Thursday, August 27, 2009
Ugh
Nothing like a cold to kill your creative spirit. I have been useless this week on all fronts, be it writing for work or the novel. Just want to lie down and take a nap...
Monday, August 24, 2009
Working Mom Blues
I am having a blah day today. Probably has something to do with it being Monday and the start of another work week which means leaving my lovely daughter with her sitter and sitting in this windowless office for nine hours. Blah. Not to mention we are having just gorgeous weather for August. So to be honest, I'd just really rather be hanging in the backyard with my sweet girl, watching her discover the feel of grass between her toes.
Ahh, working motherhood...
I was thinking on that topic earlier and remembered my sister saying (before my daughter was even born) that working moms can't have it all, that something will inevitably be neglected. At the time I dismissed her comment, thinking that because she was essentially a stay-at-home mom, she didn't know what she was talking about. Now that I am on the other side, however, I think there is a grain of truth to her statement.
In my experience as a working mom, the thing that gets neglected the most is, well, me. During the work week, I wake up at 6:00 a.m. (well, more like 6:27 a.m. thanks to the snooze button), and I really don't stop until I put the baby to bed at 8:00 p.m. Sometimes later, depending on what chores need to be done. Weekends aren't much better sometimes, though I do get to sleep until 7:30 or so thanks to my darling husband. Yesterday, for instance, from the time I got up until after 8:30 p.m., I was going, going, going. Making breakfast, cleaning the kitchen, doing the grocery shopping, feeding/changing/playing with the baby throughout.
By 4:30, when my husband plopped down on the couch to watch a movie, I looked on with envy (and anger?) because I would have loved nothing more than to do the same. But the baby needed a snack, and, oh, I have to clean the toilets, etc. etc. etc. Sometimes the weekends are worse than the work week and I look forward to Monday and the one hour I get for lunch so I can sit still and read my book while I eat leftovers in my office.
I bring all of this up to vent because, honestly, I don't have a solution. If only I didn't have to sleep...
Ahh, working motherhood...
I was thinking on that topic earlier and remembered my sister saying (before my daughter was even born) that working moms can't have it all, that something will inevitably be neglected. At the time I dismissed her comment, thinking that because she was essentially a stay-at-home mom, she didn't know what she was talking about. Now that I am on the other side, however, I think there is a grain of truth to her statement.
In my experience as a working mom, the thing that gets neglected the most is, well, me. During the work week, I wake up at 6:00 a.m. (well, more like 6:27 a.m. thanks to the snooze button), and I really don't stop until I put the baby to bed at 8:00 p.m. Sometimes later, depending on what chores need to be done. Weekends aren't much better sometimes, though I do get to sleep until 7:30 or so thanks to my darling husband. Yesterday, for instance, from the time I got up until after 8:30 p.m., I was going, going, going. Making breakfast, cleaning the kitchen, doing the grocery shopping, feeding/changing/playing with the baby throughout.
By 4:30, when my husband plopped down on the couch to watch a movie, I looked on with envy (and anger?) because I would have loved nothing more than to do the same. But the baby needed a snack, and, oh, I have to clean the toilets, etc. etc. etc. Sometimes the weekends are worse than the work week and I look forward to Monday and the one hour I get for lunch so I can sit still and read my book while I eat leftovers in my office.
I bring all of this up to vent because, honestly, I don't have a solution. If only I didn't have to sleep...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Inspiration
I am inspired. Digging out Windows to the Soul and rereading all the commentary I received on it and realizing (9 years later) what I should have done with it in the first place (namely do a little research and revise it, all of which you can read about here and here) has inspired me to work on this piece again and see if I can't make it into something halfway resembling a good story. (Phew! Take a breath...)
Up first, learning a little more about New York City (as in more than the name and that it's a big, exciting city)...
Up first, learning a little more about New York City (as in more than the name and that it's a big, exciting city)...
Crappy First Drafts Part II
So when I left off with this story, I had just turned in my first short story for my classmates to read and critique. Here is an actual entry from my writing journal from that class:
"My first story, Windows to the Soul, was workshopped today. They didn't tear it/me apart like I thought they would. However, several big things were brought up.
First, characterization. They didn't feel like I'd developed Sherry enough. K thought it was strange how [Sherry] got prettier when she got closer when its usually the other way around. Dr. N wanted me to write more about her apartment, that I really missed an opportunity to develop her character there. The funny thing is that in my [hand]written draft, I did describe her apartment in detail, but I decided that it wasn't necessary and took it out.
