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nightbird at 09:42am on 05/04/2010 under autobiography, creativity is collage, visual language
nightbird at 09:42am on 05/04/2010 under autobiography, creativity is collage, visual languageUnbelievable landscapes — totally unreal and just real enough.
Last night I picked up an old copy of The Mystery Writer's Handbook that my mom gave me the last time I was home. I think a lot of my sensibilities about writing come from mysteries, even though I don't particularly seek them out. My mom does, though, and would always play them whenever she was doing something that required a backdrop: chores, walks, car trips, commuting. We also were regular viewers of Mystery! on PBS. At a young age I was a particular devotee of Hercule Poirot, Brother Cadfael, Hettie Wainthropp and Rumpole of the Bailey. Mysteries were a constant presence growing up, and I always loved the suspense and the occasional terror, often mixed in with fantastic humor and great characters. Even though I don't seek out the genre, I also think it's kind of a perfect genre, and as this book points out, there's a strong reliance on form that really serves the stories well.
Anyway, Mom gave me the book because she thought I might find it useful, and I think I really will, given the quick flip-through I gave it before bed. I fell asleep thinking about how I should finish The Falling Woman (a constant theme here, I know) and let myself move on to other things. Setting up a routine is really the trick, from what I can see, and NaNo did that so effectively by creating the panic of meeting your wordcount every day. I have today off work, and maybe now I have a plan for what to do when I'm not clearing out my apartment in advance of the Imminent Move (which sounds like a great title for something, now that I think of it).
Last night I picked up an old copy of The Mystery Writer's Handbook that my mom gave me the last time I was home. I think a lot of my sensibilities about writing come from mysteries, even though I don't particularly seek them out. My mom does, though, and would always play them whenever she was doing something that required a backdrop: chores, walks, car trips, commuting. We also were regular viewers of Mystery! on PBS. At a young age I was a particular devotee of Hercule Poirot, Brother Cadfael, Hettie Wainthropp and Rumpole of the Bailey. Mysteries were a constant presence growing up, and I always loved the suspense and the occasional terror, often mixed in with fantastic humor and great characters. Even though I don't seek out the genre, I also think it's kind of a perfect genre, and as this book points out, there's a strong reliance on form that really serves the stories well.
Anyway, Mom gave me the book because she thought I might find it useful, and I think I really will, given the quick flip-through I gave it before bed. I fell asleep thinking about how I should finish The Falling Woman (a constant theme here, I know) and let myself move on to other things. Setting up a routine is really the trick, from what I can see, and NaNo did that so effectively by creating the panic of meeting your wordcount every day. I have today off work, and maybe now I have a plan for what to do when I'm not clearing out my apartment in advance of the Imminent Move (which sounds like a great title for something, now that I think of it).
(no subject)
To make up for that, I have a new goal of finishing said draft by the end of April. I have no idea if this is daunting, but achievable or just insane. Either way, I'll be over here panicking about wordcount and getting story told. Feel free to join me!
(no subject)