The Context of Time
Somehow it's been 3 months since I last posted on here. I've been writing like crazy just not here! I'm about to finish grad school and there is something about writing 25 pages a week that just sucks any other desire to write, right out of you. I figure by this point I've written over 400 pages of content in the last 6 months, which if I put it together would be quite the book, but it would also be the most boring book ever written so don't hold your breath waiting for that one to happen.
The thing about writing though, is it's a skill like anything. You have to practice and work at it, and just the act of using your mind in new and different ways it good. Writing novels is fun because there are no limits other than the ones you set for yourself, which is exciting and challenging all at the same time. Writing within the confines that someone else sets is far more challenging because you can't change the rules part way through. It was a good exercise, but I'm excited to be getting back to writing with more freedom and less of a 'corporate' focus.
The past few months have caused me to do some reflection and internal evaluation. Somehow, I've reached a point in my career that I realized many of my early mentors were at when I first started out in a 'real' job. I've been a bad influence and convinced 2 co-workers to attend grad school, been in positions to offer career advice that actually makes sense, and am starting to actually be a veteran at some things. When did that happen?! It's those arches in life, the eb and flow of people, and things, and places that I find fascinating and try and capture. If you've ever read anything I've written it's not a quick one day story, they cover years, because people change over years. Life happens over years. Yes we have moments and days that define and change, but its seeing those pieces in the context of time that shows why they matter. It's important I think to tell the story of a character over time, because we are people that develop over time. And I don't mean with a flashback to an earlier point or even a prequel, but a long running rich narrative.
I like to think this is a strong suit of mine. Understanding people over time. I will readily admit, I am an introvert who does not enjoy spending time with people as rule, it's exhausting frankly. But I do enjoy to lurk and observe. If I could hang out in a crowded room and float between conversations I would love that. Observing, studying, seeing the twists of a person as their situations change, watching those people as they change in different circumstances, figuring out what makes them who they are. This part of myself clashes with my sarcastic-has-a-smart-comment-for-everything side who can't stay quiet and just observe and constantly has to get its two cents in. Ah life is a journey and is always the tug and pull between our inner contrasting parts. Sometimes it makes sense in the context of our experiences, and sometimes we are just our base responses to things. Self awareness is the first step to beginning to improve who we are, but by no means the last. It's a constant refinement and learning and working and striving and failing.
One more story before I wrap up. My oldest is four, and he's entered a very competitive phase where we believes he should 'always' win. Early on in my writing I was the same way, the main character should always win, overcome the odds, and succeed despite everything. As I've grown as a writer, I've learned more that the main character should lose, and lose big sometimes, because in that failure they will learn more than they could winning all the time. And that may be the most honest truth of our existence. Yes it is amazing when everything comes together and works, but how often do we only get to that point because of all this significantly larger failures that came before.
The thing about writing though, is it's a skill like anything. You have to practice and work at it, and just the act of using your mind in new and different ways it good. Writing novels is fun because there are no limits other than the ones you set for yourself, which is exciting and challenging all at the same time. Writing within the confines that someone else sets is far more challenging because you can't change the rules part way through. It was a good exercise, but I'm excited to be getting back to writing with more freedom and less of a 'corporate' focus.
The past few months have caused me to do some reflection and internal evaluation. Somehow, I've reached a point in my career that I realized many of my early mentors were at when I first started out in a 'real' job. I've been a bad influence and convinced 2 co-workers to attend grad school, been in positions to offer career advice that actually makes sense, and am starting to actually be a veteran at some things. When did that happen?! It's those arches in life, the eb and flow of people, and things, and places that I find fascinating and try and capture. If you've ever read anything I've written it's not a quick one day story, they cover years, because people change over years. Life happens over years. Yes we have moments and days that define and change, but its seeing those pieces in the context of time that shows why they matter. It's important I think to tell the story of a character over time, because we are people that develop over time. And I don't mean with a flashback to an earlier point or even a prequel, but a long running rich narrative.
I like to think this is a strong suit of mine. Understanding people over time. I will readily admit, I am an introvert who does not enjoy spending time with people as rule, it's exhausting frankly. But I do enjoy to lurk and observe. If I could hang out in a crowded room and float between conversations I would love that. Observing, studying, seeing the twists of a person as their situations change, watching those people as they change in different circumstances, figuring out what makes them who they are. This part of myself clashes with my sarcastic-has-a-smart-comment-for-everything side who can't stay quiet and just observe and constantly has to get its two cents in. Ah life is a journey and is always the tug and pull between our inner contrasting parts. Sometimes it makes sense in the context of our experiences, and sometimes we are just our base responses to things. Self awareness is the first step to beginning to improve who we are, but by no means the last. It's a constant refinement and learning and working and striving and failing.
One more story before I wrap up. My oldest is four, and he's entered a very competitive phase where we believes he should 'always' win. Early on in my writing I was the same way, the main character should always win, overcome the odds, and succeed despite everything. As I've grown as a writer, I've learned more that the main character should lose, and lose big sometimes, because in that failure they will learn more than they could winning all the time. And that may be the most honest truth of our existence. Yes it is amazing when everything comes together and works, but how often do we only get to that point because of all this significantly larger failures that came before.
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