"It's Creative, but Is It Art?"

New Writer's Weekly Question #4: Playing in Someone Else's World

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 11:58:20 GMT

Writing Prompt

I was really hoping for a better response for my writing prompt this past week, so I have decided to extend the deadline through the end of this week. I guess people are actually on vacation, or just busy. I just have one request--please don't tell me you'd like to post a prompt,but then fail to do so (except for you Karen--go to sleep, girl!). In the time you used to post an excuse, you could have been writing. I'm not saying this to be mean-spirited, but instead to encourage you (and myself) to be more creative.

Prologue

Some people may have been put off by the "fan-fiction-ness" of my prompt. I can totally understand this. For a long time, I was rather put off by fan fiction. I found that a lot of it was derivative, and usually self-serving (I'll put myself in peril and my favorite character from tv will come and rescue me). It also fostered a lot of really bad writing, and went places that were sometimes twisted and just not right.

Then I discovered Orson Scott Card's Hatrack River website and its "role-playing, story-telling" boards. I found people that were writing in Card's version of 1830s American (the setting for his Alvin Maker series), and I joined out of curiosity more than anything else. The people I met there from around 1998 through 2001 or so (when I stopped writing there for personal reasons) were amazing writers. Some of them, such as Mindy Klasky have moved on to bigger and better things as you can see from her website.

For a while, I stopped writing this kind of thing all together, however, this week, I changed things a bit. As many of you know, I'm a fan of a local band that is a little different in that it plays rennaissance rock and roll. Over the past few months, I've become active on their website boards, and this week, I started, on a whim, a fan fiction thread. It has taken off, and everyone has been having a ball. It feels good to be creative in an open forum again, but is it really writing, or am I playing around? That, my friends, is the question!

New Writer's Weekly Question #4:

Is fan-fiction a genre that is an acceptable form of expression, or is it just a version of finger-painting for adults? Explain.

Also:

Have you ever or do you currently write fan-fiction? If you yes for either question, why did you choose to do it, and what sort of benefit did you gain from this experience?

Extra Credit:

If you write fan-fiction, please leave a link either in your post or in the comments. Please link to something that's not R or X-rated, as this is a "family show."

How to Answer the Writer's Weekly Question:

1. Post the answer in your journal or in my comments.

2. Leave a link to your journal answer, so all can enjoy it.

Anyone can participate in this meme. I like to hear what even non-writers have to say about the creative process.

I will respond on Tuesday night!

Tags: writing, writer's weekly question, fan fiction, Orson Scott Card, Mindy Klasky, writers, meme, creative process

Writing Prompt: The Doctor Wants YOU!

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 15:09:59 GMT

I promised a writing prompt, and of course, life took me away from this and I didn't return. So as a bonus this weekend, I am adding the writing prompt for you to play with. This is an idea that Gina suggested a few weeks ago, and I thought it was pretty funny.

Background

A tv show that we both enjoy is Doctor Who. Yes, we are geeks, go ahead and say it! :) For those of you who have never met the Doctor, let me explain just a bit (for more information, read my link). The Doctor is a Time Lord who travels through time in a blue police box which looks like this: He gets in all sorts of trouble and usually has a companion or companions who travels with him. Usually he sort of picks up these companions by accident, but Gina wondered what would happen if the Doctor suddenly asked that people apply for the position of companion. Thus we came up with this prompt:

WANTED: Travel companion. Must be willing to leave all family and relationships behind for extended periods of time. Must also be able to prove intelligence, cunning, and a willingness to follow instructions no matter how odd they may appear in the moment. Finally, companion must be willing to suspend all belief, act in haste, if necessary, and also pay for all food and beverage expenses incurred on all journeys. Life-threatening adventure most likely to occur, so make sure all personal belongings are secured with those who will take care while you are away.
Please apply at the Police Box which will appear shortly in your village.

Your job, should you choose to accept, is to write a letter of introduction explaining why you'd be the best candidate for this position. You may include references, life history, anything that will prove that you can join him on his adventures through time.

How to post your entry:

1. Write in your own journal and post a link here.

2. Post your entry right in comment box for all to read.

3. Please post no later than Wednesday.

The Doctor thanks you.

Tags: writing prompts, Time Lord, The Doctor, application, companion, adventure

New Writer's Weekly Question #3: That's Me in the Corner...Losing My Imagination

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 14:46:08 GMT

This Week

What a week! I finished finals on Wednesday afternoon, so my quarter is now over. I finished moving into my new office yesterday, and I attended graduation on Thursday. Graduation was interesting in that our president announced his up-coming retirement, and I got to see a certain attractive instructor at lunch. :) I have one more day I have to go to work, and then I get vacation!

