I’m having a hard time writing during the day, when the sunlight streams in off the snow and everything’s making a little bit of noise to let me know it lives.
I much prefer exploring the dark when everything is a little too quiet and the light is a little more indirect.
Still, I’m rather enjoying this foray into horror.
Motivation–what really gets you motivated? What makes you open up a document and grin, because you know whole-heatedly that there is magic and it can work for you, too? What makes you so certain, so sure, so very hopeful?
One of my fellow writers group members up here in Alaska had a short story published in an anthology. It’s not a book all of her own, but it’s not exactly a slouch publication, either. It was edited by Elaine Cunningham. Ed Greenwood is in it. So are a few other “real” authors.
I read about a nice enough writer whose books I enjoy getting an awesome deal. Another girl I’ve stalked across blogsphere comments landed her dream agent. I have friends who here about these things and feel discouraged–they feel like they’ll never be the one to make it, that everyone else but them is getting ahead in the world.
I just feel psyched. It happens to real people–and good people, too! That’s the magic, for me. That’s what makes me open up the doc and go “let’s do this!” Maybe it’s hopeful, and maybe it’s incredibly naive, but to me, that’s the magic.
-Brittany Maresh
I haven’t updated my journal in quite a while, it seems. This is, I will admit, because I am working hard on a novel, and when I haven’t been doing that I’ve been in class or busily turning 23. I should apologize, but I won’t. If you’re here, hopefully you’re looking forward to reading the book as much as I am looking forward to finish it.
Instead of apologizing, I’ll… uh. Huh. Oh! I know! I’ll tell you what I learned in class this morning!
We were supposed to be discussing Piers Plowman in my Bri Lit class, but we tripped into the seven deadly sins and seven virtues (and how they pair off) instead. This brought us into Dante and his layers of Hell, which tangented into other famous artists that immortalized people they hated by saying bad things and torturing them in their works. In the end, the professor summed what we’d learned during the day up with:
Ars longa, vita brevis–life is short, art long
He also added this thought:
If you really want to be immortalized, make enemies with a wrathful artist. If they’re angry enough, they’ll get good to spite you.k
I don’t know that it’s really anything new, but it was interesting to be told it directly in class, and gives me something to say other than “I’m writing a novel, forgive the silence.”
-Brittany Maresh
I was a huge X-Files fan as a child. Lately, it’s where I’m drawing inspiration from. Not to say I have aliens anywhere in my worlds, or conspiracies. It’s more that I like the dynamics. The character struggles. It makes me want to tinker and play with my latest chapters. It’s the mechanics of faith versus a lack there of. Scully doesn’t believe. Mulder believes. I have a similar pair in my world.
On another front, I’m trying to convince my writing group that we need to do another retreat. Something where we sequester ourselves away and don’t let ourselves eat until we’ve finished a query letter. Or, at least, until I’ve finished a query letter.
And besides, we can use the time to discuss NaNoWriMo!
-Bri
It seems to me that deadlines are one of the worst things an author can face. I’m a faithful lurker on Justine Larbalestier’s blog and she’s approaching a deadline. It’s terrifying, apparently, and rant-inducing. More so than the topic of muses, even. A lot of other authors seem to have the same fear. It’s kind of thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
Speaking of terrifying, I hear the second scariest thing in the world is critiques. I agree that it’s terrifying to figure out if someone enjoys reading your work, but critiques are so fun. I love seeing what people think. What can be improved. What my little issues are and how to fix them. I want to know what makes my plot thin, what makes my characters unlikable, which grammar bits I have the most issues with. I’m delighted to be critiqued and love feedback. Really. Actually, I need it. Feedback is my life. My love. My passion.
Speaking of passion, to create a trend, I’ve ventured into the land of dystopias. Actually, I ventured that way a few months ago with a short story I submitted to a contest and I’m merely revisiting. But whether it’s a fresh visit or a return trip, I am knee-deep in dystopia and enjoying it.
I admit that I am not trying to warn of the evils of our society or discuss a serious social issue. I am just trying to play with a particular character that happens to live in a dystopia and happens to have strong feelings about a serious social issue.
Some days (in fact, all days), I love being a writer, unpaid and otherwise.
-Brittany Maresh
I honestly believe that all the best writers have periods of “book therapy,” where they devour every book they can get their hands on, searching for something they’re missing or something that will set them back in balance with them self, or maybe just something to make them smile when they haven’t smiled enough, or when they’ve been working hard and are too tired to pull out a pen. Or heck, just because they can. I love words, and books are a particularly fine treat, so perhaps even when we’re just feeling self-indulgent.
Either way, I’m engaging in a bit of book therapy, right now. Reading everything that I can get my hands on.
It’s a good state to be in.
-Brittany Maresh