The magic of creativity consists of forging something new from something old, engaging in the alchemy of turning words into story; composing notes into sound; shaping line and color into form. As spring surges and shoots become buds that unfold into blossoms, we’re celebrating the power of creative transformation.
In our weekly flash fiction workshop, which we resumed last Wednesday night, writers began with a blank page and a brief prompt and ended 20 minutes later with flashes of brilliance—worlds they hadn’t seen before suddenly illuminated by a burst of lightning. A woman and her dog unnerved by the possible presence of a mysterious stranger in the garden; an aging pianist sustained by musical memories when her arthritic fingers fail her; a voice that leaves listeners “tugged by the tails of our souls”; a middle-aged man mired in mediocrity reliving his football fame at a high school reunion. At 7:30 pm last Wednesday none of these stories existed, and by 7:50, they had all come to life. A creative efflorescence.
We’ve also started a journey, with a small group of friends, through Julia Cameron’s classic, The Artist’s Way There’s nothing like writing your morning pages to energize the day’s creative output and give yourself the freedom to express thoughts that may only make sense to yourself. This writing is a kind of disgorging, allowing words to break through the dam of conscious consideration and rush headlong into the stream of the unintentional. We’d share excerpts, except that we are explicitly not supposed to. All the more reason to pick up the book and start writing your own.
What we’re working on…
Editing continues on our three novels in progress with a strong focus on voice.
Questions to ask yourself as a writer when struggling with voice include:
What is your character’s nature? Is he cynical or unassuming? Is she petty or open-hearted? These character traits inform how your character acts and speaks.
What feeling does your character inspire? Does he make people feel uncomfortable? Does she convey trust and authority? The impression your character creates differs from his or her character traits, as this result may—or may not—flow from genuine intent. In other words, your character could be a fraud or a liar, or an insecure person putting on an act of bravado.
What actor or actress would you picture playing your character on screen? It’s a bit counterintuitive, but this visual exercise can help you nail not only your character’s speech patterns but also gestures, mannerisms, and physical reactions.
The author of our collegiate coming-of-age novel says he hears the music, the rhythm of the narrative, so much so that while a compelling detail might add color to a scene, if it strikes a discordant lyrical note, he knows it doesn’t belong.
Reading your work out loud, either to yourself or a trusted listener, or having it read to you by someone else, is an essential part of the editing process.
We’re also extremely pleased with how the cover for our nursing home novel, Where the Light is Brighter, is progressing. Cover designer Nicole Hower sent over a number of concepts, and we’ve settled on the one below (with some adjustments to come). It captures the sense and spirit of the book, which tempers the bleakness of aging, loss, and displacement with the brightness of finding home in unexpected places.
Work on the audio edition of The Big One, engineered by Morrison Ellis, is now complete except for the musical introduction that Julia—who always takes things to the next level—will soon be recording featuring co-author Mike Krysiuk on guitar, herself on violin, and friend Christian Otten on piano. Mike is a talented song writer, and one of the ways he recovered dexterity after his accident was relearning the guitar. Last week’s spirited rehearsal in our living room was a treat. We’re also expecting the audio edition of With You later this month.
What we’re looking for…
With three novels coming this year, we're keenly interested in acquiring some memoirs—or creative non-fiction—to round out the list. In addition, self-help that is not formulaic or prescriptive but narrative based on the author’s experience would be welcome.
What we’re reading…
Our reading adventures over the past two weeks have been peripatetic. No, we haven’t been reading while walking (too dangerous, unless it’s an audio book), but rather dipping in and out of various titles for entertainment, education, and inspiration. The books on Julia’s nightstand are always interesting and ever-shifting. Tom finally got a good ways into Robert Boswell’s The Half-Known World, in which the author analyzes literary masterworks to reveal what distinguishes good from great. Here’s a quote that sums up the premise:
This is the key thing to understand: in literary works, secrets function to the extent that their revelation creates an equal portion of mystery.
Confusion or Convergence?
A trip to one of our favorite bookstores, The Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough, NH, offered up some lovely books for Julia—How to Love by the late Thich Nhat Hanh and Poems from the Book of Hours by Rainer Maria Rilke. She is always working on a poem. Tom’s finds included an unread classic—Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham—a first edition of Monsieur by Lawrence Durrell (a favorite author of Tom’s father’s)—and Erin Lee Carr’s memoir All That You Leave Behind, which opens with a nod to the perfect imperfection of memory:
When I think back to my early childhood home in Minneapolis, my brain conjures up a dim outline of a blue house on Pillsbury Avenue. While it is hard to remember the exact details of the house, the memories of its inhabitants come quite easily.
The gift book shelf had something for everyone, including a Greenlights journal for Julia’s son Jacob, but was missing Tom’s The Alphabet of Love, perhaps because it won’t be out until the first of May.
What we’re listening to…
Maya Jasanoff continues to entrance Tom in The Dawn Watch through her skillful intertwining of Joseph Conrad’s life with his art, while Julia revisits one of her favorite writers in A Light so Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L'Engle, Author of a Wrinkle in Time.
What we’re cooking up…
There’s still space in our two-day (consecutive Saturdays) workshop, The Art of the Opening, which starts on March 19. Along with planning some other spring classes, we’re considering popping in with some pop-up sessions (inspired by Tom’s new favorite food provider, Popup Bagels). These would be short-notice (24 hours at most), short duration (one-hour) workshops on a whimsical theme. If you’re interested in being notified, sign up for this newsletter, and we’ll let you know when something’s popping.
By the time you’re reading our next edition, spring will officially be here. As always, we are grateful to our authors, clients, friends, and supporters. Onward and upward in 2022 and beyond!
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