An Endless Font of Inspiration

I think, Squiders, that all creative types, especially writers, sometimes hit a point where they worry that they’ve run out of ideas. That they’ve reached the end of useable ones. That their best work is behind them.

(I admit that I feel this way about this blog sometimes, but here we are, two and a half years later…)

Then, luckily, the feeling passes.

It is, however, always a bit disconcerting to go through. I find it’s best, when the mood hits, to think about where you are, and where you’ve come from. Sure, maybe you’re not getting anything right this second, but how long have you been working on things? The first story I can remember writing, I was 8. It’s been two decades–twenty years–now, and if I haven’t run out of ideas yet, why should I ever?

And if you’re really, truly, not getting anything, look at what you’re doing. Are you reading, experiencing, learning? Inspiration can lurk anywhere, from the latest scientific or archeological find written up in National Geographic to the person you see walking down the street, a haunted look in their eyes. How did they get there? What makes their heart ache? What will the effects on society be because of this new discovery?

Hey, that dream you had last night was kind of funky. Maybe there’s something there. Your friend has posted a photo of a forest on facebook that is so perfect it looks fake. What would live there? What secrets do the trees hide?

The fact is, most creative types are also inquisitive types. So many ideas can come from asking questions, and then making up the answer yourself. What if? What if? What if? And the fact of the matter is, there are always more questions. There are always more answers. Your inspiration is out there, as long as you keep one eye open for it.

(If nothing else, you might try diagramming things you like. This is a free association activity, where you write down things that appeal to you as they come to you. My list includes things like mirrors, hidden portals, old keys, labyrinths, ancient places, overgrown forests, etc. And then you can choose a few and combine them into different story ideas.)

What’s your no-fail source of inspiration, Squiders?

Ideas: Face Off and Hot Set

I know I’ve been talking a lot about television lately, and I apologize. It’s just that I’m spending more time in front of ye olde boob tube these days because of changes in my life and so I think about it more.

Running low on creative ideas? (Never, I know. Hear me out anyway.) SyFy (or, as I like to call it, All Ghosts All the Time) has two shows that run back to back on Tuesday nights: Face Off and Hot Set. These are reality competitions. Face Off is a special effects make-up competition, and Hot Set is a movie-set competition. On both, competitors have three days to meet the goals set by the challenge for the week. On Face Off, people are eliminated each week. Hot Set has new teams each week.

Whoop-dee-doo, Kit, you say. You said something about ideas?

Well, Squiders, you know story ideas can come from anywhere. And you can think of these shows as writing prompts. Much like a sentence or a word can be used to generate ideas, the beginning of each show gives the contestants a creative problem to solve. A make-up or set prompt.

And, Squiders, you can take their prompts and use them for stories just as easily. And it can work for all genres, though, of course, science fiction and fantasy are highly represented.

And the shows are representative of creativity as a whole: the idea that many people, when presented with the same idea, will execute it completely differently. That you are the only one that can tell your story.

Anyway, give them a look if you get a chance. I watched an episode of Face Off last season because I had nothing better to do, and now I’m addicted.

Play/Musical Logic

My husband and I are rather avid theater-goers. We have a season subscription at the local major theater complex for the big musicals that come through, and we supplement that by going to various local theaters’ (and occasionally high schools’) productions when they’re putting on something that looks interesting.

We’re going to three shows this weekend. Last night we saw George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House (very good, and very funny in parts), tomorrow is Fahrenheit 451 (how could we resist, right?), and Sunday is I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which is part of the subscription. (We get a couple of random non-musicals in with our musicals. Not sure why.)

After the play last night, my husband and I were discussing things, and while it’s not particularly true of Heartbreak House, which is one of those plays where people mostly sit around and talk and are amazingly witty (like Lion in Winter, say) and nothing much of note happens, I’ve noticed that a lot of plays – especially musicals – have a very strange sense of logic that prevails.

I suspect it’s because they have such a short time to tell their story, and so they have to make weird leaps in order to get through the plot in the time allotted (usually denoted by how long an audience is willing to sit still).

