I can't believe Nanowrimo starts in just a few days. I can't believe how fast this year has gone, or how behind I am in my WIP revisions, or how much there is I still want to write, draw, paint, do before the calendar turns yet another page. Life is crazy-making sometimes and that's why it's a good idea every once in a while to stop, take stock, and realize just how much you have accomplished in spite of it all.
One of my favorite books for helping me to stay centered in the midst of chaos is Visual Journaling: Going Deeper than Words
by Barbara Ganim and Susan Fox. It's one of the best books I know on using art (as the front cover says) to: reduce stress; reduce anger; resolve conflicts; get in touch with feelings; give voice to your soul, even if you can't draw. My kind of book, for sure!
I've owned and used Visual Journaling for a number of years, way before I heard of the concept of "art journaling," which to me is a related, but quite different process than that described in the book. That said, I also know I became interested in art journaling thanks to authors Ganim and Fox and their very encouraging exercises that led me from my first nervous pencil marks to drawings and paintings that gave me the confidence to call myself an artist.
One of my favorite lessons in the book is the basis for the entire text: the check-in. The check-in entry is all about simply sitting down with your journal at least once a week and discovering exactly what it is you feel at that exact moment. The process is simple: open your journal so that you have 2 blank pages facing you. On the right-hand side, write down an "intention," i.e., the question you want an answer to. For me this is usually along the lines of, "What am I feeling right now?" Or, "What is the lesson I am supposed to learn from this past week?" Or even, "What is the real theme of my WIP?"
After writing down the question, close your eyes, calmly breathe in and out, and let your feelings turn into images. Don't judge, just let whatever needs to appear come to you. After a few minutes, or whenever you feel ready, draw your images on the left-hand page. By "draw" I mean make purple circles, orange squiggles, little dark green squares, or an entire family of stick-figure lizards drinking tea if that's what appeared in your mind's eye. Subject matter doesn't matter at this point. If you have polished drawing skills, by all means use them, but you might also find the most honest, energetic expression of your feelings is to stay with a strong degree of abstraction and the willingness to "just draw, don't think." Let yourself be a little kid again and don't worry about what the grown-ups next door will think.
Once you have your drawing as finished as you want it, the next step is to write about it on the left-hand page, underneath your written intention. There are a number of set questions you can ask to get going, such as, "How does this drawing make me feel?" "What do the colors remind me of?" "What do I like best about this picture?" "What disturbs me? And how can I turn that feeling around?" You can also ask your own questions, too, ones that fit your intention more precisely.
Visual Journaling: Going Deeper than Words is an amazing book and it's one that I like to re-visit from beginning to end every few years. Starting in January 2011 I'm thinking of using it as the basis of my writer's group meetings for the year. I think the other members will enjoy the book and it will give a new focus to our meetings--something you might like to try, too. If you don't have a writer's group already, inviting people to join a group based on the book is an excellent way to start one, and if your existing group needs an energy boost, there's nothing like a complete change of writing "scenery" to get the ideas flowing.
Tip of the Day: Treat yourself to a new mixed-media sketchbook, some colored markers, crayons, an inexpensive tray of watercolors, and your favorite brand of pens. Experiment with the "check-in" exercise described above and see what happens. Who knows, you may end up with an entirely new direction and resolve for your creative and/or personal life--one that celebrates your accomplishments and lightens even the heaviest of to-do lists.
I have to admit I'd never come across the term "ekphrasis" until I was browsing through an old edition of Poet's Market. Listed under "E" was Ekphrasis, a literary journal devoted to poetry based on works of art. Immediately I was intrigued because unbeknownst to me, I'd been playing with "ekphrasis" for years, not only in my daily writing practice, but in my writer's workshops as well.
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition for ekphrasis is: "a literary description of or a commentary on a visual work of art." The plural of the word is "ekphrases" and apparently the word's first known usage was in 1715.
