My mom blew out my dad's birthday candle
We sang, and my mom blew out the candle. Accidently. So we lit it again and my dad blew it out. It was my dad't birthday yesterday, and I did some heraldic descriptions for his search, choosing the most confusing phrases, of course. Plenty of "or" and "party per pale" and "sinister." Yay wikipedia.
Reading Matt's blog is making me feel guilty about writing. I've been having lots of fun this summer reading fantasy stories, and writing my D&D world, but I can't seem to get into my "real" writing. I dunno. I feel like if I make everything too epic, it's just going to seem overdone and juvenile. If I tone everything down with all the "real life" waiting and randomness and subtle relationship problems, I just get bored. That's the problem with Meryn and Dalion. I'm trying to write it like it's a character-centered story based on Husa's "history," and I'm just getting bored. The only exciting thing that happens on an epic scale is the discovery of the Northern continent and all its magic. But by itself, that pretty much fits in a couple of paragraphs, even a sentence! I hate romance stories, but that seems to be where all my character stuff is wandering: Meryn missing Dalion, Meryn being courted by nice Geth, Meryn being torn over tragic Kelse. Maybe I should scratch that and just write a tragedy for Kelse. Or change my story events and make Meryn marry Dalion before the voyage and just be there for everything. But then, she doesn't have any conflicts. Grr. And I need to find a way to write NOW, because I'm taking "Writing for Media II" this fall.
I bought a sword at the Renaissance Faire. For $15.00. The reason this fine instrument ended up in the "Pirate Booty" chest is because it's a LOTR Legolas knife replica that was missing its scabbard and its mate. It probably should have cost ten times what I paid for it. A 16" knife makes a very nice bastard sword for someone as short as me, and I have extra leather to make a scabbard.
Reading Matt's blog is making me feel guilty about writing. I've been having lots of fun this summer reading fantasy stories, and writing my D&D world, but I can't seem to get into my "real" writing. I dunno. I feel like if I make everything too epic, it's just going to seem overdone and juvenile. If I tone everything down with all the "real life" waiting and randomness and subtle relationship problems, I just get bored. That's the problem with Meryn and Dalion. I'm trying to write it like it's a character-centered story based on Husa's "history," and I'm just getting bored. The only exciting thing that happens on an epic scale is the discovery of the Northern continent and all its magic. But by itself, that pretty much fits in a couple of paragraphs, even a sentence! I hate romance stories, but that seems to be where all my character stuff is wandering: Meryn missing Dalion, Meryn being courted by nice Geth, Meryn being torn over tragic Kelse. Maybe I should scratch that and just write a tragedy for Kelse. Or change my story events and make Meryn marry Dalion before the voyage and just be there for everything. But then, she doesn't have any conflicts. Grr. And I need to find a way to write NOW, because I'm taking "Writing for Media II" this fall.
I bought a sword at the Renaissance Faire. For $15.00. The reason this fine instrument ended up in the "Pirate Booty" chest is because it's a LOTR Legolas knife replica that was missing its scabbard and its mate. It probably should have cost ten times what I paid for it. A 16" knife makes a very nice bastard sword for someone as short as me, and I have extra leather to make a scabbard.
posted by Captain Shar | 4:14 PM
3 Comments:
Happy birthday to Sharon's Dad!
Also, don't feel guilty about not doing any "real" writing. I refuse to feel guilty for not finishing my story this summer. Everything you write funnels into the next thing, and eventually into your "real" writing, so it's not any of it a waste of time.
I was reading this amazing cross-genre non-fiction book the other day (I say cross-genre because it's an author writing about her paintings), and she said something really interesting... she tells her students that when they start writing, they've got to be willing to write the most awful crap on the face of the earth in search of their voice, the story that belongs solely to them. "Go for the jugular." So I guess what I'm saying is supposed to be some encouragement - go for the epics! And go for the randomness! And then I guess you can learn from the process if it doesn't work out.
Loves and apologies for the such long comment,
Mackenzie
I'm not sure why you feel guilty reading MY blog, but hey don't feel bad. I got next to no writing done this summer. But I was watching Inside the Actors Studio last night (which is one of the most interesting shows on TV. On Bravo at various times. they don't seem to have a regular schedule. anyway, moving on...), and David Duchovney was on. Very interesting man (did you know he almost got his Ph.D in English literature? He was done with everything but his dissertation, and then started acting).
Anyway, something he said that he learned from his acting teacher was to just do what feels right. If you suddenly feel like your character would laugh at a funeral, then go ahead and laugh. The moment you decide "no, I can't do this", you've lost the truth of the moment, and everything you do from then on will ultimately feel fake. I'm not sure I buy into this completely, but I think it's something to think about - especially in writing. If you get a crazy hair-brained idea for a split second, and then decide it wouldn't work, or nobody would like it, or something else that makes you put it away, then maybe you lose the spontaneous fun of the story.
That's just one example. For more on this, I'd highly suggest this very engrossing essay (or any essay by this guy, really): Copy What You Like. Enjoy
Okay. This comment has gotten long enough. Goodbye.
David Duchovney, why don't you love me?
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