“Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said that. Smart guy. Although apparently, after his first wife’s death, he wrote in one of his journals “I visited Ellen’s tomb & opened the coffin.” Which is, like, I don’t know. Maybe a step too far down the crazy train for me. We writers are a weird lot.
My inspiration links are short today. Sorry about that!
Something interesting has been happening on Twitter these past few days - Wrting Sprints with Bransforumers. A group of us follow each other on Twitter and we've been doing these #1k1hr writing sprints together and it's not just been incredibly motivating, but I've gotten more written at one single time than I have in a long time. And it's not junk. There's something about stopping every hour to joke around and tease each other and squeel over word counts that makes the next hour better than the last. It's another wonderful reason why being a Bransforumer is just so awesome. So if anyone would like to join us for our somewhat random but regular #1k1hr writng sprints, you can find me on Twitter as Sommer_Leigh and you can jump on board with us.
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.” – Dr. Seuss
“Fantasies are more than substitutes for unpleasant reality; they are also dress rehearsals, plans. All acts performed in the world begin in the imagination.” – Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
Day 11! We're getting awfully close to the halfway point. Hope you're all still going strong !
Today’s Word Count Goal: 18,337
Here's a little story from my very first NaNo year:
My first NaNo November was in 2003. I remember I was hypnotized by Carnivale that year and nearly every night and weekend was spent pining away at a coffee shop called Caffeine Dreams. The tables were artsy and stainless steal, weird shaped and kind of uncomfortable, but they had these big black couches we coveted, stole, and growled people away from. It was our territory and the owners eventually left us alone but I imagine considered charging us rent for how much we controlled them. NaNoWriMo wasn’t so big, but big enough and there were four of us at first, then more, crowding around the little ugly stainless steel coffee table with our laptops and notebooks.
I have no idea what I wrote about. Two weeks after the end of NaNoWriMo someone broke out the window in my truck in the parking lot of that coffee shop and stole my laptop.
Their tragedy, though. The laptop was all they took, but on the seat I’d foolishly left my leather jacket, my entire massive CD collection, and a $700 camera. The laptop? Stopped functioning 3 days after NaNoWriMo ended due to a harddrive crash. The laptop case and the new issue of Cosmo in one of the pockets was worth more than the computer. Sad.
That December night as I huddled frozen next to my truck, prepared to go all CSI on its ass, I called the police for the first time in my life. I will probably never forget my first NaNoWriMo now.
For today's inspiration, this is a recorded video for Apple that Steve Jobs did some time ago, but it was never used. It's simply lovely.
May the word counts be ever in your favor. http://www.sommerleigh.com Be nice, or I get out the Tesla cannon.
Sometimes, when the words aren't coming, or they do come but they sound like this: "durrrrrr I'm a writer LOL," the only way to fix your brain is change your perspective. Pick up your laptop, your notebook, and/or your brain and go sit somewhere that will get you weird looks. Sit on your back porch or your front porch, in the driveway, on the tailgate of your truck. Sit in the grass in a park or at the foot of a statue on campus. Sit on the roof of your shed (but I'm not advocating falling off!) Sit on a swingset or the tallest part of the jungle gym castle and hide up there with the five year olds. Sit in the tub. Pull out the craziest clothes you own and put them ALL on, then sit down and pretend to be someone else writing your book. Instead of going to a coffee shop, go to a fancy restaurant.
Do something weird, and then see what happens.
(I can't embed this video, but it's totally worth watching since it is ALL about a writer getting a new perspective. It's called "Inspiration" by Carlos Lascano, my favorite animator in the whole world.) http://vimeo.com/7990333
May the word counts be ever in your favor. http://www.sommerleigh.com Be nice, or I get out the Tesla cannon.
George Watsky is a slam poetry wizard who I'm just totally in love with, so he's been featured quite a bit in this year's 30 days of NaNoWriMo support, both here and on my blog. Sure, he has a swear word here and there, but his messages just blow me away. This one is about doing things you are afraid of and isn't that what we are all doing here? Writing these stories and then handing them over to be judged, loved, or hated? Terrifying.
Also, this might be the only time someone has ever crowd surfed at a poetry contest.
May the word counts be ever in your favor. http://www.sommerleigh.com Be nice, or I get out the Tesla cannon.
Day 16 - Officially over the halfway point. Are you still going strong? What do you need to get inspired?
I cheated a little and pulled this from last year's 30 days of encouragement, but I think it is one we could all use EVERY year. The entire musical is filled with gems that really do capture the craziness of the creative process. I highly recommend listening to the whole soundtrack and if you get a chance, see it in person. It's hysterical. The song is called Die, Vampire, Die from the musical [title of show].
(Fair warning: there are a couple of swear words.)
May the word counts be ever in your favor. http://www.sommerleigh.com Be nice, or I get out the Tesla cannon.
Day 18: Oh my gosh, today we break 30,000. I can't believe how far we've come! And I know some of you (because I've been stalking your word counts) have already hit 50,000 and I'm totally in awe and inspired by your hard work. Has NaNoWriMo been all you wanted it to be this year?
Today’s Word Count Goal: 30,006
I actually wrote this for a Wicked & Tricksy theme post about why I love to write speculative fiction. It is still one of my favorite posts I've ever written.
May the word counts be ever in your favor. http://www.sommerleigh.com Be nice, or I get out the Tesla cannon.
Congrats to everyone who has completed 50,000 already! YOU ARE A MACHINE.
Another nod to the great George Watsky. This bit of slam poetry should be watched by anyone who has something odd about them they are embarrassed by or ashamed of. Within the first six seconds there’s a reference to parsal tongue. Nice
