| — | Douglas Coupland |
| — | Rick Warren (via deerhoof) |
1. Don’t go out to lunch.
2. Don’t go online until lunch.
3. Don’t start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they’d do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were like at school. What shoes they wear. Spend days – weeks, months – being them until they thicken up and start to breathe. VS Pritchett said, “There’s no such thing as plot, only characters.” Once you know them well they’ll lead you into their stories. If you start too soon you won’t have a clue what they’re going to do and all is chaos.
4. However hopeless and inadequate you feel, leave that self behind. Psych yourself up until you’re confident that the world will be interested in what happens to your characters. Confidence is key.
5. Don’t “write”. “Writing” is about showing off, or imitating other writers. “Writing” mistakes solemnity for seriousness. Just write. Have courage, be truthful, be true to your characters.
6. Don’t be daunted. Writing a novel is a huge adventure; when it’s going well it’s more fun than fun. When it stutters to a halt put it aside. Go for a swim, go for a walk, take a week off. Don’t panic or be afraid; you and your characters are in it together. Trust them to come to your rescue. Of course it’s a long haul, but you always knew that, didn’t you?7. If a character stubbornly refuses to come alive, switch to the first person. Suddenly they’ll be speaking to you. Later you can change it back again if you need to.
8. I have to know the ending before I can begin. Map out as much as you need but don’t over-plot or you can constrict your characters. Let them change it as they go along.
9. You don’t have to know the ending.
10. In other words, you don’t have to listen to anyone’s advice. There are no rules to break. That’s the pleasure of it. Read The Paris Review interviews with writers – everyone has their own methods and if a novel is truly alive it will break all their rules too.
11. Discover the times when you’re most creative – mornings, nights, afternoons – and clear the time to work then. Many writers find the mornings are best, and the afternoons are only good for editorial corrections, or getting the washing done. Others can only work through the night, drunk.
12. Sort out your priorities. Don’t clean your home, other than as a displacement activity. There won’t be time. You’ll probably neglect your friends too, and even your personal hygiene. If you have children, however, try to keep them fed.
| — | Deborah Moggach’s rules for writing. Complement with rule sets from Henry Miller, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, Helen Dunmore, Zadie Smith, Kurt Vonnegut, David Ogilvy, and John Steinbeck, and wash down with the essential collected wisdom of famous writers. (via explore-blog) |
One night a man had a dream. he dreamed that he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the Lord. When he looked back at the footprints, he noticed that many times there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.” The Lord replied, “During your times of trial and suffering, when you only see one set of footprints, was when I carried you.
| — | Bill Cosby |
In the end it all boils down to this, passion. In whatever you choose to do in life, however your creative spirit manifests, do it from a place of passion. Be excited about your work. Be hungry to learn more; to continually grow, change and evolve. Share your passions and ideas with others; you never know who you may inspire.
Remember that creativity takes shape in many forms, not just in the ability to draw or sing, as many may believe. Creativity lies not in the technical proficiency with which one moves a pencil across the page or in the maintenance of perfect pitch, but in the means in which one chooses to express their inner thoughts and communicate them with the outside world through their chosen medium. Creativity lies in the color choice on the palate and the attitude of the brush strokes, the emotion expressed through the performance of song, the fluidity of words on the page and the voice the author gives them, the way in which the mathematician approaches a difficult problem, how the engineer finds a solution to an everyday issue, the scientist generating his hypotheses and executing the experiment, the historian digging deeper to learn both sides of the story. Creativity is at the heart of innovation.
1. Netflix reviewer. Yes, this career consists of nothing more than watching excessive amounts of Netflix on a couch.Appropriate work attire would include some form of soft pants. Shirts aren’t required but if youinsist on wearing one, a loose and comfy fit would be recommended. The workload would basically be to conquer various movies and television series’ in their entirety, then talk about it to friends, family or just whoever is willing to stand there and listen to you. Anything works; a Tweet recommending season 1 of Workaholics or aggressively panhandling people outside of Walmart for a moment of their time so you can describe the mixed emotions Lincoln Lawyer made you feel.
2. Facebook relationship snooper. You’re essentially a private investigator over the Internet, for people who don’t trust their significant other. That means digging up dirt on and fully exposing shady boyfriends and suspect girlfriends by scouring their Facebooks, and the Facebooks of anyone even slightly associated with them. I mean, we’re all capable of tracking down borderline strangers and finding out information by doing a little social network detective stuff, but as a full-time job we’d master the craft. The most underappreciated aspect of this career? The amount of craziness and plot twists we’d see on a daily basis would be so entertaining. Paid in drama more so than dollars.
3. Text message interpreter. Your client’s crush mysteriously responded to their “hey, how r u?” text with a baffling “good n u?” Now it is you, the text message whisperer, who must crack that underlying code. What does the responder’s use of all lowercase letters mean? Why didn’t he/she take the time to write out “and you?” instead of “n u?” It’d be your job to read between the lines, acronyms and abbreviations of text messages with a heavy dose of over speculation, scrutinizing, and creating preposterous theories from the perspective of someone on the outside looking in, with no actual feelings attached.
4. Witty YouTuber. Basically you’d just watch YouTube videos and be funny enough to get thumbs ups and be the top commenter. Seriously, some of these clever remarks make me believe there are undiscovered comedians out there, wasting their talents on viral video shenanigans. Imagine if these cunning folks could showcase their genius for a living – the top YouTube comments would be more competitive and get even funnier. Part of this job’s duties would also include silencing trolls by deleting their obnoxious statements or calling them out so their stupidity is on full display.
