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Monday, January 25, 2010
Important Parts of the Writing Process: Ignorance
The movie Valentine’s Day is coming out. There is a clip within the clip that never fails to make me fall into guffaws every time I see it. Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner as high school students, being interviewed by a reporter.
And really that’s the meaning of life summed up: Full of promise. Full of hope. Ignorant of reality. Applies to just about everything, doesn’t it?
Marriage: “Aww, he’s so sweet. He brought me roses for our two-week anniversary! I bet he’ll never take me for granted.”
Kids: “Look at him so quiet as he sleeps. I bet he’s going to be one of those kids who advances early through those Einstein classes. He’s so smart!”
Graduation from high school: “Thank God! I will never have to work with people who are so self-absorbed and shallow ever again.”
Graduation from college: “Yeah! Now I can finally get that job where I’m paid $100,000 a year! No more working for peanuts!”
Movie theater: “Another Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy? Okay. I heard this one was really funny. Really. How bad could it be? Vince Vauhn is hilarious!”
Bookstore: “Yeah! The newest book in the Wallflower series! I bet Daisy and Cam get together finally!!!”
Lies. Lies. Dreadful, awful lies. (And don’t bother telling me “let it go”, Sin, because I won’t. I still want my money back for The Breakup.)
If it works so well in basically every other aspect of your life, why wouldn’t it be the same with writing?
I remember writing when I was a teenager—I still have the drivel somewhere—and it was these lovely anachronistic knight-and-lady masterpieces where the bluestocking won the heart of the rakish jock. I never worried then about plausibility, plot, or whether people would actually act in the ways I had them behaving. The heroine, perhaps, who was acting like an overdramatic teenager was the most likely. Being I was an overdramatic teenager. (Write what you know.) It never felt particularly hard, I thought; I just loved writing. And I’d go wherever the whimsy took me.
Of course, now when I try to read it and try to discern anything that remotely smacks of a plot or even a thought process, I wonder, “How in the world did I ever think of myself as a writer? Honestly. This is awful.” The same sort of horrific wonder you get looking at your husband twenty years later and thinking, “I used to think the belching was cute. Why?”
Still, despite the awfulness, you read those beginning works and you definitely get the sense within the writing of those teenagers from the clip: full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality. You can’t rule out passion as a necessary substance for writing. Only passion for something will get you to do it every day, regardless, because frankly there are a lot of other awesome uses of your time you can be doing, like sleeping or reading your TBR pile or even laundry. (Don’t you hate how that piles up?)
But like all things, you have to put it in perspective. You look at those teenagers and give one of those grown-up little snorts of laughter. Bemused to remember being that way once, thankful you’re not still that deluded. Same with writing. Some of those first writing forays were really, really good for the soul. They suck you right in, really make you crave the thrill you get from stringing words together like popcorn and cranberries at Christmas until you have enough to drape all over the tree. But then when you look at later pictures of that tree, you go, “WTF?” It’s always the way. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.
When you start a project, there is always that glimmer of “full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality” that begins the project, and it’s not until a few weeks into it you remember how hard writing really is. The reality returns, but the ignorance is always an important aspect of the process.
What do you find important about the process of writing? What reality are you reminded of every time you start writing a story? And will anyone be seeing that Valentine’s Day movie? It’s got everyone in it….
Reporter: “How do you feel about each other?”
Taylor: “OMG, I totally love him!”
Taylor: “And I’m crazy about her!”
Taylor: “Look, he wrote his number on my hand.” *turns to gaze adoringly at Taylor*
Reporter: *turning away to look at the camera* “There you have it. Young love. Full of promise. Full of hope. Ignorant of reality.” *pan shot of Taylors kissing like wolves*
And really that’s the meaning of life summed up: Full of promise. Full of hope. Ignorant of reality. Applies to just about everything, doesn’t it?
Marriage: “Aww, he’s so sweet. He brought me roses for our two-week anniversary! I bet he’ll never take me for granted.”
Kids: “Look at him so quiet as he sleeps. I bet he’s going to be one of those kids who advances early through those Einstein classes. He’s so smart!”
Graduation from high school: “Thank God! I will never have to work with people who are so self-absorbed and shallow ever again.”
Graduation from college: “Yeah! Now I can finally get that job where I’m paid $100,000 a year! No more working for peanuts!”
Movie theater: “Another Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy? Okay. I heard this one was really funny. Really. How bad could it be? Vince Vauhn is hilarious!”
Bookstore: “Yeah! The newest book in the Wallflower series! I bet Daisy and Cam get together finally!!!”
