Filling the Creative Well

Last night was fun and inspiring. Ian and I went to the grand opening of Arlington Art Gallery - a beautiful new art space featuring Hudson Valley artists. The place was packed - we saw many of the well-known local artists, and several people from the neighborhood. It's a sort of odd coincidence that the people who own the gallery also bought the house next door - that we used to rent, until last year. We spoke to them and mentioned it to them (they thought it was an interesting coincidence too) and wished them much luck. We also mentioned that Ian is a photographer and gave them his business card. They said he should bring in his portfolio, so hopefully Ian will get a chance to show there. They have a brand new website, www.arlingtonartgallery.com. Welcome and good luck, Arlington Art Gallery!
Then we stopped at the Cubbyhole Coffeehouse, where our friends Todd and Lee were playing. Lee has owned the coffeehouse for over five years, and it's a cozy, funky gathering place that has great music, interesting art and a welcoming atmosphere. Check out www.myspace.com/cubbyholecoffeehouse for more information. Lee is one of the best musicians I've ever heard, and I always try to see him whenever he plays. His music is genre-defying, but I'll try to describe it - he plays acoustic alternative/bluesy/avant-folk songs. His lyrics are mostly about political and social issues, and challenge the listener to take notice and think, rather than just enjoy the music. He wrote one of his early songs around the time of the Gulf War - it's called "Utopia," and it's still so relevant today. Some people have heard the song and were surprised that he didn't write it in the past couple of years. Lee has been working on a new CD, which will hopefully be completed and released soon. I will write about it here, as soon as it's out. (I should also mention that the first piece of writing I ever got published was a review, in a local entertainment paper, of Lee's first CD, which he recorded with his old band Patterns of Grace several years ago. I had always talked about wanting to do entertainment writing, until one day he said that I should just do it, so I wrote a review of his CD, and went on to have several music and book reviews printed in the paper. Unfortunately, the publication is defunct now, but it was fun while it lasted, and I have some pretty good clips in my portfolio. Thanks, Lee for helping me get my writing started!)
Lee and Todd have played music together on and off for several years. Todd has been a big part of the local music scene for many years - he has a rootsy yet modern folk style of playing and songwriting, and has just released his second CD, Little Known Secret. Some of his songs are politically aware too - one of the tracks on the CD, "Talking to Maryann," was written in reaction to the Gulf War, and like Lee's song, seems prescient when hearing it today . Check out www.myspace.com/toddgiudice for more information about Todd's CDs and upcoming dates.
Lee opened the night, and then Todd joined him on some songs. Lee's voice is resonant and as rich as the coffee he serves (even on a night like last night, when his throat was sore and his voice was strained, he still sounds great). Todd's expressive tenor adds a great harmony to Lee's songs. He also adds great guitar lines to counter and fill in with Lee's melodic, rhythmic music. Todd then played a long solo set - we haven't seen him play in several months, and it was great to hear some new songs along with old favorites. We bought his new CD, to add to his first CD that we have.
Ian and I have collected a number of CDs from a lot of great local bands and musicians over the years. I feel fortunate to live in this area, that's full of amazing artists, musicians, writers and theatre. The Hudson Valley is a great cultural center, and it's so inspiring to take part in it. One of the main tenets of Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way is "filling the well." She likens creativity to a well that we dip into whenever we work on our projects. But to replenish and nourish the well, we need to seek out and immerse ourselves in things that inspire us. I'm constantly inspired by the creative atmosphere here, and after a great weekend like this one, my creative well is filled up with ideas, images and feelings. I can't wait to let it all flow out into my writing.

