Hi people (aliens/hobbits/shapeshifters/etc.)! Been brooding over this one for quite some time. Enjoy today's post, and if you have questions, opinions, suggestions, or just want to chat, stop by the Contact Mimi page and drop me a line :) Have a lovely day!
You get home from a hard day at school or work, you throw yourself onto the nearest object of furniture, ignoring your family or pets and start to sulk. You're angry. You're sad. You're embarrassed, neglected, grieving, ashamed, jealous, stressed, indecisive, hurt, or annoyed to your last strand of rope. That's what we've all felt, whether we've hid it behind a mask of a smile or a scowl, and no one likes it. But I'd like to briefly discuss how feelings like this, seemingly negative, can also be beneficial when you write.
Emotion in writing can be hard to convey. Letters don't have expressions or become louder or softer or use inflection to convey meaning. Now, a character's emotion, maybe we'll talk about that another day, but what about when you're writing about, say, a tree? How to make the emotion come through? Here's a few examples of what diction, or word choice, can do. I've written these over the past few weeks, depending on how I've been feeling.
Simple (lack of emotion)
The tree on the hill had green leaves. It was raining, and the wind was blowing, too, the sky overcast so that it was unclear exactly what time of day or night it was. The tree was moving with the wind, and the rain clouds overhead were colored gray.
Hurt/Angry
The tree bent under the force of the gale that rocked it, nearly snapping under the fury of the torrent of rain that pounded mercilessly at the tender green leaves; leaves that were ripped to mere shreds of soft green flesh scattered over the hill. The hail in the storm made a small whistling sound as it flew through the air like so many bullets intent on a single target. The black, towering clouds of rain and hail, thunder and lightning, bore down upon the solitary tree with a cry of battle flashing through the night sky. The tree lashed its branches out desperately, then cowered once more as the wind and rain screamed together with the beastly roar of the thunder, battering the small trunk down again into hopeless.
Lonely
The tree stood all alone on the hill as the wind curved around it, as if avoiding touching the fluttering leaves on its branches. The tree was surrounded by its own kind, a vast forest spread out across the Earth, but on the hill, this tree stood strangely solitary, like a soldier guarding something long forgotten, with no orders to leave its post or fall to be at ease. The tree still stood when the rain came, tapping gently on the leaves, tinkling through the twigs, making small laughter at the tree, which had no friendly protection for its branches and leaves like the trees below, sharing branch space with others. The tree stoically bore the ages, watching mountains crumble under the indifferent wind and the unforgiving rain, regrowing its leaves year after year with no purpose but to survive.
Cheerful
The wind whistled through the branches of the tree, the tree's leaves dancing with a light rustling sound that might as well be singing. The first few drops of a rain shower pitter-pattered through the branches of the tree, and the tree stretched toward the replenishing coolness of the soft clouds above. The tree swayed with the gentle wind, as the shade of the clouds cooled its leaves, and the rain refreshed its roots, while the sun peeked out from the wispy light gray clouds at the tree on the hill.
So you can see, from just three examples, how very different it made you feel, because the writer was feeling different when writing the passage. Of course, professionals and the naturally gifted can exploit these emotions without feeling the same way themselves, but until then, or if there's a very important passage you don't want to fall flat, try waiting until emotion crashes into you like a tidal wave. Writing out your feelings, even if it isn't really about you or your situation, can be very therapeutic.
As always, may your writing grow ever stronger!