Anyway, when I came home last night, I pretty much passed out on the couch, tired from all the stuff I had come at me this week. So, once again, I'm a day behind my schedule. Still, I wanted to come through with a decent question. Hope it's something you can chew on.

Prologue

Sometimes, I get so involved with my "real-life" stuff that it becomes difficult to tap into the imagination. Anytime there is stress, crisis, or just an onslaught of stuff to deal with, my dreamy nature sort of slinks away and hides. This scares me a great deal because I'm always afraid I won't get back to it and my life will become mundane. I often wonder if other creative people have this same thing happen at times. I also wonder how people that are consistently tapping into their imaginations balance it with the real stuff they have to deal with. Thus, this week's question:

New Writer's Weekly Question #3:

Do you have times when you just can't get to your imagination, or your imaginary places? How do you cope with this issue? How do you manage your reality with your imaginative process?

How to Answer the Writer's Weekly Question:

1. Post the answer in your journal or in my comments.

2. Leave a link to your journal answer, so all can enjoy it.

Anyone can participate in this meme. I like to hear what even non-writers have to say about the creative process.

I will respond on Sunday night!

Tags: writing, creativity, writer's weekly question, imagination, meme, reality vs imagination, losing imagination, regaining imagination

New Writer's Weekly Question #2: In the Writer's Room?

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 11:55:26 GMT

Apologies

I promised myself all day yesterday that I would post my second Writer's Weekly Question. All day. Then life took its course, and I went to sleep without having posted, so here I am posting as early as my waking can allow.

Thanks

I'd like to thank my friend Lady Lynn from the Teal Nation for the new look to the question's banner. Lady Lynn is a new found friend who is a mutual fan of the renaissance rock and roll band known as The Lost Boys (Karen's half-fictional friend, Black Rose Kate, may well be familiar with the lads as they hail from the year 1599. Oh, and there's another link to their website on the sidebar). If you're out there reading, thanks, Lynn!

Prologue

I fell in love with one of the new television series that NBC introduced last fall. No, it's not Heroes (although I do love that show), but Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Technically, NBC cancelled this show early last winter, but the powers at the network have now seen fit to finish the season through the summer. Of course by now you're asking, "What does this have to do with the WWQuestion?"

I love this show because it shows people writing. In essence (and in case you missed this show), the show is about a comedy skit show (like SNL), and the things that go on behind the scenes before, during and after the show. The main character is a guy named Matt Albie who is the show's head writer. It's up to him and a group of eight people to put together skits that will be funny, on-topic, and bring in ratings. They literally have to race a clock (there is a big clock in Albie's office) to rehearsal and show time (the show is filmed live) each week.

This whole idea got me to thinking this week as I watched the show with Gina, and helped me cook up this week's Writer's Weekly Question.

New Writer's Weekly Question #2:

Have you ever worked in a writer's room? If so, what was it like and what were some of the dynamics that made it work, or not work. Was it a condusive environment for true creativity?

If not, would you want to work in a writer's room for a tv show or other endeavor like this? If so, why do you find it engaging? If not, why? Do you believe that true creativity can be attained in such an environment (since you've never worked in one, your answer will be theoretical, of course).

How to Answer the Writer's Weekly Question:

1. Post the answer in your journal or in my comments.

2. Leave a link to your journal answer, so all can enjoy it.

Anyone can participate in this meme. I like to hear what even non-writers have to say about the creative process.

I will respond on Sunday night!

Tags: writer's weekly question, writing, creativity, Matt Albie, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, writer's rooms, comedy, memes, creative environments, Lady Lynn

WW?#2:Writer's Room or Is Collaboration Something We Want to Do?

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 01:23:11 GMT

It's funny. For a long time, I enjoyed writing alone, and collaboration was hard for me. To collaborate is to give up some of the control that most writers enjoy. Something I learned first online, and then at school, was that sometimes working with someone else can actually spark deeper creativity, and better stories.

For about two years, I wrote on an online fiction board. I met several other talented writers from whom I learned several things.

1. Don't get too flustered when another writer takes your idea a different direction.

2. Trust that all of the writers are making character-driven choices.

3. Go with the flow, and the story will, in spite of everything, work.

Sometimes this was hard, and other times it created miracles. This was my first effort in collaboration, and it worked really well. I'm sad to say that our little group finally drifted apart, and so my first experience ended. I then went on to write for my church. I primarily wrote and produced skits. Once again, I ended up writing with other. It was as close to the writer's room experience I'd had to that point, and it was great. I'd have my actors read, comment, and then change whatever didn't read correctly.

My latest experience was in class. I took screenwriting and we had one evening where we broke into teams and created storyboards for an episode of a sitcom. We chose The Office, and ended up with a fairly good episode. My only gripe is that the other two in my team tended to go with their ideas, and leave my ideas by the wayside. I guess I'm a little too clean for them. The experience was fun, and I learned a lot, but I can see where interpersonal stuff could taint the creative well we're supposed to be sharing.

