily run. Sometimes though, I need to step away from the keyboard and lay on my couch, letting my mind wander.

Tea helps a lot. I find a great deal of relaxation in the actual tea making process. It’s a very sensory process: the smell of tea, the milk spiraling in as it mixes or honey dripping down into the mug, the sound of the boiling water, the warmth that fills the cup and (of course) the taste. It gives me a break to stop focusing on what I’m working on a difficult scene because I focus on the process. And then, once it’s finished, I have a nice cup of something hot to regain my focus.

Burnout happens. A lot. Writing is a very solitary profession and it’s not like you can pass it off to someone else and take a break. So, it’s important to say “Five Minute Break” when you’re fighting a scene. But it’s even more important to come back recharged for round two when you’ve finished making your tea. Just don’t forget it’s there. Nothing worse than cold tea.

Getting Motivated!

I hate alarm clocks. I hate the sounds they make. I hate the “Is it snoozed or is it off?” uncertainty. I hate how they always seem to go off right as you’re getting to a good part in your dream. But, I’ve recently decided to embrace my alarm clock and let it be my ally in my writing (so far, it’s an uneasy alliance but has promise for strong relations).

These last few days/weeks have been kind of rough. Work has been extra stressful and things have been kind of tricky to work out in other areas. My writing, sadly, has suffered because of this. So, I’ve decided to try a new approach. Screw inspiration, embrace the motivation and dedication. There are a few things that I’ve done in the past and will continue to do to make this a reality.

Firstly, I need a schedule again. This has been an issue for me in the past. I get flustered through out the week with a sporadic work schedule and weird morning shifts. So, I’m going to start using my time more efficiently. The blue is the time that I set aside for writing task: Querying Agents, working on a new project and writing blog posts (like this one here). It’s mostly and an attempt to stay in the mode of writing. Doing it first thing in the morning means I won’t be out of energy to do it when I come home at 6:30 or 8:00 at night. By making this schedule and keeping it, I’ll be able to establish a better sense of dedication to my work by sectioning off time at the beginning of the day to write something. I’m using iCal, but Google Calendars and other free apps are also good options.

The next big struggle is motivation. I find that seeing my progress is really helpful. Part of what makes Nanowrimo work really well for me is the accountability and daily goals that make is so much easier. A friend recently recommended the site Pacemaker (pacemaker.press) for developing and keeping a Writing Plan. You put in your goal, your timeframe, your pace preferences and it helps develop daily goals for you to aim for with writing (or any other goal). You can upload these goals directly into your calendar and update the site as you go along. As you can see, it’s pretty hit and miss for me (last month in particular, but yesterday was a great day).

Any art is a matter of habit. The more you do it, the better you get, the easier it is. The problem is waiting for inspiration, for those beautiful moments when the words come pouring out in a string of eloquence and elegance. But that only happens about 10% of the time you sit down to write. If you’re lucky. So, screw inspiration. If it comes it comes, but it’s up to the artist to be waiting for it when it arrives.

A More Mindful TBR

So…my To-Be-Read pile is out of control.

I’m not the fastest reader. I’d say I’ve read maybe…25% of the books I own (and I moved to a smaller place, so most of my books are in storage across the country for now). And between work, my writing, and this blog, it’s easy to forget I have a stack of books waiting on my nightstand. I need to be a better reader (surprising, I know), but I feel like I also need to read better. I don’t always pay attention to authors as I read, but occasionally an author sticks out for me more than most. Yet, when it comes time to pick up a new book to read, I never think of them.

So, here is a list of authors I’ve read and why I want to read more books by them:

  • Naomi Novik- This is an author that I really like, both Uprooted and the Temeraire series (which I can never spell correctly on the first turn). I’ve read a good chunk of the Temeraire series, but it’s one that I don’t normally think of when I’m looking through my TBR pile. So I’d like to finish her series because I love her style and her work is very unique, with rules governing her fantasy worlds and the mythical creatures that populate her worlds.
  • V.E. Schwab- I loved A Darker Shade of Magic. Admittedly, I don’t think I own any of her other books. However, I had the pleasure of hearing her speak when she visited the bookstore (I lurked in the back, hiding my nametag) and she was funny and genuine, like her writing. I’d like to read the rest of that series, but also want to branch out to more authors.
  • Ursula K. Le Guin- I know, I know. I am way behind on this one. Le Guin is one of the best known and most renowned writers of fantasy and science fiction. But hear me out. I’m currently reading The Left Hand of Darkness and I’m loving it. So I plan on reading a lot more Le Guin in the very near future.
  • Malcolm Gladwell- My first experience with Gladwell was in college, reading Outliers for an intro psychology class. It was probably one of the coolest nonfiction books I had the chance to read in college. He takes on a unique view of the world, our minds, and the questions that you might not think about.
  • Brandon Sanderson- Again, I know, I know. Sanderson is another huge name in the realm of fantasy. The books and stories by him that I have read have always been very entertaining, but I have trouble keeping up with buying his books when I do finally get a chance. But I intend to seek him out and find more of his books in the future.

I’m sure there are names that I’m missing and names that I should add, but there’s only so much reading a person can do at a time!

What are some writers that you’ve read, but haven’t gotten the opportunity to add? Do you sometimes forget writers you really like or do you only read one writer at a time? Leave it in the comments below.

You can follow my reading habits and more by following me on Twitter using the links to the right!