Anyone who's been reading my blog will know that I love both art and literature. I spent two entire years attending art history lectures at the National Gallery in London, sometimes going as often as seven days a week. I know my Gainsborough duchesses and Mannerist nativity scenes, I can tell you! So combining my two favorite subjects is a fun and natural way for me to "play." And while the actual word "ekphrasis" is just fine and dandy for people who like precision, personally I just call what I do "writing inspired by a painting." Not only is it a fantastic exercise for my writer's groups, it's always been a favorite in my workshops, especially ones I've presented to young writers: high school students and home schoolers.
Here's a couple of samples taken straight from my journals. They're first drafts, unedited, warts and all, but that's how I like to share my writing here if only to help you break down those inhibitions and just write, don't think.
This first one is based on Goya's painting, "Family of Charles IV":
Our Subjects Hate Us
They want to kill us.
In turn, Papa, Mama, and
all the others standing here
want to kill their subjects,
if not in blood, then tax them
through the roof:
more wine, more grain, more gold.
There is never enough
for this one starving family
to consume, so we have started
to eat each other.
We have bitten off whole pieces
of ourselves, and finding the taste
disgusting, we spit and vomit and spew
up our lineage all over Europe.
We cannot escape each other.
Like barnacles or mud
On the bottom of a barge,
we cling together.
Members of the same asylum
bound by madness and the fact
that no sane person would
touch us with a pole.
Our madness is contagious, like
swollen joints and bloody noses.
We pass on our tics and stutters,
our narrow vision and faulty hearing.
We pass on our royal blood, so polluted
Even the rats run away from us.
I don't know how accurate my history is there, but I sure had fun! This next piece is based on a more modern print, "Romantic Stroll," by Brent Heighton. The picture originally inspired my entire Nanowrimo effort last year, but I also wrote this short piece while doodling on my plot:
Doorway
We walked a little dog at night,
your hand tucked into the pocket of my coat.
I remember the smell of coal fires,
the smoke curling into the sky like incense,
the kind I knew from those Cairo bars
and the ships we docked at Algiers.
It seemed a hundred years ago, and not
a simple, shortened ten.
You said, “Nothing will ever
be the same again,” and I agreed.
I knew that when the walk was over,
we would return to the crowded flat,
remove our coats, pour out the gin and tonic
into glasses we had already left to chill.
Habits, like walks and dogs, we could not
forego without a sense of loss.
And all the while memories rising
to the surface that could never be repeated:
little girls playing in their starched summer
dresses, the boys in rubber flip-flops,
the sound of birds and monkeys all tangled
up in the soughing of the great green
leaves, their broad plates catching green rain
water and sunlight in one glorious crystalline
riot of coolness on the hottest of summer days.
It left me breathless.
It left me, like so many things, alone.
Tip of the Day: Look through a book of your favorite paintings, choose one, and start writing. I experimented with poetry in my examples here, but you might want to go a step further and try plotting an entire novel or screenplay based on a work of art. And don't just stop with writing. The collage at the top of the post is a Polyvore set I made taking Gauguin as my inspiration. Play, have fun, and make something to fill your creative soul.
I'm baaaack--from a great 3-day weekend in Santa Fe, NM, that is. I had a wonderful time attending the New Mexico Women Author's Book Festival where I presented my talk, "Researching the Children's Book."
The subject is especially important to me as five of my books are for young readers, and I've never written any book for any age group, fiction or nonfiction, that I haven't had to research. Convincing other people that this is even necessary, though, is a whole 'nother story. Only a few days ago someone asked me, "Why would anyone research a children's book?"
Comments and questions like this can make authors for children want to overcompensate and tackle far more research than is actually necessary or required for the book they are writing. But too much research can be as bad as not enough. Staying mired in endless research can be a convenient excuse for not writing anything at all.
