Wednesday, June 24, 2015

A Confluence


I've been revising my middle-grade novel. With my kids out of school, it's been tricky finding the quiet I need. On the flip side, having them around has also created otherwise missed opportunities.

We rented a cartoon for a family movie night. It was cute and the kids enjoyed it. I did to, but it wasn't one I wanted to rush out and buy or even watch again. Contrast that with Pixar films, Monster's University being my favorite, and my mind began to ping-pong between the two. I started to wonder how Pixar is able to create such solid, timeless and cross-generationally appealing scripts. 

My husband and I also rented a movie for us. It was a low-budget film to be fair but the script was a tragic missed opportunity--too many deus ex machina moments and one-dimensional characters. I loved it though because it forced me to take a hard look at my novel and see things with a more critical eye. 

I also picked up a book I thought my daughter would like--Bunnicula, by James Howe. Of course I started reading it first. I'm enjoying his whit and tight sentence structure. He wraps a lot of humor and character development in tiny, tidy sentence packages.

To top it off, I received my copy of One, by Kathryn Otoshi a few days ago. Every time I read it, I find something new to blow my mind. It reaches a level of picture book perfection that's almost impossible to achieve. Kathryn did work in the film industry so I wonder how much of her work with scripts, both good and not so good, informed her ability to craft such solid material. There is something to be said about learning from successes and mistakes.

Needless to say, all of these events crammed in a short space of time tricked my mind over some of its dead ends. Here's hoping for more.






11 comments:

  1. I'm familiar with both Monsters University and Bunnicula. Lucky you. Finding time to work when the kids are home is definitely tough. I'm doing the same right now. Good luck.

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    1. Good luck to you too. I'm finding I can write amidst chaos if need be. I revised with a cartoon blaring from the background today.

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  2. Like you, I have found revision solutions when least expected, watching or reading another's work. Not copying, but noting something that did or didn't work, and getting the creative engine re-started.

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    1. Yes. I'm surprised, really, at how revelatory it was.

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  3. Thanks for the comment :) It looks like you had a funny and busy day.I love Monster's University too.

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    1. Me too. That's one I can watch over almost as much as the kids.

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  4. It's tough to make progress in the summer, but it sounds like you are soaking up a lot and synthesizing lots and having fun with your kids too. Winning combination.

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    1. Definitely. Thanks for the comment. This summer break has been profitable in many ways.

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  5. Wow. The karmic wheel is still spinning. Just read this advice for writing groups today, which uses Pixar as an example of how to go about critiquing: http://janefriedman.com/2015/06/25/dangers-of-writing-groups/

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  6. I loved Bunnicula--laughed out loud with the "steak"!

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