Everything Matters...in my writing, I mean.

First things first: Yesterday, I was suddenly in China Town, which, I suppose, shouldn't be all that surprising- I only live fifteen-to-twenty minutes out of the city, but I just thought I was going to walk with my grandparents around the local mall. Nope. They have to go to China Town. Then Brooklyn to drop off their friend. Of course I chauffeured! I can drive through and in the city, but I don't enjoy it. I- I greatly dislike driving through the city. I can't stand it, but I had to do it.

I bought my grandpa some bubble tea-creamy taro :D He was pretty pleased, to say the least.




Yesterday, when I got home from work I wrestled into my pajamas and plopped onto the couch with my mom who was watching television. PBS, actually, a show called 'Making Things-'; this episode was called 'Making Things Faster'. Yay. I was totally geeking-out the entire time, so much so, I wonder why I don't watch this channel more often. Well, anyway, I'm watching this and secretly hoping they'll talk about teleportation, but they never even touched upon it; now, though, I have a new-found respect for delivery persons: travelling salesman problem? Oh, my gosh. Who knew?! I will never again complain if I get a late package- I am more appreciative of your efforts.

Anyway, all that to say this: I've been working on a story pretty consistently for the past six months, and it's pretty exciting (not roller coaster exciting...well, sometimes it's roller coaster exciting) because this story is getting somewhere- it keeps evolving like a real story should.

And as real stories are written, advice is given. Some advice is good. Other advice is horrid. Of all the advice given to me, one is most given: write what you know.

Yay.

Great.

Good idea, good start.

But I only know so much. After a while I have to do research or, well, give up the writing project entirely.

But for this story I've found that everything I do or encounter becomes a part of my research for this story: my spontaneous trip to China Town, and watching PBS' NOVA.

At this point, I can't tell if this is so because either I'm so obsessed with my story that everything relates to it, or that research for writing really does fully inhabit the writer when he or she is, if you will allow, 'in the zone'.

Is that how great writing happens? Everything just becomes a part of the story? Cool.

I hope that if you are a writer, or even if you are not, everything you do and encounter will inspire you. Are not some of the greatest inventions inspired by accidents or by something that had seemed completely irrelevant?

Hollaback.

From Ideas to Stories

Lately, I've been thinking a lot of ideas. A lot.

A few weeks ago, July 4th actually, I was with friends out in Chelsea, and jotted this down on my iPhone: "I like thinking many ideas, but I don't know that I'd put many of them into practice, or sincerely believe in those thoughts/ideas. I think of too many [ideas] to indiscriminately accept all of them [as Truth]."

So, I've had all these ideas, but I've yet to bring them to light. Mostly because I don't know how to bring them to light. My ideas are incomplete, and the only way to make them complete, or somewhere near completion, I would have to write them down, or speak them aloud. I hate doing that. I hate speaking before I'm really sure of what I mean; what I really believe.

Of what have I been thinking?

For starters, beginning sentences with prepositions is a great grammar-release!

Okay, okay, okay.

My thoughts have generally leaned towards the state of humanity.

"Oh, how perfectly vague."

"I know."

But if I become any more specific I promise you, I will go back to the state of humanity, which I am sure, as we all observe, is in a constant state of flux and discontent. Those who are content are so because they know what it is to be discontent.

Hello, Humanity. I'm glad to greet you like an old friend.

But since I don't want to overthink, or rethink, or drag on for too long, I've decided it best to illustrate any ideas or thoughts I have with stories. I don't know why it took me so long to acknowledge this. Every other author and writer has!

Whatever made me think I was better at writing essays than writing vignettes or extended metaphors?

Of all that I've thought this past month I am confident in that idea: that the best way to portray the 'state of humanity' is to illustrate it. To gather up its many images, smells, tastes, words, and feelings, not into some neat little box and leave it there, but for the neat little box to be opened!

Like Pandora's box! But without all the sickness and sin, and horrible things--they're already in the world. Ooh, we don't need more of that.

I know that we learn from our mistakes both in and out of our control, but that does not make me wish bad times upon even the worst of my enemies, and even then, I have no enemies. I live life as though all were friends: yes, it is denial, and yet confirmation that these friends, like my thoughts, though I entertain them, are no less real, or lost, or hungry, or wishful, than I am.

I may not re-open Pandora's Box, but I'll label it for you.

