Today didn’t leave much time for writing. I spent most of the day in New York City attending the Broadway flea market for the very first time. As someone who has grown up with a deep appreciation of musical theatre and love being around Broadway, I try to go up and see you show at least once a year sometimes twice in the same day.
But today I went up into the city with one of my dear friends who loves theatre as much as I do. As we walked around Tines Square, we scoured through collections of rare and new memorabilia, posters, scripts, and vocal selections. We purchased hats and magnets – donating to a worthy cause, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
We spent the day walking around, just enjoying being in the city but by the time we left we were both exhausted. When I returned home there was still much to do, so I haven’t gotten a lot of writing done. Expect a lot of work on my fictional pieces to come in the days that follow. After all this is a journey and some days I’ll need to renew and refresh.
When Mother Nature speaks, I listen…well, sort of. I champion causes that seek to protect her shores, forests, and open spaces, but I seldom relish in them. In the past twenty years or so I’ve spent more time admiring them from afar than hiking, boating, ziplining, or camping. After all, going outdoors means mosquitoes, spiders, and snakes. Thank you, but no thank you!
As much as I’ve distanced myself from my maternally natural roots, I strangely enough made them a central theme of my YA novel. The forest provides shelters, comfort, and houses those who offer wisdom. Gardens inspire contemplation, exhilaration, and stimulation for my protagonist. Open water gives her safe passage to a new destination (don’t worry that’s not a spoiler!).
For today’s writing venture, I felt compelled once again to leave the house. I drove to a nearby park where I once spent many afternoons with family walking its trails and playing in the shallow end of the lake. I picked a spot right by the lake and started snapping pictures of the beauty of which I was a part.
Located in beautiful Bucks County, PA
Then, I opened my notebook, felt the cool breeze across my cheeks, and wrote feverishly. I imagined a new scene for the TV pilot idea still in its early stages and jotted down plot points. Once I felt comfortable that I’d resolved some story issues, I sat back against the wooden bench and gazed upon the towering trees in the foreground.
I apologized for my lack of attention to their needs and drafted a poem for this week’s Motivational Monday entry. It was at that precise moment, with the wind whooshing by, that I closed my eyes and realized my hypocrisy. If I am trying to convey a world built on respect for nature, yet I do not embrace or interact with it, then the flaws are more on my character not the fictional ones I’ve created.
As I journey towards turning “writer” from a self-proclaimed label to professional title, I’ve decided to give myself a focused challenge. Each day, from now until January 11, 2016, I hereby pledge to focus on my writings: novel, screenplay drafts, stage play rewrites, TV pilot scenes, etc. Documenting my progress each day will help keep me motivated, inspired, and determined to keep moving forward. If so inspired, join me along my journey by documenting your own!
Inspiration announced its presence as I tucked my young niece in to bed tonight. I read her a story, and she returned the favor. Before we said prayers, she grabbed her fake phone and called her parents to say goodnight. I listened to the “conversation” and grinned. She’s a storyteller, this one, and I’m so proud!
I went downstairs and wrote down as much of the phone conversation as I could remember. I love writing stories that feature children as their voices are so delightful to capture. Their inquisitive nature makes it fun to create their dialogue.
Imagination hard at work
Whenever i witness a child’s imagination in play, it reivigorates my creativity. My niece’s imaginative spirit showed through in the smallest of movements. Here’s a character who’s nowhere near fictional, inspiring me every time I see her.
I went scouring through old photos albums tonight, looking for a picture from when I journeyed with friends to see the Pope speak in Denver, CO back in 1993. Instead, I stumbled upon a photo much more precious and timely – my grandmother/godmother with me on the day of my baptism.
I smiled and sighed simultaneously, wondering how time passes so fluidly. “Can it really be 31 years since she died?” I flipped to photos of me making silly faces or ones of my trip to Nashville in 1997. Yet, I kept coming back to that one striking image. A snapshot of a time I don’t recall but of a woman whose influence on my life never lessened.
I sat at my laptop and wrote. I recalled the snippets of memory I have from the time of her passing and the story developed into one that revealed why I am so drawn to genealogy research: These men and women who lived before me impacted not only my life but that of everyone they met. Their existence was not merely categorized as wife, mother, in-law, or grandmother. They went to work during WWII, endured tremendous personal tragedy, and kept moving.
I don’t think I knew the depths of this need to explore their stories until I started writing my YA fantasy/magic realism novel. Though the characters are not mirrored after any one family member, I intentionally created children, parents, grandparents, and ancestral relations that are both flawed and strong.
My godmother journeyed on to begin a new path, and I know that our spirits will meet again someday.
Have you ever been fascinated by an ancestor’s story? Do your family members unintentionally inspire your fictional work?
As I journey towards turning “writer” from a self-proclaimed label to professional title, I’ve decided to give myself a focused challenge. Each day, from now until January 11, 2016, I hereby pledge to focus on my writings: novel, screenplay drafts, stage play rewrites, TV pilot scenes, etc. Documenting my progress each day will help keep me motivated, inspired, and determined to keep moving forward. If so inspired, join me along my journey by documenting your own!
As I journey towards turning “writer” from a self-proclaimed label to professional title, I’ve decided to give myself a focused challenge. Each day, from now until January 11, 2016, I hereby pledge to focus on my writings: novel, screenplay drafts, stage play rewrites, TV pilot scenes, etc. Documenting my progress each day will help keep me motivated, inspired, and determined to keep moving forward. If so inspired, join me along my journey by documenting your own!
