Time to Write

New Media - Old Media

It's always interesting to look at things from a different perspective, and one of the most delightful examples I've encountered recently is a letter in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Technology Review, written by a subscriber named Jonathan R. Birge, of Cambridge, MA. Here's part of it:

"I'm convinced that if the technology of written media had somehow developed in reverse, after centuries of reading articles on the Web, we would have heralded the invention of the printed magazine as a revolutionary breakthrough. Portable, high contrast ratio, resolution beyond the limits of human vision, and the ultimate in a tactile, flexible interface. Technology Review would be filled with articles trumpeting the end of the drudgery of scrolling through pixelated articles shackled to heavy devices, and humanity's liberation by the invention of 'multi-layer nano-imprinted organic media.' It would spawn a print bubble in the stock market. Too bad such a good thing suffers from being invented too long ago to be sufficiently appreciated."

Writing: Where to Start

On the Fast Company blog, Executive Coach Doug Soundheim related this story about a friend of his who dreamed of writing a novel:

"A close friend was stuck in this place regarding a novel he wanted to write. One day I asked him, "If you were going to start the book, what's the first thing you'd do?" He said, "I don't know." I said, "Think harder." He said, "Well I'd probably write a brief overview of the storyline. Is that a good place to start?" I said, "I have no idea, I've never written fiction. Do you know anyone who has?" He answered, "No." "Could you find someone?" I asked. "I don't know." "Think harder." "Well, I could talk to..." To make a long story short he took the ball and ran with this clarification process. It's now 12 months later and he just finished his first draft."

Sundheim's point is that sometimes you just have to start, before you really know what you're doing. If we wait until we know what we're doing, most of us will never do it. Of course his friend could easily have consulted a book about how to write a novel (there are about a hundred out there...) or he could have gone to My timetowrite.com site :-) ...but the crucial point is the way to start is to start.

It's too easy to get paralysis by analysis. I've recently read so many things about marketing on the internet and gotten on so many mailing lists that are bombarding me with offers that I was like a deer caught in the headlights. Now I've decided on two strategies to focus on for a while--one is writing articles that are distributed on www.ezarticles.com, the other is to get my podcast ready to launch next month. Once I have these two well in hand, I'll pick another thing to add. Maybe you can relate! If so, join me--just pick one thing, and get started. We'll find the right path, maybe by going down a few wrong ones!

The Courage to Create

At the beginning of each year there are a handful of books I like to revisit because I seem to find new meaning in them every time. One of these is THE COURAGE TO CREATE, by Rollo May. I thought I'd share a few of his thoughts :

...courage is not the absence of despair; rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.

...if you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself. Also you will have betrayed our community in failing to make your contribution to the whole.

...a man or woman becomes fully human only by his or her choices and his or her commitment to them.

It is (a) seeming contradiction that we must be fully committed, but we must also be aware at the same time that we might possibly be wrong.

Creative courage...is the discovering of new forms, new symbols, new patterns on which a new society can be built. Every profession can and does require some creative courage.

....(the) alternation of the market place and the mountain requires the capacity for the constructive use of solitude. It requires that we be able to retire from a world that is "too much with us," that we be able to be quiet, that we let the solitude work for us and in us.

...the artist and poet and saint must fight the actual (as contrasted to the ideal) gods of our society--the god of conformism as well as the gods of apathy, material success, and exploitative power.

...the essence of being human is that, in the brief moment we exist on this spinning planet, we can love some persons and some things, in spite of the fact that time and death will ultimately claim us all.

***
He has a lot more to say--if the notions above appeal to you, I recommend you buy the book.

Writing and the Critics

  Here's a little story to remember the next time somebody's words of criticism of your work (whether in a formal review or an off-hand remark):

According to Nicholas Clee, writing in the (London) Times, once a Swedish writer wrote a scathing review of a crime novel called The Power of Fear, by Britt-Marie Mattsson. The problem is that although the book was listed in the publisher's catalogue, it was never actually published. Confronted with this fact, the reviewer said he "got worked up in advance about Mattsson because I detest her so very greatly." Oops.

