Posts filed under 'Creative process'
I recently did a Q&A with Cat Morley of the UK-based online craft community Cut Out & Keep. Cat asked me who my working class heroes are, and I liked the question so much (it was a first for me!) I thought I’d post my answer here.
I love the same funny writers everyone else does: David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, Anne Lamott, Steve Almond… But I’d have to say my real heroes are the freelancers on the rise whose work I’ve come to know and love in the past few years, several of whom I’ve come to know personally: writer Judy McGuire, who’s as snarky and funny as they come; writer/illustrator Ellen Forney, whose performances of her work impress the hell out of me; writer Diane Mapes, whose ongoing news of book deals, newspaper columns, and assignments from enviable publications keeps me reaching for more too; writer/instructor Angela Fountas, who got a couple of kickass grants [last] year and does a tremendous job of giving back to emerging writers; writer/blogger Ariel Meadow Stallings, who’s got the online social media thing down; illustrator Nina Frenkel, who’s one of the most talented and prolific thirty-somethings I’ve ever met; erotica writer/editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, who besides being mind-bogglingly prolific is pretty dang fearless — I mean, if writing erotica isn’t literally putting your ass on the line, I don’t know what is.
I don’t think someone has to be a stranger who’s been pulling in six figures for the last decade to be a hero. The successes all these women have achieved feel accessible and within reach to me, which I find all the more inspiring. It’s not as daunting as comparing yourself to, say, Michael Chabon or J.K. Rowling and thinking, “Will I ever be that brilliant or rich, will I, will I?”
What about you gals/guys? Who are your working class heroes? Your mom? Sis? BFF? Fave blogger/designer/photog/coder/translator? Let’s hear it. And if you want to read the rest of my Q&A with Cat, it’s here.
March 24th, 2008
A freelance writer pal and I were talking the other day about all the reading we’ve been getting done now that half of Hollywood’s on strike and network TV reruns are beyond unwatchable (except for Rudolph, of course). And while I wholeheartedly support a writer’s right to not sign crappy contracts and to get paid what she’s worth, in some ways I’m kinda sorta somewhat selfishly glad the strike is on — even if it means I’m going to Freelancer Hell — because it’s left me no choice but to unplug the tube. Truth be told, my remote and I had been getting a bit too close for comfort in recent months.
Add my change in work schedule to the mix and you’ve got a gal who not only can hear herself think but can retain a creative thought for more than a fleeting nanosecond. So in addition to doing some extra writing, I decided to amuse myself with these goofy new pastimes:
- Read the bible. Not because I’m born again or anything, but because I’ve always wanted to. Besides, I’m a sucker for stories filled with family feuds, heaving bosoms, and natural disasters. And who knows? Maybe when I’m done with god’s word, I’ll tackle all of Shakespeare. Maybe. Unless I get lazy and/or the writers’ strike ends.
- Listen to my CDs in alphabetical order. The other day my beau bought me two new CDs. As in, CDs just released in 2007. At first I looked at them — then him — in horror, because everybody knows I’m stuck in my 1970s jam and prog rock rut. Which is precisely why my schmart beau bought me these two fabulous CDs, both of which rocked my world. This prompted me to then declare that instead of listening to the same CD over and over while I write, I will make my way alphabetically through the couple hundred CDs I own but haven’t listened to in ages. Of course, if I was really ambitious, I’d listen to them in autobiographical order a la John Cusack in High Fidelity. But I shot my memory doing things I probably shouldn’t have in my twenties, and anyway, I had all my CDs stolen a couple years back and don’t have a “true” lifetime collection.
So what about you? Any unexpected new hobbies or creative endeavors you’re taking up now that prime time’s all but imploded and the new year is upon us? Do tell.
December 16th, 2007
Last week I talked about swallowing my own medicine by creating a detailed spreadsheet to help me wrap my brain around a big fat deadline. Somewhere between the holiday turkey and stuffing this past weekend I realized that when it came to getting reacquainted with working toward a beefy, long-range project deadline while sitting home in my union suit, I still had miles to go before I could consider myself a lean, mean well-oiled machine.