Lies. Lies. Dreadful, awful lies. (And don’t bother telling me “let it go”, Sin, because I won’t. I still want my money back for The Breakup.)
If it works so well in basically every other aspect of your life, why wouldn’t it be the same with writing?
I remember writing when I was a teenager—I still have the drivel somewhere—and it was these lovely anachronistic knight-and-lady masterpieces where the bluestocking won the heart of the rakish jock. I never worried then about plausibility, plot, or whether people would actually act in the ways I had them behaving. The heroine, perhaps, who was acting like an overdramatic teenager was the most likely. Being I was an overdramatic teenager. (Write what you know.) It never felt particularly hard, I thought; I just loved writing. And I’d go wherever the whimsy took me.
Of course, now when I try to read it and try to discern anything that remotely smacks of a plot or even a thought process, I wonder, “How in the world did I ever think of myself as a writer? Honestly. This is awful.” The same sort of horrific wonder you get looking at your husband twenty years later and thinking, “I used to think the belching was cute. Why?”
Still, despite the awfulness, you read those beginning works and you definitely get the sense within the writing of those teenagers from the clip: full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality. You can’t rule out passion as a necessary substance for writing. Only passion for something will get you to do it every day, regardless, because frankly there are a lot of other awesome uses of your time you can be doing, like sleeping or reading your TBR pile or even laundry. (Don’t you hate how that piles up?)
But like all things, you have to put it in perspective. You look at those teenagers and give one of those grown-up little snorts of laughter. Bemused to remember being that way once, thankful you’re not still that deluded. Same with writing. Some of those first writing forays were really, really good for the soul. They suck you right in, really make you crave the thrill you get from stringing words together like popcorn and cranberries at Christmas until you have enough to drape all over the tree. But then when you look at later pictures of that tree, you go, “WTF?” It’s always the way. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.
When you start a project, there is always that glimmer of “full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality” that begins the project, and it’s not until a few weeks into it you remember how hard writing really is. The reality returns, but the ignorance is always an important aspect of the process.
What do you find important about the process of writing? What reality are you reminded of every time you start writing a story? And will anyone be seeing that Valentine’s Day movie? It’s got everyone in it….
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46 comments:
Sin~ I love the quote. It just went on a post-it to hang on the wall next to my computer.
I think it's important to remember why you fell in love with wrtiing in the first place. Then when you hit a rough patch, you think-I don't like you very much right now, but I know that I love you.
I'm hoping to see Valentine's Day.
Di
Excellent blog, Hellie!
I think the most important thing about the process is to just do it - get it all out and on paper/in the computer. And what I'm reminded of every time I sit down to write is how hard doing that really is for me. I have this awesome movie playing in my head and can see everything so clearly (characters, setting, dialogue) and then when I go to transfer it to the computer it all falls apart.
I think I'm definitely going to see Valentine's Day. We just IMdb'd it the other day to see all the stars in it. Hopefully, it will be cute.
Hmmm.... important parts of the process.
I think that one of the most important parts of my process is one that frustrates me every time it happens. I, inevitably, stall out. Something doesn't feel right. I read and read, wondering why it just doesn't feel the way I want it to. And eventually, after however long (sometimes way longer than I'd like) it clicks. I realize what needs to be fixed/cut/adjusted. But learning to trust my own brain has been a really hard part of my process.
I love how we've got Di so trained that if she knows I blogged the day before, Sin MUST be blogging the next day. Awesome! World domination!!
Sorry, Di, I took Terri's blogging day this week because she blogged for me last week when my computer decided to adopt a worm without my permission. Very annoying.
But I'm with you. The quote amuses me to no end. I think I might post it up on my "collage" for Adam & Eve. They were like young teenagers in the beginning, weren't they? Full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality. *LOL*
I love your response. Very relationship based: I don't like you very much right now, but I do love you. And when I'm talking to you again, we'll get this worked through.... Oh, that last part is me. *coughs*
Irish, the inner teenage boy in me just whooped at your response. Apparently he totally agrees that the most important part of the process is to Just Do It. (And not like Michael Jordon either.)
Still, you're very write. Sit and write already. Perfection is a myth. Just like good rom-coms with Jennifer Aniston is a myth.
Valentine's Day looks like it will be VERY cute. I heard that McSteamy (who's in it) is supposed to be hooked up with Bradley Cooper... I want to watch the "I Hate Valentine's Day" party. I think it would be worth it for that. *LOL*
However, Wolfman comes out the same day as Valentine's Day; and I'll probably see that first.
