Ceara Comeau's Blog: Lessons From A Struggling Writer - Posts Tagged "imagination"
Writer or Artist?
You know the usual greeting when you first meet someone. You exchange salutations and eventually the conversations goes around to, "So what do you do for a living?"
Generally, when I say I am a writer, I get one of two looks. The "You're kidding me, right?" or my personal favorite, "You write? Oh, that's cute." When I first started out on this journey, I felt so insecure about my work that when I got this reaction I didn't feel writing was anything special. I ended up labeling writing as a hobby rather than my passion in life. At the time, it seemed a more reasonable answer to inquiring minds.
Writing not only became mundane for me, but I stopped seeing it as an art form. For years, I would tell people sheepishly that I was a writer and not an artist. But, is there really a difference?
Art comes in all forms whether it be dance, music, painting, or even graphic design. Each form uses its own medium to express something in a creative way. But that's also what unites them; the creation of something new.
I don't need a paintbrush to depict a beautiful Italian scene. I have words. And if put in the right order, I can create anything! So, after twelve years of feeling that my talent is insignificant, I've realized that it is one of the hardest and noblest art forms to take. After all, only a writer can carry you off to worlds beyond your imagination!
Generally, when I say I am a writer, I get one of two looks. The "You're kidding me, right?" or my personal favorite, "You write? Oh, that's cute." When I first started out on this journey, I felt so insecure about my work that when I got this reaction I didn't feel writing was anything special. I ended up labeling writing as a hobby rather than my passion in life. At the time, it seemed a more reasonable answer to inquiring minds.
Writing not only became mundane for me, but I stopped seeing it as an art form. For years, I would tell people sheepishly that I was a writer and not an artist. But, is there really a difference?
Art comes in all forms whether it be dance, music, painting, or even graphic design. Each form uses its own medium to express something in a creative way. But that's also what unites them; the creation of something new.
I don't need a paintbrush to depict a beautiful Italian scene. I have words. And if put in the right order, I can create anything! So, after twelve years of feeling that my talent is insignificant, I've realized that it is one of the hardest and noblest art forms to take. After all, only a writer can carry you off to worlds beyond your imagination!
Magical Writers
At some point, all of us have seen memes on Facebook that show magic coming from an open book. But, it’s a little bit misleading if you ask me. Books are certainly magic, that’s definitely true, but it’s honestly just the result. The true magic comes from the writer—whose raw imagination developed the literary worlds we fall in love with.
Unlike the magic from Harry Potter, writing magic doesn’t always come with just a flick of one’s wand. Writing comes with a lot of patience, practice, and listening to one’s inner voice. (Sorry, I couldn’t come up with another “p” word.)
So, how do you know if the magic of writing is REALLY working? When the story starts writing itself.
Let me give you an example from my latest writing project. For the last several months I’ve been working on the third book of my trilogy. Now, to be honest, I dreaded this book because of its level of difficulty. Half of this book is written from the perspective of the villain of the trilogy, which also happens to be the creation of the main villains of my entire universe. Now, this group of creatures is not something I’ve ever written about before. They are sociopathic biomechanical creatures. Or, as I like to put it…compare it to Dr. Who’s Cybermen, but with free will. Sounds scary, I know. But thinking from the perspective of a machine was super difficult for me. I remember trying to watch/read different movies and books that contained characters who were sociopathic and no matter how much I tried to research, I still couldn’t grasp the concept.
So, what do I do? Just start writing and hope for the best. The start of the book was insanely slow and brutal. In my mind, I knew what this main character was supposed to act like, but I just couldn’t automatically figure him out. But, I kept writing though. It wasn’t until chapter four that the book changed on me a bit. I had this particular chapter figured out, or so I thought. I was super excited about it too, but the more I looked at my original outline, the more I noticed that it wasn’t working.
I fought so hard against changing my original plan, but the magic of storytelling was much stronger than my stubbornness. That’s what I had to learn this month, once I caved in to what the character wanted me to write, it went smoother. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before in some of the blog posts, but I feel that it’s often overlooked when writers talk about their writing process. For the majority of us, we don’t just pop out 50,000 words in a day. If we do, then generally it’s because we’ve thought about it for a VERY long time. As a writer, I think it’s important to remember, and I often forget, that it’s not my stories that I’m writing…it’s the characters. And if the story isn’t going the way it’s supposed to, well they’ll let you know 😉
Unlike the magic from Harry Potter, writing magic doesn’t always come with just a flick of one’s wand. Writing comes with a lot of patience, practice, and listening to one’s inner voice. (Sorry, I couldn’t come up with another “p” word.)
