Excellent article on drafts and the studio system.

This was just so good and timely that I had to link it. It's a brilliant examination on first drafts, rewriting, and the journey of a script though a studio system. Read it:

http://livingromcom.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/04/first-thought-best-or-worst-thought.html

New Website To Check Out

My cousin, whom I've mentioned in previous posts, built a new website that will serve as the home for his art and writing. Check it out:

http://www.onlythecontentmatters.com

If you click through the links, you'll be able to find some of the previous short stories he's written. As an avid short story reader myself, I hope he adds more!

I also laughed when I read the "About" section. His humor always gets to me.

Artwork Update

The Artist kicks an epic amount of ass. I'm not even sure planet Earth contains the sufficient amount of asses to meet her quota of asskickery. She might have to branch off into other solar systems and start kicking alien-life-form-ass, just to satiate and balance the amount of awesomeness she radiates. That's just how it is.

So why am I singing the praises of The Artist again? Well, as of today I have seen two versions of in-progress art for Magic In Dogtown. I'm blown away by them. She's pure talent.

You have to understand, I had a vastly different idea for the artwork when I first approached her with the prospect of creating something for the novel. At that point I'd seen the CD cover she designed, and a series of intricate studies posted on her website. They were very detailed and had an indescribable type of mathematical precision to them that was instantly appealing.

So when I met with her the first time, I handed her a few ideas I had for what the artwork could entail. I envisioned a series of small, quick sketches, (the main one being of a solitary vagrant under a dirty street light) which I described to her the best I could.

That was last year. Since then The Artist has read sections of the story to get a sense of the mood, and has come up with a portrait of a gritty, urban cityscape that, even in her preliminary drafting stages, completely bowled me over. I've stared at them for hours and my eyes still pick up new cool details and secrets. If I could, I would post them up here, but I want them to remain hers and not the property of "The Internet". Thus, their reveal shall have to wait.

In the meantime, I can say this though: The Artist totally kicks ass.

My Moments of Madness Sometimes Amuse Me

So I'm reading through my rough draft for the first time, marking all the things I want to change with pen, when I stumbled upon something towards the end of the book. It was just one word, but it caught my attention:

blarg

Written just like that, in a paragraph entirely of its own. No capitalization or punctuation. It had nothing to do with the story or dialogue or... anything, really. But it's in there, and I definitely wrote it. It's also in the first printed draft that I packaged for the girl the book's dedicated to, who's probably scratching her head over it just like I am.

Thing is, I have no memory of writing it, nor do I have any idea as to what idea I was trying to convey.

You have to understand... by that point, the birthday deadline was looming, and I was up writing around 5,000 words a night on top of a full-time job. I was hip-deep in madness and exhaustion. I was probably seeing leprechauns dance across my computer screen at the time. Playing the bagpipes while dancing naked in the streets were most likely distinct possibilities to my fried brain that night.

Still, when I read it just now in my first read-through of the rough draft, I burst out laughing. It's definite proof that writing and insanity are one and the same. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

First Draft Done

Yup.

The past few months have been insane in the push to get it finished in time, "in time" being the birthday of the person the novel's dedicated to. To write it by the deadline, I had to kiss instant messaging, facebook, and a few of my other favorite distractions goodbye for a little while. This decision, in turn, positioned me to take the brunt of a few "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" rants. My apologies go out to those people! It wasn't personal!

Also, because the girl who the book is dedicated to reads this blog, my online writing got pretty slim there for awhile, because I know she would be smart enough to pick up any hint or slip whatsoever that would reveal my intentions. I wanted it to be a surprise, and luckily I was successful in that respect.

So, was it worth it? Most definitely, because she is worth it. If it weren't for her, the novel wouldn't exist in the first place. She deserves all of it and more. I'm so happy and relieved it all worked out.

So now that the rough draft is done... what now? Well, for starters, a MASSIVE amount of editing and rewriting. First drafts are always shitty, and I will be spending a lot of time, erm... de-shitifying the story as much as possible. The first draft is about getting the damn thing written, now I can concentrate on the voice, flow, pacing, and detail of the story. As much as I love writing, I enjoy this part of the process as well.

Also, since the secret's out, I'll be updating this site more often. I'm sure all of the two or three people who actually read this are overjoyed.

Stay tuned. More updates soon.

The Saint of Fort Washington

Homelessness being a reoccurring topic on here, I thought I'd bring up an excellent film centering on the topic that recently got a huge boost in availability via Netflix.

I'm talking, of course, about The Saint of Fort Washington.

Talk about an under-appreciated gem. I heard about it from a friend through facebook who saw it outside of the U.S., but when I went to look for copies of it... there were none to be found. Try looking it up on Amazon sometime. The only copies you'll find (if there are any left to be found) of the movie are non-USA import discs. I had to buy one of the import DVDs and play it on a multi-region player. The Portuguese subtitles and picture quality were a little distracting, but the movie blew me away regardless of those minor nuisances.

The performances all knock it out of the park. The cinematography is extremely effective. Some of the shots of the homeless shelter are a hit in the gut; both amazing in scope and heart-wrenchingly sad. The story is both grim and inspiring. It really should've got more attention than it did. I get frustrated whenever I think about all the awards it should've received.

It's still not available on Region 1 USA DVD, but recently Netflix was awesome enough to make it available on Instant Watch, which means if you're a subscriber, you can view the film directly from your computer.

So yep... go and watch it. You won't regret it. Here's the trailer if you want a taste.

Still Alive

Yep, still here. My goal has been to write around 2,000 words per day, and I'm actually not doing so bad! I saw this quote from the 2005 movie adaptation of Factotum, and found it particularly inspiring:

Henry Chinaski: If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs. And maybe your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance. Of how much you really want to do it. And you'll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods. And the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.
- Factotum - (quote found here)
So try. Write and create with fire and endurance. I'll be over here attempting to do the same.