My latest short. This was an idea I wrote in August of 2010. I wrote out a description in the video summary.
There is no point in my getting into the description. It will speaks for itself. Enjoy. If you like it, send it to others who might need a laugh.
Walking is not just good for overall health. It is good for writers who are looking for a few extra minutes to develop ideas in what few brain cells we have not burned out.
I take some justifiable pride in how much I devote to my overall health physically and mentally. Since around 2000, I gradually started to take more of an interest in improving my personal health in small steps. Best thing about this whole process is every time I set myself back, it seems I always find ways to take several more steps forward.
Gotta love self-redemption.
This particular Saturday I found myself wanting to find a different way to exercise that might be a little bit out of the norm. I dressed up appropriately for the cold and went for a long walk. It was well worth it. During the brief tour of the area I am currently based, something I remembered reading on Twitter jumped out at me as an sub-topic that needed to be included in my book manuscript.
I was looking forward to an afternoon of work. So after recording audio for my latest short film, My first book manuscript visited me again. It is an old friend I have come to cherish and love dearly considering the investment of time that went into working on it.
Today, this book I have written has eclipsed the 27 thousand word mark. It is one of those moments where the pride of being a writer just magnifies itself tenfold.
At my home office desk is a wonderful list of ten daily habits that make a good writer. Off hand I forget where they came from, but I treasure the wisdom contained. The first thing on that list is to eat healthfully, the second is to be physical.
To my colleagues reading this, by all means please remind me who sent this to me and who is credited with writing this great list.
The other eight things on this list are worthy of observation for another series of posts altogether. Today was a great reminder of the two I mentioned. Seems that a clearer mind is a great assist to great content creation.
Write 4 Life and Live 2 Write
It’s one of those mornings. Maybe it’s one of those weeks.
Certainly would be a good day to land at Grand Central for lunch. Man, I reflect fondly on those times.
Grand Central refers to a home in Trenton where my Grandfather still lives, the home he shared with my Grandmother for much of their life together. Before I left Nova Scotia, my daily routine had included a noon-time visit to their home almost 5 days a week. I was in the midst of taking a course in town which only went until around noon. After that I usually made a point to land at or just before noon. I ended up having lunch there at least 3 days of the week. My Grandmother especially cherished those moments just as much if not more than I did.
I was still consuming an appalling amount of Pepsi and Coke at the time, so she started upping the amount that she kept around the house. Not just for me though, although I’m certain I ended up drinking most of the stock every week.
As years have gone on, a few things have changed. My grandmother is no longer with us, I have replaced the colas with tea, and am much more mindful of what I eat not just wish sandwiches, but with the rare sweet that may go with it.
Every time I return to this house it has become tradition that I take a walk through it and remember what I can about the different rooms. The back yard is still a sprawling open area where their dogs ran freely near a bountiful garden. As much as I miss being close to this house, the memories are stronger than the missing.
The seemingly down moments in this business can be turned into the most sobering and uplifting.
Last night I started to picture what a recovery room would look like, full of some of the people whose work I respect and admire. Further, I picture how each of these great talents might have gotten through a few brief minutes of lost self-confidence the easiest way possible. By continuing to work. A writing recovery room is just a state of where you might be feeling while trying to work, and a place where writers can have themselves working through the “blocks”.
Christopher Hitchens was one of the most prolific word arrangers the community has ever had. Within hours of hearing of his passing in December, I was listening to an interview with one of his close friends who mentioned that “Hitch” was literally working almost up to the last possible time when he could not work no more. He insisted on having a writing desk near his hospital bed in order to continue working. Part of me thinks that Hitch may rarely if ever had to spend any time in his own writing recovery room. Given how prolific his output has been, perhaps any moments of misguided literary energy were short-lived.
One of the books I am currently reading is the brilliant “Iron Man” from Metal Legend and Black Sabbath co-founder Tony Iommi. Thanks to this book, I have been reminded of finding brilliance in moments of the unexpected. Could only really imagine what it would have been like to be in the room while they were trying to come up with something while under a tight studio timeline and budget. Mind you, this is under a different type of circumstance. Seems like going to the Pub was part of the band’s writing recovery. They might have been on to something. A pint or shot of something is surely not always the best way to get things going again. But it has worked for a few people.
One of my favourite ways to recover from a lack of professional self-confidence is contained within one of my favourite movies. “Stranger Than Fiction” should absolutely destroy any “blocks” for anyone. I relish in the brilliance of Emma Thompson as she portrays a novelist pushing through a long-overdue manuscript for her publishers. You must see this to get where I am coming from. No point in going through the whole screenplay here!
Time best spent in the writing recovery room should be spent seeking out inspiration in between work or while working. Humour never fails to ignite something in the few brain cells I have. Retreating to reading also helps many, as it is certainly helping me.
I think everyone in this business has their down moments. Lesson is to learn how to turn those down moments around. Grab paper or turn on a computer screen and write out your thoughts until you come across an idea worth developing. Turn a failed article into a fab opportunity to sharpen skills and re-build. Find that favourite movie, episode on television or book and really study the lines in it that get you thinking or laughing. Write it all down, and then some.
Find comfort, find yourself, and regain the voice that seemed temporarily lost.
Coming soon to my Twitter Account @WriterDann , I will be periodically writing out #Trendstories.
Concept
Monday morning, I was very amused by the order of which trends appeared on Twitter. So much so I improvised a short few sentences based on the order the trends appeared. It turned out to be really funny. So, whenever I see a good trend list I will improvise something and write it out on the spot. There is no real goal here except entertainment. I also hope it might spark some improv from a few others on Twitter. It’s like being a comedy writer using as little actual words as possible.
My plan is to not just stick to trends that may be happening in Canada. I will periodically check out trend lists from other countries and even regional lists, and take it from there. You will see those tweets tagged with #Trendstories and if necessary the respective region the list is drawn from.
It will be lots of fun and I hope some of you can join into the madness. No doubt will come up with some funny stuff in due course.
Surely you would think I have learned to never write on little sleep by now after all this time in the game. Brain never stops working. A major mistake I have made is having any caffeine later into the evening even from a mild blend of tea. This is taking a mild form of speed. Logic sometimes completely escapes me on a few of the evenings that I work.
I was just about asleep at the helm of my office when a client sent a payment for some work I did this past weekend. It woke up my bank account and it woke me up for all of about 5 seconds. Caving in, I dragged myself away from the desk craving a duel with a Vegas Blackjack dealer. Settled for a battle with a computerized Android based application. Apparently I had ten thousand dollars left, but won on a stood hand of 12 while the dealer drew to 17. With twenty-thousand dollars of fake money, I could make a few fake car payments I suppose.
I seriously doubt I would ever drop that high amount of real money on a single hand of Blackjack….