Live long as prosper,
Mimi
This has been another unscheduled and unexpected post of Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Raxacoricofallapatorious is easier to spell than I previously expected. Thank you for reading!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Lessons from a Viola
Hey readers, Mimi here! I thought I'd share a school assignment with you today. We had to write in 300-500 words (mine is 470) one thing we believed in, based on the I Believe essays known around the world, done by celebrities and high school students alike. Mine's about viola, yes- but it's REALLY about being yourself and learning more about life than just the notes on the page. Drop me a line, tell me if it's worth presenting to the class! Enjoy, and have a nice day :)
~~~
I believe in the power of playing the viola. At my kindergarten through eighth grade school, students could choose to take a strings class starting in fourth grade or beginning band in fifth. Nearing the end of my third grade school year, my father took me to one of the school’s concerts, letting me hear both groups and choose an instrument should I want to play. Right from the start, I knew I wanted to play the viola, even when my dad mistakenly pointed out the cello when I asked him which one it was. Why did I want to play the viola?The answer is fairly simple: I wanted to be unique. In school as well as the rest of the world, violinists are far more common than violists, often because, like my father, parents and students aren’t aware such a thing as a ‘viola’ exists. The viola is a string instrument, held and played similarly to a violin, but the strings are pitched deeper and the body of the viola is often significantly larger than that of a full-size violin. Violists are also unique in that we read music in alto clef- the only instrumentalists to do so out of both band and orchestra. In fact, in a professional symphony, there are two full sections of violinists, and only one viola section. Playing a more rare instrument, however, can be a blessing. There’s not as much competition! It’s often easier to be hired to play viola than the more popular instruments of violin or cello.
That’s not to say that playing viola is easy. I did choose to start in fourth grade, and I’ve steadily improved by nothing but determination and hard work over the past seven years. My parents finally bought my viola in March, after renting for years, and I know it’s a gift I’ll treasure the rest of my life. The hard work really paid off last year when I was first chair in Mid-State, therefore qualifying to play at All-State. And this past June I auditioned for and was selected to attend the Governor's School for the Arts. I had to work hard and long to perfect my vibrato, three octave scales, and playing in fifth position, and although I faced fewer opponents than the violinists, I still had to fight to get my seat against people more talented than I or the people who could afford private lessons.
These experiences, however, have taught me more than how to struggle through Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance. Through my playing, I’ve learned how to persevere in practicing, continue after failure, make the show go on, and make friends with even the most sour stand partners. I believe that learning to play an instrument teaches one more than music, because that’s what the viola has done for me.
~~~
This has been another unscheduled and probably unexpected post of Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Mimi passed her driver's license road test with a perfect score. Thank you for reading!
Monday, August 4, 2014
The Clock Wars
Hey everyone! Nice to post again, it's been a while. Enjoy today's post, and if you have questions, opinions, suggestions, or just want to chat, stop by the Contact Mimi page and drop me a line :) Have a great day!
It's 8:00. You have to go to anywhere from four to seven classes, with a short break to choke down your lunch.
It's 3:30. You have to drive, ride, or walk home, say it's 4:00 now. You have three hours before dinner with your family. You must do an essay for two classes, a worksheet for three others, twenty-five math problems, and read seven chapters by tomorrow. Oh, and you play an instrument. If you don't practice at least an hour every day, your grade suffers for it.
Eat dinner with your family now, don't keep the waiting. It takes at least an hour. Your laundry is not in the hamper, and the dishes are piling up, and the trash hasn't been taken out, and your homework is still unfinished.
And your new job at that place down the street starts tomorrow. Don't be late. And don't forget to go to sports team practice, the coach really hated that you were sick last week.
It's midnight. You're done. But all work and no play is dull... right?
It's 2:00 in the morning. You've fallen asleep three times. Even Tumblr just isn't fun when you can hardly see the screen. You fall into bed an hour or two later.
Wake up.
Sound familiar? It probably does. Teenagers everywhere complain about the workload and stress and complications of working social life, grades, money, and other activities into a mere twenty-four hours. It's a war against the clock (yes, now all of you gasp and point to the title, well done). How does creative writing have a place? Well, creative writing can be done in a myriad of ways, so I can't give you an easy answer or a TARDIS or a time-turner. The many ways to write is why there are styles, genres, and stories in the first place. One of the differences is in the time of writing, which I like to separate into two main categories, 'Block' writing and 'Spot' writing.
