I also want to work on the production crew of a major movie some time. I want to do a job to get my names in the credits, like Assistant to the Assistant PA or set building. I’d love to see what it is really like to make a movie. But I'm not going to move to LA or Montreal and try to break into the movie business. I want Oprah to grant me a wish so I can take a six month sabbatical from my real life and be a movie production grunt for a while. I think I want to be a writer in the same way. "Poof!" I'm a writer, I'll just pound out this novella and wrap it all up nice and tidy in a few months, get published and then, "Poof!" back to real life. Which is ridiculous, of course it is. I’m not even sure the published part is really important. I’m always drawn to the NaNoWriMo event, and that isn’t about publishing, it is about finishing a novel. I know this, but I love reading so much, I want to participate in the whole scene, not just the audience role.
One thing that attracts me to writing is the process of critique and discussion of the craft. I get excited about writing workshops and stories about mentors. It makes me homesick for the good parts of being a painting major. Chatting with a teacher at the studios about broad concepts and specific techniques was lovely. Critiques were great if I had finished my piece and wasn’t ashamed of myself for extreme procrastination. It would be so cool to go back to that environment now, with better discipline and an appreciation for that freedom and opportunity.
That might be the key: nostalgia. I read a lot of blogs by writers about writing. I read a lot of craft blogs too, but haven’t found many artists’ blogs. Actually, I have a lot of artist blogs bookmarked, but isn’t much activity on them or they are badly written or boring to me. Maybe I’ve glommed onto writers because they are there, active, well-spoken and entertaining.
I need to bust 3 of your myths:
1) writers who blog a lot are procrastinating and not working on their books.
2)You won't have a novel at the end of NaNoWriMo - You'll have a pile of nonsense that needs to be sifted through and heavily revised.
3)I have YET to find a critique group that works. Critiquing is a skill that many writers do not possess.
Still, give it a go!
Posted by: Karen | Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 07:12 PM
It is tempting to try it this year. But in addition to my usual lunatic tendencies, my work will be especially busy from November 9 to December 11. I’m not sure I’m disciplined enough to resist writing at work. On the other hand, if I’m super busy at work, I’d be too busy to write at work, theoretically.
Your points are valid, yet I want to dispute them, (I know several writers who…) but I get your points. I know the NaNoWriMo winners create a novella length document that may or may not be reworked into something resembling a novel. If the expectations were any higher than that I’d never have contemplated it. Forget plot, I get a brain cramp if I wonder about narration point-of-view.
I’m sorry to hear that about critique groups. I know you’ve tried several. Critiquing was a big part of school for me and it’s a part of the creative process I miss.
Maybe I need to come up with my own special month. How about: Daily Arts and Crafts Exploration Month. (DaArCrExMo), Daily Creativity Month (DaCreMo), Creativity Every Day Month (CreEvDaMo) or maybe Dodi’s Daily Art Month (DoDaArMo). Doing a drawing or something everyday has been a consistent FAIL for me since college. When I was drawing in my journal or painting every day the energy fed on itself. I have a couple sketch journals from the last couple years that have a few "daily drawings" and the remaining pages are abandoned blanks. I wouldn’t want to limit myself to just daily sketches or paintings though. I have several photography and craft projects I’ve had on my to-do list for too long.
Posted by: Dodi | Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 05:03 PM