I was reading some of the responses in this meme and totally halted at one answer.
How can writers not read?!
One of the best ways to improve one's writing is to actually read other people's work. If you want to build a bridge, you don't disregard the breakthroughs by other engineers. If you work for an advertising agency, you don't disregard the effectiveness of other ads. As a graduate student in science, I don't ignore other research in my area even though I spend a lot of my waking hours working on my own project. I read a lot of journal papers to see what's new and to try new techniques. Writing is no different. In order to do well at something, you study other people's successes.
Scholar's Rocks. Okay, so this might look like I'm turning this blog into a linklog--but really, I'm collecting ideas! The scholar's rocks reminds me of some really intricate ivory carvings that my great-uncle kept in a curio cabinet. Spheres within spheres, there was just something so odd and disquieting about these artifacts...
There is a post on the Nano forums about inspiration. I think the poster is concerned that now they are treated for depression, they no longer have these bouts of "ecstasy" that trigger inspiration.
Most writers probably do have a sensitive aspect to their temperaments. After all, without it, how can you empathize with your characters? But I don't think having rapturous revelations will really up the creativity. Most of writing is work. And the more work you put into it, you can make it as deep and meaningful as you want.
Hardest? Slogging through the middle. I can pretty much envision the beginning and the end, but the middle is like pulling teeth. Well, it's that and editing. There is a sort of thrill associated with editing, but it's also hard work.
Easiest? Coming up with ideas. Like germs, they're everywhere.
Most fun? When the going is good, it's very, very good.
Most tedious? Finding names and coming up with other superficial qualities for characters. These things, I don't care so much as the personality--which I always think up first.
Coolest? I'm going to borrow the other person's answer in that I get to make stuff up!
Least cool? Sending stuff out. Waiting. Receiving rejection letters.
Best? Finally finishing something.
Worst? Just finding the time to write. (You might argue: Well, find the time to write, you lazy bum! I try. I really, really try.)
* * *
I'm getting some recent inspiration from Mushishi, a fantasy/supernatural/horror anime. For anyone who likes subtle and creepy, give this a go.
For the past couple of days, I've been penning a fantasy espionage piece as a writing exercise and my main characters are spying through some peepholes to observe some questionable characters. And while I was writing this scene, another scene came to me, also involving peepholes. A really, really creepy scene. Definitely going to save that sucker for the 3 day novel.
I had been looking over notes that I had done before on other ideas that I had, but none of them really struck me as something that I wanted to do. However, I've been recently reading a graphic novel that's a fantasy biography of Lovecraft. As a result, some macabre plots are rousing themselves from the darker parts of my creativity. Interesting how certain things inspire some scary, yet cool stuff.
So--I'm leaning towards the scary and serious. Last year's 3 day novel also happened to be partly inspired by Lovecraft, but it was actually more comical than scary.
I've also been looking at the guidelines for the 3 day novel and it seems as if they changed some things from last year. Instead of a word count, they now have a page count (100 pages, typed, double spaced). I think I'm going to stick with the 30k minimum that I was aiming for last year--that comes out to about 150 pages, double spaced in Courier New 12pt.
I just remembered that the 3-day novel contest is coming up in a little over two weeks. I did this last year (but without paying the entrance fee since as a student I don't have fifty bucks to throw away) and it was mad-crazy. I guess I should start brainstorming for ideas that I could plow through in three days...
So I didn't work on the script thing at all during July. But that's okay. I did some other writing. And got some RESULTS in lab after many, many sleepless nights. Actually, more like preliminary data, but one has to be optimistic when it comes to such things.
Possible ideas for November are drifting in and out. I thought about signing up for a writing workshop that would overlap the Nanowrimo time frame, but I'm leaning towards NO. I don't think those serious MFAs teaching it would appreciate my spastic kamikaze approach to the craft.
