Saturday, April 2, 2005
The Hooded Man... dum, dum!

Recently purchased the DVDs of Robin of Sherwood (a series I fondly remembered from the 80's!).

Glee! (Rubs hands, awaits arrival of them...)

Also recently ordered a few books on the art work of Edmund Dulac and Arthur Rackham. Looking forward to those too!

Evil Amazon, tempting my hard-earned dosh from me thusly... ;)

Posted by Kirstin Wright 2005-04-02 11:21:56

Friday, April 1, 2005
Enormous discourse on the novel that isn't.

Apologies Juzzza - I hadn't intended to spiel so much on this! But thanks also, as your previous comment made me look at it, something I've not done for a while.

:)
****

The Illustrated Book.

Aside from "the big story", this is the other one on my mind. I love to illustrate. I am not prolific with it, although with the "Drawing for Monkeys" nights, it is being much more of a motivation. The book revolves around the same characters in the story thingy. (They are called Cabers, by the way.)
In order to produce an illustrated book, one needs the illustrations. It doesn't take a genius to see that!
And on the bright side, a Caber has snuck onto the John Howe website - this one got through into the "pictures of the month" winners!

See : Dozing Caber

I should love to do a caber book in the style of Froud & Lee's "Fairies" one.

****

The Writing Group (there is one!)

A dread disaster in failing and non-attemptive moral support.
Actually, that's a lie! There's plenty of moral support, and it is a motivation to write, but I am not writing with structure - not yet!
I also have all the motivation to do so, of a dried guppie.

Still, here's an exercise from the group that I love! - It's called "Writing to Movie Scores".
I tend to organise this one for the group, as I'm the movie score geek. I pull up a piece of "unknown origin" (to them!), about 2 minutes long, that is suitably atmospheric. Everyone listens to it, then as it continues to repeat in the background, they each write a little scene/synopsis. We give ourselves about 15-20 minutes to do so. Then, as the music plays,each person gets a chance to talk about what is happening from their perspective. They really enjoy it, and it is often the way that prompts me to write scenes the most, no matter where I am.

****

El Novel Diabolique...
The Novel that is Not.
In fact, I've decided I don't like the word Novel for now. I'll call it the Story.

So, what's up? (The following are not excuses for why it hasn't been written yet, but are undeniably factors.)

The following.

1. LANGUAGE
I have some characters that don't speak English, or indeed, a recognisable form of language, at all.
Yet, in this world, both they, and the humans understand each other fine. All well and good, but how do you write the dialogue?
I get by, but it's still a bit of a nuisance.

2. ERA
I have written scenes that take place in the past, the present, and even the future. But which era should I use? I like all the scenes! Sigh - one must learn to be a little ruthless, one thinks.

3. EMOTIONALLY
I realise that whilst I can set an interesting base, or a thrilling premise, I have not been very good at following it through to a satisfactory conclusion, or even to follow it further at all.
Writing about certain issues emotively is something I realised I'm not terribly good at - at least, I feel that way, as it reflects something of the way I am/was in real-life.
As a child, I learned to hold some of my emotions in check, and place my mother's before mine, because she was prone to being upset easily, and I didn't want to be the cause. Not her fault, she had a childhood of her own to deal with, but it did impact on me, nonetheless. I was also low of self-image through the school years - nothing new there, I suspect, but combined with the former, it warped my view on some things.
Yay psychiatrist! Yes, can you believe I needed to be prompted to think about the cause of what made me feel awkward in certain situations? ;)
It's true, one cannot see the wood for the trees sometimes!

So I go back to some of those pieces, and bash them a bit further, squeeze them to see what comes out.

4. The MOTIVE.
I didn't want to "sit down and write a story", where I knew what was going to happen.
In all honesty, I still don't want to, and yet I know it is necessary.
Only in the last couple of years has the "reason for it" come to me, and I like it because it reflects something on how I feel as a person. So the main arc is there. What is missing is the mini-arcs inside the main one. You know, that which propelleth the story along, and moves the characters from a to b to c to z.
This is exceptionally important, and I believe it is an area I will need to sit down and seriously contemplate, if I am ever to write it properly.
Why have I not done it? Apathy? Fear? Disorganisation? Too many choices? Everything else one must do in daily life (incl. work, and other hobbies)? I find it also collides with the Era problem. For fear of doing work only to change my mind about it, I have not done any work at all. Foolishness!
(So far the story starts in no less than three different ways, and two different perspectives! Which one shall I continue with? (although I think I've decided on this now.)

