On Fantasy, Writing & the Journey to Publication
Hi friends,
I sincerely apologize for not being very active on the blog over the past two months. I’ve been a busy boy – working full-time at a job that gives me tons in tips, rehearsing full-time for a show that’s in the Edmonton and Vancouver Fringe Festival, and launching my own theatre company – Third Street Theatre (www.thirdstreet.ca).
So I have been quite busy, with so many projects on the go. Last count had me at 95 hours/week of work, and I don’t think I’ve had a day off in six weeks. It’s a pretty rigorous and exhausting schedule.
That being said, I have had continued interest from the literary agent in my book, and he is working with me on fixing some of the issues regarding pacing. My only challenge is to grab some time to dedicate to revisiting the manuscript.
I have had a seven month break from the book, which I am sure has given me loads of perspective. I am hoping that in the next couple of months I’ll be able to find a couple of days to really dedicate myself to editing again, so that we might be able to continue on this path.. and hopefully lead to official representation.
There are so many exciting things going on in my life, and the Universe seems to keep sending more projects my way. It’s hard to complain about it (although, I find myself complaining that I am tired, have no time, and no social life.. which isn’t a fun story to be telling all the time).
I can make no guarantees that I will be blogging every day, but I will do my best to write a post now and then – especially as I move forward with editing the manuscript.
All the best, and cheers.
Paul
Malcolm Gladwell writes some fantastic books. My favorites include Blink, Outliers, and The Tipping Point.
In Outliers, Gladwell introduces a concept:
It takes 10,000 hours to become a master at something.
10,000 hours of investment in your drawing skills will lead to a level of mastery. 10,000 hours of the study of the history of Venice will likely make you an honest-to-goodness expert in the field. This makes sense to me, even though life can’t always follow the rules of a formula. But it’s a good general guideline.
So let’s do the math:
Interesting to think about, isn’t it?
How many hours a day do you spend honing your craft?
To be a good writer involves an investment of time. This is where formal education does come in hand. It forces us to invest the time required to improve our skills. Additionally, we get feedback, critique, and hopefully some encouragement along the way. We gain a formal understanding, and pick up numerous tips and tricks. We’re more likely to develop faster than we would on our own.
But not all of us have pursued this sort of formal training.
I didn’t. I have 7 years of university under my belt, but it was divided between a 4-year BA degree in Psychology and Philosophy and a 3-year BFA degree in Acting. Sure, I did a lot of writing in both programs, but nowhere near the 10,000 hours needed to become a master.
However, there’s another component aside from education: practical experience. We can’t discount that. Any work – be it reading, writing, critiquing, or editing – definitely counts.
Lately, I’ve been reading tons of articles, books, and blogs about the craft of writing. I’ve learned a great deal and it’s really changed the way I approach my craft. I know there’s still so much for me to learn, and I am actively pursuing my own practical experience and training. Some days I’m discouraged, feeling like I’m so far behind. But then, when I look at what I’ve accomplished over the past 15 years, I realize I’m exactly on target.
As mentioned in my last post, I started playing online text-based roleplaying games when I was 13. In the gaming world, they’re called Multi-User Dungeons, or MUDs. They had no graphics, no fancy special effects or sounds. They relied wholly on imagination, and that made them both powerful and engaging.
I am afraid to calculate how many hours I logged on MUDs over the course of the 10 years I spent playing, administering, and running them.
I started out as a player and eventually became a staff member. I helped police the game, assisted with problems, resolve bugs, and even add content. I would also help encourage role-play by planning quests and special events for some or all of the players to participate in, and these events involved storytelling in its purest form.
Now, I know for a fact I logged well over 10,000 hours. It might be close to 30,000 (or more) – but let’s not concern ourselves too much with that. And not all of my hours were spent writing, but a good portion of them were. I cannot deny that my involvement in running and administering MUDs helped develop my craft.
My journey might not be conventional, but it definitely had worth.
How about for yourself? What unconventional methods helped develop your craft? Do you have a unique journey that led you to writing? During a typical day, do you find opportunities to focus and develop your skill? I’d love to hear your stories, so please feel free to share them in the comments below.
We’re all familiar with goals. Their origins lie in our basic human needs. “I need shelter” becomes a goal for protection, habitat, and safety. “I need food” turns into a goal for finding sustenance. We get better at achieving these goals, and the goals evolve. We evolve with them, until eventually our wants and desires become the primary motivator for our goals, rather than our needs.
But is the context for our “want goals” as strong as our “need goals”? And is there anything we can do to harness the power of our innate ability to set (and achieve) such goals?
Last night, I read Kristen Lamb’s “Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer.” In it, she speaks often of the power of positive thought and goal setting, for it directs your thoughts and conscious energy into bringing something into fruition. I view it as literally programming your brain (or spirit/Universe/God) to make your desires happen.
Goals play an important role in my life and career, and I’ve been amazed at how strongly the act of setting goals can change my life and help manifest my desires.
Over a decade ago, I was introduced to the idea of “Life Mapping.” This technique involves identifying the desires in our life – present, short- and long-term future goals – and engaging in an act of “creative meditation” to formalize and direct our thoughts and energy toward achieving it.
In a nut shell, the technique involves four steps:
This is an active, creative way to formalize setting goals. It might appeal to some, but not to others – and that’s okay. But you might not enjoy writing your goals on post-it notes, or feel like the 2 seconds you spent jotting down 10 New Year’s Resolutions was somehow insincere, and this might be more up your ally.
By taking 20 minutes to consciously give attention to the manifestation of a goal, you might be surprized at what can happen. And if you wanted, you could consider it a writing prompt to challenge your craft – and simultaneously meet the “write 200 words a day” post-it goal you made last week.
Recently, when I was going through my boxes in my parent’s basement, I came across one of my old Life Maps. A decade ago, I used this technique to plan a couple of things I wanted in my life: to be a full member of the professional actor’s union, and to be recognized for my work with an award.
In 2011, nine years after I sat down to put my wants and desires onto paper through creative meditation, both dreams came to fruition. I became a full member of the union, and I received a Best Actor award for my work in the professional theatre.
And you know what’s interesting? My Life Maps had a specific time-frame… of 10 years.
What are your favorite ways to set goals? Do you have creative method that might interest us? Do you have a personal success story with setting – and meeting – your goals? Please share in the comments below – I’d love to hear them!
Paul Welch 