My three rules for researching the children's book are: keep it light, keep it fun, and keep it as accurate as possible because chances are that whatever you put in a book could stick with a young reader for life. I know I believed everything I read growing up, and I still can't believe there are no tigers in Africa. In line with my three rules, I have five steps to keep my research on track:
Step One. I only research or write on subjects that I love or find interesting. I've never chosen a subject because it was "hot" or because I thought it would be a quick sale. Sometimes editors will suggest a topic to you. Be wary about saying "yes" too quickly. If you don't hold much passion for that subject, not only will the research process be long and tedious, but it will show in your writing.
Step Two. Once I've settled on a topic, I ask myself three questions: What do I already know about this subject? What would a child want to know about it? And what are the things I need to know for this particular project? These questions keep my research focused. They also help me to think in terms of "kid-sized portions."
Step Three. Once I've brainstormed my answers, I start my research, often starting with the encyclopedia followed by the children's section of the library. In today's info-driven world, the choice of resources can be overwhelming, a dilemma made even worse by the Internet, which I have to say is not my favorite place to acquire facts. The information found there is often too subjective and in some cases, downright wrong. That said, the Internet is great for finding leads and links to sites and book titles I feel I can trust.
Whatever your preferred method, though, the worst thing you can do is check out 50 library books and set out for a "course of study." Perhaps the most cumbersome part of this process is accumulating so much good information that you feel compelled to add it to your book whether it fits, is required, or is even interesting to anyone else but you. This is particularly true for fiction. Novels can be ruined by research. Information-heavy stories often seem contrived and can ring false, especially for younger readers.
Step Four. Now that you have your basics in place, you will want to add the flavor, the spice, those specific and unique details that make you and your reader feel "I really was there!" My favorite research technique is to travel, which I admit is not always the easiest to do, but travel doesn't always have to be out of the country. It can be as close as visiting the next town over. If you can take a trip, take your journal, make dated and continuous entries, and go to all the places that have nothing to do with tourism: grocery stores, schools, suburbs, post offices, banks, malls, apartment blocks, recreation centers, toy stores, houses of worship...in other words, all the places that make up a child's world in that particular setting. Record details with your five senses, especially if you visit any kind of local industry. And stay honest: if someplace is stinky--say so! Inquiring kids love the worst of details.
If long-distance travel is impossible, I've often found foreign consulates and embassies to be great sources of information. Not only do they have dozens of free publications they will happily give you, but many of them have excellent libraries and and photo banks for you to use as well.
Magazines, my source for all sorts of things such as collage and found poetry, are also pretty good when they're used the way they were designed: to be read! Writer's Market 
can be a starting point for finding industry-specific magazines with topics ranging from ice cream making to tropical pets to motor racing. And don't forget to clip out, arrange, and study the accompanying photos for details not included in the actual articles.
Step Five. Beyond the reference book. Sources such as cookbooks (children love to learn about weird food); foreign newspaper classified ads (What's for sale? How much does it cost? What kind of jobs are being offered?), and local chambers of commerce can all point you in a new and unexpected direction.
And then there are blogs. Here's where I think the Internet comes into its own. Sometimes it seems the whole world is keeping a blog, and that's not such a bad thing. Blogs, especially those written by young people and children, can be good sources for personal, day-to-day tidbits that you would never have been able to access in the past. Written by real teens and families, blogs tell real stories about aspects of life you could never make up.
Step Six. Round-up. Once your facts are in place, sift through and don't be afraid to discard anything that's boring or puts you to sleep. As a writer for children, always think in terms of, "What would I have loved knowing as a child?" As soon as you start thinking, "Children need to know..." or, "Children should know..." you're entering dangerous territory, one that borders on the moral tale: "And after her disobedience burned down the entire street, little Suzie never played with matches again..."
The best advice I've ever heard came from my first editor when I wrote my first book on New Zealand: "We want a nonfiction book that children will choose to pick up and read because they want to, not because someone told them they had to." Goes for pretty much everything we want to write, don't you think?