In some ways, it’s a form of Fridge Logic (warning: TVTropes link). Fridge Logic is where, while something is happening, it seems perfectly reasonable, but when you think about it later, you realize that it doesn’t actually make any sense.

Some examples: Maria forgiving Tony immediately for killing her brother in West Side Story, the entirety of the plot of Phantom of the Opera, the ending of every farce every written. (And oh, how I love farces.)

People fall in love at the drop of the hat, with nothing in common and without even knowing each other. Villains, previously unstoppable, are brought down by something relatively simple and sometimes contrived. A single song can change a character’s entire way of thinking.

Yes, on some level I think it is necessary. You can’t put the necessary background in that you could in a novel or a TV series. And you can be distracted a lot by clever staging, a fun dance number, or beautiful costumes.

Still, next time you go to see something in the theater – look at the plot afterwards. I bet you’d find at least one place where, when you think about it, something just doesn’t flow right.

Reliquaries and Ramblings

Sometimes it’s interesting what hoops you have to go through in order to get internet. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m losing, and it may be very late when this finally gets posted.

(Yep, losing. Apparently this particular university requires you to obtain a guest ID from a professor or someone else otherwise affiliated. That’s so not going to happen.)

Anyway, I apologize but apparently this is Kit is Extremely Random Week. I’d draw you some sort of picture, but I’m mobile and even I won’t subject you to something I whip out in Paint.

Actually here:

<:3_)~

It’s a mouse. Who knew that all those years making tiny ASCII pictures in random AOL chatrooms would be good for something?

Well, you can make Star Trek commbadges too: =/\= . DS9 and later era. If you weren’t aware that I am a giant nerd, well, NOW YOU KNOW.

It almost doesn’t seem worth it to write about what I was planning to write about now. I could spend this entire entry complaining about unnecessarily secure networks and making strange text pictures. =^,,^=

But I wanted to talk to you about how creepy reliquaries are. What’s a reliquary? It is a bit of someone, usually a saint, or maybe some of their hair or clothes, but usually some bit of bone, that someone else has stuck into some sort of fancy holder to keep forever.

And then they are put into churches or chapels or other places of worship, and people come from all over to pray to said saint for whatever it is that that saint is known for.

They look like this.

I’d heard of them, but it wasn’t until my husband and I were in Germany not too long ago and they were everywhere that I realized how disturbing they are. Tiny bits of dead people, on display, solely for the purpose of worship.

I had kind of forgotten they existed, but I was reading an article in National Geographic earlier about the apostles and of course they came up. And I thought I would alert you to their existence if you were unaware, because as creepy as they are, they’re kind of neat too. Occasionally, the Church will have reliquaries tested to see if they’re real. And guess what? A lot of time they are the right gender, age, come from the right time period, and come from the right geographic area.

(Sometimes they are fake. Sometimes they are not even human at all.)

And I get to wondering about the power these random bits have. And what if some of the power is actually based in the reliquary, and not in people’s beliefs, and what would happen if what you thought was a bit of saint was actually a bit of something a lot more sinister?

Think about that for awhile, Squiders.

(Dun dun dun…)

When in Doubt: Aliens

I make no claims towards being a rational person. Sure, I can fake it pretty well, but then I draw pictures of landsquid and stick them on the internet, so I’m pretty sure I’m fooling no one.

Much as I hate to sound like a meme, have you ever noticed how everything is better with aliens?

(I’m not just saying that because the Landsquid’s origins are a bit murky. There’s been rumors going around that he is, in reality, a Space Squid, but he denies it and I’ve yet to catch him glowing in the dark, as Space Squids are wont to do.)

TV obviously agrees with me. People mysteriously disappearing? Aliens. Massive conspiracy? Aliens. People mysteriously re-appearing? Probably also aliens. Also, they built the pyramids and carved things in caves and made (and sank) Atlantis. And they secretly run our government.

Okay, so maybe they’re a bit overdone, but can you think of any situation that cannot be improved with the addition of our extraterrestrial neighbors? Instead of voting someone off a reality TV show, let’s feed them to aliens. Or we can upgrade the boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love storyline to include boy and girl fight aliens bent on world domination. Even presidential debates could use a good alien. (Or, depending on your point-of-view, already have a couple.)