What Luck

Wow, I'm writing posts two days in a row! But there's a lot to write about lately...
I've been mulling over which book project I should commit to writing, for the past couple of weeks now. (Maybe I should be committed!) The teen novel I'd put aside but resumed writing on Jan. 1st has now grown and grown into a multi-book project. At this point, I can't see the finish line - it seems far off in the distance.
So lately I've been thinking about the teen novel I started last fall but put aside because the holiday season at the b.s. was taking up a lot of my time. (The working title is What Luck.) I realize there was no other reason I stopped working on it except the time constraint - other than that I thought it was going pretty well. I'd done some research for it, and started an outline. I looked over my notes the other day - I think it has potential. And this morning, while I was showering and getting ready for work, the beginning just popped into my head. This tends to happen a lot - inspiration strikes at the most inopportune times. While I'm in the shower, or just about to fall asleep, or busy working, or any time I don't have a pen and paper at hand. But I didn't want to lose this beginning idea, so I grabbed a notebook, and scribbled two pages of the opening scene, and some notes so I can expand it later. I was eating breakfast and writing; brushing my teeth with my right hand and writing with my left hand; writing while drying my hair. Then I had to leave, and I wished I could keep on writing the rest of the day. But I think it was a good start. I'll work on it more tomorrow.
Tonight Ian and I went to see our friend Pete play at the Cubbyhole Coffeehouse. This awesome coffeehouse is owned by Lee, who I've known for many years - he's an excellent musician and is well-connected to many great musicians and artists in our area. (More on Lee and the Cubbyhole in my next post.) Pete is one of them - a singer/songwriter/guitarist who has an acoustic alternative/emo type sound. He sings his quirky, smart lyrics in a plaintive, expressive voice. One of my favorite songs is an irreverent, clever tune featuring Jesus and some truthful perceptions about life. To hear and find out more, check out www.myspace.com/petelaffin.
It's always inspiring to hear great music, especially songwriting. And tonight added to my creative surge. I can't wait to continue writing the beginning of What Luck. And my voice-activated software arrived today, so that's even more exciting and inspiring! Hopefully Ian and I will get the chance to install it on Sunday. I'll report on how it's going as soon as it's up and running.

Congratulations, Della!

Yesterday I saw Della at the b.s. She's a children's author, teacher and one of the organizers of the local SCBWI conference. She's published two beginning reader books, and an adorable picture book, How Will I Ever Sleep in This Bed? She's another of the wonderful local authors I've had the pleasure to meet through my job. I had just clocked out for the day, so we had some time to chat. She was excited to tell me that she just had her new picture book accepted for publication! Congratulations, Della! Her website, www.dellarossferreri.com has information on all of her books and school programs, as well as charming pictures of her family and her book signing / storytime events.
She also had news about the next conference, in June. They have another very solid line-up of respected authors and editors this year. The keynote speaker will be Laurie Halse Anderson - her first novel, the edgy YA book Speak, has won several awards and was made into a cable TV movie. I've seen Speak and two of her other novels, Catalyst and Fever 1793, on many customers' high-school reading lists. And returning this year is acclaimed local author, KL Going. Her raw and darkly humorous, award-winning first novel, Fat Kid Rules the World, is one of my favorite YA books. Her follow-up novels, The Liberation of Gabriel King and Saint Iggy, are excellent too. The editors who have been scheduled are from some major publishing houses. I've attended three local SCBWI conferences so far, and each one has been excellent. I've learned so much about writing and publishing from some of the best names in the children's book business. So I'm really looking forward to June - my goal is to submit another manuscript for critique. Now I just have to keep on writing and writing... to the finish line.

My Boyfriend is Great

This is why Ian is so great - this morning I woke up at 9:30, and he had a surprise for me. He was already up and had been online... shopping for voice-activated writing software for me. He found and ordered the "Dragon Naturally Speaking" vocal word processing program from an online dealer for a good price (much better than Best Buy!) It should be delivered sometime in the next week. Wow! Ian is the best. I can't wait to get it and learn how to use it. It should be a great help to me in minimizing the pain I sometimes have in my arm, shoulder and neck while writing. It's a lot better than it was when I first injured my shoulder and neck in August. But I still feel pain and numbness when I write for a long time by hand or at the computer. After I get it and learn how to use it, I will definitely post a report on the software.
It means so much to me that Ian supports my writing so enthusiastically and encourages me in my writing career goals. I never had that in a relationship before. Most of the guys I had been involved with were either jealous of my writing ability because they didn't have any talents or creative interests, or were resentful of the time and effort I put into my writing because it took away from the time I spent with them. Ian's different because he believes in my writing ability and wants me to succeed. And he understands the time, energy and effort that goes into a creative pursuit, because he's trying to build a career in photography. And I give him all the support and encouragement that I can. I think we have a good partnership - we help each other and we'll share any success that we'll have. Every creative person should be lucky to have a partnership like this. Thanks, Ian!

