Nolan is on Spring Break this week, so I’ve been working for the first half of the day, and then goofing off with him for the rest of the day. It’s been really fun and fulfilling, with some added creative benefits. See, I started breaking this story about three weeks ago, and around the end of last week, I got seriously derailed. I’d reach out into the Mysterious Universe to find what happens next, and I’d keep coming back empty handed.
Since Nolan started Spring Break, though, this structure of buckling down and doing all the left brain stuff in the morning has freed up the right brain (where all the good ideas apparenly hide out) to spit ideas out at me for the rest of the day. We went to see Leatherheads yesterday (I enjoyed it very much: 3.9 muddy olde timey helmets out of 5) and in the middle of the movie, my brain said, "Hey! That problem you’ve been having? Here’s how you solve it!" I had to walk out of the theater for a minute and scribble it down in my notebook.
This newly-discovered schedule is great because it satisfies both the crazy artist who is compelled to create and the responsible father who is compelled to provide for his family. My greatest dream in my life is to finally be able to satisfy both of these people by doing the same thing. The stuff I’m working on right now has a better chance than anything else in recent memory to accomplish that, so it’s equally awesome and terrifying.
So far, the writing process for this story is very different from anything I’ve ever done before. It’s a little awkward, but necessary for this particular project. Allow me to explain — no, there is no time. Allow me to sum up: I usually find the characters, find the "wouldn’t it be cool if . . ." and put them together with a very vague idea of where they’ll end up. For this particular project, I need to have the whole Big Idea and its various plot points worked out before I can do anything else. I have that, so now I’m looking under rocks and in the couch cushions for characters I care about and find interesting enough to put into this Big Idea. Because it’s so different from the way I usually work, I feel like I’m in a bit of a cage that I can’t escape from until I find these characters to lead me out.
Hey! I like that metaphor. Go me.
So what was I talking about? Oh, yes. Stuff about the writing process that’s probably only interesting to me. Right. Let’s wrap up, shall we?
Nolan’s Spring Break has given me a great excuse to work hard for a certain amount of time each day, so I can relax and enjoy myself the rest of the day. When I write columns and stuff, a looming, terrifying deadline is just what I need to force the words out of my head. I’ve only written a little bit of fiction, but I’ve learned that what works for non-fiction just doesn’t work at all for fiction (makes sense, I know, but I didn’t grok that until I said it out loud recently) A deadline is important because it keeps me motivated and provides a certain amount of fucos, but sitting down and writing it until it’s done, which has worked very well for things like Games of Our Lives and Geek in Review, just doesn’t work for [project name redacted]. I’m sure this seems elementary to everyone who has ever done anything like this, and now that I see it typed out here, it seems so obvious that I’ve considered just deleting most of this post . . . but this was like one of those posters that looks like a bunch of noise until your brain relaxes enough to reveal the space shuttle, which pops out at you in magical 3-D.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have space shuttles to find.
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I look forward to seeing what you’ve done, once you’re done with it. 🙂 BTW, I Love the 80’s is on VH1 again (in a marathon) and you’ve been on a few times. Go Wil! 🙂
-Alicia
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Massive props on the Princess Bride reference. There is no part of that movie I don’t absolutely love.
I also love it when you get “the big idea” seemingly out of nowhere and you have to scramble to get it down. You can go back to it later and it drops you right in the zone. It’s really satisfying.
I can hardly wait to read your “big idea”!
And now for something completely different. Nothing to do with your post for today, but I thought it was something you (and the rest of the bunch!) might find entertaining…
A new book? Or a short story for an issue of Analogue, perhaps? Can’t wait:-)
I find that when I’m trying to devise new characters, I will often try to find two people that I know (or know of) that are personality or social opposites of each other…and then combine them. It makes for some interesting outcomes.
My personal favourite combination I stumbled upon was a cross between Jack Nicholson in “Witches of Eastwick” and Brendan Fraser in “Encino Man”. His name is Larry Dyson.
http://www.livingwithanerd.com
I’m sure this seems elementary to everyone who has ever done anything like this, and now that I see it typed out here, it seems so obvious that I’ve considered just deleting most of this post . . .
It’s not obvious. Some people have figured out similar things about their creative processes, and they are good artists, as you are becoming as a writer.
