Stealing the Show

Who Made This?

In the land of make believe (whether this land is on paper, canvas, or instrument) I find that someone or something often times steals the show. It irks me. Aren’t I the creator? Aren’t I the one calling the shots and making something from nothing? 

When deep in thought my fingers suddenly start to move on their own and characters direct the scene, paint lands where I didn’t want it to, and the instrument moves as though possessed. The vision in my mind is no longer my own and I get so angry it makes me stop. I’ve been known to try and force it back the way it logically should be. 

What happens? It get’s worse and not better. What’s going on?

I’m finding that creativity is a force that has no qualms about disobeying me. It seems like an impossible notion because the result does come from me. The thing, the art, the experience was all mine but why does it feel as though someone else has stolen the show? It’s because there is a lack of control. For me, as I’m sure it is for many people, being able to control my life is what makes it less intimidating, less fearful. Let’s face it. There are a lot of things in life that are out of our control. When I am faced with the decision to create something in order to overcome my fears, which are vast, I have to convince myself that it will be as I say it will be. 

The truth?

Creativity cannot be controlled. 

Fly. Soar. 

Creativity must be enjoyed, loved, and sought. To try and harness such a dynamic energy will always be met with failure. It has to be ridden like a leaf in the wind that swirls the leaf to ever greater highs before falling gently or sometimes violently back to the earth. 

Those instances when I’m lost to the land it feels as though I’m the leaf. It is terrifying and I wrestle with a creative strength that I won’t be able to defeat. I desperately seek the comfort that keeps me safe. 

Then my fingers take over. They are possessed by the deepest caverns of my soul. Creativity invades my mind and spirit and I let go. I’m flying on a wave of inspiration manifested into the essence of imagination. 

I haven’t been robbed. I’ve been given a gift of such magnitude it’s impossible to describe with words. It’s a feeling of intense emotion and raw power. I have created. Something from nothing.

So go. Create. Experience.

Photos from depositphotos.com

Make it a (Name) Game

Have Fun With It!

A name is a very important thing in my writing. These names exist in my imagination but in order for them to be appreciated they must become treasures. Unfortunately, these jewels are more and more frequently buried somewhere only a mage, The Princess of Hidden Realms, and a monkey are able to locate while each holding a talisman. (We both know the odds of that happening.)

Really? Perhaps you are thinking this lady (me) is nuts. (You’re not alone. I actually get that a lot from friends and strangers alike.) You might also think I get all my names from my favorite movies, or family members, or a baby book. It’s not that difficult. Any name will do. You would be right. All those are viable options and at first it was easy announcing William would be the main character. Tanya would be the main character’s sister. They both live in the Village of Hope. The names were like coins in a fountain, plenty for all to see.

When pressure mounts and the dark forces of evil (called “real life”) muddy up the fountain’s Caribbean hue the ever illusive names are lost. Days pass. And pass some more. I have no idea who I’m writing about and where in the hell they are. A nightmare of a plot scenario and about thirty very detailed pages are written, after which “male lead character” says blank and “neighbor” say yada yada while they traveled into “The Town” only confuse me more. 

I shout at my muse. What’s going on? Why won’t you help me? Then I remember - he’s a bitch and doesn’t care when I scream. (Muses are very emo and temperamental in my experience. I like pixies better.)

Yet, in the mist of doubt about my muse and my ability to be creative in the face of pressured name calling, my muse reminds me that creativity is a game. (As a side note creative pixies really like games. Click here for more on pixie generation if you’re interested.)

Make it a game you say. I like that idea because it sounds fun and not something so serious as I Have To Get The Right Name Or The World Will End. Off I go. Here are some of the games I like to play for the right name.

• The next name I hear (on the street, from a friend, the next cable series) will go into my current or next work in progress. (Unless I deemed it just too awful. I am the ruler of my imaginary people so what I say goes.) 
• I take my huge list of names, break the seal “In Case of Emergency”, and randomly point. I must use it now because I liked them enough to put them on the list in the first place. 
• I have a six-sided die and also borrowed game dice from my hubby that range in size all the way up to twenty sides. They tell me what name to pick. (Rules are at the discretion of the ruler, a.k.a. me.) 

1. Number corresponds with letter of the alphabet. 

2. Number corresponds with number of letters allowed in the name.

3. Number corresponds to how much chocolate I consume during the game. (Opps! Sorry, wrong game.)

• Pick a subdivision and have fun with the street names. 
• Pick some popular names of the year and exchanges letters or add additional letters to make it unique. 
• Finally, I have a box of names. Scraps of real paper with hand written names or words go in the box. Then I shake it up like a good martini and pull out a winner. This is fun for names for titles too. Just keep picking.  

The games are all in good fun. Do we still have time for games these days? It is a hot commodity but you are the ruler of your world. Demand it and have fun playing. May the best Name win!

Photos from depositphotos.com

November 11 2014 Romance Weekly

#LoveChatWrite

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

Another week gone. Thanks for stopping by. If you haven't already checked out Kim Handysides blog post this week I highly recommend it. 

Our questions this week come from the talented author, Eden Ashe. Her dragons will melt your heart and fire your blood at the same time!  

Let's get started...

How much free reign do you give your characters during a story?

Mom! Make him stop.

They have no reigns. They do whatever the hell they want to. They are a lot like children and pets. Sometimes I have ideas for what they should be doing but as a story progresses the characters will usually change it. My plot summaries are more like suggestions for my characters.

 

Have your characters ever done something so out of the blue that not only changed your story but changed the tone and maybe even the genre you were originally going for? 

So far I haven’t experienced this. My characters do change the direction of my plot frequently but nothing drastically and especially not toward a different genre. I think it would be something very cool but at the same time very anxiety producing. I’m positive this will happen to me eventually since my characters don’t like to listen when I tell them what to do and how it should happen. 

Do you have one character in your head that is sort of boss over all the rest? Or do you decide who to work on and when? 

You're not the boss of me!

I interpreted this question as: do I allow one character tell me what to do? No. I don’t. Usually each character speaks for themselves. (Yes. I know this sounds crazy but they are speaking in my head. I don’t believe I’m crazy but I’ve never been tested either!) That’s not to say some of my characters aren’t loud and annoying in my mind. Sometimes while working on one project a character can get mouthy and demand page time and word count. I do my best to put those characters on the back burner by writing down quick ideas or summaries and then go back to what I’m currently working on. Like most writers (if not all) I always have a work in progress but I’ve tried to train myself to finish what I’ve started or they will never become a completed manuscript.

Hop on over to my good friend's blog, LaNora Mangano, to find out how her characters behave! See you next week.

Photos from depositphotos.com