Anyway, they’re better than vampires.

What’s your reaction to unexpected!aliens, Squiders? Yay or nay? Overdone? Inquiring landsquid want to know.

When Life Gets in the Way

Life! It goes. Generally it goes at a fairly even keel and things have a routine to them. But every now and then, you find yourself anticipating a major life event and everything else kind of falls by the wayside.

And even if you do have time to get other things done (like, say, a blog) you might find that all you think about, all the time, is this new life event. You might open an internet window for a certain purpose, and fifteen minutes later discover you’ve added fifteen wedding venues to your list. A doodle in the margin along the side of your notes becomes a full out nursery design. And you spend your train ride to and from work reading books on the best places to eat while you’re in Shanghai.

On the brain, all the time.

Here’s the thing, though. If you focus on one thing for too long, do you know what happens? Your brain explodes, and then I have to get the Landsquid to clean it up. And he dislikes mopping brains.

But seriously. You focus on something so hard, and after awhile, things just go downhill. All your options start looking the same, and you bemoan the fact that you will never figure anything out, and all the cake starts to taste like cake. (Seriously. All wedding cake tastes the same after awhile. ALL OF IT.)

So, as hard as it is to drag your mind off your newest and most exciting event, do it. It’s good for your sanity. It’s good for your creative process. And it’s good so your friends don’t murder you because you won’t shut up about it.

This post was going to have a landsquid doodle to accompany it, but last week my husband set me up with a dual-monitor workstation (he calls it Starfleet Command; I knew I married him for a reason) and it turns out that the Wacom tablet is completely incompatible with a dual-screen set-up, so now I need him to fix it before anyone gets any more drawings, alas. (Or hoorah, depending on how terrible you think the drawings are.)

 

Year of Doing Things: Picture Book Challenge

I have friends – and I’m sure you do too – who have yearly resolutions to try new things. I have a few that want to do a new thing every month, or even every week.

I am nowhere near that adventurous. I hold myself to a just a couple of new thing goals: 1) Go somewhere I have never been before, and 2) Do something new writing-wise. Last year I started submitting short stories (and went to Peru). The year before I entered a couple of query contests (…and went to Germany). This year, we are trying the medium known as picture books.

This is for a couple of reasons. One, they look fun. Two, people have said I have a good child voice. (Alternately, people have said I’m really good at dark. Those two concepts seem to be mortal enemies.) Three, why not? It never hurts to try something new.

So, with the urging of my dear Sarah, I have joined #kidlitart’s 2012 picture book dummy challenge. The goal is to have a complete dummy ready by June. That is an excellent time frame for me (more on that sometime in the future) and hopefully I will come out of the challenge with something good.

Ever done a picture book, Squiders? What are your favorites? (Either from when you were a kid, or ones you like to read to your kids.) I’ve always been rather partial to The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash.

Productive Ways to Procrastinate Writing

Procrastination is generally bad, yes, but sometimes you can’t write for whatever reason.  You don’t have a large enough block of time, you’re waiting on feedback or something from someone else, you’re in need of inspiration, etc.

Here’s some things you can do that are useful for your writing projects so you can feel minorly productive:

1. Playlists
Actually what made me think of this blog.  I wrote a blog post earlier about how playlists can be beneficial for your writing.  For my trilogy, I have an entire playlist, with songs specific to characters, books, scenes, etc, and I’ve found that listening to my trilogy playlist while I’m writing or planning the trilogy actually will give me flashes of scenes and an idea of direction.  Some people can’t write to music, it’s true, but I strongly believe that there is the right music for every project; you just need to figure out what it is.  (I have spent some time today listening to songs by this band I was just introduced to, because they have a nice tribal sound that will be a perfect addition to the trilogy playlist.)

