The word of the week is fixative.
Jan
26 – Writing Free
Mondays are pretty routine for me, but that's okay: sometimes I
get to write.
Even if I don't, there's always my local writing group that I
help to run and tonight's meetup was a smashing success!
It was a freewriting session this evening, led by another
member with some experience in that particular craft. Essentially, freewriting
is writing in its purest form: you put down every thought as it occurs in your
head and never edit, just write:
After a few hours, I was quite happy with some of the pieces
that I had scribbled on the page in front of me, including the seed for a
science fiction story that I may develop. There was also a murder mystery that
appeared from out of nowhere that everyone at the meeting was enraptured by,
myself included, so there's that as well to look at. The idea keywords were ‘apple pie factory’ – here’s what my
brain came up with on the fly:
Apples. Apples everywhere, scattered in sticky piles. Sticky with sugar, with filling, with sweet bits of crumbly crust.
Sticky with blood.
Frank stood, wiping off his hands, his wide mouth making a move of just taste. His shiny loafers squelched in the layer of apple guts and he winced as he felt something crunch under his heel. Probably a tooth.
Pushing back his had to scratch his head, Frank turned to eyeball his partner.
I know, I know: not my usual fare, but it showed there's a lot more rattling around upstairs in my head than my Muse is letting out. Mine was just one of several dozen stories people came up with and it seemed to be a good evening all around for creative output, judging by all the laughter as we shared out work.
Jan
27 – Loving It
Just a brief job update: it’s going great!
I smiled for the entire walk to work today, as I had
rolled out of bed feeling a bit blah. Once I'd woken up a touch after getting
outside, I found myself questioning my attitude: why the heck was I feeling down?
I could discover no good reason and so I did what I often do to perk up
my mood: I quickly listed all the good things about my day I could look forward
to:
- I was walking to work, on a lovely morning with no winter snow and sunshine
- I was going to a job where people like, respect and value me for who I am
- I was earning a wage that was far closer to being what I think I’m worth paying
- I was helping people over the phone, instead of in person, on serious matters
- I was working at a job where I didn’t have to stress to succeed
… and so on. By the time I was done listing all the positives regarding
my day job, my smile had grown exponentially and that was reflected in my
workday: I was tasked with invoices!
Far from being a dull shifting of numbers,
invoices freed me to listen to epic music while not having to answer phones or
perform other tasks, which is perhaps my favorite way to spend my workday. It allows me to feed my muse with music for hours on end. By the time I went home, I had a few more new ideas for my novel
series, which I always consider indicators of a successful day. As a bonus, my
mood was quite light thanks to the music I've been able to listen to all day
long.
What's not to like about that?
Jan
28 – Nightmares? Not me.
I dream, but I don't have nightmares; I rarely ever have.
Why is that, I wonder? Thinking back, I don't think I've ever
had a nightmare in my adult life: not a single one. Sure, I've had nights that
I haven't slept well were slept badly, but never because of bad dreams. Not
even once.
Realizing that peculiar datum of my life this week, I took a
bit of time to research a bit further. The science of dreaming and nightmares
is not a well understood one, though there are commonalities that most doctors
familiar with the subject will talk about. A fair bit of that data is health
related, but what I'm interested in is what's going on in the brain itself, not
the body per se.
Turns out that people who are well-adjusted, have no major
stress factors in their lives and aren’t prone to anxiety rarely have
nightmares as all of those previous factors are triggers. The subconscious
picks up on such things and worries them like a dog with a bone, to the point
where a person sleep is fraught with imaginary peril at night.
I find the subject intriguing, if only because I've been so
extremely stressed and anxious for the last 20 years of my life yet I've never
experienced a nightmare because of that. I did discover that those people who
have extraordinarily strong minds and great reserves of willpower generally
don't suffer from nightmares and it seems that I fall firmly into that
particular category, for which I'm quite grateful. I can't imagine what my
mental state would be like nowadays if I had been prone to suffering from
nightmares due to stress and anxiety.
I think I'll sleep better at night knowing that, if only a
little bit.
Jan
29 – Work hard, Write Soft
I've been working extra all week long, with a few hours added
on to each shift to lengthen my day. I'll be working this weekend as well, both
days, so my paycheck in a week’s time should be fairly decent. I'll have worked
the equivalent of another entire full work week; even after taxes and
deductions, that will be a welcome bonus in February.
Working so much overtime( a
rare opportunity, I might add so I've taken advantage of it while I can )this
week hasn't left time or energy for much else, so work on my second novel is had to
take a back seat yet again. A few ideas pop up regularly during my days and I
scribbled down for inclusion later in my work; but seems to be my process so
far this year and it's a good indicator that my subconscious is still hard at
work on the details.
I also have to start thinking about finding an agent later
this year, once the fourth draft of Book 1 is solidly underway. I believe the
third draft is good enough to send out to solicit agent interest, in order to
find representation, with the goal of having Book 2’s first draft already
completed by the summer.
That and a million other details will need seeing to this year
in order to prepare for getting my books out into the world. Every time that I
take a few minutes to sit down and think about what needs doing, I see
branching trees of stories that need writing, articles that need research and
contacts that need exploring, among so much else.