Marn, the "Patience, Grasshopper" is a very hard part of the process to employ. Mostly because of the guilt you feel, sitting before the computer, not writing anything until it finally comes to you. All that sitting there with a dumb look on your face feels like you're not writing. You certainly can't brag about it.
Lover: "What did you do with your day?"
Me: "I did some writing."
Lover: "Good! How much did you write?"
Me: "Well, nothing, technically."
Lover: "How long did you write nothing?"
Me: "About three hours before I finally decided to write nothing while doing the laundry or watching Oprah actually."
Lover: "So you didn't do any actual writing?"
Me: "Look, I had the document open and I sat in front of the computer, staring at it."
Lover: "Then why didn't you type anything?"
Me: "What would you know about it? You golf."
Man, that was me this past weekend. I'm pretty sure I had that file open for a minimum eight hours. Might have written ten words. BUT, got past it last night and I am moving on! However, I had to ban the television to make that happen. We'll see how long my willpower holds up.
The reality I'm smacked upside the head with pretty much daily is that I'm not very good at writing. I can tell a story, weave some ideas together, but putting it interestingly on the page, not so much.
Doesn't mean I can't learn more and get better and make it look like it was written by a more talented writer during the revision stage. (Yes, I'm clearly ignorant of reality.)
I've been seeing about a movie a week, which is ODD for me, so this one may be a possibility. As you say, the scene where they beat the pinata to death may be worth the price of admission.
See, isn't it good to see all these things we're all doing at one time or another--they're normal parts of the process!
I think the most horrific reality of all is that there is no perfect book. I'm sure this is why most authors won't reread their own books, much like why actors won't watch their own movies. They see the flaws and not the beauty. Coming to grips that your book is never going to be "perfect" is about as hard to come to grips as...well, I'm not sure...death? Realizing you're never going to be a size 2--and being a size 2 wouldn't get you Johnny Depp anyway? It's hard to accept because accepting it seems like a failure when really it's just out of your control.
I think reality is overrated myself. I'm always trying to escape it. :)
You know the weird thing about story ideas for me is that if I can't write because of other responsibilities, the ideas pour like a monsoon, but when I have the time to write--nothing. Right now, for example, when I have another 8000 words on healthcare and disease that I MUST finish in two days, I have this great scene for my wip in my head. It's as strong and noisy as an August thunderstorm.
The only movies I see in theaters these days are ones I take the grands to. I'll probably wait and see Valentine's Day on DVD.
Janga, I saw The Tooth Fairy. Cheesy, but still pretty funny.
Oh, and yes, reality is horribly overrated. I keep hitting the escape key but I'm still here.
I've noticed that about time as well. When I have scopes of it, NOTHING, my brain will not focus--there is no urgent need. But if a deadline is looming, the horses are rearing to go! *LOL*
My professor in college always said that procrastination and writing last minute was good for harnessing the panic--you usually wrote your most inspired stuff when you were really concentrating like that. *LOL*
I can't believe someone thought that your brilliance, Hells, could've been me. Other than routinely blogging after you for three years, no one could credit me with making that much sense and being quotable. lol
Di, I heart you today.
Mattycakes asked me if me and you were going to see that movie together. And I asked him why he thought that. And he said because we like to watch gay movies together. Isn't that sweet?
It seems like my good intentions of having the word document up never get me anywhere. The kittens are having surgery today and won't be home tonight so maybe I'll get something done without having to jump up and stop spider kitty from free jumping off the fridge. Or Tankers from trying to eat play mice.
Sin, I don't know how Di confused us because I didn't reference a single "screaming and banging sticks on the ground" song at the beginning of the blog.
I was rather flattered to be mistaken. *LOL* Someone mistook my blog for someone in touch with modern music and has a way with evocative imagery in writing. I heart Di as well!
*ROTFL* Yes, we do love to watch gay movies together. Maybe we can do it for our writing meeting.
Sin, you are such a baby licker about those cats. They're fine. You're going to be neurotic when you get actual kids.
I think "reality" is not so bad -- I mean, they manipulate it all the time for "reality shows", so why can't we? :)
I do agree about the blissful ignorance though. I wouldn't have managed to get through a lot of life's adventures if I'd known the outcome ahead of time. (I'm sure my characters feel the same way. LOL)
And I've realized that a very important part of my writing process involves what LOOKS like staring out the window. It makes my brain get to work on important scenes, sticky plot points, etc. I'm not sure HOW it works, I just know that it DOES. LOL I'm afraid to analyze it too much unless my brain decides to go on strike.
You know the weird thing about story ideas for me is that if I can’t write because of other responsibilities, the ideas pour like a monsoon, but when I have the time to write–nothing.
Exactly. That's me in a nutshell.