#111DayWritersJourney
DAY ONE: Creative Inspiration Surrounds Me
I am a writer – a declaration I make at least a few times a day. However, some days that label fits more aptly than others. For instance, this evening I stared at the screen, pleading for inspiration to hit me like lightning. Alas, nothing resembling cohesive thoughts oozed onto the page. “I need to get out of the house,” I thought. “Time to talk a walk.”
Not a few steps from my front door, I stopped to take a picture of the moon against a beautiful grey-blue background.
I listened to the birds calling, music waffling from passing vehicles, and the distant sounds of children on the school playground. I drafted many versions of this blog entry as my feet touched the pavement, inspiration seeping in from every angle. I sat on a nearby bench and allowed my breathing to match with the wind. I captured many images, knowing the the camera wouldn’t do justice to the memory of the moment.
I returned to my laptop and my fingers danced across the keyboard. Like a musician strums a guitar, my hands ached to recreate the inspiration that I absorbed in less than 30 minutes time. I returned from my brief artistic exploration refreshed and renewed, ready to write! I am a writer, but does that title still hold true if I don’t write?
What inspires you when you get creatively stuck? Please comment below and share your own photos for creative inspiration.
Just in case you haven’t heard, the Pope is coming to Philly! This would be a bigger deal for me if Catholicism, or Christianity in general, still offered solutions to my spiritual needs. Quite a few years have passed since I last found solace in the religion which I once treasured.
For so many people that I love and value, this papal visit is monumental. They’ll flock to our city, rich with history, and celebrate in the presence of a man who represents and epitomizes their religious belief system. They find excitement, fulfillment, direction, and purpose in a doctrine that keeps them moving along their individual spiritual journey.
My spiritual path in Catholicism halted roughly fifteen years ago, and I stood lost and directionless for a time – afraid, alone, and abandoned. Then, I looked around at the beauty surrounding me and reflected inward. My artistic spirit smiled back, sending waves of motivation, inspiration, and stimulation throughout my being. I am a novelist, a singer, an actress, a playwright, a blogger, and a jewelry designer. I am a creative soul and that is what guides my spiritual growth.
So, while many of my neighbors will head to Philadelphia in celebration, I will journey to New York City for a day filled with musical theatre. My spirit soars in anticipation!
A community of writers, that’s what we are! A group of individuals with a story to tell and a skill set in which to convey said tale. However much time we may invest in sitting alone with our laptops/tablets/notebooks, interacting with fellow writers is just as important. I’m a firm believer in joining a writers’ group, as doing so has helped me develop my craft and strengthen my support system. Join a group in your area, or start your own! To step even further outside of your comfort zone, I recommend attending a writers’ conference. I recently attended my second one this year and came away rejuvenated. I wrote about my experience at the 2015 Philadelphia Writers’ Conference in June, so now it’s time to recap Story Expo!
Thank you to the Story Expo team!
With a plethora of course topics from which to choose, I decided to focus on the TV writing ones. After all, Los Angeles is the place to be for dramatic writing, so it made perfect sense to take advantage of the opportunity. As I move forward toward my TV writing goals, I now have more tools in my kit and resources at my fingertips.
I gained insight, developed a renewed appreciation for the craft, and learned more about the business end of the television industry. Each of the knowledgeable speakers provided the TV-writers-in-waiting with detailed information, helpful advice, and a solid base on which to stand as we navigate our preferred career path.
Choosing a path
Here are just some of the speakers/panelists who took time out of their busy schedule to share their expertise with Story Expo attendees!
In addition to the above speakers and conference presentations, Story Expo offered two panel discussions where attendees got to listen to TV writers and producers. On Day 2 of the conference, we were treated to a panel that included writers/producers Karen Maser, Jim Clemente, and Breen Frazier from the CBS drama series Criminal Minds along with Chris Barbour from Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. The following day, the TV Creators & Writers panel (Presented by Final Draft, Inc.) gave us with the chance to hear from four uniquely gifted writers in the television industry: Aaron Korsh (SUITS), Dave Andron (JUSTIFIED), Jonathan Groff (BLACK-ISH), and Philip Iscove (SLEEPY HOLLOW).
The courses and speakers reinvigorated my desire to keep writing, but the greatest source of inspiration came from the other writers I met this weekend. While I could have very easily been intimidated by so many others who are pursuing the same goals as I am, I found comfort in our shared interest. Yes, the TV writing industry is a competitive field. Yes, writing a TV pilot script, getting it in the hands of managers or networks, or being hired as a Staff Writer does not come easily or quickly. As I sat in the room with other TV-writers-in-training, I wished them well but also recognized that my story is just as valuable and important as theirs. The success of another in the room won’t impede my journey. If anything, it will inspire me to keep moving forward!
*DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the shows mentioned above. No endorsement by anyone associated with the shows, writers, or organizations implied.*
I soljourned this weekend to one of my favorite places in the United States – Los Angeles! Some say it’s a big city like all the others: loud, noisy, overcrowded with buildings and people. For them, that may hold true. I see it differently. I feel at home there, as though the artistic spirit flutters, pleading to soar free. I sense kindred spirits, creative energy, and a palpable electricity.
From the time I was quite young, I envisioned myself in an artistic career. I just didn’t know how it would take shape or where I would fit. I also suffered from a lack of self-confidence and belief that I could succeed and thrive in a harshly criticized world of entertainment. Would I get swallowed up by personalities more forceful and passionate? Would I let others walk all over me? Would I question my skills and value when confronted with someone who has more experience or expertise?
I let those questions impede my progression, never taking steps toward that journey. I think back to the young girl who dreamed big and lived small. I don’t know whether she would have lasted in the rumored cutthroat world, but the woman I am today moves forward with confidence in myself, my talents, and my value. I’m ready to learn, absorb, and connect in an industry I respect and admire.
Kelly Deeny 