'75 Redux
A short list of the essays I've written over the last couple weeks: Some stupid thoughts about the boring World Series, cheaply won by the hated and bad Bud Birds. A number of embarassing special events, highlighted by two solid shows featuring the new Panic guitarist and associated wanderings. A stunted passage about the elections, as well as my reaction to Al's contention that the dollar is destined to flop. Each was deleted before posting, because those short descriptions right there read much better than any one of the actual pieces.
As for other matters, the characters in my stories are standing still as if they're on pause. They're not going anywhere. They're not doing anything. They're just there. One of them chirps up now and again and I jot it down, but there lacks a steady flow. The drive to create comes and goes in cycles; this is definitely a downcycle.
Ironically, the freeze really set in after I ordered a screenwriting program. I opened the box to find a picture of a writer standing in front of a fighter plane. Superimposed over the picture was some quotation about how he gets to write movies and, essentially, adventure-travel. Here's a guy who loves making big, huge, blow-em up, adventure movies. Good for him, but that wasn't what concerned me.
As I am prone to do, I turned the situation around and asked myself, "How would you classify your story?" I thought about it for a second, and I re-read a bunch of my notes. I realized that what I wanted written and what I actually had written were two vaguely different things. I really liked my answer to the question, and I really liked some of my newer outlines. But I saw that between those two considerations lied a series of intricate questions, each of which needed time to breathe before they could be considered inspirational. I will not want to force the issue because such an effort will inevitably produce forced tones, and barren, mechanical dialogue. A little bad flow can completely screw up good flow, and I won't let that happen.
So, in an attempt to get the juices flowing again, I've spent a lot of time listening to music, watching movies, and reading. At some point, other people's opinions will force me to declare my own perspective, and at that point I'll be in the proper state of mind to write. But for the time being, I am really very glad to take this hiatus.
As for other matters, the characters in my stories are standing still as if they're on pause. They're not going anywhere. They're not doing anything. They're just there. One of them chirps up now and again and I jot it down, but there lacks a steady flow. The drive to create comes and goes in cycles; this is definitely a downcycle.
Ironically, the freeze really set in after I ordered a screenwriting program. I opened the box to find a picture of a writer standing in front of a fighter plane. Superimposed over the picture was some quotation about how he gets to write movies and, essentially, adventure-travel. Here's a guy who loves making big, huge, blow-em up, adventure movies. Good for him, but that wasn't what concerned me.
As I am prone to do, I turned the situation around and asked myself, "How would you classify your story?" I thought about it for a second, and I re-read a bunch of my notes. I realized that what I wanted written and what I actually had written were two vaguely different things. I really liked my answer to the question, and I really liked some of my newer outlines. But I saw that between those two considerations lied a series of intricate questions, each of which needed time to breathe before they could be considered inspirational. I will not want to force the issue because such an effort will inevitably produce forced tones, and barren, mechanical dialogue. A little bad flow can completely screw up good flow, and I won't let that happen.
So, in an attempt to get the juices flowing again, I've spent a lot of time listening to music, watching movies, and reading. At some point, other people's opinions will force me to declare my own perspective, and at that point I'll be in the proper state of mind to write. But for the time being, I am really very glad to take this hiatus.
posted by Pat at 4:16 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home