No way I'm gonna get the hubby to go see that movie with me. I did find out he'll be gone for a few days the last of Feb, so maybe I'll go then. :)
I'm with Janga, reality is overrated. Course, I have some twisted ideas of what constitutes reality...
Yeah, sure...go ahead, Hels...spin the finger around your ear and roll your eyes.
I enjoy being nuts...
I suppose if what I'd say about writing goes something like this...
Suspend reality. And just tell the story... Ter? If you tell the story, you're half way there.
Wallow in ignorance and tell the story. It gets better.
The DH and I just saw Avatar this weekend...but I'll likely go see the Valentines movie. I have more free time... and I like pinata scenes.
*LOL* Poor Sabrina!
I hope you get to see the movie at the end of February! I think it will be fun.
Donna, I have to agree that if I knew the outcome to several things, I wouldn't have done them...or I would have done them. Whichever. *LOL* I mean, there are a couple things I didn't do out of displaced loyalty or whatever and now I'm like, "Well, hell, I should have done it then!"
I'm seriously starting to believe that policy about "If you want to do it, do it. It's easier to get forgiveness than permission." It really does apply to everything.
I don't have a window where I write. Maybe that's part of the problem. The window I start staring at is the TV and that causes another set of problems. "Ooh, CASTLE is on! Awesome!"
2nd, I have absolutely no doubt you enjoy every moment of your insanity.
You saw Dances with Smurfs? Did you like it? It looks like your kind of movie--all other world and stuff.
Last night at the gym, I was subjected to District 9, and when I wasn't giggling at the goofy looking prawns--trying to remember these are serious characters--I was trying not to vomit from all the scenes with vomiting. Tonight I will be going to a CLASS. And probably for the rest of the week.
Hellion -- LOL about the things you should have done -- I'm at an age where I'm feeling the same way. Whenever there's a choice now, I always ask myself, "Which will make a more interesting chapter in my memoirs?" LOL
Dances with Smurfs? Oh, I can see that.
Hey, awesome special effects and yup, I loved the tree hugging message... I'm not a massive huge fan, not one of those I must go see it again even though it's 3 hours long fans. But I was nice...
District 9 was engrossing... Hee, hee. I can't imagine trying to watch it while working out. That movie needed a quiet theater.
Donna! I love it. Terrio and I were discussing our eventual back cover book bios the other day... I want some interesting stuff to say about myself! So, you bet...do the stuff!
Donna, I'm definitely falling more and more into the "OMG, you did WHAT?" stage.
2nd, I didn't need the theater any quieter. I could hear the projectile vomit quite clearly. I wouldn't say my experience with it was engrossing. GROSS but not engrossing.
But D-9 aside, if it's not a movie I want to see again, I don't know if I call it "good." Like Atonement--technically a good movie, but I've never been able to watch it again (not even for the library scene.) And I don't think I ever want to see Bright Star again. (I've watched Becoming Jane only a couple times since getting it.) It's just something I never want to re-experience. Like my teenage years.
It rather makes me think of the sort of book I want to write. Some people write books for the impact of the first read, to change the world, make them them. But I want to write books that people want to reread, reexperience happily, and feel good.
I think a good movie can be one I only view once. And the same with books. It all depends on how deep the viewer/reader wants to go.
I liked the movie. I thought it was a good movie. Not a great movie. But I went as far as I wanted to with one viewing. It wasn't a complex movie. I'm already an earthcentrist/environmental convert, so I got the deeper levels right off. Nothing new for me, but others might want to delve deeper into it. Or just go see for the special effects. Which were awesome.
Some movies/books work on different parts of the brain every time you see/read them. Avatar? One viewing was enough and I'd still call it a good movie. Same with D-9.
I hope my books will create a longing in the reader to revisit the worlds I create. With a reread or moving on to the next book.
I can see movie goers wanting to revisit the world Cameron created in Avatar...for the simple rich experience of the something new factor. I don't need to, but I still think it was a good movie.
Hells - the dialogue you wrote pretty much describes how I feel during my down time. I HATE not writing for my writing time. It's annoying.
I think you have to soar above reality or tunnel beneath it.
Fiction writing is, after all, about feeding people's dreams, satisfying deep rooted needs, creating visions of a better world or hellish nightmares of what might be.
Its about playing with the parameters of reality to see what you can create.
Scientists do it all the time under controlled conditions. tweaking it a little bit here to see what comes out there.
As writers you don't have to be controlled. Like a God, you can create new worlds, explore new ideas, imagine what might be.
Sometimes you just don't know how lucky you are!
