The first was a gift from my mother. It's this great little external hard drive, called CLICKFREE, that she ordered for me from either QVC or HSN (her two favorite networks) because she said, I need it. This sucker holds 320 GB and will back up TWENTY computers. The wrappings say its easier than making toast. I thought, Yeah, right, we'll see.
I plugged my Clickfree into my computer, the icon popped up, and nothing happened. I thought, here we go. . . it's broken. I immediately starting reading about troubleshooting. Then my eye was caught by the Clickfree drive box. I clicked on that icon and was shocked to find that every single thing on my computer had saved to the Clickfree drive in less than 30 seconds. Everything: photos, music, film, screenplays, novels, documents, you name it. I am still stunned. This is a must for all writers. It is better than any external saving mechanism I have ever used. AND, when you add new things to your computer, just pop in Clickfree and it saves only the new stuff. It's smart too! Go to clickfree.com. Or, I guess you can search for it on QVC or HSN's websites as well.
The second item I wanted to mention was the book where I'm getting all these essays on writing that I've been talking about lately. When I start writing, the book is usually in another part of the house, so today I made sure to have the title and editor on me. It's called How I Got Published and it's edited by Ray White. I purchased it at Barnes and Nobles for six or seven dollars by the sale items. It's a wonderful text for writers. It's full of stories of how writers got their work read, accepted, and how they crossed from writing as a hobby to writing professionally and full time. While I know some of the writers, many of them are new to me and its exciting to learn about new writers as well. It's a great resource. There are also essays by editor Ray White throughout it like "How to Write a Query." Check it out.
Third, and this isn't new, its an ongoing process: where to find inspiration. A lot of people tell me they can't get started writing or they don't know what to write about. I think they're just afraid to put words on paper, but that's just another story for a psych journal. Here are some ways to inspire yourself to write:
1. Music: I revised my entire screenplay Malice in Medellin listening to Sting's Desert Rose over and over. It had the feel I wanted for the film. I picture the film opening with this song. In a perfect world, the director would choose it. Use a song to get the tone you want for a story. Use a line from a story to begin a scene. Stephen King quotes music all the time in his horror novels. J.K. Rowling and the Twilight author also listen to their favorite music when they write.
2. Art: A brilliant film is What Dreams May Come. A man (Robin Williams) who has passed away is looking for his wife who committed suicide on the "other side," which is a world of art. He actually walks through his wife's painting when he first dies. The title itself is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet. It's wonderful to see and Williams, as always, is brilliant.
Another good example is Fish Tale (I believe that's the title) where a young man, who was sick of his father's "tall tales" has to go back to bury him. The film perfectly reveals surrealism at its best as this man journeys back to his father and meets his father's unique friends. At the end of the film, the true nature of his father's friends are revealed to him as the young man releases his father into the water at his funeral. His father's body turns into a giant fish and swims away. The symbolism is beautiful.
3. A Moment: I have already written about the importance of the moment in modern writing. Pick a moment in your life that was important and write about it: the birth of your child, the death of a loved one, the first time you tried something new, the last time you were somewhere special, the time you met someone you will never forget. . .
When I was in graduate school I went through a rough spot with my writing. I had a professor who hated everything I wrote and she tore my writing to shreds. She was a nutter. It got to the point that I didn't take any joy in writing anymore and I stopped writing anything that wasn't for school. That was for over a year.
Then I lost my Grandmother.
I was pretty close with my Grandmother. She moved in with us at the end of her life and every day I came home from school or work, she was there and we'd talk and laugh. I knew we were on borrowed time, but I pushed that to the back of my head because she appeared to be healthy, even though 90% of her arteries were blocked.
After she passed, I needed to deal with my loss. I never look at death as final; I knew I'd see her one day again, but for now and for the rest of this life, I would miss her. So, I sat down and did something I rarely did.
I wrote poetry.
I don't remember what I wrote or if it was even any good. But, what I do remember is that it opened a door for me and I kept writing. I didn't have to write to please Crazy Shakespeare Lady or anybody else. I had to write for me.
The moment of losing my Grandmother became a catharsis for me. It didn't matter what came out right then. What mattered was that I kept on writing.
And that's what we need to do. Keep on writing. No matter what anyone says. Someday, someone will read it.
Please check out my novel Luke Aloysius: Bloodline on Amazon:
Please check out my novel Luke Aloysius: Bloodline on Amazon:
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