If negative reviews get to you, make a little sign that reads,

"It's only their opinion."

And if it still bugs you, remember this critic who shot down something that never existed.

The Power of Persistence

You may have noticed the little key labeled "persist" in the left hand column. Yes, it's kind of a cliche, but it also happens to be great advice (of which I have to remind myself from time to time...). I'm always interested in examples, and found another one recently in an article in The New Yorker, about the "Bratz" dolls that have taken over Barbie's number one spot.

In January of 2001, the entrepreneur behind it, Isaac Larian, showed a rough version at the Hong Kong toy fair and Toys R Us placed an order; in October, they cancelled the order because initial sales were so poor.

Decision time: redouble efforts or give up?

Larian borrowed money to pay for more ads. By Christmas, the dolls were a hit. In the five years since, 125 milllion Bratz dolls have been sold. One hundred twenty-five million.

This may not be cheering news for parents (The New Yorker writer Margaret Talbot wrote, "They look like pole dancers on their way to work at a gentlemen's club"), but it's a great testimony to the power of persistence, for writers or anybody else.

Creativity In Action

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When you have five or six minutes, have a look at this slide show/audio commentary. It's from the New York Times and features Roberta Smith's musings about several paintings. When I watched it, I realized how long it has been since I've taken time just to look at a painting--and long enough to really think about it, rather than giving it a glance and moving on to the next one.

I'm not sure how long this feature will be up on the New York Times site, so do have a look now if you're interested.

Writers: Are You Getting Out Enough?

Writing Success: Sometimes It's A Matter of Timing

Recently  an email from my friend, Phil Doran, revealed that the film rights to his book, The Reluctant Tuscan, have been bought by John Travolta and his actress wife, Kelly Preston. They had been looking for some time for a story that would have good roles for both of them.

In the vein of A Year in Provence or Driving Over Lemons, The Reluctant Tuscan is a charming, funny, heart-warming read. But it's not necessarily a book you'd immediately think would be adapted for a major film star. It was in the right place at the right time.

Another friend of mine had a script that had been rejected several times. Then word got out that two major young Hollywood male starts wanted to do a picture together, and my friend's script happened to have two very strong male roles for actors in that age range. This time his script led to a bidding war and an option fee to him of half a million dollars. Shortly thereafter the two stars decided not to work together and the option was never exercised. Even though it's very good, the script still has never been made--but my friend kept the half million dollars.

My feature film, The Real Howard Spitz, was nearly made half a dozen times in the 13 years between when I wrote it and when it finally really was made, directed by Vadim Jean (whose adaptation of Terry Pratchett's The Hogfather showed on UK TV very recently). Those half-dozen "nearlies" were bad timing, and then finally we were able to get Kelsey Grammer attached--he'd just come out of rehab and was looking for a new project: good timing!

If you have a book, script, or other project that hasn't yet sold, hang in there--its time may be just around the corner.

Writing Solutions (not Resolutions)

I’m not a fan of limiting the determination to change to early in January. But since this is the time when a lot of people do think about how they might like their New Year to be different from the one just past, it’s a good time to say a word about this. It’s actually a phrase you’ve heard from me a lot: “do something different.” Here are the steps to follow if there’s an aspect of your writing (or life) which you’d like to change:

1-Identify what the situation is like now. Be as specific as possible.

2- What did you do (or not do) this past year that is responsible for how this situation is now?

3- What will you do differently in order to get the outcome you want?

4- What do you need to do in order to be sure that you can actually follow through with what you’ve specified in the previous step? What resources (time, money, help from others) do you need? How will you get them? Is there anything you need to give up or stop doing in order to free these resources?

5- Do the different things for a month.

6- At the end of each month, return to step one and cycle through the steps again.

Rather than trying to change lots of things at once, you might try selecting one thing and following the six steps. Once that thing has changed to your satisfaction, choose another change you’d like to make. If you do this for a year, you’ll be gratified by the end of the year at how much you have achieved.

(Note: this is one item on my Dec 06/Jan 07 Brainstorm e-bulletin--there's no charge for this usually-monthly creativity and productivity e-bulletin, and you can sign up at www.timetowrite.com)