Tip of the Day. More than anything, children want to know about other children. They want to know what happens during a school day, what games children play around the world, what are the jokes, what pets do they have, the clothing, what do their houses or rooms look like? When reading for pleasure, children rarely care about how many tons of export products come from where, or the precise dates that mark the beginnings and endings of long ago wars. Keep your information interesting and you'll keep a child reading.
Back to School Special: My how-to book on writing, The Essential Guide for New Writers, From Idea to Finished Manuscript is now on super sale! Instead of $10.95, I've dropped the price to $5.95 plus FREE US shipping and handling, but only if you order direct from my website, http://www.valeriestorey.com/.
I wrote the book primarily for my workshops when a student asked if I had a book of my own to go with the course. It was at the end of one of my summer sessions, a hot Georgia night with a thunderstorm on the horizon. I was a little surprised by the question because I always provide workshop participants with loads of notes and photocopied handouts, as well as a thorough bibliography of other writers' how-to books. But there was something about the idea that intrigued me. Thinking on my feet, I found myself saying: "No book yet, but there will be. Soon." A few months later I went on to write and publish the book, and have used it in hundreds of workshops. One chapter, "Creative Conflict," even went on to be sold and reprinted in a textbook on video production.
The Essential Guide for New Writers is a book close to my heart. In many ways it could also be subtitled, "Notes to Me About Writing" and it's chock-full of everything I consider important to make your writing dreams come true, e.g., streamlined plot and characterization techniques; end-of-chapter writing exercises; easy synopsis and query letters tricks.
The Essential Guide for New Writers is a book for all writers, no matter your level of expertise. If you're just starting out, the book will help you get past those first-draft jitters and well on your way to having a finished, polished manuscript that's submission-ready. And if you're a writer with a few years of sales and experience behind you, there's nothing like sitting down with "beginner's mind" to refresh and charge up your creative batteries. As I like to tell my students, every time you start a new piece of writing, you're a new writer. The day you think you know it all could very well be the day you need to change careers.
Tip of the Day: Get your copy now while the sale lasts. Remember, this offer is only available through my website, http://www.valeriestorey.com/ and nowhere else. Happy writing!
Hi, Everyone! Guess what? Today I'm a guest blogger at Charissa Weaks, A Day in the Life of An Aspiring Writer. Sending a big thank you to Charissa for her lovely welcome and for providing us all with a great site to read and follow. I met Charissa through Twitter and I can't say enough about how happy that makes me.
Although it hasn't even been two years yet, I can't believe there was a time when I wasn't Tweeting, or blogging, or chatting to my friends at JacketFlap. And I'm always happy to meet more! Which brings me to the question many of my non-Tweeting, non-blogging writer friends ask me: How do you manage to find the time? The answer is that I don't find the time, I make it. Social media is important to me because:
- I am a writer and I love to share what I've learned or am learning about writing. My blog and my website valeriestorey.com are all about passing on information--for free. When I was starting out as a young writer, I was fortunate enough to be mentored by some great and well-known authors, now sadly no longer with us. I like to think I am helping to keep their legacy alive by passing on what they taught me. I enjoy talking writing, and I'll gladly talk to whoever wants to listen!
- Social media is a lot of fun. It's entertaining. I enjoy reading other people's blogs, especially the ones that are "mini literary journals." I try to add to the mix with my own efforts, e.g., things such as the collages that I put at the top of my posts.
- Social media has been very educational for me. I've learned so much, especially through Twitter. Every day I come across some amazing treasure trove of information, from tips on marketing and and writing, to collage techniques and the latest theories on Iron Age burial mounds. I love the buzz coming from creative and thoughtful people and I love being part of that conversation.
- And, finally, I do, ahem, have books to sell. I've sold a number of books through my contacts and various sites and I'm very, very grateful to those book buyers.