'Block' writing is sitting down at your keyboard or your notebook and taking a deep breath, then going at your project for an hour or two hours or longer. You don't do much else- maybe check your texts, or grab a snack once, but it's focused on the writing and the writing alone. That 'block' of time (gasp at the name, yes) is solely dedicated to writing. I like the block method because it's a good way to get your writing to flow, or spend time editing, or just get those next chapters done. Mostly, I use this method in the summer, on the weekends, or during long road trips. It's how most (if not all) professional writers create books, and it's what many people consider the only way of spending time writing.
'Spot' writing is a way not everyone considers. 'Spot' writing is pulling out your notebook or smartphone to make whatever progress you can in a very small amount of time. You may just jot down a dialogue, or describe only one character, or scribble out a plot idea for later. These little 'spots' of time (title again, gasp away) are small windows of opportunity! I carry my smartphone with me just about all the time, and it has a Google docs app. That means I can access my projects and work on them anywhere. It may be on the bus ride home, or during study hall, or as a reward after I finish some of my homework, but spot writing can be very productive too! You may reword that one frustrating sentence, or finish a scene with a witty line you overheard, or just keep going where you left off. A lot can be accomplished in just a few short minutes if you utilize it with writing instead of just staring at a wall.
So that's how you beat the clock and win the war! MAKE time for writing, in the little crevices of time in which nothing else can be done productively. It's hard, I won't lie- but it's worth it.
As always, the best of wishes toward you and your writing projects!
~Mimi
This has been another unscheduled and unexpected post of Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: One of the best fangirl feels is watching a TV show, and finding an actor you know from another TV show. Like Leverage and Supernatural, as I discovered this week. Thank you for reading!
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Author Encouragement!
Good day, readers!
Well, on this fine morning I'd like to talk about encouraging others, as you can clearly read from my helpful title. it's also about being kind, and giving compliments, and how important a community of authors can be. Let's get started. Oh, and stop by the Contact Mimi page if you want to chat! I'd love to hear from you.
"I love this!!!" "Can you write another like this?" "This is a wonderful story!" "Keep it up!" "Oh my Lord, that was amazingly written!" "Write more, it's so good!" All of these comments are things that have actually been said (well, typed) to me. And you know how it makes me feel? Warm and bubbly. It makes me want to keep writing, to make those people happy in such a way again. Often, especially on Wattpad, the people who respond to my writing with encouraging comments of praise are the people who keep said story going. Yeah, I know, i just did a lovely post on writing for me and not others, but let's be honest. Self-motivation is hard.
That's why it's important to give and receive honest encouragement. Compliments are a bit dangerous, you see, because if you just say something generic like "Awesome!" then how does the author know you even read the work? If you're going to take the time to say something nice, make it worthwhile, like "Wow, it was awesome! I loved the way you did this thing with that character". But make sure it's truthful. Lying to someone about the quality of their writing doesn't do anyone any good. The author in question can't improve on whatever you don't like, and you have the tiny pang of guilt from lying to a friend.
Giving a kind, well-thought out comment to an author is one of the nicest things a reader can do, in my opinion. But an author-to-author compliment is often even better! Another author 'really gets' the struggle it can be sometimes to churn out that next chapter or write that characterization scene or find the perfect witty exchanges, and can therefore appreciate your work all the more. It's important to have other authors read and review your work so that they can offer you suggestions to make your writing better, point out plot holes you never even saw gaping in the middle of your page, and even be your own personal spell check. (If my 'editing team' is reading this, I LOVE YOU AND YOU ARE APPRECIATED!)
So, to close out, if you want to receive kind compliments to your work, go out and give some. Karma, 'what goes around comes around', however you want to say it, it's pretty true. People really do love it when you say kind things, because we don't live in a world that's usually kind. So go out there today, whether you're on Wattpad, Google+, someone's blog (*cough cough*), or your friend's laptop as she/he watches you reading their work over your shoulder, and say or type something sweet. Make someone's day brighter. And your day will be a little brighter too!