5. Porn critic. You know how a food critic goes to restaurants and tries different dishes, then gives their opinion, evaluating the experience in great detail? Well, XXX websites are your restaurants and the video content at said sites are your appetizers, main courses and desserts. rotating. I’m fairly certain this type of thing actually exists, but I’m not sure how lubricated – oops, I mean lucrative this gig would be.
6. Person who puts deep quotes on top of pictures of sunsets for and stuff. Just search the web for some love quotes to place on pictures of hearts and kissing teens, some motivational quotes on top of a picture of someone’s nice, lunge & squat crafted butt, some Marilyn Monroe quotes that Marilyn Monroe never actually said on top of images of (you guessed it) Marilyn Monroe, some funny quotes for you to place on top of pictures of random comedians and boom! That’s your job. It’s basically all about being the oil that keeps the Tumblr wheel rotating.
I’m terrified about having kids. I like kids and I want to have them when I’m like 30, but not now. I also have a hard time understanding why someone would actually WANT to have kids before at least trying, to accomplish all their other dreams. I just don’t get it. Having kids, and creating a…
everything you think you know about anything goes completely out of the window when you have a child cause children teach you more about life then you could have ever hoped to imagine, so there is no need for knowledge. Even the smartest of people can be made to feel SO stupid when they are sleep deprived at 3am in the morning with a 3 month old that is sick, sleeping on your chest and will wake/scream if you even blink.
im only 22 and have an almost 2 year old daughter. there are some days when i do regret straying from my gayness and sleeping with some girl i used to know, who doesnt even want to see her child anymore but everytime that little girl opens her mouth, or flashes a smile or gives me a hug or simply looks at me not a single thing matters but her.
its not the last thing you do with your life. i STILL have the same dreams and aspirations ive always had… Ive gotten one bachelor and am studying another. I still do most things that i want as long as they involve my child.
i dont miss out on anything. my life is so much more enriched because i have the privilege to be responsible for another persons life.
i always wanted children, young. to enjoy them.
granted, you may be more financially secure at 30 thats the ONLY upside.
(although ill be buying my own house next year if all goes to plan anyway)
Dont feel sorry for me. I love being a dad.
If you dont feel ready for kids, im glad you dont have them.
I’m glad you shared this. It’s always good to hear things from a different perspective. ”everything you think you know about anything goes completely out of the window when you have a child cause children teach you more about life then you could have ever hoped to imagine, so there is no need for knowledge.” This was powerful, and it actually makes me feel really excited to have children. I just think that there’s no need to rush. Having kids isn’t necessarily the end of the world, as you said, and it doesn’t mean it will stop you from accomplishing your dreams. People are living longer, they live to be 80ish years old, so WHY to want to have kids so early? I said having kids is the last most important thing, because I think that’s an unique experience, and meant that maybe nothing will TOP that. but not that it should be the last thing in your life. I agree with everything you said, even after having kids we can still do the things we dream, so why to rush? why not to have both? why not to try to learn how to be an individual, and form your values so you can be more ”prepared” to teach that to another human being. I guess what I’m trying to say is to make ”having kids” as a life goal sounds ridiculous to me. It’s average, and accommodating. Having a family is part of life and it’s what most people want. I’m saying this because I’ve met a lot of people in their early 20s, who only think about getting married and having children. Most of these people don’t have decent jobs, careers or even dreams.
I agree that being a parent doesn’t necessarily stop you from having great experiences, but that shouldn’t be used as an excuse to have kids either.
Thanks for sharing your opinion, it’s always good to hear both sides of the story.
I’m terrified about having kids. I like kids and I want to have them when I’m like 30, but not now. I also have a hard time understanding why someone would actually WANT to have kids before at least trying, to accomplish all their other dreams. I just don’t get it. Having kids, and creating a family are universal values for the most part. It’s almost just human nature, if it wasnt also social constructed. Thus, to make ”having kids” as a life goal sounds ridiculous to me. It’s average, and accommodating. ( again, I am not talking about accidental pregnancies). I understand that it if it happens it happens, but actually wanting to have em before 25 sounds crazy to me. Kids are suppose to be that last and most important special thing you want to do with your life. After experiencing a lot of things, learning from life and people, seeing new places, so that you can transfer that experience and learning to another human being. This is just my opinion, maybe I am being too unrealistic, but it’s how I feel. I’m 23 years old, I dont feel ready to have kids, and do feel sorry for those who had to have em so early. Having kids is a gift, and I know no one ever regrets it after they have it, but that pleasure could be postponed. Any thoughts on that?
Things never end. Life is an an ongoing learning process. We are learning new things and changing our perceptions everyday. What you love today may not be what you love tomorrow. You will learn to love something different. A dream job, becomes just a job after 10 years. The secret is to understand that that is ok. People change, people grow. You just have to find a new passion. There are no ”happy” endings, because things are always evolving. Happiness is a process not an end. Happiness can’t be your goal, because you will never achieve. The secret is to stay happy during the process. Happiness is the process. No happy endings. It only ends when you’re dead.
Spend some time admiring this: Call Parade is a fun public arts project in Sao Paulo, Brazil that involves the painting and decorating of 100 public phone booths around the city.