2. Character Pictures/Icons/Banners/Covers
While some people take their inspiration aurally (like me), a lot of other people work visually.  If you need some inspiration, why not see if you can’t find your characters’ pictures?  Personally, I like this website – there’s a ton of interesting portraits to look at for something that clicks.  You can draw your characters.  Or, if you know your characters inside or out, you could put together an icon, banner, or cover for your book.  It helps you focus on what the strongest plot points are when you’ve got a limited space to explore.

3. Mind Maps
A mind map is a visual representation of something, usually represented by circles connected by lines.  Usually there is a central concept that all other ideas branch off of.  You can use these for characterization, brainstorming, or plotting.  Just remember to let it flow without thinking about it too much.  Mind maps work as a free-thought activity.  Who knows?  Maybe your subconscious has the perfect solution to that ginormous plot hole.

4. Maps
It’s not just fantasy stories that can use a good map.  Where is your character’s house relative to the store they work at?  How close does that cute neighbor live?  Is there a coffee table in the middle of the living room to conveniently trip that would-be murderer?  Maps help you keep your facts straight.  It can be hard to keep everything in your head while you’re working on a story, and having an easy-to-reference map with the information can be easier than trying to find where you last talked about something in your manuscript or guessing and having to fix things in later drafts.

Hope your holidays plans are coming along swimmingly, Squiders!

Writing Serially

I belong to a prompt community.  I joined, oh, four years ago or so with the idea that I’d be able to use the prompts to stir the creative juices.  It hasn’t really worked out.  Oh, it’s not the community’s fault.  They are awesome, talented writers and the prompts are usually very interesting.  Something about the medium just doesn’t work for me.

Oh, sure, sometimes a prompt jolts something out of the creative centers of my brain.  When I joined originally, you had to post once every three months to stay a member, and I could usually manage something in that time frame.  But a few years ago they changed the requirement to once a month, and I knew the likelihood of ye olde brain coming up with something purely prompt based that often was pushing it.

(This is not to say that I have problems with ideas.  If anything, there are too many ideas floating around.  They just tend to be novel-shaped.)

So I decided to work on a serial novel, with a new part going up every month (or more often if I got around to it).  I’d already completed Hidden Worlds serially, so I knew it was something that I could do.

Two years later, I’m still working on that story.  I use the prompts to direct the next part, and feedback has generally been very good.

I outline very vaguely so this works well for me.

What does writing serially do for you?  I use it as a side project which helps me get through harder sections of my main projects.  It also allows you to work on something a relaxed pace and gain readers over time.

Things you should note about serial writing:

1.  Do it consistently.
I put up a new section every month.  This means my readers can expect a new section on a regular basis, that I know when it’s due so I’m thinking about/working on it when I should be, and that it doesn’t get eaten by other projects/life.

2.  Outline, at least a little.
The thing with writing serially is that you need to have an idea where the story is going to go, what kind of story it is, what promises you want to make to your readers.  What do you do if you get 25K in and realize you’ve written yourself in to a corner?  Alternately, if you make it three-fourths of the way into the story and do a genre change out of right field, people will not be happy.

3.  Reread the last few sections before picking back up.
This helps you remember where you are, what you named your characters, and what you were thinking when you left off.

Some publications are taking serial stories on now.  If you’d like to try for one of those, you need to have the entire story at least outlined before submitting.  They will not be as lenient as my prompt community if something goes off-kilter.

What about you, Squiders?  Ever write something serially?  What have your experiences been?

Following the White Rabbit

Let’s say you’re walking along, minding your own business, when BAM a story idea waylays you.  It’s interesting, it’s fun, it has all the information you need to sit down and get going.

Let us also assume that you are in a place where you can pick up a new project.

The problem?  It’s not your genre.  Or it’s not your age range.  Or it’s a new style, an unfamiliar POV, an uncomfortable narrator.  Something about it doesn’t fit in your writing niche.

What would you do?  (Or what have you done in the past?)  Do you let the story idea move on, looking for its next victim?  Or do you give it a try anyway, knowing that you have no experience in this area and may never write another book like it in your life?  Do you have limits (i.e. is something out of character okay for a short story, but not for a novel)?

(On a related note, anyone have any good examples of fantasy novels for 6-9 year olds?)