Suddenly the expanse of time I now enjoyed each workday seemed more like a curse than a blessing. The ABC daytime lineup beckoned, as did the half-dozen half-read memoirs on my nightstand. The dirty dishes in the sink taunted me, and the disorganized bedroom closet became an irresistable siren song. I realized I needed to add some structure to my writing day — and quick — or come deadline day, all I’d have would be (1) a Jeopardy-like command of General Hospital trivia, (2) a scarily impressive Goodreads page, and (3) an uncharacteristically immaculate house.
So I once again sought the counsel of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide and quickly honed in on page 104, where I found this tidbit:
“If you’re self-employed, setting ‘office hours’ will help you stay on top of your workload and better compartmentalize when you’re off duty — something that’s infinitely harder to do when your office is ten feet down the hall. Without set hours, it’s far too easy to fall prey to the ‘I’ll just take the afternoon off and then work late into the evening or get up before dawn to finish’ line of thinking. Half the time you’re too tired to do the work justice after dinner, let alone drag your sorry, procrastinating ass to your desk. And setting your clock for 4 AM to finish the work you blew off yesterday is a surefire recipe for oversleeping.”
Ahem, and amen.
Since I’m a fan of lists, I created this one, which I promptly hung on my fridge:
Structure, dammit!
8 AM wake
8:15 journal and morning dance*
9 eat
9:15 walk Buddy
10ish to 4ish write at least 1,000 words for bigass project**
4ish to 5ish catch up on email and errands
5ish walk Buddy
6ish make/eat dinner
8 to 10ish evening activity: playing, slacking, reading, blogging, marketing***, editing day’s work, and/or writing something else****
*Journaling about my project’s progress helps me clear my creative throat each morning. And rocking out to some 70s jam band or other helps get my blood pumping and gives me a morning ritual to signal that the workday’s about to begin.
**Obviously I break for lunch in here. Works best if there are leftovers from the night before that I can heat up in a flash. Also, I discovered in 2006 that (a) everyone strives for 1,000 words/day when working on a bigass writing project, and I can crank out this amount in 3 to 6 hours (or so), polished, depending on how much reporting is involved.
***The other day someone asked for my bio and clips for a potential ongoing career advice gig. Sending them the requested material and following up on other similar opportunities is what I mean by marketing.
*****The something elses I am writing are a couple of non-fiction essayish stories on topics I’ve been wanting to tackle for quite some time. In all likelihood, I will have to put myself on a writing schedule for these too. But first I need to get my hands around the beefier project’s schedule.
Because it’s officially permanently gray in Seattle, with a whopping six hours of daylight available, I discovered I have to set my alarm — yes, even to rise at 8 AM. Otherwise, I’ll sleep clear till lunchtime. So far I have yet to ace this schedule, but I think I’ll have it somewhat close to licked this week. If not, I’ve resigned myself to showering and working in a cafe next week. For some reason, I am resistant to doing that. I like to choose my own background noise/music and visual distractions, I suppose.
How about you? What scheduling tips have worked for you when you’ve seemingly got all week long to chip away at a far off deadline?
November 27th, 2007
My life has changed a lot since the month began. From July to November, I was burning the candle at both ends, jugging a contract gig with freelance writing deadlines, which I realize is ironic for someone who wrote a book with a hefty work/life balance theme. But sometimes you need to bring home a little extra bacon, so I bit the bullet and toiled a little more than I should. And now I am free. FREE.
First thing I did to decompress was go here, then here. Then I read this, and this, and even took in a bit of this. Along the way, I taught a class, applied for a grant, and turned in a couple short articles. But it still felt like a vacation.
After two weeks of this luxuriating, I realized it was time to face the music. What I haven’t told you is that I have a Very Large Writing Project due in a few months, and while that’s quite exciting, the time management aspect of it is a little scary to me, especially since I’m essentially home in my jammies with zero structure whatsoever for the first time in many months. So I decided to crack open The Anti 9-to-5 Guide and take some of my own medicine. In particular, this tidbit from page 59:
“Use a wall calendar, notebook, or spreadsheet to measure your progress: how much time you spent on your project each session and what you accomplished. This will help you see the bigger picture come into focus.”
