cheers
Chris

I have the whole story set out in stone in my head, and Ive found that its so much easier to write about a character if you make their personalitys “complete” (by complete i mean that if they were to suddenly appear in the real world they would be able to function emotionally as a whole human)
This helps because if you know EXACTLY how a character would react in a paticular situation, you can put them through just about anything without too much trouble at all – thus combatting the dreaded “writers block”

I might have to start thumbnailing too, instead of just writing out the next chapters script in words and actions….

I hope to get it published one day, but i have no idea about how to go about doing that…. :D

2. Isak Dinesen = a big fave. I love that quote and will use it.

That’s thrilling that you got so much work done last week. I really need to quit using the big move as an excuse not to be working. And I feel like writing/drawing is a lot like what they say about saving for retirement: start now.

I used to have this Isak Dinesen (via Ray Carver) quote above my desk:

EVERY DAY, WITHOUT HOPE AND WITHOUT DESPAIR

Need to put that card back up.

I’m not sure where “I have extensive files” comes from, but it reminds me of Terminator 2, where he says, “I have detailed files.”

“My wife, who always has the best advice, if only I’d listen to it, suggested I just draw the whole thing out in my sketchbook, with nasty, sketchy thumbnails: the drawing equivalent to a “first draft.â€? Turns out this was the advice that I should’ve followed.”

Your wife is wise. But you knew this.

This past week, I’ve written probably 70 pages on various projects — fiction of various types (horror, even!), nonfiction of various types. So I just write-write-write every day, and keep cycling through what I have to make it better. Outline or brainstorm or jump ahead or go back and expand something, so long there’s forward movement, it’s all good. Like someone said above, keeping to a rote level of production is a key — whether it’s 2 pages or 20 doesn’t so much matter, so long as you keep at it. (It’s the same as in weightlifting: “What’s the best way to get stronger?” “Don’t miss workouts.”)

My overriding goal for the next six months: keep up this pace of work and get a lot of separate things (longer, shorter, whatevs) DONE. For the purposes of satisfying that inner critic that says “But I’ve never DONE anything!” there are only two states in which a creative work can exist: (1) finished and (2) nothingness.

Believe me, “I have extensive files” of nothingness to draw on. (Bonus points for identifying the movie the quoted line comes from . . .)

Start finishing s**t now, when you’re young. Don’t wait another dozen years ’til your my age. Give yourself permission to write crap as necessary until you win.

I totally agree about the schedule. With our upcoming move, my work has been pretty much crippled due to no kind of regular schedule. Schedules, deadlines, CONSTRAINTS…it’s really the way to go.

Maureen,

We definitely need to get the Cleveland ex-pats coffee shop shoptalk going.

Here’s a picture of that faulkner outline! http://www.austinkleon.com/?p=521

I know that thing about ‘if I know how it’s going to turn out, I’m not interested anymore’ but I’m really really thinking about doing an outline. And maybe even posting it.

When you come to Austin, we should meet in coffee shops and talk about this stuff instead of working.