Sense of direction

A few questions from my journal this morning, looking for a sense of direction on a project I'm working on.

• Where do you want to put your camera and be with her? 
• What parts of her life do you want to live through with her? 
• Why did she do the things that she did? 
• What's really going on with her, inside? 
• Why? The real reason why..... 

Wanting to get this close to someone is disconcerting, even though she's dead. I want to give her privacy, not be intrusive. I'm being too polite. 

Keep writing - Inglourious Basterds

QT worked on Basterds for 10+ years before he figured it out. He started it in the mid-90's, continuing to grow and expand the story until he had 3 scripts, but was still without a satisfying ending. 

After Kill Bill, he tried Basterds as a mini-series. Eventually, deciding against that idea, he trimmed it down to feature length, using Pulp Fiction as a guide. 

It's a little unclear when he figured out the ending, but Grindhouse came next. Finally coming back to Inglourious Basterds in 2006-7. 

Point being, he kept writing. As a fledgling writer, I'm terrified of putting something into production too early. I look to stories like this one as proof not to rush my creative process. Taking 10-15 years to "figure out" a story is not uncommon. But the important point for me to keep in mind is that QT kept writing. I tend to get mired in research.

I'm not sure who to attribute this quote to, a quick Google search didn't turn up much. But it's stuck in my head since I heard it. The secret to writing is to "keep the pen moving."

More on Basterds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inglourious_Basterds#Development

Meditation for writers #1

My biggest problem when I sit down to write is being relaxed, letting go, and writing without a filter. Without judgment. Without second guessing myself. Finding that true connection between what you feel inside and the pen on a piece of paper.

On that note, I'm working on a quick 5-minute meditation for myself, to get myself in the right headspace when I sit down to write.

It's especially important for me, because writing is only one part of what I'm doing with my life. My writing time is scheduled during the day. Writing isn't my full-time job so I don't have say 10am-3pm blocked out solely for writing. I need to get in quick, because I don't have a ton of time.

Here's what I have so far:

• Slow down. Feel the words coming from inside, coming out slowly. A direct connection from inside to the pen. No filter. Straight thoughts. All involves relaxing. Letting go. Don’t force it. What will be, will be. That's where your writing will come from. 

Chuck Palahniuk Thoughts

...fiction writers should abandon technically correct writing and experiment in the same way painters were forced to experiment in order to keep their medium relevant.

Chuck Palahniuk via LitReactor link

I've had the same exact thoughts for awhile now, about films. I know the 3-act structure is supposed to be universal, and the hero's journey has survived this long for a reason. But I struggle so much with films I see and films I'm trying to write being boring. 

Personally I love how Linklater plays with structure and time. And same with early Tarantino, you're putting the movie together as you go along, catching up with the storytelling. And Memento. 

We could easily be getting to a time in cinema, about 100 years in, where traditional narrative feels boring, tired, and worn out. As much as I enjoy many of the big tentpole movies, or studio pictures, there's a limit to how much I appreciate it. Because I know how it's going to end, and I know what I'm getting when I buy my ticket. 

I would like to be surprised more. I'd like to have to work harder to put the story together myself. I still want to be entertained, so you still need big action set pieces. And emotional journeys are still compelling, but it can be pushed into new directions. Maybe it's simply a symptom of high budget films needing to appeal to a massive audience and therefore have a simpler structure. 

But Chuck could be right, as the standard storytelling ideas get out there in the marketplace, filmmakers will need to push the medium into new areas to satisfy the audience. The internet is making this knowledge ubiquitous, and eventually it may not work anymore. 

Personally, I have very little interest in telling a standard 3-act hero's journey. Although I know this is a cliche place to be for a first-time writer. Wanting to reinvent the form. Many writers have been here before, and later learned to appreciate the timeless form. But I also feel things could be different now, due to the internet, free knowledge, and exponential growth. I think audiences will demand more from their storytellers. Or maybe they'll just want the same thing, only different, to quote Blake Snyder. 

Love and life

One of the things that happens in these DMT trips, is they give you lessons on how to life live... They're all about love, love people, love you, love yourself, love everyone around you. Be kind. Don't worry about all the bullshit, just be nice to each other. Have fun, enjoy it. Spread it. And don't lie, don't deceive, don't deceive yourself, don't deceive anyone else, and don't lose perspective. You're going to be here, and then you're going to be there. And here, and there. And it's going to go on and on and on, it's this perpetual cycle that continues from birth to death, through infinity. And you're just an infinitesimal part of an endless cycle.
 - Joe Rogan Experience #681, 2:17 link

I came across this the other day and struck me as true words to live by. I'd like to put together a daily meditation based on this, what a wonderful way to start each day.

Even just a little progress

Sometimes that's all you need to change your whole attitude. One more step than yesterday. An extra 25 calories on the treadmill. 5 extra pounds at the gym. One more blog post. Ever so slightly better than you were yesterday.

Blind will

From the back cover of Wild, which I haven't read.

"With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail."

You have to make a decision and do it. Even when you don't feel ready, or rather especially when you don't feel ready.

Every day, no matter what. That's how things happen and get done. Doing things when you don't feel like it.

We're 12 hours into a blackout, it's Saturday, and I don't feel like blogging from my phone. But it's a commitment. So here I am.