So would I want to work in a writer's room for television? For the right show, and with the right group of writers, yes. Would I move to L.A.? No. That's probably why I'll never work on a tv show. Still, I think it would be a rush to write something, even with a group, have it filmed and viewed by an audience.

Thanks to Karen for answering the question this week.

Tags: Collaboration, writer's rooms, creativity, The Office

Tonight--My WWQ Response

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 16:55:37 GMT

Hi everyone! I haven't forgotten my response, but I thought that because I got my new question up late, I'd wait till tonight to respond. Hopefully, we'll have a few more folks that will add their two cents before I add my own.

Thanks to those who have already responded.

Tonight I will also be posting a writing prompt that Gina and I have come up with (I'm waiting till tonight because she remembers it and right now I don't). Gina is my daughter and she is coming along as quite the good writer and artist. I keep encouraging her to do a graphic novel, but she's not too sure that she can do both at the same time.

Anyway, until tonight, my friends!

Friends Support Friends Comic Strips!

Thu, 31 May 2007 15:22:52 GMT

I know this is not necessarily part of my schedule, but I have to say something. One of my favorite people in J-Land is Wildcat, writer and proprietor of The Wildcat's Lair. Wildcat has also been a consistent contributor to my on-again, off-again Writer's Weekly Questions (as have a few other wonderful folks), so he's become one of my online buds.

For a couple of years now, he has shared the photo-comic (I think I just coined a new term!) adventure of Frank Skywhips Orion, cat extraordinare, and his journal's mascot, in his journal. Tomorrow begins a landmark event in Frank's ever so amazing history. Season 2.0 of his comic begins! If you've never seen this remarkable, extremely funny, and slightly warped (in a positive way) comic, you need to pop on over tomorrow and check it out. The kids and I have actually been counting the days! To whet your appetite, here is the latest "advert" for the new season!

Oh and don't forget the cafe mocha for Frank!

Tags: The Wildcat's Lair, Frank Skywhips Orion, photo-comics, cats, humor, books, cafe mocha

New Writer's Weekly Question #1: In the Beginning...

Fri, 25 May 2007 14:19:21 GMT

A little background for those of you just joining us:

The Writer's Weekly Question started on my old journal The Other Invisible about 2 and 1/2 years ago. I did it for a while, and then I stopped, much to the apparent sadness of my audience. The fact is, I stopped because I was busy and had a bit of a time coming up with questions. The other fact, however, is that I missed doing it because I missed the dialogue that always followed the question.

When I decided to start this journal, it became obvious that I needed to restart this particular meme. So, I'm starting with a new question and from #1.

Prologue:

As some of you know, I'm working on my Master's Degree in Professional Writing. This past semester, I took a screenwriting class. In this class, we were asked to either write a part of a feature screenplay, or a part of a tv show. I chose a to create a tv show. Choosing the topic was easy--I created a supernatural show that was part Buffy the Vampire Slayer, part Ghost Whisperer, and very much my daughter. I discovered that even if the world looks like your own world, there are still things that have to work certain ways to allow viewers to believe what you write. That part was a bit more difficult. I also found that it was difficult to create dialogue that would be interesting and adequately explain why the world worked as it did.

New Writer's Weekly Question #1:

In creating the world your characters live, work, and play in, what sorts of things have you had to consider? How do you go about creating a world that allows your characters to do what they need to do, and yet make the world accessible to your readers?

How to Answer the Writer's Weekly Question:

1. Post the answer in your journal or in my comments.

2. Leave a link to your journal answer, so all can enjoy it.

Anyone can participate in this meme. I like to hear what even non-writers have to say about the creative process.

I will respond on Sunday night!

Tags: writer's weekly question, writing, creating worlds, memes, creative process

Good Lord, My First Week, and I've Already Screwed Up My Schedule

Wed, 30 May 2007 02:45:49 GMT

I swear, when I post late, I always manage to make a true mess of things. As you can see, I haven't followed my own set schedule. Sorry, folks. Tonight was supposed to be Book Review night, but because I've already posted a book review, I have to fall back and post a general writing segment.

The Multiple Idea Attack

It's funny. I go for bits where there is nothing in my head, and then, bam, there are all sorts of ideas and scenes in my head. Maybe it's stress, or maybe it's just I finally have a breathing moment to imagine. Right now there are a few ideas I'm kicking around. I have some stuff going on with Around the Bend (my play), I have some scenes that I'm working on in my head for Paranormalists (my tv pilot). Gina has been helping me with the Paranormalists stuff. She thinks we could create at least two seasons. I'm not sure what I would do with the series if I created it. Finally, I'm sort of playing with an idea for some crazy "fan fiction" about this local band we (that is Gina and I) like and know called the Lost Boys. Check out their banner on the left. If you click it, you will go to the local "Battle of the Bands" website and enjoy some of their songs. Anyway, there has been discussion of a Lost Boys novel, and I want to take a stab if for no other reason than I think it'd be a hoot, and I need some silliness in my life.

