Category: Distractions

These posts are just distractions from the stress of writing. They include funny stories, photos, jokes, puzzles, book recommendations and reviews, etc.

Productive Procrastination Part 3: Role-Playing

No, I’m not talking about LARP or Dungeons and Dragons or anything like that. I know very little about most forms of role-playing, to be honest. However, my favorite form of procrastination is a kind of role-playing: play-by-post, or PBP. This form of role-play has, undoubtedly, done the most for my writing over the years.

I started this kind of role-play when I was in the sixth or seventh grade, about 10 or so years ago. The forums–platforms for the role-play–were all based on Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. When I started, I didn’t spend much time on the forums (which led to an embarrassing realization on my part because I had forgotten to log out of one of the forums for a long time). I was also issued a warning for a short period because I lost my temper once (I was entering puberty, so I did have some mood issues despite being mature otherwise).

However, things only got better from there. The more time I spent on the forums, the more engaged and, I’ll admit, obsessed I became. I learned how to develop characters using character sheets, became better at writing quickly and had my imagination supercharged by the high-energy atmosphere of the thread, and the forums even helped me learn how to better keep my temper in check online. The older members on the forums embraced me, mentored me in writing and character development, and helped me feel welcomed in the virtual world. I’m still in contact with a couple today.

Much to my chagrin, reality overpowered us all and the forums I loved aren’t really active today. I still visit them regularly and read the threads for inspiration (and perhaps delusional optimism that someday this hobby will kick up again).

Despite the recent inactivity, I wouldn’t give up the time I spent on these forums for anything. They made me the writer I am today. I know now that in order for me to develop characters, I really have to put myself in their shoes and see the world through their eyes. Writing those character sheets gave me the ability to know everything about my characters, even what the readers will never know. The quick turnaround in the threads nurtured a unique part of my imagination, which is that I can create entire worlds and character histories within minutes. I have a better ear for prose rhythm and what’s important in a scene.

You may not be a fan of the Dragonriders of Pern. That doesn’t matter. There are role-playing forums for almost anything you can think of, from popular series like Harry Potter to worlds that the forum admin created themselves. Find one that you like and join it. You shouldn’t let it take over your life and you certainly shouldn’t let it replace your writing. Rather, use role-playing as a break from your “professional” writing while still exercising your skills. You’ll have fun, strengthen your writing, and, so long as you proceed cautiously, might even make like-minded friends.

September Monthly Newsletter Giveaway

It seems that September is well underway. After an incredibly busy week, I’m finally able to announce this month’s newsletter giveaway. I think that you will find this prize to be a bit different from the last two giveaways: a free pen with The Writer’s Scrap Bin logo.

In August, I posted an image of some business cards and a pen which I designed and had produced via Vistaprint on The Writer’s Scrap Bin Facebook page. I decided it would be appropriate to spread word of Vistaprint’s excellent work and rewarding my loyal newsletter readers at the same time by offering my readers a chance to get one of the pens for free.

By “free” I mean that my readers will not pay anything. Instead, I will pay Vistaprint full price to make the pens and have them sent to winners of the giveaway. My readers will be charged nothing and no information will be used inappropriately.

Would you like a Writer’s Scrap Bin pen produced by Vistaprint? Sign up for my newsletter, The Scrapbook, using the link provided in the blog’s menu and you will receive instructions for the giveaway in the September issue.

Want to design and buy cool pens, business cards, and other products like the ones I’ve shown you? Follow this link to Vistaprint and be sure to follow @Vistaprint on Twitter.

Have suggestions for the next monthly giveaway? Leave your thoughts in the comments or contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Writing and Art: Forever Entwined


The Persistence of Time by Salvador Dali, retrieved from Wikipedia
Art feeds art; that much is true. We are inspired by our predecessors, whether to mimic success or challenge them; we compete with our contemporaries, even when the competition is friendly and playful; artists of one medium look to others when their muses refuse to speak up. It doesn’t matter if the art is painting, sculpting, dancing, filming, or, yes, writing. Creative energy flows from piece to piece, medium to medium, artist to artist.

Why do creative acts beget other creative acts?

In truth, this question is loaded. I’m sure there’s some neurological explanation for why art, even outside our mediums, stimulates our creative processes, but I’m no scientist. I’d probably understand it if I read about it, but I severely doubt I’d be able to explain it to anyone. I can only express my own thoughts and beliefs on the matter.

I think the reason art feeds art is because they’re part of the same whole and can never truly be separated.


Image retrieved from eBaum’s World
All art has been entwined since the beginning. Visual depictions accompany storytelling; ancient vases inspire poems; plays become books and vice versa. A picture is worth a thousand words and a master writer can paint a picture with a few words. Like a spider’s intricate web, they make a rare beauty when together; remove one thread and the pattern will unravel.

This thought makes sense and does not make sense. On the one hand, we watch visual art, acting, and writing evolve together from one era to the next. They all reflect societal changes and attitudes, and pairing one with another raises us to a new level of magic. On the other hand, they are very different forms of expression. You may be excellent at one but that does not mean you will be any good at the others (trust me, I know from experience). While some writers can draw, many can’t. Some actors can write but just as many fail horribly when they pick up a pen. And certainly not all sculptors can sing.

Again, there’s probably a neurological explanation for why an artist can master one form but not another. I like to think that we all have specific purposes assigned to us in this giant quilting bee we call art; some must sew multiple squares to complete the larger product, but most of us are given one square to perfect. In the end, it’s all entwined to make a beautifully mismatched piece which no group has done before us.

