Lessons From GLEE – Defying Gavity

January 27, 2010 by

(This post is short…even for me, but the message is huge)

I could do a whole article here about how I was late to the GLEE game, and how much I’m looking forward to second half of the season beginning in April. but that’s not really what this post is about. Last Saturday I had my MVRWA chapter meeting and gave a presentation on setting and achieving goals that included an array of videos (One of which I featured here last week.) But for a few weeks now, I’ve been using this song (from the GLEE Soundtrack, but originally from Wicked) as my own source of inspiration.

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I’m through with playing by the rules
Of someone else’s game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It’s time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

It’s time to try
Defying gravity
I think I’ll try
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I am defying gravity
And you wont bring me down!

I’m through accepting limits
”cause someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I’ll never know!
Too long I’ve been afraid of
Losing love I guess I’ve lost
Well, if that’s love
It comes at much too high a cost!

I’d sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I’m defying gravity
I think I’ll try
Defying gravity
And you wont bring me down!
(Repeat chorus)
Well, there really isn’t much more to say than that.

If you (or I) want today to change, then we must be the ones to make the change.

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , ,

Monday Musings: Writing it Longhand

January 25, 2010 by

So,at the end of last week I hit one of those walls. Even though I was closing in on the end of my draft, things stopped feeling right. It wasn’t that what I’d written was bad. Some of it showed real promise, but not for this particular journey or this moment in time.

I spent a good day arguing with that little voice in my head.  You know the whiny one that realizes going back, means throwing away about thirty pages. The one that’s afraid that what I’ll write the second time around is even ‘more wrong’ that what is already on the page. She tried to bribe the side of me that knew the truth with chocolate, encouraged her to keep going with the ‘shitty first draft’ ’till we hit those magical words the end, and then reevaluate.  Under normal circumstance I’d do just that, but this was one of those moments when I just knew I’d made a wrong turn. Going forward was only going to get me further lost.

As a safety net, I picked up a yellow legal pad and one of my purple pens and nestled in a cozy chair. If I just experiment with a few ideas, without hitting the magic delete button in my file, I could play with some scenarios without throwing away the old ones. If I didn’t come up with anything really good. I could start just moving forward  today.

But it didn’t take more than about 30 seconds to remember a truth I’d forgotten. Putting a pen to paper (at least for me) opens up something. It’s more intimate than typing at a keyboard. Slower–yes–and maybe it’s that forcing the brain to slow down a bit that helps spark new life. About 90 seconds after that realization, I found the new path. The right path. Today, I hit delete. (Okay, not really. I cut out the old text and paste it into a file labeled cut and save it for awhile, just in case).  Today I move forward on the right path.

Filed Under: Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

Vintage? Me?

January 20, 2010 by

I’ve always considered myself lucky. Even though I’m not ashamed to admit my love for the music of my youth–synthesizers and hand claps rock–I’ve allowed my tastes to evolve. I enjoy many of the same acts my kids do, and their friends are surprised when I can talk about the music they like or let them plug their iPod in when they’re riding in my car. So, it was a little unnerving for me to be at a local concert venue/nightclub frequented by late teens/young adults to see one my favorite bands…and be nearly the oldest person in the room.

But let’s hit the rewind the button and flash on a conversation that happened before me, the hubby, and the kids had even left the house.  My daughter was all decked out in her trip pants and funky vest, classic emo pop-punk attire. My son, a true dynamic opposite was what he called ‘the business side’ of punk rock as he was pointing out the differences in their wardrobe.

So then Mom asked a silly question. “What does that make me?” What was I wearing? Blue jeans and a simple black shirt. It was a concert afterall, not a night at the opera.  “Old school?” I offered. “More like Vintage punk.” He answered.

Vintage? “That’s cool. In a Skid Row kind of way, Right?”

“Skid Row? Is that a band or something?” He shot right back at me. It hit like an arrow to the heart. Had I failed somewhere along the way.  Nah, the kid is probably just messing with me.

Some people might take Vintage as an insult, (I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t meant as one.) but I don’t. Vintage is cool. Vintage comes back in style. People design whole rooms around vintage, when something is old, they just throw it away. Right.

So, yeah. Fast forward to where I started. For about 90 seconds I was feeling really bad about being in a neck and neck race with about six other people for ‘oldest person in the room’.  That is until one of the contenders start with the hatin’: Hollering out disparaging comments toward the lead singer. (Really, you came all the way out here on  a Monday night to hate on the band?”  And then contender number 2 starts going ape-shit over the slam-dancing in front of the stage. (Dude. Where did you think you were going?)  That is acting old! For sure!  Vintage? Vintage was laughing, joking, and dancing with the modern and hip around her.

Yeah…Vintage…I’ll wear that badge proudly.