May the comments be ever in your favor,
~Mimi
This has been your semi-weekly post of Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Mimi shipped two of her friends at school. They actually got together (and almost gave her a squealing fangirl heart attack). Thank you for reading!
Well, on this fine morning I'd like to talk about encouraging others, as you can clearly read from my helpful title. it's also about being kind, and giving compliments, and how important a community of authors can be. Let's get started. Oh, and stop by the Contact Mimi page if you want to chat! I'd love to hear from you.
"I love this!!!" "Can you write another like this?" "This is a wonderful story!" "Keep it up!" "Oh my Lord, that was amazingly written!" "Write more, it's so good!" All of these comments are things that have actually been said (well, typed) to me. And you know how it makes me feel? Warm and bubbly. It makes me want to keep writing, to make those people happy in such a way again. Often, especially on Wattpad, the people who respond to my writing with encouraging comments of praise are the people who keep said story going. Yeah, I know, i just did a lovely post on writing for me and not others, but let's be honest. Self-motivation is hard.
That's why it's important to give and receive honest encouragement. Compliments are a bit dangerous, you see, because if you just say something generic like "Awesome!" then how does the author know you even read the work? If you're going to take the time to say something nice, make it worthwhile, like "Wow, it was awesome! I loved the way you did this thing with that character". But make sure it's truthful. Lying to someone about the quality of their writing doesn't do anyone any good. The author in question can't improve on whatever you don't like, and you have the tiny pang of guilt from lying to a friend.
Giving a kind, well-thought out comment to an author is one of the nicest things a reader can do, in my opinion. But an author-to-author compliment is often even better! Another author 'really gets' the struggle it can be sometimes to churn out that next chapter or write that characterization scene or find the perfect witty exchanges, and can therefore appreciate your work all the more. It's important to have other authors read and review your work so that they can offer you suggestions to make your writing better, point out plot holes you never even saw gaping in the middle of your page, and even be your own personal spell check. (If my 'editing team' is reading this, I LOVE YOU AND YOU ARE APPRECIATED!)
So, to close out, if you want to receive kind compliments to your work, go out and give some. Karma, 'what goes around comes around', however you want to say it, it's pretty true. People really do love it when you say kind things, because we don't live in a world that's usually kind. So go out there today, whether you're on Wattpad, Google+, someone's blog (*cough cough*), or your friend's laptop as she/he watches you reading their work over your shoulder, and say or type something sweet. Make someone's day brighter. And your day will be a little brighter too!
May the comments be ever in your favor,
~Mimi
This has been your semi-weekly post of Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Mimi shipped two of her friends at school. They actually got together (and almost gave her a squealing fangirl heart attack). Thank you for reading!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Being a "Fanfiction" Author
Top o' the mornin', readers!
I've been wanting to write this for a while, and today I thought: Today is the day. Let it out Mimi. Learn to rant, you can do it. So, here I go, the annoyances of writing 'fanfiction'. Oh, and please visit the blog page and answer the poll on what I should write about. Or if you have a request for me to blog about, drop me a line. Back to blogging now!
Fanfiction. Just let that word seep into your brain for a moment, and notice the disgust and mistrust and shame associated with that word. Often it's sexually graphic, childishly written, the canon characters aren't right at ALL, and grammar errors litter the pages. Now, this is not always true. I have a few fanfics that I absolutely love (Against The Moon (Harry Potter) READ IT. NOW.) but for the most part, everyone with a lick of respect for his/her fandom hates fanfiction, for multiple good reasons.
Oh, but Mimi, you say in confusion, Don't you write fanfiction? Are you suggesting you're better than everyone else?
Yes. Definitely.
NO NO NO I'm kidding; I'm no better than the average teenage writer. Actually, this is where I would like to make a very important distinction between the way I write 'fanfiction' and what most people consider fanfiction.
In my writing that relates to my fandoms, I steal the setting. I steal the magic powers, or the royal hierarchy, or the prejudices, or the monsters, or the weapons. But I do not steal the canon characters. Now, part of that is because I'm terrified of failing at the characterization, but another part of that is the fact that I actually have a creative mind of my own believe it or not. I may not have time to create a world, but I can craft diverse characters with intricate backstories and twist their lifelines together in interesting patterns. All my writing is my own project, completely mine, except the setting. (Yes, exceptions, I've used the Doctor in one because I felt it necessary, and the Merlin one was all canon, but I'm talking about serious projects I actually care about; some of which have not been shown to the world.)
Therefore, I think it's really annoying and unfair that I have to call my characters and my plot 'fanfiction'. Can I not just call it mine, and then say "By the way, it happens to take place at Hogwarts."? I feel like I'm being judged by the label I put on my work before viewers even try to read the projects that I've spent my time and energy and mental powers and emotions and who knows what all I've given to it. If you've written anything then you know how much it drains you in every way possible, and the fact that I took a shortcut or took inspiration from someone else's setting shouldn't invalidate my hard work on the rest of the plot and characters and tone.
So there, there's one of the things I hate about labels and fanfiction. Perhaps in the future I'll rant on the frustrations of using canon characters or what I hate about other people's writing attempts.
Have a fantastic day, and may the labels never get you down!
~Mimi
This would be yet another thingy on Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Mimi also writes poetry! But for some reason it's usually dark or suicidal or bloody or just plain horrifying. Thank you for reading!
I've been wanting to write this for a while, and today I thought: Today is the day. Let it out Mimi. Learn to rant, you can do it. So, here I go, the annoyances of writing 'fanfiction'. Oh, and please visit the blog page and answer the poll on what I should write about. Or if you have a request for me to blog about, drop me a line. Back to blogging now!
Fanfiction. Just let that word seep into your brain for a moment, and notice the disgust and mistrust and shame associated with that word. Often it's sexually graphic, childishly written, the canon characters aren't right at ALL, and grammar errors litter the pages. Now, this is not always true. I have a few fanfics that I absolutely love (Against The Moon (Harry Potter) READ IT. NOW.) but for the most part, everyone with a lick of respect for his/her fandom hates fanfiction, for multiple good reasons.
Oh, but Mimi, you say in confusion, Don't you write fanfiction? Are you suggesting you're better than everyone else?
Yes. Definitely.
NO NO NO I'm kidding; I'm no better than the average teenage writer. Actually, this is where I would like to make a very important distinction between the way I write 'fanfiction' and what most people consider fanfiction.
In my writing that relates to my fandoms, I steal the setting. I steal the magic powers, or the royal hierarchy, or the prejudices, or the monsters, or the weapons. But I do not steal the canon characters. Now, part of that is because I'm terrified of failing at the characterization, but another part of that is the fact that I actually have a creative mind of my own believe it or not. I may not have time to create a world, but I can craft diverse characters with intricate backstories and twist their lifelines together in interesting patterns. All my writing is my own project, completely mine, except the setting. (Yes, exceptions, I've used the Doctor in one because I felt it necessary, and the Merlin one was all canon, but I'm talking about serious projects I actually care about; some of which have not been shown to the world.)
Therefore, I think it's really annoying and unfair that I have to call my characters and my plot 'fanfiction'. Can I not just call it mine, and then say "By the way, it happens to take place at Hogwarts."? I feel like I'm being judged by the label I put on my work before viewers even try to read the projects that I've spent my time and energy and mental powers and emotions and who knows what all I've given to it. If you've written anything then you know how much it drains you in every way possible, and the fact that I took a shortcut or took inspiration from someone else's setting shouldn't invalidate my hard work on the rest of the plot and characters and tone.
So there, there's one of the things I hate about labels and fanfiction. Perhaps in the future I'll rant on the frustrations of using canon characters or what I hate about other people's writing attempts.
Have a fantastic day, and may the labels never get you down!