That said, it's really time for me to finish this post and get back to work on the WIP so I can have a new book to sell! Have a great day, friends, and be sure to go visit Charissa and see what's happening at her site.
Tip of the Day: The key to making social media work for you is to schedule the times of day or night you'll sign in. For instance, you might want to "reward" yourself with 10-15 minutes of Twitter for every five pages you write or revise; or perhaps you could give up watching 30 minutes of television to visit some blogs instead.
Housework. The word alone is one of the best cures for writer's block I've ever known. Just the thought of pulling out the vacuum cleaner can sometimes be enough to send me scurrying back to the WIP: "Got to finish this chapter first and then we attack those dust bunnies..."
The big problem, however, is that I can't stand chaos. I can't work in a cluttered environment, and unfortunately I don't live in a fairy tale world where the windows magically wash themselves and the broom sings Broadway show tunes. It's a dirty world and somebody's got to clean it--usually me.
To solve the dilemma I've come up with some fairly easy solutions that I hope can help you, too, the next time you're torn between giving up the chores or neglecting the manuscript:
- My biggest and best discovery in the whole world ever is microfiber cleaning cloths. I love them, adore them! I keep a huge stock of them in my linen cupboard and am always buying more. The best and cheapest way to purchase them is to get the ones from the automotive aisle at any discount store. For some bizarre and discriminatory reason "kitchen" cloths are priced several times higher than those packaged for the garage. The automotive cloths are the exact same thing and they're also sold in convenient bulk packs. Wherever you buy them, though, I think they are a miracle of modern science. They clean everything--I mean everything--with a minimum of detergents and other chemicals, sometimes none at all, and they leave surfaces streak-free. The best compliment I've ever received was right after I bought my first package. A visiting friend walked through the front door and said, "Wow, it looks like you have two maids. Everything sparkles!" Yes, indeedy.
- I've become so obsessed with these cloths that I usually have a damp one with me at all times, even in my office, ready for that "wipe down/clean up" break that I can accomplish in a few seconds flat.
- Having my cloths ready means I can always pick up after myself in a hurry, encouraging me to rarely let a mess accumulate. For instance, I wipe down the shower and sink every morning (takes all of 1 minute), or dust my desk "while I'm thinking." Some other little tricks that help me get through the mess are things like having plenty of waste baskets close by (throw that junk mail out the minute you get it!), and using satin padded hangers that make me want to hang up my clothes because it just looks so nice.
- I am also a dedicated minimalist--with the exception of my microfiber cloth collection, that is. I limit my possessions which means little to no clutter. My entire wardrobe could fit in a good-sized (well, okay, large-sized) suitcase, my books in just a few boxes. My new policy is I have to give away one book for every one I buy. If I'm not reading, wearing, or using an item, out it goes to the thrift store, friends, or trash.
- Lastly, I "reward" myself with housework. For instance, if I write for an hour, I can then vacuum, or dust, or do the dishes. That way I can stop thinking about chores while I'm trying to work on a new scene or chapter. My rule is I always have to write first--then I can take a break and clean whatever my heart desires. Writing between laundry and dryer loads is a great way to practice "timed writing," too.
- The benefit to all of these simple tasks is that my house and office are usually at a level that requires only a minimum of time and effort to maintain. And that means I have a lot more time available to write and pursue my other creative interests. Just call me "Eloise"!
Tip of the Day: Keeping a damp microfiber cloth in a plastic bag in my car or purse has been a true lifesaver more times than I can count. Whether I've used it to clean up from art classes when I've managed to get more paint on me than the paper, or needed to wipe sandwich mayo from my hands before putting a manuscript submission together at the post office, microfiber has become this writer's best friend.
Thank you for all the kind comments on my studio space. I enjoy hearing from everyone and it's been a pleasure to keep you updated. Now that I've finally moved into my studio, however, it's time to get to work. Thank goodness for my "image files." Without them I'm afraid I would still be sitting around admiring my shiny new tables and art supplies, so overwhelmed by ownership I could easily succumb to a bad case of "artist's block."
