I was really craving that breath of fresh air, because I've been sick for the past three weeks. Nothing horrible, but enough to keep me bed-ridden for almost a month. In April, I am having my tonsils removed. Normal tonsils will act as part of your immune system, but mine are not normal. They are evil. Evil tonsils get you sick rather often. Hence, my month in bed. The first week was spent mostly sleeping, followed by a week of watching TV and movies. I didn't have the mental energy to write, or read yet. But this past week, my mind has been itching to disappear into other worlds, to meet strange new people, and see wonderful new places. My creative bug was back, and it was time to start writing and reading. I was so relieved to finally feel up to it. It has been such an exhausting few weeks, and knowing that my creative energy was coming back made me feel better physically, and mentally. It was coming back, but it wasn't quite there. It needed a little kick, or for someone to start its engine.
I was browsing through the endless world of the internet, when I somehow stumbled across a speech Ray Bradbury gave at a Writer's Symposium in 2001. I started reading Bradbury a few months ago, and thought, "This may be exactly what I need to hear." It was. It was exactly what I needed, and more.
Here is the link for it...I highly recommend taking the time to watch it. It is truly a gift.
I hope you watch it, for all of this sounds much better coming from Bradbury. I could never quite match those charming little "heh's, and hmm's" that marks the end of each thought. I took away so much from it. He says we must stuff our heads with information. Fill them with new ideas, and metaphors. Every night we should read one short story, one poem, and one essay (from any field).
For short stories, he recommends:
- Roald Dahl
- John Cheever
- Richard Matheson
- Nigel Kneale
- John Collier
- Edith Wharton
- Washington Irving
- Melville
- Poe
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Alexander Pope
- Shakespeare
- Robert Frost
- Aldous Huxley
- Loren Eisley
- George Bernard Shaw
I see a machine. We input the poems, stories, and essays into our mind. Our brain absorbs the ideas, and processes them. We file away some ideas, perhaps for a rainy day, or perhaps for when we least expect it. Some of them stick with us. The ones that stick...that haunt us at night while we lie awake trying to make sense of the world, we have the joy of turning into stories. Input. Process. Output. They become our story of the week.
This is such an excellent habit for writers, and other creative folk to develop. Input. Process. Output. We are always learning, always creating. STUFF YOUR HEAD, fool. The world is rich with knowledge, beauty, and ideas. Use your big, brilliant brain. I'm starting today. I can't wait. I can look at my bookshelf behind my bed, and find everything I need to start. Poetry anthology? Check. The Works of Poe? Check. Emerson, Thoreau, Aristotle, Dante, and Shakespeare. I cant wait to eat them all. I suffer from book collectors syndrome. I buy books faster than I can read them. I need to own them. I crave a well stocked book shelf. I look at a book, and see an explosion of ideas. I dream of my future home, not because of the life it will mean I have created...but so I can think about where to put my books. I've known since I was about 14 that I would have a huge home library someday. Ideas, stacked neatly on shelves, waiting to burst! How exhilarating! Bradbury said it himself: "Live in the library," and "stuff your head."
He goes on to explain, that "It's the age of communication, but does anyone ever call you?" We shouldn't get so distracted by our devices, and gadgets. We don't need a fancy computer to write good stories. "You don't need anything but a pad and a pencil, for chrissake!" How right he is. I often find myself guilty of thinking "if only I had a better this, or the latest that. Then, I can really do my work. Then, I'll be a writer." Take all the devices away, and you'll still be a writer. A better one, at that! Less distractions.
But if we find ourselves constantly distracted, and never writing, perhaps...that's not what we should be doing. Bradbury claims to have never worked a day in his life, for "if it feels like work, stop, and do something else." We should feel complete joy when we write. Why else would we do it? Certainly not for the money. Nowadays, anyone can achieve their 15 minutes. So we don't do it for the fame. We do it for the sheer joy of storytelling.
But what happens when you don't know what to write about? Well, that goes back to input, process, output. When you fill your mind with so many ideas, something is bound to stir up a story. But if it doesn't, here are some excellent prompts to get your gears turning.
- "Make a list of 10 things you love madly, and write about it."
- "Make a list of 10 things you hate, and kill them." **
- "Make a list of the things you fear, and write your own personal nightmares."
- Write about the things that your not sure actually happened to you. Trust your intuition.
These four prompts really got me excited, particularly #3. How delightfully terrifying, to write about the things that scare you. Reminds me of when I played a vampiress in Dracula a few years ago. (Shout out to my Drack Pack!) Vampires creep me out. I can't explain why, but they just give me the heeby-jeebies. They're one of my top 2 irrational fears. If you can guess the other, you win. But back to the point. While playing a vampire, I had to take what scared me most about them, and apply it to my performance. In my mind, they seem to move on a cloud of smoke. Their feet don't touch the ground. Their motions are fast, and fluid. Their eyes are deep, yet empty. Did I succeed in portraying this? No clue. But it sure as hell helped me get into character, and it was wonderfully scary. Write your own personal nightmares. Yes, this will be fun.
Most importantly, we must always be willing to surprise ourselves. I hear so much about how to outline, plan, plot...and while I do believe that it can be remarkably useful (eg: J.K. Rowling's outlines for Harry Potter), it may not be the best way to write every story you ever set out to do. I haven't been able to successfully draft a story yet. Maybe it's a lack of experience, or my indecisive nature. Perhaps someday, I'll master the art of outlining. But right now, I prefer Bradbury's method of surprise.
"You don't know what's in you until you test it. Until you word associate. You've been writing self consciously, intellectually for too long. The deep stuff, your true self, hasn't had a chance to come out. You've been so busy thinking commercially what will sell, what'll I do, instead of saying 'Who am I? How do I discover ME?' You word associate."
His idea of word association, sitting down and writing whatever comes to mind, is a fantastic one. You get all the junk out of your head, and then suddenly the thoughts click. The words work together, and characters emerge, setting becomes clear. Surprise!
Yes, this was exactly what I needed. For the first time in three weeks, my mind feels sharp. I feel alive, invigorated, and ready to create. So, here I go. From here until eternity, I will read one short story, one poem, and one essay per day. I will write one short story per week. Time to start developing some good writing habits, or as Bradbury called it, hygiene. I can't wait to see what surprises are in store.
Sidenote: My brain may have just exploded. As I typed the last sentence of the previous paragraph, I turned my head and saw the fortune I got after last weeks take out. I had taped it to my bookshelf for inspiration.
"There are many unexpected and thrilling surprises in store for you!"
I love it when the cookies are right. :)
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