getting started on my fourth novel

I haven't written in two days. I'm a bit stumped on the plot which means I haven't gotten to know the characters good enough yet.

In history there's the "great events" versus "great men" theory. Do great men cause great events or do great events cause great men? In Story, Robert McKee says they're interactive. Only he talks about structure and characters. If you change the characters you change the structure — change the structure, change the characters. Interdependent is a better word. Yes, interdependent. This makes sense to me. So, also in history it is most likely neither but both — men and events interact, are interdependent.

All of which takes me away from the novel. I have started researching to find some facts that might inspire me. I've also pulled up all my old notes from the first novel, as the novel I'm working on is book two of the trilogy. Some of the process is made easier by using Scrivener, a writing software that I have on free trial until the 15th of December. Then, if I "win" (by writing 50,000 words by Nov. 30th) I can purchase the software for half price. Such a deal! Right? Yes!

Scrivener makes the process easier by letting me keep all my research and notes in one place. No more going out into the distracting hard drive to search for something. It's all right there whether PDF, text file, document or web page. The only file format I haven't been able to import is Excel (or Numbers).

Scrivener also makes it easier by letting me organize my writing by character, chapter, or/and scene. Then, with one touch of a button, it will "compile" my book into industry approved manual format for submission. Pretty cool.

It also has a little indicator at the bottom of the screen where I input number of words I intend to write. That part is nice and scary. Nice because I can see my word count go up as I type and scary because it isn't high enough. It's amazing how difficult it is to get going and how easy it is to do a 5,000-word day by the end of the month.

I've also discovered that, as before, it takes a few thousand words to get into the groove. Which shows me that writing every day is a very good thing. Ya know, it's a skill that needs to be practiced. Sure it's like riding a bike, but a trick bike. And just like you need to keep up your tone and skill for extreme biking you need it for extreme novelling, too. If only every day writing were as much fun as NaNoWriMo.

[big sigh] No excuses! Must write.

Catching the Leaves

following

"The outstretched hand is there. If you reach for it, it'll grab you back."
- Bird in The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk

Story: a contemplative progress signifying something

I feel as if I have tracked and caught a rare species in the wild. I brought home "Story" by Robert McKee today, after researching the author and reading nearly three chapters of the book. And I feel captured in return.

The book is expensive — I usually pay ten or fewer dollars for a book. For this one I gave up $35 (and some tax).

The book is compelling. I started reading skeptically thinking that here again was another overhyped screenwriting book with little substance. Instead, I was drawn from page to page by the beautifully organized structure, depth of knowledge and elucidating examples. I am happy and relieved to have finally found a book that makes sense of all the theories and brass tacks of story development. I'm 50 pages into the book and eagerly looking forward to reading and learning from the next 320 some pages. It's like a textbook.

I am heartened by the 16 suggested readings at the back of the book as I have previously encountered and respect five of the authors listed. In "Story" I have found a teacher who has been where I'd like to go and returned with a detailed and useable map.

Some of you may think I've been living under a rock to have missed as big a name as Robert McKee. Maybe I have. Even if the film industry has moved on to other story fads, McKee's book is a firm foundation for whatever comes next.

If only I could afford his upcoming seminar in New York! Oh well. Lots of good stuff in the book. I'm planning on taking the stories I have written so far and reorganizing them using his elements and principles. I'm sure I will learn a lot and that my stories (and I) will grow and improve.

Perhaps I am not so much captured as corralled into a large and rich workshop where I will be given the tools to make whatever my heart desires. That's definitely significant.

No movies for oldies?

According to Daniel Manus:

Here are the true reasons why studios don't make movies for the older crowd:

• They don't come to the movies very often. They are picky and while they will come out to the movies ("Julie and Julia" proved that), they don't do it very often, and studios have to play the odds. Kids go to the movies every weekend. If it rains, even more kids come out to movies, but everyone over 55 stays home.
• Their tickets are less expensive. Hello, Senior Discounts! Thank you AARP.
• Even if they will go see a movie in the theater, they won't go buy the DVD afterwards, they won't buy the soundtrack or iTunes merchandise, they won't get the Happy Meal with a shiny old person toy inside and they won't buy the T-shirt, poster or any other ancillary crap that kids most certainly will.
• Older crowds only respond to older actors that they can connect with (Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, etc). Unfortunately, there are only a handful of these women that can aid in opening a movie. The men are slightly different, as no one thinks of Harrison Ford as being 67 years old even though he is. But the type of movies he does doesn't bring his AARP co-patriots to the theater.

My opinion point-by-point:

1. We don't go to the movies often because they're usually all about kiddie toothpick fashionistas. When we were kids we wanted to see kids doing stuff. Now we're oldies we want to see stories with depth, plots that are engaging, thespians that can turn a phrase on a dime with non-verbals that match, and productions that haven't lost the continuity girl. Yes, we're picky. We like quality. We're sophisticated viewers. You can't bamboozle us with the same schlock you feed kids. Everyone over 55 stays home? Hah! I see them in movie theaters all the time.
2. If there were enough movies we thought were worth seeing, those miniscule "Senior" discounts would evaporate. And what about matinees? Hello cheaper tickets!!
3. When, out of desperation, an oldie does see a movie it's usually not worth replaying. Make a quality movie and we'll buy it. Scratch that, I've bought DVDs and I still buy DVDs. I buy merchandise when it's worth having. Has anyone asked us what merchandise we would like to buy? Whatever it is it has to be worth making space for among all the schlock I bought when I was young.
4. Sure, I respond to mature thespians. Why not? They're good, experienced and do quality work. Are you seeing a trend here? Quality work. I also respond to younger thespians who have more going for them than being able to model for a Biafra poster, look cute, and giggle.

Quite frankly I'm tired of seeing juvenile toothpicks with their bones poking out of oversized sleeves, wearing padded breasts and having to use body doubles whenever a scene requires a real body. I'm tired of thin plots, ubiquitous lines of dialogue, and characters that are cute trendsetters. I'm tired of linked merchandise that falls apart two minutes after it's out of the box and dumb tee shirts that are nothing but ads.

I want to be able to choose my merchandise and customize it. I tired in vain to find cuddly Dronkeys after the 3rd Shrek movie. If they had been for sale I would have bought them for me and everyone I know. I made a customized Dory mug. I plan to buy some good Star Trek merchandise (if I can find it). When the music is good I want the CD or to be able to choose the songs I liked as they were performed in the film. And let's not forget us oldies have grandchildren for whom we purchase items and with whom we sit in theaters.

So don't blame us for your lack of marketing research and blatant agism.

Here it comes again! NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month! Every November thousands of dreamers create novel drafts, writing 50,000 words in 30 days. I've participated three times and now have three novel drafts to show for it. Unfortunately, I've only been editing one of them. The rest are in electronic folders with webpages, links, notes and other paraphernalia that goes with writing a story.

I had decided not to participate this year because I felt my three novel drafts weren't really getting me anywhere and I should really be editing what I have. However, I saw the new badges and the thrill of writing a high speed novel came back to me. So, yes, I'm doing it again. ::::sigh::::: (soon to be) Four novels drafts.

I am in actual fact getting something from this. I am getting better at writing and better at writing regularly. I have discovered my personal writing pattern and freak out a lot less when I have a zero words day. I also feel confident that if necessary I could, in fact, create a novel draft in 30 days.

Another benefit is that the advent of NaNoWriMo stimulates me to return to edit the first draft and to open up and consider the other drafts. Sometimes I just review my research. The novels are all shiny and bright and wonderful.

I don't know where all this participation and creation of novel drafts is leading. Probably toward the end of life as I know it and the beginning of a new one. I'm always up for that.

Enjoy my previous struggles and celebrations. I hope there's video posting like last year!

New Career Goal: Cultural Photographer

And I don't mean I go around snapping photos of art and sculpture and people in furs and pearls at the opera (although the latter could qualify). I mean I take pictures of niche market consumers. That sounds kinda official and important. What I mean is snapping middle class people just doing their thing. I've seen so many colorful photos of punks, goths, metalheads, round heads, tattoos. Heck, I even know some of those people. So no excitement there. However, taking photos of various segments of society in the wild would/could be fun. I might even be suited for it with my artful eye and degree in psychology and experience in marketing graphics. Hmmm.