Wildwood Writers

Tonight was the second meeting of our Wildwood writing group of the new year. It was a fun night - it always is. At the last meeting, we used the Story Spinner to come up with a writing prompt. (I wrote about it in my "Writing Anyway" post.) We had to write a story using the starting phrase "The smell of," the setting "on a new planet," and the word "muscle." Lisa said her story became very long, and isn't ready to read yet, so she's going to bring it next week. But she did say it starts out with "The smell of possibilities..." It sounds really interesting. I'm looking forward to hearing what she came up with, because she writes a lot of sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction. Some of my work has fantasy and speculative elements, but I've never written hard sci-fi before. So it was a challenge to write a story set "on a new planet." I wrote about a woman space shuttle captain - she and her crew have just landed on a new planet, and as she steps off the shuttle stairs onto the ground, her foot sinks into the surface. She can't get free, and realizes the ground will swallow her up. She yells to her confused crew for help, and they all work together to finally pull her free. As they take off, she crosses the planet off from a list - another uninhabitable planet. She decides to resign - she's sick of the space program, and thinks the focus should be on trying to save Earth's environment rather than trying to find another planet to live on. The story was far from great, but it was good to try something different, and Michelle and Lisa both thought so, too. Michelle even sketched the astronaut in her notebook, as she was listening! One good thing about these prompts is you can just have fun with them and see how your writing turns out. It's a good exercise in creativity, even if a prompt doesn't lead into a serious piece of writing. And you can interpret the prompt any way you like. Michelle didn't take the setting "on a new planet" in a literal sense - her setting is high school (which might as well be another planet!) and her main character is a girl who feels like an outcast. Her story starts off with "the smell of" sweatsocks in the gym locker room, and moves to the cafeteria, where the boy of the girl's dreams makes friendly comments about the sketch she's drawing in her notebook. Michelle thinks this is the beginning of a teen novel - she's an idea factory, like me! The school setting, the characters and their dialogue were very true to life, and Michelle admitted the boy character is based on her high-school crush! That led us all on a conversation about unrequited high school crushes. Michelle and I both wondered why we never did anything about it - I guess we were both too young and too scared of rejection to let the guys we were interested in know it! Lisa was the crush of a guy in high school who turned into a stalker - there must be a good story she can write from that experience! Lisa read the first half of a story she's been working on for awhile - about a young woman struggling with mental illness and the guy who stays by her side. It's really good - her characters are so realistic, and she writes with such vivid detail. Her main worry about this story is that it seems too long for most short story markets. I couldn't find anything I thought she should cut from the part that she read to us - maybe after hearing the whole story, I can give her better advice. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of it next time. Our new prompt, derived from the Story Spinner, is to write a story with the starting phrase "Dear Mom and Dad," the setting "on a city street," and the words "blues," "bare," and "motel." I'm pondering it now, even though I should be getting to bed. But it should be easier for me to write than a science fiction story... unless... it turns into another novel. No! I won't let that happen! I'll post more about the Wildwood writers after our next meeting.

