9144.9.5

Life is art’s greatest inspiration and its most deadly enemy.

This week, while I enjoyed much time with friends, soothed my inner pyromaniac, watched a Firefly marathon, and overall served as a courteous host, I barely cracked a book or wrote a word. And now, of course, I have the shameful task of admitting that for all the time I spent this week, none of it was recorded, and any ideas that may have feebly germinated are now, in all probability, toast.

I did manage to catch a toad for my wife’s enjoyment, however. And make the acquaintance of neighbors that we have been neglectful to meet for the past eight months or so.

So, while I can say with conviction that I performed the part of an upright American citizen with sufficient success this week, I failed rather miserably by letting my life get in the way of creativity.

And yet… and yet…

Lost things, lost time, lost inspiration – seeds of work yet unbegun.

I should very much like an anvil with a sword in it that I might pull out.

Read Full Post »

9138.13.4

I have a wife named Amanda, and she helps me immensely in my attempts at creativity. Having someone to critique your product is vital, whether you produce lima beans or literature. She’s the first line of defense between my brain and the rest of the world. If you should meet her, please thank her for protecting society from me.

My community of friends also forms a large contingent for helping to refine my ideas. Erik and Angela, with their wonderful (and accredited!) grasp of literature and all things related to grammar and lore, as well as forming the backbone of my RPG career, which has certainly done wonders for developing my storytelling talent. PJ is one of my immediate go-to guys when I need to discuss something I’ve read or seen, or just need a suggestion for what I may be lacking in my library. Micah, who is equally comfortable living in Hamlet’s head or having the Mad Hatter live in his own head, is always willing to take the random absurdities of life and spin them about in a most diverting fashion.

Anyway, tonight I’ll be introducing two new people to our home-brew version of D&D, which has been a fantastic tool for me over the past few years. Watching the characters interact without being under my direct control brings a fresh look at how people think and move. It’s much less “What would I do?” and more “What could possibly be done?” I’m anticipating a shotgun/sandbox evening, allowing the players to do mostly whatever they want without too many restrictions. I’ve a tendency to railroad plot over play, so I’ll be actively fighting against that.

And now to go sympathize with my wife’s Red Panda addiction. Better that she be obsessed with Ailurus fulgens than, say, dextrorotatory methamphetamine.

Read Full Post »

ineo

Have you ever experienced that little burst of inspiration when an idea hits your brain, ripe with potential? For me, it’s like a flash of brilliance, as though I’ve been showered with a bit of genius that might become something wonderful. Terry Pratchett’s explanation strikes me as very accurate, in a metaphorical sense: “Little particles of inspiration sleet through the universe all the time traveling through the densest matter in the same way that a neutrino passes through a candyfloss haystack, and most of them miss.”

I want to put down in writing the ones that don’t miss.

I’ve written bits and pieces of poetry, started fictions that have sometimes been finished and sometimes haven’t, experienced day-to-day things that have been far more meaningful than anticipated, and made the occasional film that was probably contemptible to most but very significant to me.

Also, I’ve found amazing stories in books, in movies, in songs, in advertisements, in video games, and in overheard scraps of conversation.

So here is the place that I’d like to catalogue the candlesparks, those glimpses of creativity that could probably be so much more.

Read Full Post »