Thursday, May 31, 2007
This isn't about writing
This has been on my mind the past couple of days or so; maybe someone can help me out. Forgiveness is pretty integral to the Christian faith. Sort like, we're commanded to do it. Which sounds sorta tough at first, but, well, when you've been forgiven for so much, it's not so hard. Or it is, you just have a little help. So I was just wondering, how do non spiritual people forgive? I feel like it's got to be so much more self gratifying to keep that victim status and that hurt. Because forgiveness is effort, and it doesn't guarantee that the situation will get better or anything. Is it worth the supposed "feeling better" afterwards for you? How the heck do you get motivated? For the things that have really needed forgiveness in my life, I've had to look outside of myself.
What's outside of yourself that can help?
EDITED: Changed one word after Devon's post to try and show my emphasis on faith, not organized religion. I'm definitely aware of the fact that non spiritual people forgive and are good at it. It impresses me, because I'm not sure I could do it sometimes. Thanks for commenting, Devon!
What's outside of yourself that can help?
EDITED: Changed one word after Devon's post to try and show my emphasis on faith, not organized religion. I'm definitely aware of the fact that non spiritual people forgive and are good at it. It impresses me, because I'm not sure I could do it sometimes. Thanks for commenting, Devon!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
It's that time again
...when I have a crisis of faith in myself. Writing is such a self absorbed activity, if you start to doubt yourself, which we all do at some point, things can get nasty. Right now is a terrible time for this. I'm in the middle of a short, and Script Frenzy is starting Friday. And right now I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to write a genuine, powerful, engaging story. Because those are the only type of stories worth my dedication and exhaustion. And right now as I look back on everything I've written, even back at The 4:05, which I loved, and Daffodil, which is my baby short, I'm not sure any of them are actually really truly good stories.
And I'm not sure if telling good stories is something you can learn.
And I'm not sure if telling good stories is something you can learn.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
I *am* in love with his music
Shoelaces untied
You can dry your eyes
Perfect shadows alive
Behind us
This is the day I make you mine
The way your hair lies
Sometimes unrecognized
All the way from these today
On a train
Nothing to say if there's still time
But you are the one
I've been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
That's been baiting on today
Lately I've lost my tongue
Today you found the sun
I know not long has grown
Well I thank God you came along
But you are the one
I've been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
That's been baiting on today
You looked right through me
When there was no one else
I sat beside you and became myself
Today... today
You are the one
I've been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
That's been baiting on today
- "Today" by Joshua Radin
You can dry your eyes
Perfect shadows alive
Behind us
This is the day I make you mine
The way your hair lies
Sometimes unrecognized
All the way from these today
On a train
Nothing to say if there's still time
But you are the one
I've been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
That's been baiting on today
Lately I've lost my tongue
Today you found the sun
I know not long has grown
Well I thank God you came along
But you are the one
I've been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
That's been baiting on today
You looked right through me
When there was no one else
I sat beside you and became myself
Today... today
You are the one
I've been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
That's been baiting on today
- "Today" by Joshua Radin
My first day off since I started working again. Mmm.
What I should be doing with all this time, of course, is writing. I have notes to write up for a writing buddy in Script Frenzy, I need to hammer out some of my own plot points so that I don't resort to cliches, and I have a short that I started yesterday that it would be nice if I finished it before Friday. I'm a little frustrated with that one, though, because it's not coming out as brilliantly as it's playing out in my head. Typical.
In the screenwriting community, there's a little bit of a debate between those people who stress the visual aspect of film over the dialog aspect. Only there's not really a debate because people general profess that the visuals of film should trump the dialog. Film is a visual medium, show don't tell, its visual capacities are what set film apart from theatre, blah blah blah. There's no way I can argue with those points (especially the show don't tell axiom), but I feel this presents two problems for screenwriters.
One, we don't really get to write the visuals... Descriptions should be tight and concise, stage directions limited, etc. etc. Of course, in a few lines, a lot of visual information can be communicated. But as a general rule I've noticed that writers are stifled when it comes to writing non-dialog material. And you're not supposed to direct the actor as to what she/he should be expressing. You're supposed to be a good enough writer to make that obviously, I think. Too much direction in your screenplay is generally considered to be amateurish. Prose is for novelists.