Perhaps we don’t need to know why artists are inspired by works outside their field. Perhaps we only need to know that it happens and embrace it. After all, if we are inspired by all the art surrounding us, we will never lack inspiration.

What do you think? Why does creativity beget creativity? Do you have any art outside of writing which you turn to for inspiration? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

We all hit a time in our lives–multiple times, in many cases–in which we find ourselves so busy that we suddenly feel as though we can’t do anything. At least, I’ve hit that wall several times and many of my family and friends have been there at some point, too. You know that work has to be done but the very thought of it makes you want to curl up in a ball or hide. We push through it, though. So here I am, trying to push past my anxiety long enough to get some work down without a panic attack, when a poem by Robert Frost pops into my head.

As you’ve probably figured out, I’m a moderate Frost fan. I’m not a complete fanatic but a couple of my favorite poems are by him. The poem which keeps coming into my head as I struggle to work is one of my all-time favorites: “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”.

I’ve loved that poem since I memorized it for a school project in the sixth grade. I used to be able to recite it at the drop of a hat–of course, thanks to a combination of time, technology, and mental health issues, my memory isn’t quite what it used to be, but I can still drop a couple of lines before running into any problems.


Image retrieved from Flickr

Anyway, this poem, although a bit depressing, brings me an odd sort of calm, especially when I’m stressed. That’s why I wanted to share Frost’s work here:

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

 

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

 

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

 

–Robert Frost, retrieved from Representative Poetry Online

 

A popular interpretation of this poem is as a contemplation of suicide. I can certainly see the basis and evidence for this interpretation. However, for my own sanity’s sake, I take a slightly more literal and much less grim approach to Frost’s writing.

 

I see this poem as the grievances of an overworked individual, someone who has had so much piled onto his plate that he must struggle in order to finish the work before he can get some well-deserved rest. He sees no source for aid and it’s the darkest, loneliest part of his life; this part is one of many in which my interpretation intersects with the suicide one. The two approaches differ in that I take the allure of the woods to more being a desire to stray from the already-forged path, to break from the busy, routine life and get some rest.

 

Really, I look at the poem this way more out of a personal attitude than as true literary analysis. This poem reminds me that we all must pull ourselves along when we are struggling to maintain. That’s why, in these times, I prefer to see it as a need for a break rather than contemplation of suicide; for me, the latter is not an option, but I understand the emotions which Frost expresses.

 

Now I must return to my work, for I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.

 

What do you think of this poem? Do you have any works or quotes that you think about when you’re feeling stressed or down? Share your thoughts in the comments.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Alien Origins

Happy Friday, movers and shakers! The weekend’s finally here. Today I’m going to propose a writing prompt specifically tailored for science fiction fans. In particular, I want to have people take a closer look at alien origins.

I’m not a big fan of stories detailing initial human/alien encounters. Still, I’ve found myself reading two such books recently, one which I will review on this blog much later today. These two books, while both focusing on initial encounters, take quite different approaches to aliens and their interactions with humans. One deals with a more enlightened Earth joining a league of other enlightened beings throughout the universe; the other involves reptilians from the Roswell UFO crash. Both of these books, nevertheless, have caught my attention. Why? Because, while mostly in line with classic science fiction, these stories have unique views of aliens which I haven’t often encountered.

I have a complicated relationship with the UFO and alien phenomenon. I don’t think that all UFOs are alien space craft. In fact, I’m not sure that even a small percentage is extraterrestrial in origin. I just think they’re unidentified flying objects, hence UFO. However, I do think we’re not the only inhabited planet in all the universe. I can’t imagine what the other beings might look like and I don’t know if we ever have or ever will make contact with them, but I think that they’re out there, beyond our reach.

I know more than I would like to admit about the pop culture trend. I watch shows on supposed alien encounters, sometimes out of curiosity and sometimes for a laugh. There seems to be, at least to me, three prominent species of alien people claim to encounter: grays, humanoids, and reptilians (all of which you’ll find on People of Earth).

This affirmation leads me to today’s writing prompt. You see, many pop culture stories focus on the alien invasion rather than the aliens and their home planet (with some exceptions, such as Avatar, although we’re the invading aliens in that one). The books I am currently reading try and address why certain aliens look and act the way they do. That, more than anything, fascinates me, and that’s what I want people to focus on during this exercise.


Here is the only known sketch of Kelly’s little green men based on actual eyewitness accounts. What sort of conditions would such beings come from?

Image retrieved from High Strangeness

Take a famous alien–Roswell grays, humanoids, reptilians, Kelly little green men–and jot down some physical characteristics reported about these species. Once you have these physical attributes, imagine the sort of planet these aliens must come from. Why did they adapt such traits as enormous eyes and gray skin? What do their civilizations look like? How do they communicate? Do they compete with other creatures on their home planet? All animals, humans included, look and act the way they do as a result of evolution; what conditions did these aliens have to work with in order to necessitate their evolution?

If you want to make this exercise a little more thorough, think about the aliens’ initial encounter with Earth. Why did they come here? How? What do they think of the planet and the beings that live on it?

With this information, write a short story or, if you want a bigger challenge, a field report about the aliens which incorporates some or all of the origin theories you listed in the first part of the prompt.

If nothing else, this prompt will help you develop world-building skills and character development. You’ll really get to know your alien buddies in this exercise, which you should do with all major characters in your stories. It might take a little time but it’ll enrich your stories in the end.

Did you come up with something particularly interesting? Encounter any unusual problems? Have an idea for a future writing prompt? Leave your thoughts on this prompt in the comments below.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011