At least at this point all I have to occupy my time apart for
my writing is a single day job.
Jan
30 – Movie and TV Night!
I took this evening off to relax; no overtime tonight.
With a good friend over, we watched a few more episodes of the
second season of Dollhouse. In every episode, I have found the writing to be
solid, the production values excellent and the acting excitingly varied. It's
been rather a good ride and I am a little disappointed that there is no third
season to see: such a shame.
We also watched Zoolander,
which I've never seen and have been a little wary of watching, to be honest. I
don't know what it is but the movie never seemed to be on my radar, though
there's plenty of pop-culture references to it floating around. Since I enjoyed
Night at the Museum, which stars both
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, I thought I might give Zoolander a try, at least once, on my friend’s advice.
To my surprise, I enjoyed it from start to finish.
Ben Stiller’s dumb-yet-lovable characterization of the lead
protagonist was a perfect casting, far more so than someone like Adam Sandler
would have been in the role. I was shocked to find that the movie had kept my
interest all the way through, despite the occasional lowbrow meanderings of the
plot. While I doubt I'll re-watch the film anytime soon, I have to say that I
think it was a good way to spend a few hours tonight.
If you think about it, I now have some more insight into
the world of male fashion modelling… huh. Go figure.
Jan
31 – Got IMAX?
Saturday night: Game of
Thrones at the IMAX movie theater!
Just for kicks, I invited about 50 people to see the inaugural
presentation of Game of Thrones at
the local IMAX theatre. Well, almost local: it’s a half-hour bus trip from my
place, as the IMAX downtown wasn’t showing the special presentation. I don't
feel cheated however: only a few dozen IMAX screens in Canada were showing GoT this week and Victoria was one of
them, so I feel quite lucky to be able to see the episodes! All the same,
nobody ended up responding to my invitations and I was ready to go it alone…
Fortunately, one person did eventually end up attending after all and
gave me a ride to the theater, saving me too long bus trips in the rain for
which I'm quite grateful.
Apparently the ticket sales were brisk and I anticipated a
decent crowd when we arrived well before the show. Heading into the theater, I
was pleased to see that while it was busy, it wasn't jam-packed and we found excellent
seats fairly easily.
I had, of course, already seen both of the episodes being
shown but the draw was watching them on the giant IMAX screen. While the screen
at Tillicum isn’t as large as the IMAX at the BC Museum( which is the largest IMAX in BC! )it is new and digital, meaning it
can show the latest releases with incredibly high definition: sweet!
The digital conversion of GoT
looked astounding on the screen and sounded great too!
I think the best way to describe it was an experience: with
such fine detail on such a large screen, it was completely immersive to watch
and I found myself involved with the story as I've never been before. Everyone
in the audience was enraptured and I don't think I even heard the sound of
breathing the entire time we all watched the show.
I truly hope that this is the future of modern media, where
television meets movie theater and vice versa, to take advantage of each others strengths to keep the entertainment industry vital. I can't see myself
paying a premium to watch quality television shows on a regular basis at the
IMAX, but I certainly would go see the first few episodes of the new season of GoT on the big screen…
BONUS: Here's the Season 5 GoT trailer world preview, seen first at the IMAX!
Feb
1 – Fuutball?
It’s Superbowl Sunday… a meaningless term for me, at least.
But not to other people. Understanding the passions of others
without being dismissive is a skill that most people don't possess, nor care to
develop, to be honest.
For me, sports have been a zero-sum part of my life: I've no
interest in them and I've not felt the lack. However, I do see that many people
I know are quite passionate about sports, so I've endeavored to understand the
reasoning behind sports as a fulcrum for understanding passion for anything in
one's life.
It's big subject, so I won't bore you too much with the finer
details, but it's fascinating nonetheless. Being passionate about something
means that you enjoy it unreservedly and enjoyed even more when sharing that
passion with others of similar tastes.
For me, one of my many passions is writing, along with anything
g33ky; that's just to I am. Most of my friends are cut from the same cloth and
while a few definitely share a thinner fabric, every one of them is dear to me
in their own way for their passions.
Even those who really, really like sports: while I just don't
get them, I do understand their passion and I smile when I see it, because it's
reflection of my own. We all get excited about certain aspects of our lives in
our own way and being able to express that is not only healthy but necessary to
maintain who we are in our lives. Passion provides meaning for everything we
do: it's a motivator for achievement and success and becoming better people
while attracting those who feel the same way.
Don't ask me how I got all that starting from a chat about the
Super Bowl, however. I've as much in common with a football fan as an Apple does
with an orange, but we’re both parts of a balanced diet and don't fall far from
the same tree, to mix a metaphor.
I guess what I'm saying is that everyone's a winner and if
that's not a sports metaphor, I don't know what is. So on that note, I'll sign
off for the week.
Ergh. It's only half-past ten and I'm falling asleep at the keys; my week-long overtime grind has caught up with a vengeance. It's the LAST weekend I'll have to work though: from here on in, my weekends are MINE to do with as I please! Most likely I'll use them to write and on occasion, socialize, but it's the delicious thought of a weekly dose of two consistent job-free days that will send me to sleep tonight with a smile...
