Apologies & a Break from Writerly Woes

Now that I'm back to school, it's going to be harder than ever to post regularly. I'm considering decreasing my posts by half, for at least a month or two. But I'm still working on the final decision.

This week, I don't have time to write a proper post, but I'd still like to share something. (That is, besides updates on my various writerly woes, which I know you must be bored of.)

So here you go! - some of my current inspiration:

or: vimeo.com/36588368

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Regina Spektor: On Growing Up A 'Soviet Kid'

Interview by NPR

Is It Time To Redefine Your Goals?

Hey, guys.

Lately I've been trying to head in new directions, with my writing and the blogs. For example - you might've noticed visual changes to both Writer, Bewildered and Roses & Mustard. I've been mixing and matching colors, backgrounds, and graphics to improve the looks of the sites and (hopefully) increase blog traffic.

Writing-wise, I've made a huge decision: I'm sticking to short stories.

While I was in Paris, I wrote a short story entitled "At the Zoo." I'm very happy with it because I think it marks - or I'd like it to mark - a change in my writing habits. This past year was a dry one, creatively. I produced barely anything. I wasn't committed enough - I didn't make the necessary time and energy sacrifices.

I want to change that this year by redefining my goals. I've been so focused on idea of a novel, but it's now that I'm finally realizing the truth: I'm not ready for a such a lengthy project. If I want to get anything written, I need to set smaller, manageable goals - that is, short stories by given dates.

The other change I'm making is plot-wise. I've spent the last several months developing characters for my early-twentieth century story. (It's switched from 1945 to 1922 and back again more than once.) But none of my characters have had the right spark. I've liked them, but never loved them. And this week, I finally figured out where I went wrong.

I don't really want to invent my own characters. A story I find much more compelling is the life of Anna Akhmatova, my favorite poet since I was 12, when I first discovered poetry. I'm interested in her relationship with first husband Nikolay Gumilev and her brief affair with Amedeo Modigliani - which took place in Paris. I've made my first goal to write about her and Modi's time together.

What are your goals? Do you need to redefine them, or have you had to in the past?

Oh! - last but not least, I'm heading off to the UK for 2 more weeks. I doubt I'll have time to post on the trip, but I'll see you again September 9th.

And did I mention my Kindle got broken? Well, my Kindle got broken. I might blog about the experience when I return...

Oh, Commitment

If you know me, it's no secret that I have troubles with commitment. I'll promise to write a blog post on Sunday and wait till Tuesday, promise to spend an hour with the WiP and spend 15 minutes writing a paragraph...

So. Commitment issues.

As every serious writer knows, it's not easy to complete every task we set ourselves up for. Writing can be a stressful process. It takes time, which those with full- or part-time jobs may find lacking. Personally, I find myself with an average of at least 2-3 hours of homework each night, plus 1 hour walks in the morning and at least 1 hour of community service activities every week day (from tutoring to Honor Society to a school community service club.) That's a lot to juggle, and I often don't get nearly as much sleep as I'd like. (I usually get about 6 hours of sleep during the school year.) My habits aren't healthy - I gain weight, feel stressed... and my writing is also affected. It's difficult to write every day - some days, I simply don't have the time, or am so tired that forcing words out is no more than an unpleasant chore.

So how to keep up productivity? In my view, morale comes first. So put in place a reward system. Write a poem and grab a bowl of ice cream. Finish a chapter and spend some time catching up on your favorite TV shows. And that brings me to an important point - don't neglect friends and family. Remember: writing is important, but you have a life to live! (Besides, experiences equal inspiration. I don't know about you, but most of my writing is somehow inspired by my experiences. Important events leads to new plots. My characters may be shaped by fictional characters, but for the most part they're based on myself and my interactions with friends and family.)

How do you stay committed to your writing? Do you use a reward system? What's your trick for balancing writing and life?

How Much Does Prose Matter?

Hemingway in 1939

How much does prose matter?

It's a question I've been thinking about lately. How important is the actual writing of your story - not simply the plot, characters, et cetera... but the words?

I was thinking about this largely because of Hemingway and what I've been reading of him. He hated Jews, gays, probably women... - and it did tend to seep into his writing. But he's nearly always ranked as one of the greatest American writers out there!

Why? Well, he could definitely tell a story! But he became great because of his clean, understated prose - a style he developed as a journalist during WW1. You may have heard of his "iceberg principle" - writing a piece but taking out all unnecessary detail. The effect is an iceberg - only a little is visible (read), but a whole lot hangs under the water (is implied and understood.)

I was thinking of this, additionally, because of Milan Kundera's novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." I've been reading it quickly and quite a bit. Kundera's complex characters have won my heart, as well as the work's style. It's a "novel of ideas", presenting existential notions to explain its characters pasts and how their histories affect their actions.

So how much does prose matter? I've been learning that a strong voice and style can definitely influence the power of a work. It can make a serious subject seem silly, or the reverse. It can make an irritatingly quirky character curious. It can make a scene heartbreaking beautiful or sickeningly melodramatic.

What are your thoughts on the power of prose?