There ued to be a fifth issue, although I think I've made up my mind on it.
5. To EARTH or NOT TO EARTH.
I was contemplating having the main character being from our world, and moving into the fantasy world from there, occasionally jumping back and forward. But in truth, I find it too messy, and am fairly certain that this won't be happening. One story, one world.

So why bother at ALL?

With all of the above, this is one thing I still consider most important.
I have NEVER stopped writing about it, or given up on the deal. I believe that even if the story is not working as a "story", it is only a matter of "yet".
For I have noticed something I quite like in this process of persistence, and that is what I can only call the Mercury effect. If you've seen puddles of mercury (toxic substance!) pull together into one, that is what I feel like it is. Some of the

I write because I care about/enjoy/love these characters (I cannot think of them completely as "mine", for they belong to themselves, don't they?), and because I couldn't "not" write about them! I enjoy writing. I'm not very disciplined at it though.
I would like to write more than I do. Rather, I could wish I was more motivated to do so.
It occurs to me that I may only write one book, if at all. But it will be a book that I like.

Split-focus and motivation. On this, I have no answer, save to say that my focus is very split indeed, onto many things, and maybe that's the biggest fault I have...
And this navel-gazing has reminded me.
(I re-quote here...)
"What is missing is the mini-arcs inside the main one. You know, that which propelleth the story along, and moves the characters from a to b to c to z.
This is exceptionally important, and I believe it is an area I will need to sit down and seriously contemplate, if I am ever to write it properly."

Duh! Well. I shall put that into the "consideration drawer" of my mind. (Seriously, if it's on top of the list of my current thinkatives, it will get a bit more attention than before.)
I feel like I am being the psychiatrist for my story, here!
("So tell me. Why do you feel it isn't working?...)

Thanks for the food for thought.

:)

Posted by Kirstin Wright 2005-04-01 21:16:39

Thursday, March 31, 2005
Drawing For Monkeys

"Drawing for Monkeys" is the unofficial name for Tuesday evenings at the moment.

I have two most excellent friends who come over, and we spend about three hours, talking, eating, and Drawing! It's been really motivational to me, and I have been motivated to draw a bit more, beyond that, as a result.

One piece I am tinkering away on at the moment, is called "Triple Caber" (Caber, for the creatures I write/illustrate about, and Triple because - well, figure it out. ;) )

Here it is, in progress. Trés Knotworkish!

;) K.

Posted by Kirstin Wright 2005-03-31 09:49:16

Thursday, March 31, 2005
PhilosophiK 2!

I jolted awake one night, about three weeks ago, with a single sentence on my mind -

"It's the ordinary that makes us interesting!"

Overcome with epiphanical "man, I should write a book about this!" type feelings, I promptly fell asleep again, muttering something about Clogs. (Character logs, as different to Web Logs - Blogs.) Indeed, so apathetic has my response been, that I've only gotten around to writing it down now!

Let me now divine the above sentence of mystery for you... As some of you might remember, eons past, I started the "describeyourself as if you were a character" thread.

I regard the above exercise as delving into the ordinariness of one's life, and discovering (on reading what others had written), thatit can be quite fascinating, and one gets real picture in the mind's eye of the character of the person who wrote it.- i.e. it's interesting. (which means in turn, to them, your own charactermay be equally as interesting.)

By my reasoning, short term events ofperceived impressiveness(e.g. climbing mountains, going on holidays, new acquisitions - both material and/or mental!, or bizarre illnesses), are "short-term interesting", and the glamour fades quickly.

Conversely, the everyday stuff that defines you as the person you really are, is what folk relate to. (or not - of course!)

And that's the kind of "interesting" I was talking about. All of this was really inspired by a comment made to me by one of my heroes, once upon a time - a guy called Keith Johnstone, author of "Impro". We were talking about the nature of imaginary characters, and he asked how I might perceive myself, if I werethe "character" to be written about.

Two years later, I wake up with a sentence in my mind. Thanks Keith, for disturbing my sleep! ;) Heh.