Encouragement

Today I saw Anita and Lyn at the b.s. Anita is a teacher, writer, and calligraphy artist, and helps organize the local SCBWI conference. Lyn is a local children's book author - she writes lively, charming picture books that feature animal characters and are illustrated by her husband. At last year's SCBWI conference Lyn critiqued a sample from the teen novel I was working on. I felt lucky to have an evaluation from an author with a lot of talent, knowledge and experience. She gave me some positive and helpful comments - she thought it was was well-written and the characters had well-developed personalities. She suggested that I add more physical descriptions of characters and places and to use all five senses to make the story come alive. She encouraged me to keep on writing, and I left the conference feeling very inspired and determined to finish the book.
So what happened? I guess life got in the way of my plans. I spent the rest of the summer helping my family cope with a health crisis, and the only writing I did during that time was in my journal. It was more important for me to deal with my family situation, so I put my fiction writing aside, knowing I'd go back to it later. Then, at the end of the summer, I hurt my arm and shoulder at work, and it was painful to do much writing or typing. (It still is, sometimes.)
When I finally returned to my book, I realized the story is part of a series of several interlocking stories. (I mentioned that series in the previous post.) I put it aside until I could have the time and energy and ability to devote to it. I started another teen story (one that I'm sure can be told in a single book) but by then it was the holiday season at the b.s. and I didn't have the time or energy for much of anything besides work.
I saw Lyn and Anita at the b.s. during that time, and I was chagrined to have to say that since the SCBWI conference, I now had several books stuck in the beginning phase. They sensed my frustration, and they both gave me words of encouragement. Lyn even sent me a great book, Screenwriting, by Richard Walter. It has indispensible information on story structure and advice on working through writer's block. I really appreciate it.
So when I saw Anita and Lyn at the b.s. today, I told them I have a new year's resolution to finish writing a book, and this year, I mean to stick to it! I also told them about this blog. They were encouraging, as always. We talked for a bit, about Lyn's latest project and about children's books and publishing. I hope to see them both again soon, and to be able to report that I've made significant progress with my writing.
I really feel fortunate to live in a community of writers/artists who are not only talented but also supportive of each other's work. I've met so many admirable people through the b.s. and writing classes and conferences. And each one has helped in some way to add to my growth and development as a writer. Thanks, to all!

My Neverending Stories...

It's happened again. The teen novel that I started working on again last week has grown and grown in my mind and become - a series.
Since New Year's Day, when I wrote the 10-page scene that fit right in to the novel that I'd started but put aside last year, I've been thinking a lot about the project. I pulled out my notes and story synopsis, and reviewed the manuscript of the beginning chapters. And I remembered that I'd rewrote them when I thought the story wasn't working. The problem was, I'd started writing a vaguely semi-autobiographical story based on my high school years, but after awhile, I noticed that my main character started to resemble the main character from a book I'd tried writing several years earlier, based somewhat on my Freshman year at college. That shouldn't have been a surprise, since the book ideas were autobiographical. So I wondered if the books were supposed to be about the same character. But the fictional background of the character in the college book was very different from the plot of the high school book. And I couldn't figure out how to combine these elements so they would make sense. So I put the project aside.
So now I have the same problem, and I've been trying to figure out what to do about it all week. And I realized that the two stories can be about the same character, at different points in her life - in high school and in college. But then I realized that there should be a story bridging those two points, to show what happened during the time between the high school and college books. And it would have to be three separate books, because at each point in her life she has to deal with and resolve three separate problems, even though there's still a main unresolved problem that would arc over all three stories. And then in a fourth, and last, story, she would finally deal with and resolve that main problem. I know it would be just too long and too complex to write into one book. So now it's become a four-book series.
It's a challenge, but I do want to keep working on it, one book at a time, while keeping the overall story in mind. But now, with four books, it will be a long while before I see the end of the story. And that's my goal this year - to write a book and finish the story. I want to be able to write one book, without having to worry about four.
Why do I keep doing this? I always seem to get story and book ideas that grow and grow out of control. Short stories turn into books, writing exercises turn into scenes from novels, and novels turn into multi-book series.
A few years ago, I unsuccessfully entered a short story in a writing contest. Afterwards, I went over it and realized it just didn't work because there was much more to the story than 3000 words could tell. I realized it was actually a scene that should be in a book. So I wrote a synopsis for the book-length story, and I think it has potential. But by that time, I was annoyed that I'd submitted a mediocre short story, so I put it aside.
I've also started several teen novels, but realized that they are all part of a larger series of books with interlocking characters and settings. That's a very ambitious project, so I put that aside until I have more time and ability to deal with all of them, separately and at once.
This only seems to happen with my fiction writing. When I took journalism classes at NU and NYU, I learned to write tight, put the lead right in the beginning, to cut out anything in the body of the article that doesn't support the lead, and to keep to a strict word count. I wrote many articles following these rules, and got As in all my classes.
But journalistic formulas don't apply to fiction writing. Fiction has its own rules, but a novel can be any length, as long as it's well-written and tells a good story. Many books have sequels, and many are part of a longer series.
I tend to be long-winded. That's just my nature. Anyone who knows me knows I talk a lot, and I can take a long time telling a story.
But somehow I have to learn to rein in my unwieldy stories. I need to give them shape, and a manageable size, so I can see them clearly from beginning to end, and so I can write them from beginning to end.
Or else I'll end up with story after story of Neverending Stories...