Spectator Sports

Have you ever just watched someone work?

No, not like group projects where one or two people do the work while the other three sit and gossip.

I mean have you ever watched someone work?

Have you ever watched street performers? You ever catch someone 'vandalizing' concrete, brick and mortar? Have you ever worked behind the scenes and watch the first time actors perform their lines aloud? Have you ever listened to someone practice their voice or piano lessons? Cello lessons? Ever watch someone compose music or write a book? Ever watch someone choreograph a ballet? Ever watch someone direct a movie, high or low budget? Have you ever watched a soccer player kick in the winning goal? Of course you have!

I enjoy watching people make things. I enjoy watching them bring things to life. I enjoy it especially when someone's hard work receives accolades. In fact, forget the accolades! I especially enjoy it when someone finishes their work, and sometimes that's all the accolades he might need. Finishing something feels just as good, if not better, than popular recognition.

Why?

Why what? Why do I enjoy watching people work? Well, I like watching other people enjoy life. I like watching delight grow on people's faces. I like knowing that I don't have to be a part of it because I might just ruin it. I like that other people want to inspire me. Well...not me personally, I mean 'me' like I'm part of the general crowd they want to inspire. We all want to inspire each other, some how, some way...

Even though we're all spectators, we're all invited to participate; we're even given the choice not to participate.

Not that the best work can't be done in private, but if you're given the privilege to watch genius at work I suggest you take it. You'll learn a lot. You don't always need to be doing something.

It's okay to sit, wait, listen and observe. Don't worry. One day people will watch you make stuff. Yeah, you'll inspire people. (You're probably inspiring people now, you just don't know it.)

So yeah!- you stop and smell those roses!

"I'm all ears!"

Communicating is hard work. Of course, all things that require reciprocity are hard work because everyone knows, from experience, that communication is listening and feedback. I can listen all I want, but you can only talk so much until you'd rather talk to a wall than to me. I can talk all I want, but you're not a wall!- you've got opinions too!

But this isn't always the case, sometimes people have different ways of communicating, and I don't mean that  one person prefers cuddling over home-cooked meals. No, really, I mean, consider this, my fellow geeks: does it bother you that some people will prefer the movie, as opposed to the book upon which its based?

I know that drives me mad.

Although I've learned that movies and books are two different medias. I will almost always prefer the media of a book, but a near-perfect example of appreciating both the movie and the book is Life of Pi. 

When the first advertisements for Life of Pi: The Movie were out I knew that regardless of its success or failure I was going to like this movie. Life of Pi: The Book is intensely descriptive, heavy with dialogue, and purposefully challenging. Life of Pi: The Book works for the very same reason Anna Karenina by Tolstoy works, for the same reason The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien works: because books can be of any length! 

But movies are generally limited to 1 1/2 to 3 hours in length. Any longer and most of the audience has lost interest and/or fallen asleep. (But trust me, I could watch a movie for that length of time and be fine.)

However much it bothers me that people can't appreciate the book-version as much as the movie-version, should it really bother me?

Even within the same medias, writers, directors, actors, etc. want to communicate with people outside their usual social group.

Christians/The religious want to convert non-believers/atheists.

Non-believers/atheists want to educate Christians/the religious.

Scientists want to instill sciencey-stuff into thespians.

Thespians want to convey powerful emotions to their audiences.

But, generally, Christians only reach Christians. Atheists only reach atheists. Scientists only reach scientists. Thespians only reach thespians. 

When a Christian, or an atheist, or a scientist, or a thespian writes a book, hoping that the book will help outsiders understand it doesn't usually work. I've worked at a bookstore long enough to know that people who are interested in business go only to the business section and nowhere else. I'd be hard-pressed to convince a customer interested in graphic novels to attempt a perusal into the local history section--frankly, it's just not what they're looking for.

I'd even be more hard-pressed to convince someone to read the Harry Potter books, if they only want to watch Harry Potter.

But frankly, some people are just more visual. 

So...how do writers communicate with movie-goers?

How do directors communicate with bookworms?

How do musicians communicate with scientists?

How do Christians communicate with the non-religious?

I don't know! 

But I'll try and be all ears for you!

I want to make more people read, but I'm only talking to people who already read. How can I communicate with non-readers?

Turn Life of Pi into a movie.

Sha-bam.