I suspected that making a list of all the components of this Very Large Writing Project and their deadlines, target word count, state of done-ness, and final word count would be freeing. So I cribbed a spreadsheet template that my friend Ariel, who completed this Very Large Writing Project a while back, used to help her feel calm about the whole thing. (Thanks, lady!)
I’m excited to move the project management aspect of this beast from my head to my laptop. Not only do I feel more organized, I already feel less stressed about the whole thing. Rather than having to wonder where I am in the project, if I am on schedule, if I’m over or under the desired word count, and how much writing/editing I have left to go, I can just crack open my spreadsheet and feast my eyes upon the data. Of course, I have yet to add in the deadlines as that would move me from a state of denial to one of reality, but I plan to force myself to go there today. Good luck to me.
November 20th, 2007
Since many of you work or aspire to work in creative fields, I thought you’d get a kick out of my latest “How’d you land that great job?” Seattle Times story, which profiles Roberta Browne, lead animator at Bungie Studios, maker of Halo. I think Roberta’s career path is particularly interesting because (a) she initially struggled with how to turn her talent/love of illustration into a viable career, (b) she tried her hand at freelancing and realized it wasn’t for her, and (c) she has an enviable position in what’s traditionally been an ultra-male field. So, without further adieu, some excerpts from my interview with Roberta…
The job: Roberta Browne grew up on what she refers to as “a steady diet of Looney Tunes cartoons and ‘The Wonderful World of Disney.’” All her spare time in high school was spent drawing cartoon characters, all her notebooks were covered with doodles. After getting a commercial illustration degree at Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, she tried her hand at freelance illustration for two years — and wound up earning the bulk of her income by waitressing and bartending. Feeling off her game, she returned to school for animation and, upon graduating, landed her first job as an animator. A decade later, in May of 2007, Browne joined Bungie Studios in Kirkland, Wash., where she works as a lead animator, a job that involves everything from 3-D software to brainstorming sessions to pratfalls.
Q. How did you land your first game animation gig?
A. I studied animation at Sheridan College, located in Oakville, Ontario. Every year the school would hold an open house to showcase the work of the graduating students. There was usually a big industry presence, with representatives ranging from small post-production shops to big movie houses to game companies from both Canada and the United States. After graduation I was offered a job at a small post-production house in Toronto, creating animations and effects for various TV shows.
I was contacted a few months later by Broderbund, a game company located in the San Francisco area. One of their lead animators had attended the open house and seen my reel. I was offered a job. I have to admit, the initial draw of living in California overshadowed the opportunity to work in games. I wasn’t really sure what was involved in being a game animator, but I thought I could figure it out. What I discovered is that animating for games is an exciting, challenging and extremely rewarding job.
I worked at a couple of game companies in California before moving up to Seattle in 2003. Over the years I worked my way through the ranks, starting as an animator, working up to senior animator and then finally to lead animator. I have worked on seven released games in my career, as well as a few prototypes that did not make it to market. Some of the more notable titles are “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (Xbox), “Shadowrun” (Xbox 360/Vista) and, of course, “Halo 3.”
Q. What does a lead animator do?
A. My role has changed from creating animation content to managing. I oversee a team of five animators. Most of my time is spent planning, problem solving, coordinating with other functional groups and working with the animation team to ensure they have everything they need to create animation content. I sit with the animation team and participate in [their] reviews of content so far, brainstorming, and acting sessions. Acting sessions involve falling onto mats, jumping, punching and so on. We hand-animate, so there’s no motion-capture technology involved. We’re old school in that regard.
I try to get in a little bit of animation here and there, but it is very limited. It was an interesting transition going from creating animation to helping others to create animation. But I have found it extremely satisfying.
Q: How does game animation differ from film animation?
A. Games are different than films in the sense that the animators create a bunch of smaller pieces of content that are then combined in the game engine. In film, animators work on shots or scenes and animate all the motion from start to finish. So a game animator needs to collaborate with other disciplines. That’s what I love about working in games — it takes art, design and engineering working together to fully realize and bring a game character to life.
