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Capturing creativity

Seth, , , , 4 Comments

That whole Ficlet Friday experiment? Yeah, it was fun while it lasted but it seems as though I, along with everyone else, let it whither in the Summer Sun.

Sorry. If I’m blogging about writing – fiction writing – don’t deny me an allusion.

Cut to last night’s iPhone/iTunes update. I get an email from Chris @ NaNoWriMo about some site upgrade or another and it reminds me that while we may be 7 weeks away from the general election, we’re closer still to the start of NaNoWriMo.

And this is the year I finish.
This is the year I write like I’ve been exercising: daily
This is the year it goes into a document, not into the void or a dream or a lazy cubicle chat with a colleague.

Rather than continue making declarative statements that may not come true, I’ll link to a Psychology Today piece on creativity that induced both head-shaking agreement and head-shaking bewilderment. Why are creatives (and I’m being generous to lump myself in here) such dichotomies?

So how should I harness these dual impulses inside me to create … whatever it is I’m creating.

Art?
A novel? (Hopefully)
Prose?
This blog post? (Definitely)

I’m thinking the solution, which came to me via Bump, is going to be Evernote.

Simple.
Multi-purpose (good for grocery lists AND late-night ideas).
Multi-platform (Web & iPhone app)

Here’s the first “creative” thing I’ve captured using Evernote. Let’s hope I give it enough food and water to grow:

The fight isn’t the last stand
It’s the first stanza

Granted it’s only a fragment, a strand, a shard of an inkling of something larger, but I like it. For the moment.

My point is that at least the moment was captured. If I revise or delete or reverse or reconfigure later, the fact remains that I had the raw materials to begin with.

While I may feel sorry – surprisingly not too much – about the Ficlet Fridays petering out, I’m happy that, for the first time, I’m confident and assured by some semblance of process going in to NaNoWriMo.

More as I create more.

Happy Hump Day!

Ficlet Friday

Seth, , 1 Comment

The first Ficlet Friday that went well enough last week so this week’s entry, Shelter, is a welcome addition.

I started with a scene and a definite linear timeline but getting there was more tedious than I had imagined. Total writing time about 45 minutes.

I’ll get the negatives out of the way:

  • My “voice” is always a little too sing-song.

    • I like alliteration and rhyme. I like poetry, even where it might not fit.

  • I wish the drama were more concrete.

    • Onomatopoeias are fine but they’re also very vague.

  • I really struggle with dialogue.

    • Maybe the reason why I chose an almost silent scene was so I didn’t have to speak through my characters? I honestly don’t know.

  • Editing.

    • 1024 characters is really short. I wish I had just a few more lines, but that’s a slippery slope. Editing is positive, even if it’s only so long. I said exactly what I wanted to say.

What I like:

  • It’s the linear story I set out to tell

    • Sure, not a lot “happens” but I think I was able to convey the unspoken (HA!) tension.

  • I got to incorporate fatherhood & family.

    • If you read the blog, you know I love being a Dad and husband, even when they’re kicking my ass.

  • I can incorporate autobiographical bits without writing about myself.

    • I already have a blog. I don’t want my fiction to become a broader extension of that; they’re separate (at least for now). And while Raelyn doesn’t say spaghetti incorrectly, we do correct her for other things she says.

Please read it, rate it and leave a comment. It’s the only way I’ll grow or give up – your help.

And if you’d like to participate, start writing. Practice makes permanent.