~Mimi
This would be yet another thingy on Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Mimi also writes poetry! But for some reason it's usually dark or suicidal or bloody or just plain horrifying. Thank you for reading!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Fear of "The Unknown" and BPS
Hey friends :)
So I knew I wanted to post again today, and I thought to myself, "Self, what will you write about?" and I came to an interesting conclusion: I have no clue. From there, though, I started thinking about 'The Unknown" and poof, writing! Enjoy.
Let's ease into this blog post nice and gentle with a bit of college-level developmental psychology. At every age, humans feel fear. It's a primal drive designed to help us survive, but whether you're a kid during a thunderstorm or an adult in the hospital waiting room, fear is rarely a friend. Of the many phobias and anxieties that exist and are specific to each person, we all share a fear of things out of our knowledge or control: "The Unknown". Let me give some examples.
When I was five or six, I graduated kindergarten, and was preparing to go into first grade. Like every kid, I was scared of kindergarten, sure, but I figured out it was fun after all, and loved school. Which is why my mom was a little confused when I displayed anxiety over entering first grade the next year. It was the same school. Same schedule. Even some of the same classmates. Why was I afraid? When she asked, "What's scary?" I apparently replied, "I'm going into the grades." Of course, my family finds that a hilarious thing for me to fear, my class having a number was scary.
But really, what I was trying to communicate was something more sincere. I was scared of "the grades" because it was something I had never before experienced. There's not really logic to the fear of the unknown, unfortunately, but I was trying to say that I didn't know what to expect, and that scared me.
So, Mimi, you're thinking to yourself, Why do I care? How does this relate to me and my writing? Well, knowing that everyone experiences fear of the unknown might help you with Blank Page Syndrome.
What's BPS? It's the name I've given to that void of hopeless despair that fills you as your cursor blinks innocently at you on the left of your screen hen you're about to start a new writing project. You might have every plot point planned. You might have the most elaborate character sheet ever. But as soon as you sit down to actually start Chapter One... Boom, nothing. Your mind panics. What if you do it wrong? What if you don't like it? What if everyone hates it? Fear. What's in the future for your project is unknown, and it scares you. The same thing happens at the beginning of the school year, when you start a new job, when you try a different food... A new experience, no matter how much you've prepared, will probably scare you. Because you're human, and unfortunately, humans in general fear what they can't predict. After all, fortune-tellers and fantasy novels (by use of time-travel, psychics, or prophecies) exploit our ignorance of what is yet to come. Yeah, a new project can be fulfilling and healthy in the end blah blah blah, but remember when I said fear isn't logical?
What should I do about it, Mimi? Now I'm panicking over a fear I didn't even know I had. (Yeah, sorry about that.) Here's what I do: When the cursor is flashing and your mind and the page are both blank, take a deep breath. Calm, quell, or at least accept the fear. If the writing goes wrong, what's stopping you from editing it? Or deleting it altogether? The main thing is that you need to actually start. It's hard to fix something that doesn't exist, right? Go on and write the first word. First sentence. First paragraph. Hate it? Too bad, move on. Write until your unknown is no longer a mystery, and then I think you'll find that with the unknown taken care of, even with a new set of problems presented by your (extremely) rough draft, a lot of that fear is gone too. Start writing something new, and use the fear of the future to drive your writing to new emotional levels full of grammar errors, instead of a neutral feeling of cautious precision. Don't ever let fear control you, but remember, you don't have to control your fear. Sometimes, fear can be your friend, especially for writers.
As ever, the best of luck to you in your writing, and may your unknowns become knowns.
~Mimi
This has been another fabulous post on Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Jamestown was founded in 1607, the first permanent settlement of English speakers. Thank you for reading!
So I knew I wanted to post again today, and I thought to myself, "Self, what will you write about?" and I came to an interesting conclusion: I have no clue. From there, though, I started thinking about 'The Unknown" and poof, writing! Enjoy.