It's sort of overwhelming when ideas come at you like this. I want to work on all of the ideas, but I only have so much time in the day. When I have times like this, I dream of being a writer/artist the renaissance way--getting a patron. Unfortunately, this is not the renaissance, and I'm probably not going to get a patron, no matter how much I want one. I also think it's good incentive to find a husband, but that, my friends is for a different journal. Bottomline is this--in order to make these ideas move forward, I have to be motivated to work on them no matter if I'm tired, depresssed, or frustrated. We'll see how vacation helps me with this motivation. I figure if I get one of the lot on the screen, I'll have done well.

Freelancing

I have recently begun freelancing a bit. I can't do a whole lot due to the full-time position I have at the "Local Technical College." Still, it's a good feeling to send work to people and find out that they are going to use it. I have to brag just a bit here--I've managed to attain a freelance position with Margaret Weis Productions (yes, Margaret Weis of Dragonlance fame). I can't say what exactly I've been working on (word is that they'll send me to the dragon lords if I tell), but I can say that it is going to be released this summer as a small piece of a larger book, and lots of players will be extremely happy.

What I am hoping for is that I will have another opportunity to work with these folks again--they have been so great, especially to someone who has played Role Playing Games most of her life, but never played Dragonlance. I don't think I've ever been so psyched about a job, especially one that is so small in comparison to the overall work. For me, writing for a gaming company is one of those little dreams I never really expected to come true.

Someone once told me that part of getting into the writing field is about who you know. I believe this now more than ever. I probably would not have gotten the Dragonlance opportunity if I hadn't known one of the editors, and he hadn't known that I was into gaming. I hope to do more very soon!

Online Fiction

Something I'd like to do here is eventually start posting some of my ideas right here in order to get some feedback. I've written online fiction before, but always with someone else. This time, I'll fly solo. I might post some of my older pieces, but I want to post newer stuff too. We'll see.

Until next time...write well!

Tags: writing, freelancing, online fiction, Margaret Weis, gaming, Dragonlance, role playing

What I'm Reading, Week 1: Rainbow's End/Vernor Vinge

Mon, 28 May 2007 02:57:31 GMT

An Alzheimer's Patient, a teenage girl, and a mysterious rabbit are the leading characters in this novel by Vernor Vinge. Set in San Diego circa 2025, the story opens as Robert Gu, famed poet and general ass, is rejuvenated by a new treatment for alzheimers. He has the body of a teenager, and the mind he had previous to his disease. Lots of things have changed in the twenty-five years he's been held hostage by his disease, and he has an amazing learning curve that includes things such as wireless clothing, and contacts that connect directly into the internet.

As he begins to become connected to this new world, he also has to worry about a few other issues like connecting to his estranged family, and losing his poetic genius. While he is learning new skills in a vo-tech class, bigger things in the world are happening, including a possible terroristic threat that could cause destruction that will alter the world in ways that we can only imagine.

My thoughts

Just for the record, I like cyberpunk. William Gibson, Neil Stephenson, are both terrific writers, and, of course, hooked me in the late 90s (ok, so I got a late start). I think what makes the genre so interesting is that it has a connection to what is really happening with technology. I can make an easy leap from wireless connection on my laptop, and the wireless lifestyle that is evident in Rainbow's End. To me, this is a more fearsome sort of fiction than a simple tale of aliens because it deals with the possibilities of what our world could become with only a few minor adjustments. Science fiction is as much about warning of things that might go awry as it is a beacon lighting the way to better living through technology. Rainbow's End gives a bit of both. It is a reminder that although technology can separate us from our own humanity, that sometimes it can also cause us to gain a level of humanity we've never had before. Robert Gu is known for being a genius and an ass, but after he is restored, things change him, making him less of a genius, but also less of an ass.

Should I read this?
I highly recommend this book. Vernor Vinge handles a lot of different things in a really effective way. He manages to make the techie language bearable and understandable. When he explains how wireless clothing works, I feel like they are something I could wear and use easily. He also manages to work in a story of emotional impact, and develop characters that are interesting and complex. Pretty good for a scientist, eh? In the end, I felt like I wanted to read more about what Robert and his family might be up to. It's a story worth extending.

Tags: books, Vernor Vinge, Rainbow's End, Robert Gu, technical fiction, science fiction, cyberpunk, William Gibson, Neil Stephenson, near-future fiction