Genres in and of themselves fascinate me. Anything that dares to generalize the largeness of Story is something to be treated carefully.
KEEP IN MIND, I’m mostly referencing the type of show…(disclaimer)
Ngozi – Procedural (Law and Order: All of them; CSI; Monk)
There’s a comfort in her consistency. There is always an answer, justice is always achieved. She is the fruition of story, the follow through for the Hope we have in the future. She clings to that hope desperately, because it’s the middle that scares her. But as many things in life become our juxtaposition, it is the hope in knowing the ending that gives her strength in the middle. It’s the knowledge that the bad guy did it, that the person is sick, that there is an answer, there’s always an answer. And she’s right. In the end, there always is.
Dominique – Fantasy (Doctor Who; Lost;
From Dragons to superheroes to aliens in Tardis-blue spaceships, nothing is impossible for her. There’s magic in her every day, even when it’s lost on others. She’s too busy to “grow up,” choosing instead to dwell in the land of wonder and cheer. Even her tears are balloons that float up into the sky, bring joy and wonder to others. Yet she’s not childish. There’s wisdom in her heart. It’s not until you’ve left her presence, pondering her adventures, that you realize her lesson this entire time; the Land of Wonders is the same land you’ve lived in all along.
Debbie – Logic (Sherlock; Bones; House)
Similar to procedural, but she has more heart than she lets on. Strictly business (until people get in the way.) Kind, loyal, and faithful, she is often baffled by the emotions of others. Some may not understand it but those close to her know that it’s because she truly cares so much. She throws herself into the case 120% because, like Procedural, she believes in justice. She believes in right and wrong. Thankfully, the Storymaker has given her emotional translators to help her out along the way.
Meghan – Cartoons (Darkwing Duck, Talespin, Justice League)
She is a blast from the past, bathed in nostalgia. Yet she’s not as innocent as she looks, you just never realized it until you’re much older. She’s a friend that never leaves you, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve been around her. You can always pick up right where you left off, like no time has passed. In fact, it’s her childish influences that guides you into adulthood, her lessons and images that remind you what’s right and wrong. Her words that stick with you like a beloved teacher.
Hello friends!
This week already seems MUCH slower than last week, thank God!
So, as I told Dominique, last week I got NOTHING done. Well, nothing of my own work at least. I owned in my freelance, finished reading The Luxe, went to my class AND to a writer’s panel with some pretty solid YA writers. But now it’s time to buckle down and get the hard work done.
I mean editing and planning.
I HATE doing both of these things. I finally got to a place with my script where it didn’t become a hassle to edit but editing a novel seems so BIG and terrifying. I haven’t even opened Debbie’s critiques yet because I’m SCARED.
Maybe that’s why I hate planning and editing. When I’m planning I have to face the reality that this may not be the greatest story of all time. This may not be as life changing as I want it to be. I have these huge, grand hopes and dreams for this stuff but what if it doesn’t live up to it?
And then editing, I’m faced with the actual reality that THIS SUCKS OMG FIX IT FIX ALL THE THINGS AND MAKE THEM PERFECT.
This isn’t a downer post, mainly because I’m not disheartened. I didn’t realize until I started writing this post that THAT is what I’m feeling and why I’m avoiding doing both; I’m scared. So thank you for being willing to listen! The motivation encourages me to sit down and actually sort my thoughts when I normally feel I wouldn’t have time to otherwise. Now I know how to pray for my writing!
How about you guys? How can I pray for your writing?
Busy-ness seems to be the theme for the posts today. I’ve been running around on coffee and adrenaline since Friday and I won’t have a chance to stop until Thursday. But all good things! So many things, in fact, lent themselves to me feeling like I’m on my way to…something. Obviously, the job thing was a big deal and a definite confidence booster. But also little things. Like, you guys’ constant encouragement. Being invited to a pitching session because this girl I randomly know on facebook thinks I’m “prolific.” A young ‘fresh face’ looking to me for advice on writing and story crafting. A text from a guy who I’ve always felt intimidated by asking ME for advice/thoughts.
I don’t know. It sounds all braggy, which I don’t want to be. I just want to share this moment with you guys, the moment where I feel all sorts of writer-y. That magic that I forget is there because I’m so focused on trying to be ‘perfect’ or ‘good enough’ or a myriad of other things that will never happen simply because I’m sinful. Thanks so much for sharing with me.
On more of a serious/logistical note – this new job has long hours which will severely cut into my writing time (as I figured it would.) I just got into a schedule and now have to figure out a new one all over again, one that caters to productivity as well as grace. I’m still going to try to get my hours in. I did my freelance already and I sent in the pilot script to it’s first contest.
SIDE NOTE. FIRST SUBMISSION. SO EXCITED. Not really nervous because I’m going to try and not think about it haha. But still! Ahhhhhh!!!
As I’m editing Unwanted, I’m starting to plan for my next project – a historical pirate YA! GET EXCITED.
So much love, you guys. I love Mondays because it means I get to read how y’all are doing and chew over your words for the next couple of days. You’re in my heart and prayers. As Paul says, “I think of you often.” And I’m so glad y’all liked the Sports! They were surprisingly easy to write. Perhaps because they were so honored to be compared to such amazing women.
- Megh
So I guess this is my apology/punishment for uber downer-ness but I am le sorry! I actually appreciate you guys for being…like…get over it.
Ok. So, I’m writing this entirely off of my own preconceived notions of sports as I actually know NOTHING about sports except for what I’ve seen in sports movies. So, without further ado – my sporty women stereotypes.