Two, everyone likes a good quote. My gosh, I don't remember how many lunches I sat through last year where my guy friends spent the entire time quoting lines from websoides, movies, and video games. My friends at Michigan are quoting Anchor Man all the time. People don't talk about the beautiful lighting (cinematographer's job), the expressive moment that demonstrated the complete irony of the scene (actors and directors), or whatever visual moment you can think up. People are looking for a movie that resonates with them, and it works so much better for them if they can find a line that resonates with them. It's often when a character finally erupts and tells the truth with such passion and commitment and manages to nail what we know and feel on the nose that we burst into tears.
I remember reading The History of Love when I was over in England and thinking, Holy crap, she's managed to describe in words the feelings I've been having my whole life. And while I found the whole book beautiful, it's those couple of passages that made it work for me and they're the ones I always remember. The audience can't take the prose we write with them. They don't know how we described the characters or scenes. It's unlikely that their singular favourite moment of the film will be a visual still. It will be a line of dialog when the audience member thought, Holy crap, that's beautiful. It's our responsibility as writers to create as many of those authentic moments as we can.
Speaking of beautiful, I've been listening to a lot of Joshua Radin lately. Everyone should check him out. Maybe it's just another celebrity crush, but his music makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
What I should be doing with all this time, of course, is writing. I have notes to write up for a writing buddy in Script Frenzy, I need to hammer out some of my own plot points so that I don't resort to cliches, and I have a short that I started yesterday that it would be nice if I finished it before Friday. I'm a little frustrated with that one, though, because it's not coming out as brilliantly as it's playing out in my head. Typical.
In the screenwriting community, there's a little bit of a debate between those people who stress the visual aspect of film over the dialog aspect. Only there's not really a debate because people general profess that the visuals of film should trump the dialog. Film is a visual medium, show don't tell, its visual capacities are what set film apart from theatre, blah blah blah. There's no way I can argue with those points (especially the show don't tell axiom), but I feel this presents two problems for screenwriters.
One, we don't really get to write the visuals... Descriptions should be tight and concise, stage directions limited, etc. etc. Of course, in a few lines, a lot of visual information can be communicated. But as a general rule I've noticed that writers are stifled when it comes to writing non-dialog material. And you're not supposed to direct the actor as to what she/he should be expressing. You're supposed to be a good enough writer to make that obviously, I think. Too much direction in your screenplay is generally considered to be amateurish. Prose is for novelists.
Two, everyone likes a good quote. My gosh, I don't remember how many lunches I sat through last year where my guy friends spent the entire time quoting lines from websoides, movies, and video games. My friends at Michigan are quoting Anchor Man all the time. People don't talk about the beautiful lighting (cinematographer's job), the expressive moment that demonstrated the complete irony of the scene (actors and directors), or whatever visual moment you can think up. People are looking for a movie that resonates with them, and it works so much better for them if they can find a line that resonates with them. It's often when a character finally erupts and tells the truth with such passion and commitment and manages to nail what we know and feel on the nose that we burst into tears.
I remember reading The History of Love when I was over in England and thinking, Holy crap, she's managed to describe in words the feelings I've been having my whole life. And while I found the whole book beautiful, it's those couple of passages that made it work for me and they're the ones I always remember. The audience can't take the prose we write with them. They don't know how we described the characters or scenes. It's unlikely that their singular favourite moment of the film will be a visual still. It will be a line of dialog when the audience member thought, Holy crap, that's beautiful. It's our responsibility as writers to create as many of those authentic moments as we can.
Speaking of beautiful, I've been listening to a lot of Joshua Radin lately. Everyone should check him out. Maybe it's just another celebrity crush, but his music makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Monday, May 28, 2007
National Holidays are for Wasting Time
Your Score: Myrna Loy
You scored 14% grit, 33% wit, 28% flair, and 35% class!
Your Score: Myrna Loy
You are class itself, the calm, confident "perfect woman." Men turn and look at you admiringly as you walk down the street, and even your rivals have a grudging respect for you. You always know the right thing to say, do and, of course, wear. You can take charge of a situation when things get out of hand, and you're a great help to your partner even if they don't immediately see or know it. You are one classy dame. Your screen partners include William Powell and Cary Grant, you little simmerpot, you.
Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the
Classic Leading Man Test.
| Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
Friday, May 25, 2007
Sooner then I expected
Clocking in at 94 and a half pages, I finally typed FADE OUT for Making It. It's done, that's all. Now I need to find something else to keep myself entertained until June...
the Frenzy
Ever November for the past four years I've participated in National Novel Writing Month. It's just sort of a given now. I'm already entertaining ideas for this year's, whether I'll have fun with a ridiculous concept or try to write a serious novel this year. In June, the same people are sponsoring Script Frenzy, the same concept in script format. I already have an idea, some notes, and even a title (though I had to go with my second choice because my first one's already been used several times) - Whatever You Ask. I'm excited because my three main characters are all guys, and we all know the challenges in point of view and characterization that's going to present.
Someone posted a thread on the Script Frenzy forums called "Writers for Real." Now, that already is a ridiculously pretentious title because it's belittling to the rest of the community, I feel, but I went ahead and posted about my writerly plans. It's a little amusing because of the handful of people who've posted, most of us are just still *training* to be writers for real. But one person posted about how if you Google search Script Frenzy you'll find a lot of people knocking and degrading it. We have to deal with that in NaNo, too, but I went ahead and Googled Script Frenzy to see for myself what people were saying.
I only found one really negative collection of comments, but even then I was surprised by the vindictiveness with which these people attacked SF and the writers participating in it. All these accusations that it's a bad environment, that you'll turn out crap just to meet the deadline, that it's too chaotic and unplanned. One person even said that it harms the creative process. You know what the creative process is? It's sticking your butt in a chair and writing.
I would say that what these people don't realize is that the one month restraint is for your first draft only, not your prewriting or rewriting, so you have plenty of time to craft characters and structure and rewrite all your mistakes later. I would say that plenty of the participants in Script Frenzy already know script format or use the resources offered to learn it before it starts. I would say that plenty of successful movies had a first draft written in one month or less. I would say that some people don't need a lot of prewriting time. I would say that writing is a craft you learn by doing, so let people practice they way they want. I would say that for as many different writers there are, there are different ways of approaching "the creative process."
But I think that by the fact that people would attack the plot generator on the home page of Script Frenzy just shows that they have no sense of humor. They're taking themselves way too seriously. These are the kinds of pretentious writers that I complained about before - they drive me crazy! Writing is writing is writing. So leave others in peace when they do it.
"Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed." - Ray Bradbury
Someone posted a thread on the Script Frenzy forums called "Writers for Real." Now, that already is a ridiculously pretentious title because it's belittling to the rest of the community, I feel, but I went ahead and posted about my writerly plans. It's a little amusing because of the handful of people who've posted, most of us are just still *training* to be writers for real. But one person posted about how if you Google search Script Frenzy you'll find a lot of people knocking and degrading it. We have to deal with that in NaNo, too, but I went ahead and Googled Script Frenzy to see for myself what people were saying.
I only found one really negative collection of comments, but even then I was surprised by the vindictiveness with which these people attacked SF and the writers participating in it. All these accusations that it's a bad environment, that you'll turn out crap just to meet the deadline, that it's too chaotic and unplanned. One person even said that it harms the creative process. You know what the creative process is? It's sticking your butt in a chair and writing.
I would say that what these people don't realize is that the one month restraint is for your first draft only, not your prewriting or rewriting, so you have plenty of time to craft characters and structure and rewrite all your mistakes later. I would say that plenty of the participants in Script Frenzy already know script format or use the resources offered to learn it before it starts. I would say that plenty of successful movies had a first draft written in one month or less. I would say that some people don't need a lot of prewriting time. I would say that writing is a craft you learn by doing, so let people practice they way they want. I would say that for as many different writers there are, there are different ways of approaching "the creative process."
But I think that by the fact that people would attack the plot generator on the home page of Script Frenzy just shows that they have no sense of humor. They're taking themselves way too seriously. These are the kinds of pretentious writers that I complained about before - they drive me crazy! Writing is writing is writing. So leave others in peace when they do it.
"Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed." - Ray Bradbury
Thursday, May 24, 2007
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