Q. Are you a gamer yourself?
A. I do play games outside of work, about three to five hours a week. But I do not consider myself an avid gamer. My passion lies with animation and bringing characters to life. A lot of my free time is spent taking figure drawing and figure sculpting classes at a local art school. This keeps my observational eye sharp, which is a skill I use on a daily basis as an animator.
Q. What advice can you offer hopeful animators?
A. There are so many schools offering animation courses. My advice to those looking to pursue a career in animation is put your focus on learning how to animate. Many schools focus more on teaching different software, and it is fairly easy to get a character to move around. But to have that character act and emote is the real trick. Look for the schools that offer training in animation principles and acting. Having a solid understanding of the basic principles of animation and acting is the key to being a successful animator. Once you accomplish that, you can work in any area of animation production.
You can read the rest of my Q&A with Roberta — complete with recommended resources for aspiring game animators — on NWjobs.com.
November 13th, 2007
My dad was visiting Seattle this past week/end. Since he lives in New York City and thinks the sun rises and sets for the Big Apple and the Big Apple only, we got to talking about some of the articles in Sunday’s New York Times, including this story about how BFFs Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City (the book), and Darren Star, the producer who brought the book to HBO, are now estranged. Evidently Star’s coming out with a new TV show (”Cashmere Mafia”) similar to Bushnell’s new show, “Lipstick Jungle,” based on her book of the same name, which Star had tried to option but was outbid on. Star dragged his feet on telling Bushnell about “Cashmere Mafia” and now that she’s found out, she’s all betrayed and he’s all dead to her.
Blah blah blah. Frenemies, schmenemies, right? But as a self-employed creative type, this article was kinda interesting to me for a number of non-Hollywood gossip reasons:
1. Initially I wondered, Is Darren Star a parasitic opportunist or just really good at his job? Perhaps he is both. Without a decade’s worth of back issues of Variety, we may never know. Supposedly ABC brought the idea for “Cashmere Mafia” to him. I do know this: “Cashmere Mafia” having a similar premise as “Lipstick Jungle,” and Star having co-opted one of Bushnell’s classic SATC coinages (”toxic bachelor”) to promote one of his pre-SATC TV shows is nothing to get your panties in a twist about, nothing to file a plagiarism suit over. In the world of creative coincidences and fair use, this is no BFD. Happens all the time.
But the fact that the writer and producer were such bosom buds makes this sitch particularly sticky. When you have a close friend or S.O. who works in the same creative genre as you, someone you’re constantly bouncing creative ideas off of, it’s helpful to lay down a few ground rules: no one fucks anyone’s boyfriend, no one pitches anyone else’s idea to an editor/producer/studio and tried to fob it off as her own, et cetera. And if an editor/producer/studio should come and ask you to develop a story/show/painting that you know your friend has been itching to make herself or is already in the process of making, you’ll do your friendship a great service by talking it over with your friend first. I’m not saying you have to get her blessing every time, but at least tell her what’s happening. Don’t be Star, who somehow forgot to mention to Bushnell that he was negotiating “Cashmere” with ABC. While she was staying at his house.
Lesson for freelancers: We’ve all had a friend screw our sweetie (if not, you obviously didn’t grow up in New Jersey). And most of us have witnessed idea poachers in the 9-to-5 world. In the freelance world, where you’re often competing with dear friends for awards and assignments, honesty and camaraderie are the best policies. Be generous with the leads you share (with any luck, you’ll be too busy to take every project anyway), and be up front with your creative BFFs about what you’re working on, especially when it encroaches on their turf. And if you’re not sure someone’s your friend or just an opportunist who’s pumping you for ideas and contacts, wire your mouth shut.
2. One anonymous source in the story said Bushnell has made a mere $500,000 from the show’s royalties and only stands to earn another $500,000 from the movie being made. (Mere! Only!) I know a cool million is a ton of money, but it’s only a fraction of what the Hollywood powerhouses involved with this TV/syndication/silver screen enterprise have raked in. (Don’t believe me? Just look up how much the actors in the series and film version have been paid.)