Domi – Baseball
Baseball is All American. That’s not to say the other sports aren’t shiny too but there’s something particularly patriotic about Baseball. She’s always around, making us proud of the country we live in. From the moment she throws the ball to the moment she hits it, it’s pure magic, pure enjoyment. She pulls the audience in with her own excitement. And even if there’s a scandal, it rolls off Baseball’s back. She’s a laid back sport. There’s no crying in baseball, after all.
(Also, I think it’s funny that “bases” are about relationship moments and you are the only married one among us!)
Ngozi – Basketball
Some may call Basketball for the giants, but I would beg to differ. Basketball is for the lithe, for those who have a different perspective than the rest. Basketball sees things differently, moves about the court on a mission. Basketball is focused. Basketball is aggressive, but not all the time. Only when she has to be. Basketball knows when to take risks and when it’s a sure thing. And when it’s time to pass the ball, Basketball understands the importance of teamwork.
Debbie – Soccer
If Baseball is patriotic, Soccer is an international treasure. She brings joy to the faces of others around the world, some with nothing more than the ball to their name. Soccer is aggressive and passionate 24/7, making no apologies for how she plays the game. And she is loved for it, cheered on because her passion inspires nations. She can go through every emotion in the span of seconds and she’s not afraid to show it.
Meghan – Football
Possibly the most aggressive of all the sports and the silliest, yet she is one of the most anticipated. She brings in the fall, rallying the seasons to share in change and tradition. She is nostalgia, personifying lazy Sunday afternoons and memorable family gatherings. You don’t enjoy Football by yourself, she brings you together, reveling in shared purpose and excitement.
How was that? It was WEIRD. DIFFERENT. But I liked it. It was a fun exercise. Love you guys!
I applied a couple weeks ago for a runner job at a production company. I interviewed, didn’t feel particularly confident about it, and pushed it out of my mind. Why get my hopes up, you know?
Then I got a second interview.
I researched how to do EVERYTHING right, collected everything I needed to be prepared, made sure I had excellent references and, worst of all, gave my self a chance to hope. The interview went ok, nothing terrible happened. I heard that my references only gave glowing reviews, so I sat back and waited.
It’s almost been a week and I still haven’t heard from them.
Something broke in me on Friday. You know how you steel yourself against emotions because you’ve seen people’s reactions to them in the past? It’s what you desperately want to avoid so you take steps to make sure you DO avoid it, that the same fate doesn’t happen to you.
Yet if Shakespeare, the Greeks, and Rick Riordan’s books have taught me anything, it’s that you can’t evade fate. And the last bit of confidence I had fell away like rotting plaster. I got mad for numerous reasons, this being the colloquial straw I guess, and now I feel even more lost than I felt last week.
I don’t know why. Truth is if I did, I wouldn’t have gotten into this mess of feelings in the first place. But it’s gotten me thinking about confidence. You don’t need confidence to write, but you do need confidence to get where you want to go in life. Even if you fake it, even if it’s imagined. Everything seems so far away and I can’t see the steps in front of me. I finished my second book this last week and all I can think about is how far away it is from being good, let alone being published. I went to my first TV Writing class and felt completely out of place, unwanted. If I don’t have confidence in my stories, who else will?
I think I’ve been going about this the wrong way. But not being alone helps 
{insert gooshy love for the Quartet of Wonders}.
I don’t know what I’m doing. Granted, the downtrodden nature of the first sentence is stemming from the exhaustion hangover I’ve been dealing with all day. This weekend, like every weekend, got away from me and thanks to severe lack of sleep and the surprise hours of work, I’m now already falling behind.
A pattern that’s been helping me feel productive is to schedule my time loosely. I know I’m going to spend x hours a day writing. I mostly break it up in two hour increments and work from there. It’s how I’ve actually gotten this second novel almost done!
But friends, I SUCK at editing. I’ve been staring at my NaNoWriMo novel since November and nothing has changed when I know it should. So, on top of wanting to finish the second novel this week, I want to edit the first chapter of the first novel to give to whoever is critiquing. I think I’m terrified of looking at it, because I know it’s not good and I don’t know how to fix it. Like, I’ve been trying to figure out how to WRITE for so long I’ve never thought about REWRITING.
I want it to be awesome but I feel so helpless on my own.
Well Hypothetical Reader, I’m back. As you may have guessed, I have NOT done well on this week’s Guidelines but that’s ok, that does not make me a failure (that’s not a statement, that’s literally what I have been repeating to myself the past two days).
It’s been an emotional week for me. When life throws lemons, I tend to ignore them until lemon juice starts pouring out of my work and the past couple of days have been lemon juice days.
What helps on the days the lemon juice seems unbearable is having someone to talk to. Even if it’s one person who I can text in the middle of a freak out and very calmly state, “I am having a freak out.” Because (and everyone in the world may know this but me), life doesn’t stop. Life doesn’t cut you a break or slow down so that you can finally be in “the right place” to write a story. You’ve heard the idea, “If you wait for the opportune moment, you’ll be waiting a long time.” The same goes for emotional stability. If you wait on life to cut you some slack, you will be waiting a very long time.
So don’t be passive! Have the lemon juice days, because they will come and it’s not your fault. But if at all possible, get up and throw some sugar in that glass. Find a friend to talk to, take a walk, pray, sing a song, watch your favorite movie. That’s what makes lemonade out of lemon juice. The sweet things in life.
- Megh