Let's ease into this blog post nice and gentle with a bit of college-level developmental psychology. At every age, humans feel fear. It's a primal drive designed to help us survive, but whether you're a kid during a thunderstorm or an adult in the hospital waiting room, fear is rarely a friend. Of the many phobias and anxieties that exist and are specific to each person, we all share a fear of things out of our knowledge or control: "The Unknown". Let me give some examples.
When I was five or six, I graduated kindergarten, and was preparing to go into first grade. Like every kid, I was scared of kindergarten, sure, but I figured out it was fun after all, and loved school. Which is why my mom was a little confused when I displayed anxiety over entering first grade the next year. It was the same school. Same schedule. Even some of the same classmates. Why was I afraid? When she asked, "What's scary?" I apparently replied, "I'm going into the grades." Of course, my family finds that a hilarious thing for me to fear, my class having a number was scary.
But really, what I was trying to communicate was something more sincere. I was scared of "the grades" because it was something I had never before experienced. There's not really logic to the fear of the unknown, unfortunately, but I was trying to say that I didn't know what to expect, and that scared me.
So, Mimi, you're thinking to yourself, Why do I care? How does this relate to me and my writing? Well, knowing that everyone experiences fear of the unknown might help you with Blank Page Syndrome.
What's BPS? It's the name I've given to that void of hopeless despair that fills you as your cursor blinks innocently at you on the left of your screen hen you're about to start a new writing project. You might have every plot point planned. You might have the most elaborate character sheet ever. But as soon as you sit down to actually start Chapter One... Boom, nothing. Your mind panics. What if you do it wrong? What if you don't like it? What if everyone hates it? Fear. What's in the future for your project is unknown, and it scares you. The same thing happens at the beginning of the school year, when you start a new job, when you try a different food... A new experience, no matter how much you've prepared, will probably scare you. Because you're human, and unfortunately, humans in general fear what they can't predict. After all, fortune-tellers and fantasy novels (by use of time-travel, psychics, or prophecies) exploit our ignorance of what is yet to come. Yeah, a new project can be fulfilling and healthy in the end blah blah blah, but remember when I said fear isn't logical?
What should I do about it, Mimi? Now I'm panicking over a fear I didn't even know I had. (Yeah, sorry about that.) Here's what I do: When the cursor is flashing and your mind and the page are both blank, take a deep breath. Calm, quell, or at least accept the fear. If the writing goes wrong, what's stopping you from editing it? Or deleting it altogether? The main thing is that you need to actually start. It's hard to fix something that doesn't exist, right? Go on and write the first word. First sentence. First paragraph. Hate it? Too bad, move on. Write until your unknown is no longer a mystery, and then I think you'll find that with the unknown taken care of, even with a new set of problems presented by your (extremely) rough draft, a lot of that fear is gone too. Start writing something new, and use the fear of the future to drive your writing to new emotional levels full of grammar errors, instead of a neutral feeling of cautious precision. Don't ever let fear control you, but remember, you don't have to control your fear. Sometimes, fear can be your friend, especially for writers.
As ever, the best of luck to you in your writing, and may your unknowns become knowns.
~Mimi
This has been another fabulous post on Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Jamestown was founded in 1607, the first permanent settlement of English speakers. Thank you for reading!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Why Mimi Writes
Right, um, blogging. Consistency isn't a strong point with me (duh it's been almost a year) so... sorry about that. But I'm going to give it another shot! With more of a focus on writing and the random wise stuff I seem to come up with late at night.
Anyway, I would like to spend my time now talking about a revelation I had a week ago or so. Let me start with the backstory. So, I have a Wattpad, as you readers probably know, and I was trying to get some people to read/critique my work (apparently I did it wrong and some grumpy admin tried to help me and it was a huge mess and I had to be nice to lots of annoying people which is never fun but anyway the point is) and as I was sitting there unhappily, looking at how much my views had dropped (consistency probs again), I asked myself a question.