Neil Gaiman has figured out stuff like this about his own artistic process, and he puts out tons of unqiue, awesome stuff all the time.
Douglas Adams never did figure out his own creative process, and he did create some really astounding things, he spent most of his time writing being a slave to his own creative process which he didn’t understand.
Neil always says that what keeps you writing is good, what stops you writing is bad. Blogging helps you write; keep it up. Youv’e obviously found a rhythm that works for you, keep it up. I’m sure that Riley is a part of that too, in a more subtle way.
Keep it up, dude. In 20 years, when you’re rich a famous, we can all say that we were here back when…
Deadlines or other time constraints are a very important motivating factor when attempting to write. The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) was built on that idea.
Unfortunately, they don’t work for me very well. Some kind of self-imposed deadline doesn’t work because it is self-imposed. I eventually say “Screw it” and then do do it. Getting others to try to enforce the deadline on me also doesn’t work because I have learned to live with the disappointment of others.
This is a bad habit I learned in high school when I did my Senior Paper (which in my school counted for a third of your grade your senior year). I just didn’t do it.
I did wind up graduating in summer school, but the damage had been done to my work habits. And they weren’t very good to begin with.
Here’s my motto:
“I do my best work at the last minute.
I do my ONLY work at the last minute.”
So, this is why I am not a famous author with an adaptation of one of his books coming out in theaters next year starring a badly miscast Lindsay Lohan (she can act. She’s just all wrong for the part). Since I can’t seem to make a deadline that I can take seriously anymore, there is never a last minute for me to do my best/only work anymore.
So, be glad you have that discipline, man. It’s really, really easy to lose.
Also, I still can’t see those stupid magic Eye things.
I love Twitter! Now, I never have to read a blog post a few days late again! =^..^=
That is so cool how you are able to spend time with Nolan and get writing done! I’m looking forward to hearing and reading more about it!
Hearing authors talk about their own writing processes always helps me to think about my own, because there’s always a new perspective. Thanks, personally, for doing this, because it helped me. And I hope it helped you!
Looking very much forward to seeing your latest creation!!!
I’m so glad you didn’t delete the post! As a learning writer, I haven’t figured out my process yet. It helps to see others in action; it really isn’t obvious until you figure it out.
Thanks,
J.
“Allow me to explain — no, there is no time. Allow me to sum up:”. Thanks for the Princess Bride reference! And keep twittering.
Or this could be – ‘in which anyone discovers something obvious about their _____ process’.
I love your posts like this. Especially because the idea can be applied to a lot of other kinds of getting things done. Inpsirational, you are.
And always gotta love the grok factor.
: )
Oh, and me too Jack Spencer, I could never see those pictures either, and the effort sometimes made me motion sick.
For some reason, I loved this post. It just reminded me of when I think out loud. You seem to think it makes sense to no one else but you, but your post made complete sense to me, and I was there with you the whole way. Go you. =) I’m also very happy for you that you’ve had this week with Nolan and have had enough flexibility to have some great quality time.
“but this was like one of those posters that looks like a bunch of noise until your brain relaxes enough to reveal the space shuttle, which pops out at you in magical 3-D.”
that is a WICKED metaphor that i am writing down and putting on my wall. i loooove your brain, man.
I’m adding this to my growing bookmarks about the writing process, right now mostly populated by you and Neil Gaiman. This is also part of why I started my own blog, because I’m hoping that talking about the writing process helps others, just as you talking about it has helped me.
I look forward to hearing you talk more about [project name redacted] especially since the process is different and exciting for you. Yay for talking about the writing process!
Like everyone else I appreciate the Princess Bride and hidden image references. Hope you’re enjoying spring break!
Not to mention fucosing again, but say that loud: “Fucosing is easier when every minute is the very last one”.
See?
And usually, so is sleeping 😛
“Stuff about the writing process that’s probably only interesting to me. Right.”
Nope. I find it interesting too. As a writer, I love to hear about the process… whoever is experiencing it. I find that when I am entrenched in life with the family I need to run out of theatres to jot stuff down too. I think when you’re not thinking aobut your writing projects, that’s when your mind opens up and offers you those nuggets.