Convinced yet? :lol:
Who needs valentine's day. Who needs a film about Valentine's day. Who needs to dream about their Valentine. *sigh*
Scotch anyone? :D
And I hate Valentine's day.
Sign me up for a double, Q.
Is this week over with yet? I can't stand anymore numbers. I want to pull my eyeballs out with rusty pliers and smash them with sledgehammers.
Its about playing with the parameters of reality to see what you can create.
God, I love it when you talk dirty, Q.
God, I love it when you talk dirty, Q
You ain't heard nuthin yet! After a few scotches I can get quite philosophical *grin*
Sin, have the whole bottle luv. It sounds as though your needs are greater than mine. :wink:
Glad we agree about Valentine's day!
Then drink up, I love ta hear ya talk...
Sorry work is sucking you dry, Sinsister...condolences!
I get busy for one afternoon and come back to find Q talking dirty while Sin drowns her woes in scotch.
I see all is well. Carry on.
Who needs valentine’s day. Who needs a film about Valentine’s day. Who needs to dream about their Valentine. *sigh*
Playing with new worlds and edgy parameters are cool, but at the end of the day, sometimes, when you're wanting to pull your eyeballs out with rusty pliers, sometimes you need a story (book or movie) that is the equivalent of Chicken and Dumplings. They're not going to win any prizes for most original dish or health food, but it is a Universal Comfort.
Though you should save that bit about pulling out eyeballs with rusty pliers...sounds like a nice bit of mayhem...
It's sorta funny seeing Q in one of those Miserable to be a Man Moods, due to Valentine's Day. Makes him human rather than Brainy Dr. Spock Godling.
I'm guessing the "point" of the movie is to lampoon the expectations tied up with Valentine's Day. And God knows there are an incredible amount of expectations--on both sides--regarding that black holiday.
I mean, I wouldn't be so upset about not getting a card from my True Love on THAT particular day if he bothered to get me a card some other day of the year. Any day. Once a month. Something. But men don't understand the importance of cards. Almost like they don't understand the importance of chatter. Cards are important. Like shoes. Just because you got one card 15 years ago doesn't mean a girl doesn't need another card. We almost always need another card.
Guys always want to quit when they're ahead.
"Got her a card once, check that off the list! Good gift three years ago, don't need to buy another. Might not get as good a reception..."
Fear of failure haunts so many things!
I mean, if I liked a box of chocolates one year, I'm going to like it another year. Really! Though a scarf would be nice now and then...
That fear of failure is a load of crap. If that was the case, they wouldn't ask for sex so often, knowing the outcome might end in failure.
Which is dumb because if they REMEMBER (which is what I think the real issue is) to jot a note or give a card or pick up a candybar, we might seduce them for a change instead of them having to ask.
Jerry Orbach wrote notes to his wife every morning. Just "Hey" notes. Little goofy poems. He wasn't Shakespeare, but it sure was sweet.
Whenever my dad gave my mom a card, he would always announce proudly, "It was the FIRST one I saw!"
To him, it meant it was the perfect card, so he didn't need to look further.
To my mom, it meant "I didn't have time to look any further, so this will have to do."
LOL -- love is a battlefield, filled with so many hidden mines.
Oh, the male and female minds...how they'll always, always be misunderstood.
*ROTFL*
I've got a story about a friend whose husband gave her a cubic zirconium necklace--and he told her it was, thinking she'd be happy he'd been watching the back account. *shakes head*
Yeah.
Now she circles specific "acceptable" jewelry items in a catalog (within an accepted price range) and he can pick one of those. And he does, because he doesn't want that fight again.
Reality never hits me until I start reading a book. Up to that point, I can be plotting away with all the deviousness of Wile E Coyote, and feel like I am Mark Twain reincarnated when I'm writing, but as soon as I open up a book like Elizabeth Boyle's, I'm like what the hell am I thinking, I can't write.
:)
Renee, I feel that way when I read Lisa Kleypas' books. It's really, "WHY do I bother?" Jennifer Crusie sometimes does that to me.
A lot of authors do that to me. But on the other side of the coin there are some you pick up and you're like "how the heck did they get a contract?" *rolls eyes*
Always a silver lining. *LOL*
But the penis never fails, as far as they are concerned, so fear of failure seldom steps into that arena!
But buying a gift? Full of massive pitfalls!
But men don’t understand the importance of cards.
This is so true it's almost redundant to say. Men care about blow jobs and sports. That's it.
Believe anything else, you're ignorant of reality.
LOL!
Dude, believing "anything else" is the only reason they get laid. We're deluded, but I think Mother Nature designed us with that flaw just so the species would propagate.
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