Writing anyway

Yesterday was a sad day. My family's cat, George, had been very sick for the past few days, and it was clear he was dying, so Ian and I went with my Mom and sister Karen to the vet to have him put to sleep. Very sad. It took me back to the time 6 years ago when my own cat, Rasta, died. Even though it's an act of compassion and love, it's a hard thing to go through. Rasta and George were unique cats - Rasta was so sweet and loving to everyone (I used to call him the "goodwill ambassador") and George was so friendly and funny and smart (my sister called him "Einstein"). They were truly members of the family, and will be missed forever.
Usually, when something bad or sad happens, it stifles my writing. I start thinking, Life sucks - why bother? The writer's block can last for days or weeks, until I can get past what happened and move on. I've allowed these setbacks to happen too often - it's no wonder I've had trouble finishing projects. By the time I've finally emerged from my funk, I've forgotten what book I was working on! My old journals have pages and pages that are blank exept for the date and the notation "didn't write." I can look through them and remember, oh yeah, that was a bad day... that one, too... that one, too.
But no more. I'm not going to let life get in the way of my writing progress. Life happens, and sometimes it's bad - that's just the way it is. And I know that many writers have created some of their best work during the worst of times.
So I've been writing anyway. I've kept up with my morning pages journal (even though I had to write yesterday's pages at night - I didn't have time in the morning with all that was going on).
And I went to my writing group last night, and read the scene I wrote on Monday for my resurrected teen novel. Michelle and Lisa both gave me good feedback, and I told them I feel a lot of energy for this book again, so I'm going to continue with it. They told me they'll make sure I do - I need that kind of gentle pushing support.
They both read their versions of the "Circle One" exercise from "The Write-Brain Workbook." Lisa wrote a clever fantasy short-short story about carousel horses, and Michelle wrote the beginning of a new young reader's book, about a little girl who befriends a mentally-disabled man. We all commented that it's remarkable that the same writing exercise can inspire such widely different pieces from each of us. We each have our own individual style and voice. I feel lucky that my friends have such strong writing ability - it encourages me to take my writing to the highest level that I can attain.
I brought to our meeting another cool writing tool created by Bonnie Neubauer: a "Story Spinner." It's like a pinwheel, made up of three small, medium and large-sized discs of cardstock that are attached in the middle. Each disc has an open slot that reveals words underneath. You spin each wheel to reveal a setting, a starting phrase, and a word, and then include them in a story. Our "assignment" for our next meeting is to write a story using the starting phrase "The smell of," the setting "on a new planet," and the word "muscle." It will be interesting to see how each of our stories turns out! Check out the "Story Spinner" on Bonnie Neubauer's website www.bonnieneubauer.com. I've been doing exercises from "The Write-Brain Workbook" each day since Monday, before work and during my breaks at the b.s. Some exercises reflect on the practice of writing, and some are just plain fun. Different kinds of writing for different moods.
As for writing through my recent sad mood, I think cats are going to somehow appear in some of my pieces and projects. Black fluffy cats with soulful eyes like Rasta, and orange-striped cats with intelligent expressions like George. It's a way to keep their spirits alive... until we can someday meet again.
Rasta 1985 - 2000
George 1994 - 2007

New Year's Resolution

Another new year, but I still have the same resolution I've made for every other New Year - to write more, and to keep working on my writing projects until at least one of my books is finished and in good enough shape to send out for publication. This blog will help me keep track of my writing progress. And if it's on public record, that raises the stakes enough to make me stay committed. The things that writers do to keep themselves writing!