Filed Under: Life, Music Tagged With: , , , ,

Monday Musings: Staying Motivated

January 18, 2010 by

It’ll be no surprise to anyone who reads this blog to know that I’m a ‘goals girl.’  I totally believe that in order to accomplish big things you need a plan of attack: A set of goals, and a plan on how to achieve them. After all, it’s been said that a goal without a plan is simply a dream.  Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with dreaming. I’d just like my dreams a whole lot more if they were my reality.

When the road is hard, and fraught with rejection, however, the motivation to keep pushing forward can dissipate. Good news or achieving small goals can help, but when your pursuing something so hard to achieve–like a publishing career–it’s hard to not let the demons get to you.  So, in preparing my presentation for the next meeting of my RWA chapter on setting and achieving goals, I’ve been looking into how motivation plays into all of that. Some great friends have been feeding me wonderful quotes and videos to use, but this one from the book Eat That Frog that I received yesterday seemed particularity apropos.

“By the yard it’s hard; but inch by inch, anything’s a cinch!”

Sometimes it’s so easy to forget that if you just take baby steps toward any goal, you’ll get there. You just need to keep taking those steps. Being someone who wants to see big results fast, this is something that’s easy for me to lose sight of. I’ll be the first one to come down on myself for not accomplishing enough, when I should be reminding myself that it takes all the pieces to complete the puzzle.

Another little tidbit I’m trying to remember this year is what matters most is how you finish. If we keep working step by step toward the goals we set, in the end we’ll finish strong.  Check out this little video below. (And to my chapter mates, yes you’re going to see it again on Saturday.)

Finnish Strong

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Monday Musing: Death of the Soap Opera

January 11, 2010 by

In the past year, two long-time soaps have been given the ax by the respective networks.  In the light of the cancellations of Guiding Light and As The World Turns, can any of the remaining daytime dramas feel safe, or should they all be either cowering in fear or figuring out a way to break out of the mold and meet the changing demands of their perspective audience?

Thirty years ago, soaps went through a heyday, especially General Hospital with the pairing of Luke and Laura (pictured left).  Suddenly the it thing to have was what became known as the super-couple–a pairing with undeniable chemistry who were fighting the odds to be together. It didn’t start as a pretty relationship, but fans ended up rooting for them despite the rocky beginnings.  But that formula isn’t working anymore.

Times change. Viewers change. And if the soap opera wants to rise up from extinction, it needs to change too.

Think about the prime time programming that is on today, and then compare it to what you were watching in the ’80s and 90s.  We don’t see shows that even resemble Mork and Mindy, One Day at a Time, or The Cosby Show. In the mid 80s we saw Falcon Crest and Dynasty (most likely a result of the popularity of the daytime drama) but when Soapnet tried to produce a nighttime serial spun from General Hospital a few years ago, it only lasted two seasons.

Despite it’s quick demise, I think General Hospital: Night Shift was ont0 something. Yes, I’ve sung it’s praises before in the features I used to write for Blogcritics: Making the Rounds at General Hospital and The Night Shift, but it’s worth mentioning again. The show–especially in it’s second season–took on some tougher and more gritty subject lines. Some even daytime still refuses to explore fully.  We watched a beloved character (Robert Scorpio played by Tristan Rogers) battle cancer, while on the daytime parent show a character (Alexis/Nancy Lee Grahn) was given lung cancer, only to have the treatment of such glossed over and be bestowed a miraculous recovery.

If the daytime serial is going to survive, I think it needs to take a lesson from the prime time counterparts. It needs to give viewers more real-to-life scenarios and do it in a well-written, timely fashion. It can’t rely on stunt guest appearances by large name actors if it can’t follow through with a decent story line. (note the recent failure of the James Franco appearances on General Hospital, no part of which is the responsibility of the actor.)

Unfortunately, and to the great disappointment of this viewer, I think the time has come where they must make big moves to change or go the way of the dinosaur. (And for the tie-in to writing) It all comes down to the writing: Believable story-lines, catered to the majority of the viewing audience (Women). THIS is what will save this endangered species.

Filed Under: Making The Rounds at General Hospital, TV, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

A Little Help From My Friends…

January 8, 2010 by

Writing is a solitary business, or so we’re told.

There are definitely pluses to that. How many other jobs let you celebrate Pajama Friday every week or take a coffee break whenever you feel the need to rev up the braincells. How many other jobs let you be completely flexible as to what hours of the day you work. But let’s face it as human beings, we tend to be social animals. No one wants to spend their life completely alone and shut off from the world. Thank goodness there are wrting groups and associations — both virtual and traditional — to allow us to communicate with each other and support each other.