"Self," I said in my head, "Why do you write?" Huh. Interesting question. Am I writing for the people that read my work? Am I writing to receive compliments? Am I writing to get famous? Am I writing to kill time? Am I writing because I am forced to do so? Am I writing because I want to make other people happy (or cry, depending on the scene)? Essentially, was I writing so that I felt good because of other people's opinions.
"No, actually," I realized, kind of surprised and a little confused. Why else would I write, then? If not other people, them for whom do I write? Then it hit me. I write because I like it. I think it's fun. I enjoy writing fiction. It works my creativity and planning and I get to relax with character friends.
My personality tends to be based on what others want: what makes my friends happy, what my family wants me to do, you get the idea. But writing, I realized, is probably one of the few things that I do for me. I don't write for fame or popularity or attention or compliments or my friends or my family or anything else! I write for ME, for Mimi, because it makes me happy.
And although some of you may be sitting there go "Duh, ya idjit, why else would you do anything if not to make you happy?" this revelation really changed my outlook. Now instead of, "I need finish this update so I can keep my readers!" it's "I want to finish this part so I keep writing the next part!" My entire attitude changed, and now, I'm a lot happier. I'm doing this for me, and I accept that it's okay to do something just for me, and that feels really good. We all need some 'me' time (even if 'me' is actually multiple personalities with elaborate backstories and fantastical powers).
So I thought I'd close this out with a question for you. Why do you write? Is it for view counts? Positive feedback? Or do you write because you love it?
Food for thought.
This has been Writing with Mimi (Or at Least Trying to). Mimi's Wattpad account is Mimi_Writes. If you'd like to comment, then please do, because Mimi would probably be really happy to know that you read her blog. Today's Awesome Thing: The word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (a type of lung disease).
Anyway, I would like to spend my time now talking about a revelation I had a week ago or so. Let me start with the backstory. So, I have a Wattpad, as you readers probably know, and I was trying to get some people to read/critique my work (apparently I did it wrong and some grumpy admin tried to help me and it was a huge mess and I had to be nice to lots of annoying people which is never fun but anyway the point is) and as I was sitting there unhappily, looking at how much my views had dropped (consistency probs again), I asked myself a question.
"Self," I said in my head, "Why do you write?" Huh. Interesting question. Am I writing for the people that read my work? Am I writing to receive compliments? Am I writing to get famous? Am I writing to kill time? Am I writing because I am forced to do so? Am I writing because I want to make other people happy (or cry, depending on the scene)? Essentially, was I writing so that I felt good because of other people's opinions.
"No, actually," I realized, kind of surprised and a little confused. Why else would I write, then? If not other people, them for whom do I write? Then it hit me. I write because I like it. I think it's fun. I enjoy writing fiction. It works my creativity and planning and I get to relax with character friends.
My personality tends to be based on what others want: what makes my friends happy, what my family wants me to do, you get the idea. But writing, I realized, is probably one of the few things that I do for me. I don't write for fame or popularity or attention or compliments or my friends or my family or anything else! I write for ME, for Mimi, because it makes me happy.
And although some of you may be sitting there go "Duh, ya idjit, why else would you do anything if not to make you happy?" this revelation really changed my outlook. Now instead of, "I need finish this update so I can keep my readers!" it's "I want to finish this part so I keep writing the next part!" My entire attitude changed, and now, I'm a lot happier. I'm doing this for me, and I accept that it's okay to do something just for me, and that feels really good. We all need some 'me' time (even if 'me' is actually multiple personalities with elaborate backstories and fantastical powers).
So I thought I'd close this out with a question for you. Why do you write? Is it for view counts? Positive feedback? Or do you write because you love it?
Food for thought.
This has been Writing with Mimi (Or at Least Trying to). Mimi's Wattpad account is Mimi_Writes. If you'd like to comment, then please do, because Mimi would probably be really happy to know that you read her blog. Today's Awesome Thing: The word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (a type of lung disease).
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