Image files are not something I keep on the computer. Instead these are my actual files of magazine cut-outs that I have safely stowed away in a wooden filing cabinet. For easy access, the files are divided into 6 distinct categories: People, Places, Animals, Things, Background Colors, and Artistic/Creative Inspirations.
Each category is stored in a plastic see-through, sealable folder and labeled accordingly. For instance, "People" is a collection of Old Master's reproduction postcards, magazine portraits of the famous or infamous, advertising photographs with unknown models, candid shots of family and friends, and hundreds of photos I clipped from magazines just because they were interesting to me. The poses range from the formal to the absurd to the surreal.
My "Animals" folder is full of baby wolves, dinosaurs, flying cats, as well as some very strange pictures of birds wearing evening dresses. "Places" includes scenes of the desert, a Hollywood mansion, a Gothic cathedral, and the interior of Hearst Castle. "Things," my general catch-all folder, is filled with stuff I love: big bright gemstones, unusual pottery, floral dresses, Egyptian artifacts… It's often the folder I use and fill most quickly.
"Background Colors" is my term for those amazing photo shoots you find in high-end glossies: giant roses covering a double-page spread, wallpaper samples, a fold-out insert of sparkling water. I call them "backgrounds" mainly because that's what I use them for, backgrounds to my collages or as the idea for a watercolor background wash.
My final file, "Artistic Inspiration," is another favorite. In it I keep photos of paintings, sculptures, furniture or clothing designs that encourage me to experiment with, or adapt (and yes, copy!) the ideas for my own work. All of these files together are great sources of pleasure and usefulness to me, especially on the proverbial rainy day, or when I just need a quick boost to get the writing/art wagon rolling. Some other reasons for keeping my files are:
1. I immediately have the basis for assembling a “visual novel draft" whenever I want to storyboard characters and scenes before I start writing.
2. Writer’s groups: I always have something to bring as a prompt for the times we write together or need a between-meeting writing assignment.
3. At home I am never without an instant writing/art prompt--no excuses!
4. I'm always ready to make a collage at the drop of a hat (not that I own that many hats to drop).
5. Same for painting or drawing at any time. I can also easily put a photo or two in my purse or sketchbook for when I'm on the go.
6. Dreaming: I love to just look through the various pictures and place them in strange combinations whenever I'm feeling stuck or too tired to start a serious project. It's a creative way to use time I might otherwise feel I've wasted.
7. You can quickly make a prompt journal or sketchbook as a special gift for a writer or artist friend. Simply paste in a small picture at the top or corner of each page, decorate the cover, and tie with a nice ribbon.
8. Create your own inspiration cards. Paste single pictures or mini-collages onto any size of cut card stock. Write an accompanying affirmation on the other side. Next time you need some encouragement, shuffle, pick a card, contemplate, and create.
9. Sudden, unexpected invitations to teach a workshop "tomorrow night." It happens, and I've never said, "No, thanks." Having my image files ready means I can produce an "instant talk" without obsessing about the limited time to prepare. I've used my images in numerous workshops on a wide variety of subjects, from finding your muse to researching a children's book.
10. Same with school visits; my image files have been great aids for engaging and helping kids to write.
11. Pictures you like can become the templates for your book covers, either when you need to make one yourself, or when you want to convey your ideas to a professional designer.
12. Help out a fellow creative. You just never know when someone might ask you for an image of a person, place, animal, or thing. It sounds weird, but there have been dozens of occasions when someone has said something to me, like, “I need a picture of a goldfish…” Hey, presto, I've got it!
Tip of the Day: Start your image files now. If you don't have a magazine subscription or an extensive collection of past issues, ask friends to help out--you'll be amazed how glad they are to clear their cupboards and shelves. Other good places to find magazines are at your library or thrift store.