Over the years, there have been times when I’ve had to work outside the home to help make ends meet or to preserve my sanity.  Without motivation or cause to leave my familiar four walls, I can become quite the recluse. I met my husband when I was away at college, and later moved to his hometown — away from family, friends and everyone I knew. Though I obviously kept in contact with those people, creating a new social circle was very hard.  Even twenty plus years later I say things like, “I don’t know where that is. I’m not from around here…which is rather inane, but a habit nonetheless.)

I’d started writing as a teen, but it was in those newlywed years that I began to actively pursue it as a craft and then later a potential career. About the same time my son was born, we were buying our first computer (Don’t get me started on the specs compared to the one I just recently purchased).  This was at the time when CompuServe was the provider of the day and the online experience consisted of bulletin and message boards.  But through those experiences, I began connecting with others on the same journy as me, and I began to discover that even though writing is something we do in solitude, being a writer doesn’t condemn you to a life of isolation.

Over the years I’ve belonged to several other virtual and traditional writing organization. I go to conferences. I take workshops and classes. I work everyday to improve my craft, but I also belong to these groups for the camaraderie, because talking to someone who understands what you’re going through is always comforting. This point was brought home yesterday at my Thursday morning ‘coffee club’ that we’ve lovingly begun calling ‘support group.’  We were there to help each other back on the horse and lift low spirits. We helped each other with plot issues and brainstorming, and recommended outlets to query.

This may be a hard road one takes when they pursue writing, but it certainly is easier with a little help from friends.

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

Flying by the Seat of My Pants

January 6, 2010 by

As hard as I try to be one of those writers who plots, outlines, organizes, etc. When I sit at the keyboard and attack a certain chapter or scene I’m truly flying by the seat of my pants. I take some comfort in knowing I’m not alone. After all, they came up with term ‘pantser’ for us on numerous email groups I belong to. That’s not to say I do zero prewriting, but it’s mostly focused on my characterization, major turning points and GMC (Goal, Motivation, and Conflict).

Aside from simply being the best way that I work, I really enjoy writing this was because having the story unfold in my mind, is almost as fun as reading anther’s. Learning as I write chapter 7 why a particular thing happened the way it did in 3 keeps the process fun, but there are also drawbacks, one of which I’m feeling stronger than ever on this work in progress. The more I’ve honed my skills and learned about structure, pacing, etc. the harder it is to keep moving forward.  There’s an urge to rewrite and rewrite a scene until I’m completely happy with it before moving forward to the next one.

Why don’t I indulge those impulses? Because I’ve learned from trial and error that at this stage in the process the most important thing I can do is move forward. My first draft is for getting the basic plot spilled out. It’s a skeleton of the story, and there are missteps and some sloppy execution, but that’s what the editing/rewriting stage is for. That process is much more methodical, and I may spend a day or more fine tuning a single page, but for the first draft I need to become like a horse wearing blinders and continue to look forward otherwise I become a a car stuck in the sand spinning my wheels.  When I feel stuck, I lose momentum, when that fades so does my inspiration.

In a little while I’ll be starting my writing session for today. I’m teetering on the front edge of the black moment and though I have an idea how the story is going to unravel once I get through the next 6,000 words or so I’m facing a black hole.  It’s a literal cross road where I stand indecisive as to which road to lead poor Erich down. In my first attempt, I may start a journey that will take me nowhere–to a dead end–if that’s the case, I’ll set aside the written pages in a new file and start again with a different path until I find the right one. The one that doesn’t feel like I’m sinking in quicksand but FEELS like it’s leading me toward the end of the story.

Yeah…it’s hit and miss but it’s a process that works for me.  And as my kids say, that’s just how I roll.

What’s your writing process and what are the pluses and minuses for you?

Filed Under: Writing Life Tagged With: ,

Monday Musing: New Year, New Goals, New Success

January 4, 2010 by

The dawn of a new year always becomes a time of reflection and planning: reflecting on what went wrong last year, and focusing on ways to make it better. For those of us trying to break into competitive careers, this renewal phase can be a very important time. It’s time to breath, lick our wounds from past rejections, but for me it’s been about how to fix what I did wrong and do it right this year.

This quote came through to my e-mail on January first, and rung true to the way I feel:

“Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose.” Lance Armstrong



So…yes, I will make all the normal lists of resolutions. I’ll try to eat better, get into shape, write 2,000 words a day when I’m in the writing stage of a project and edit x number of pages when I’m in the editing and rewriting phases. I’ll keep a watchful eye on some medical issues and strive to stay in the best health I can. I’ll blog at least three times a week (and work to make them relevant and witty). BUT what I really need to do is start each day with purpose and a course of action.

Lazy, wasted days don’t get me one step closer to my goals.

Even with all the right talents, if I don’t commit to ‘working the plan’ every day, I won’t move forward.

So my biggest resolution of the year.  The one written out and taped in clear, plain view is that Armstrong quote.  Hey, he was able to achieve great things in the face of great adversity with this plan. If he can do it, so can I.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , ,