Process
A week or so ago, I wrote a post about process, i.e. my process in putting together projects, sme of which become books. That’s hopefully where I’m going with this one. I decided to these posts regularly, not because I think I’m so fascinating. Anyone you know who produces art of any kind has a process. Sometimes it’s evident to them, sometimes it’s not. Once I realized that I had things that worked for me (and some that didn’t), I became fascinated by this is as topic, and in further cultivating mine. (Anything that makes the work easier and more pleasant to my own peculiar brain is welcome.)
In aid of process, this week, I’ve….
Been Doing Some Escapist Reading. I’ve been reading Stephen King, precisely because I find his work an escape and he tells a good story. For my first book, I read my way through Harry Potter as my escape. This time, it’s King. The brain wants what it wants. I’ve gone through Pet Sematary and Cujo thus far, in this process. Right now I’m working my way through Bag of Bones.
Been Listening to Self Help. I hate the word Self Help. It’s so…earnest. What I’d really call this genre is something more akin to Self Growth. I’m listening to Grit, by Angela Duckworth, to see how the research described in it might or might not play into background research on things like resilience for my project on Ted. So far, it doesn’t feel hugely relevant, but I’m still listening. And re: listening…I find I need to read escapist stuff when working on a project, and that listening to non-fiction research relevant to my topic is a better way for me to absorb that kind of material. Go figure.
Mostly Kept Up With The Morning Pages. This is three pages of handwritten stream of consciousness writing that you’re supposed to do every morning, per Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. You’re not supposed to re-read. It’s not journaling. It’s more of a mental decluttering that makes it more possible for other things—like inspiration, ideas, connections—to filter their way into your noggin. It sounds a little silly. But, it’s magic. True confession: I have a hard time keeping up with them on the weekend, when other things (read people in my household) demand my time and attention.