According to the Times article, Bushnell’s original book contract for SATC paid her a less-than-staggering $25,000 advance. But as a first-time author that’s often to be expected. I suspect, though, that she could have negotiated a much better deal than the additional $25,000 she received when Shrewd Star optioned the book’s TV rights.
Lesson for freelancers: You may be the peon now, but you still deserve the best possible contracts. If others get rich off your work, you’d damn well better do so too. Don’t get your contracts? Get legal help.
3. Then again, you could argue that Bushnell made a killing in other ways, mainly with the clout that being the author of SATC earned her: Suddenly she was the writer who birthed the TV series that put HBO and SJP back on the map. New book deals for best-sellers followed, undoubtedly accompanied by six-figure advances — the equivalent of the literary Lotto.
Today Bushnell is rich, world famous, host of her own Sirius radio show, and proud mama of her second TV pilot. Unless she starts spewing trash on the air about whatever demographic it’s fashionable to slander this month (Hollywood producers, perhaps?), the woman isn’t going anywhere.
Lesson for freelancers: Getting paid in prestige when you’re a newbie isn’t all bad, as long as your clients show you the money and bow to kiss your ring once you’ve proved you can deliver the goods and deliver big.
October 25th, 2007
Kurt Vonnegut was not a woman. I’m not even sure he was particularly nice to them. But I’m still saddened by his death. Vonnegut was one of the first writers who made me want to write stuff that was funny. And now he’s gone. So it goes.
You can read about his life here — as well as how he held down a series of bullshit jobs until he was able to make a living as a full-time writer. And therein, Virginia, lies the work tie-in.
April 12th, 2007
Ready to make the leap from slush pile to paid scribe? Jill Rothenberg, my fabulous (former) Seal Press editor, just announced that she’ll be teaching an online class on writing a winning nonfiction book proposal through Media Bistro this spring. I can’t say enough about how brilliant and hiliarious and savvy about all things publishing Jill is. I pretty much cried when she left Seal, even though I was excited that she did it to become a fellow freelancer.
But don’t take my word for it. Read the course description and her impressive bio yourself. (I didn’t know this, but she worked on Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Path of the World’s Most Deadly Stones — you know, the book made into that bigass Leonardo Di movie.)
February 24th, 2007
Most of my freelance friends focus on writing articles, blog posts, and books. I have far fewer freelance allies juggling creative pursuits with corporate bread-and-butter work, like I do. So it was refreshing to see the roster for the online course I’m teaching this month through the Editorial Freelancers Association. Many of the students are commercial writers and editors, too.
When I first ventured out into the workforce back in the Ice Age, I didn’t aspire to finesse marketing copy about computer software for a living. But I did aspire to be self-sufficient and leave room in my schedule to write feature stories, essays, and whatever other lower-paying prose my idealistic little heart desired. And my bread-and-butter commercial writing/editing work allows me to do both without much financial worry. Fact of the matter is, it’s infinitely harder to write a halfway decent humor essay when all you can think about is how you’re going to pay the rent tomorrow.
If you’re curious about the world of commercial writing (the bread-and-butter work that allows you to order steak once in a while, or donate a T-bone to a less-fortunate writer), check out the Well-Fed Writer, a website and book of the same name by author Peter Bowerman. The site is loaded with articles, e-books, and other nifty resources. You can also read an interview with Bowerman here, on The Renegade Writer blog. Maybe then you, too, will never again use the words “starving” and “writer” side by side in a sentence.
November 30th, 2006
In case you thought writing books was all about cranking out copy all morning, then napping all afternoon, author Meg Rosoff sets you straight in this Guardian Unlimited blog post. The teaser:
Writers spend their days writing, don’t they? Don’t you believe it. When I’m not cleaning up after the dogs and my husband, I’m being a “writer” in public appearances.
And here’s an excerpt:
…when people ask, “What’s your daily routine?” and imagine a quiet room, a sheaf of paper, and a brand new Pilot pen, they are so, so, wrong.
The upshot? It’s one big balancing act, baby. But at least Meg doesn’t have to add earning a living outside creative writing to the mix, like most working writers.
November 21st, 2006
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