So, how do you know if the magic of writing is REALLY working? When the story starts writing itself.
Let me give you an example from my latest writing project. For the last several months I’ve been working on the third book of my trilogy. Now, to be honest, I dreaded this book because of its level of difficulty. Half of this book is written from the perspective of the villain of the trilogy, which also happens to be the creation of the main villains of my entire universe. Now, this group of creatures is not something I’ve ever written about before. They are sociopathic biomechanical creatures. Or, as I like to put it…compare it to Dr. Who’s Cybermen, but with free will. Sounds scary, I know. But thinking from the perspective of a machine was super difficult for me. I remember trying to watch/read different movies and books that contained characters who were sociopathic and no matter how much I tried to research, I still couldn’t grasp the concept.
So, what do I do? Just start writing and hope for the best. The start of the book was insanely slow and brutal. In my mind, I knew what this main character was supposed to act like, but I just couldn’t automatically figure him out. But, I kept writing though. It wasn’t until chapter four that the book changed on me a bit. I had this particular chapter figured out, or so I thought. I was super excited about it too, but the more I looked at my original outline, the more I noticed that it wasn’t working.
I fought so hard against changing my original plan, but the magic of storytelling was much stronger than my stubbornness. That’s what I had to learn this month, once I caved in to what the character wanted me to write, it went smoother. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before in some of the blog posts, but I feel that it’s often overlooked when writers talk about their writing process. For the majority of us, we don’t just pop out 50,000 words in a day. If we do, then generally it’s because we’ve thought about it for a VERY long time. As a writer, I think it’s important to remember, and I often forget, that it’s not my stories that I’m writing…it’s the characters. And if the story isn’t going the way it’s supposed to, well they’ll let you know 😉
Childhood Dreams
Imagine this…
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
Childhood Dreams
Imagine this…
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
It’s summer of 2006 and you’re driving down a lonely road in the rural town of Acworth, NH. About ten miles back you convinced yourself you were on the right track to your destination. But now, the road has become narrow, a river is to your right, and thick woods to your left. There seems to be no one around for miles to ask for directions. You slow your car down as it bounces over some unexpected potholes. You’re about to find the next available U-turn when you look off to the side and see this grand, beautiful yard. But that’s not what catches your attention. It’s the thirteen-year-old girl who appears to be dancing to the beat of her own drum, literally. You think it's nice that she’s getting fresh air and has no care in the world, but you continue to drive on by, seeking your destination.
That little girl barely noticed you, she didn’t have a care in the world because she was not in this world. She had her headphones in her ears listening to a song that resonated with a story she was writing. And, she wasn’t dancing—she was acting. She was imagining how her characters would respond to a scene while at the same time imagining the actors who’d play the roles in the future live-action movie. This girl had so many dreams—this girl was me!
If you had told me all those years ago that I’d be filming my pilot episode in that very same backyard, I’d have been so confused and probably doubtful, “Who’d care about my Amber Oak stories?” I might have said. If you’ve followed my blogs, you probably have noticed that my writing journey has been a long and bumpy one, and one that will never be over as I am always writing still in some way or another.
The truth is, filming had been something I always wanted to do. In fact, when my mom found out how to self-publish my work when I was 15, I was honestly indifferent. Publishing didn’t matter to me so much as imagining the people who’d become the characters in my head. I found so much joy in my friends helping me act out scenes.
As I get ready to start filming this coming weekend, I reflect back even on the journey of getting into film. It was bumpy as well and I’ve faced so many challenges already. But the support from my friends, family, and even cast has been so encouraging. Even though I’ve been planning this for months, it feels so surreal to me. The characters aren’t imaginary anymore, they’re real.
Ever since I finished the last “Amber Oak” book, something had been nagging at me, I’d work on other stories and it’d be fun for a while, but I still kept thinking back on Amber and what she’d be doing right now. I’d ask myself the “what if's” and two summers ago I could almost hear her say to me, “My story isn’t done yet, it’s just beginning!”
I’ve met a LOT of people on this long journey to making Amber become real. And every single one of them helped me in their own way. So, to those who gave me my “wings” and to those who taught me how to use them…Thank you!