Some info about me:
- I've been writing ever since I learned to read and write, and I've wanted a career in writing ever since I first understood that people actually wrote the stories I loved to read so much (around age 5).
- I wrote my first full-length book when I was ten, as a 5th grade writing project. Both my 5th and 6th grade teachers encouraged me in my writing, and I realized that a career in writing could be feasible.
- I studied journalism and communications at Northeastern University in Boston (NU) and later got a 2-year professional certificate in journalism from New York University (NYU) but I haven't pursued a career in journalism, because I realized that my heart is in fiction writing.
- I've worked for many years at a bookstore (will abbreviate as b.s.) which has helped me learn about the publishing industry from the retail end. I've also met many talented local writers who have done events at the b.s. And I've spent way too much money on books (esp. writing books) as well as CDs and DVDs there!
- I live in the Hudson Valley (H.V.) of New York State (NY).
- I have a great boyfriend, Ian, who works in a photo lab (p.l.) and is working on a photography career.
- I'm in a writing group, the "Wildwood Group," with two close friends, Michelle and Lisa - we meet every other Thursday.
- I'm a member of Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI).
- I've never done a blog before, and I'm not computer savvy, so if anyone reads this, please bear with me! Any constructive comments are appreciated!

So anyway - today was a very productive start to the new year. But I usually start out like this - full of ideas and inspiration and good intentions. And then things get in the way that keep me from writing as much as I wanted to, like work, life, and my own neurotic tendencies! I'm like an idea factory - I have about 20 books in various stages of development. Now the goal is to write to the finish line of at least one book!
This morning I wrote "morning pages" in a new journal. "Morning pages" writing is an exercise developed by Julia Cameron, a writer/screenwriter/playwright/teacher, in her book and 12-week writing program, "The Artist's Way." The goal is to write at least three pages of continuous freewriting (off the top of your head) every morning. I first read the book and did the program (on my own, although some cities have "Artist Way" groups) in 1999, and I felt that my writing improved greatly. The exercises help break through negative thoughts and writer's blocks. It was so hard to make myself write the first thing in the morning, but as I did it, it became easier. I've kept a "morning pages" journal ever since, although this past year, I haven't been as successful with writing every morning. I'm going to do my best to make it a daily habit again. I think Julia Cameron is awesome - I've read most of her other books, and a few years ago, I took her day-long writing workshop in NYC. I'd recommend her and her books to any writer.
I also started working on writing exercises from the book, "The Write-Brain Workbook," by creative writing instructor Bonnie Neubauer. I met her last year when she did a workshop event at the b.s., and I thought she was terrific. Her writing exercises are a reminder that writing can be fun, as well as work. I bought her book, and I gave copies to Michelle and Lisa for Christmas. We decided to do the first exercise and read what came from it at our next meeting, which is Thursday night. It was fun. You choose one word from three separate lists of random words, and use them, along with a starting sentence, in a story. The words I picked triggered a new scene for a teen novel that I was working on during the spring. I wrote ten pages, and it turned out pretty well. I read it to Ian, and he liked it. I'll see what Michelle and Lisa think of it on Thursday. But now I feel inspired to go back to that book and work some more on it, and see what comes of it. Writing exercises can be really productive! I'd also recommend "The Write-Brain Workbook" to any writer.
And now I'm writing this blog. My goal is to post two or three times a week. Hopefully, it will help get me to the finish line of my writing project(s) and will also be interesting enough to any readers who come upon it.
I think of New Year's Day as a time for fresh starts. Like U2's song says, "I... I will begin again."
Happy New Year, everyone!