So. Have you managed to read that letter yet, Sue? ;)

Posted by Kirstin Wright 2005-03-31 09:36:07

Thursday, March 10, 2005
PhilosophiK

I have recently been enjoying the delights of Alain De Botton's "The Comforts of Philosophy", a light-hearted yet "to the point" offering culled from the minds of some of history's philosophers that he deemed might give us consolation in this time of "earning little money and feeling unsuccessful/unloved"...
It is written in a very easy manner to understand and think about - and laden with the kind of dry humour that I love, I have laughed aloud in the reading of this book. Particularly at the six step diagram of what happens when a drunken potter attempts to make an amphora.
(See? Now you will have to get this book if only to find out what the result looked like.)

I profess myself to be woefully ignorant of the views of pretty much every damn philosopher in the world, but at least I am now getting an idea about a few, and going "why yes! What sensible thoughts."
All delivered in a comprehensible, delightful and manner.
(Dear lord, have I just written a book review?)

***
Two words springing to mind right now - "Gently Mocking".
I see Miss Mocking stepping out doors and sighing at the sudden swipe of rain that springs from nowhere, only to be gone as quickly. Just enough to dampen her stockings.
She sighs, knowng that life is like this, sometimes, then giving it no further thought, she carries on her way.

***

In conversation last night... "Mid-Life Crisis".
It occurred to me to ponder the meaning of Mid-Life - after all, is one not just as alive at sixty, as one is at thirty, or at six?
I have heard of Half Life.. is Mid Life not the same? (yes, pedants! I know that it refers technically to "Middle of your life upon this Earth thereabouts, give or take a decade or so..." - Humour me in this regard.)
Thus, I think I ought to regard Mid-Life as being somewhere "just before" one shuffles off this mortal coil.
Perhaps those suspended in a coma might be regarded as being in Mid-Life?
Or perhaps there is even a point in sleeping that might also qualify for the same?
Do my fingernails and toenails and hair count, being extrusions of "not particularly aliveness" from our otherwise lively selves?
("My hair is having a mid life crisis, I can't come into work today.")

But seriously. One is just as alive at sixty, as one is at thirty, or six. One could stretch this further, in either direction, depending on the average mean of the human lifespan.
I think it is more to do with the notion of "I feel I am running out of time" (that invisible commodity where the infinite was caught by surprise one day, and boxed into neat parcels of minutes, hours, years, etc, by some impudent & thinking monkeys...)

So is this instead a Mid Time crisis? A Half time crisis? Time time time time time time out!!
(Time Out - having time outside of time)
Will you ever run out of time? I dance out of time sometimes. I can also sing out of tune, and run out of spare change. I realise these are gifts I have, for which I am very grateful. I am very gifted. "Special effects... for special people!" - I say this a lot about my line of work.
My train of thought frequently derails... so where was I?

Mid Time Crisis.
Consider your options (you have five minutes to do so), have a wedge of orange, jump back into the game, play for all you are worth* and hope for the best.

"Dear Doctor Kirby. I hate the game I am in."

"Dear Confused. Stop playing it."

"Dear Doctor Kirby, I would, but I need the money."

"Dear Confused. If you can, take up some extra-curricular activities around it."

"Dear Doctor Kirby. I can't. I also have many excuses prepared to back up my reasons."

"Dear Confused. Ahh. Fear of leaping into the unknown**. I can't help you there, sorry, I am currently involved in my own navel-gazing***! You'll have to sort that one out for yourself - but good luck! "

* - You are probably worth a lot more than you know, a worth that others will appreciate better than you. If a talent scout doesn't happen to be at this game, find out which games they will be at. ;) And remember the value of practise!

** - First we learn to crawl, then walk, then run... perhaps leaping is next?

*** - I once read it spelt as "naval-gazing". I'm sure the young men were a delight to look upon, but I failed to see the philosophical implications of this.

And most importantly,
(b.) I am an animator. What the heckity do I know?

;) This is what happens from reading philosophical material - it leads to all sorts of messy things, like "contemplation". You should see the state of my flat.
My flat is a state.
I have annexed it, but I'm thinking of turning it into a monarchy, where I shall be Queen, I tell you! QUEEN! (or maybe a princess.)

I swear, I have had only one sugary drink today. Okay - two. but no more than three.

(((Hugs to all!)))
;) xxx

Posted by Kirstin Wright 2005-03-10 09:21:19