Plot was also brought up. L said she didn't think that this would happen in real life. Others said similar things like, 'Why would Mark tell Sherry all this when they just met?' and 'How is it possible that he could make such a huge change after one conversation after ten years?'"
So... Poor characterization and an unbelievable plot. Sounds like a pretty shitty story to me.
At the time I took it in stride and was just proud that I'd tried. This was, after all, the first time I'd tried to write a story. Looking back on it though, I can see so many things I could've done to make that story a success. The first being, write more than one freaking draft!
If I took nothing else away from that experience, it was this: Your first draft, by nature, is going to be crappy. And that's alright. It's supposed to be. First drafts are about getting the juices flowing, getting something on paper.
The trick, however, is to then research and revise. Then research and revise some more. And maybe then, turn it over for someone to look at. This whole concept was beyond me at the time. I still thought writing was supposed to be easy, remember.
Well, that's enough of my history for now. I'm sure I'll regale you with other thrilling tales in the months to come so stay tuned...
"My first story, Windows to the Soul, was workshopped today. They didn't tear it/me apart like I thought they would. However, several big things were brought up.
First, characterization. They didn't feel like I'd developed Sherry enough. K thought it was strange how [Sherry] got prettier when she got closer when its usually the other way around. Dr. N wanted me to write more about her apartment, that I really missed an opportunity to develop her character there. The funny thing is that in my [hand]written draft, I did describe her apartment in detail, but I decided that it wasn't necessary and took it out.
Plot was also brought up. L said she didn't think that this would happen in real life. Others said similar things like, 'Why would Mark tell Sherry all this when they just met?' and 'How is it possible that he could make such a huge change after one conversation after ten years?'"
So... Poor characterization and an unbelievable plot. Sounds like a pretty shitty story to me.
At the time I took it in stride and was just proud that I'd tried. This was, after all, the first time I'd tried to write a story. Looking back on it though, I can see so many things I could've done to make that story a success. The first being, write more than one freaking draft!
If I took nothing else away from that experience, it was this: Your first draft, by nature, is going to be crappy. And that's alright. It's supposed to be. First drafts are about getting the juices flowing, getting something on paper.
The trick, however, is to then research and revise. Then research and revise some more. And maybe then, turn it over for someone to look at. This whole concept was beyond me at the time. I still thought writing was supposed to be easy, remember.
Well, that's enough of my history for now. I'm sure I'll regale you with other thrilling tales in the months to come so stay tuned...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
ESF
While taking a break from a very mundane task at work today, I Googled one of my writing teachers from college, Elizabeth Stuckey-French. One of the results that popped up was this interview of her from 1998. This particular passage really struck me:
"Some people think that once you get published everything is set forever, but that is not how it works. Once you are published you don't feel any more worthy as a person, or as a writer, and you don't feel like you can just kick back and rest on your laurels for the rest of your life. You have to keep writing -- and you have to keep getting up to change the baby's diapers. Life goes on."
She also says:
"The only reason to write fiction is because you feel compelled to do it...Writing fiction is such a strange thing to do: inventing characters and having them talk to one another is such an odd way to express yourself. If you don't feel compelled to do that as a way of making sense of the world then I would suggest trying something else."
I am certainly guilty of getting wrapped up in the idea of "being published" (as evidenced in my About Me blurb). What I tend to forget is that what matters is that I write because I want to, because I enjoy it. I always feel like my best work comes out when I'm not thinking about the reader, per se, but about the story itself and the characters and how they would react in a situation and why.
Thanks for the reminder, ESF ;-)
"Some people think that once you get published everything is set forever, but that is not how it works. Once you are published you don't feel any more worthy as a person, or as a writer, and you don't feel like you can just kick back and rest on your laurels for the rest of your life. You have to keep writing -- and you have to keep getting up to change the baby's diapers. Life goes on."
She also says:
"The only reason to write fiction is because you feel compelled to do it...Writing fiction is such a strange thing to do: inventing characters and having them talk to one another is such an odd way to express yourself. If you don't feel compelled to do that as a way of making sense of the world then I would suggest trying something else."
I am certainly guilty of getting wrapped up in the idea of "being published" (as evidenced in my About Me blurb). What I tend to forget is that what matters is that I write because I want to, because I enjoy it. I always feel like my best work comes out when I'm not thinking about the reader, per se, but about the story itself and the characters and how they would react in a situation and why.
Thanks for the reminder, ESF ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)