Recent Ramblings
Steal Like an Artist · 31 March 2012
About a year ago, I was at the day job (web design), when a link to a blog post made it’s way around the office via AIM.
The post was basically one man’s manifesto when it came to creativity. He listed out ten things he wished he knew when he was starting out as a writer and artist. I remember the simplicity of his statements — practical, to the point — but also incredibly insightful. Small things we often forget when we are knee-deep in The Creating or overwhelmed by The Doubts.
I remember nodding my head in agreement to nearly everything in that blog post, and then just the other day, while I was at B&N, I saw his book on the shelf. That blog post (by Austin Kleon) has been turned into a lovely little book: Steal Like an Artist.
I bought it, took it home, read it in under an hour, and experienced the euphoria I had reading the original blog post all over again. I wanted to jump up and shout, “Yes! This! Exactly this!”
This book is a little piece of genius and I think that Every. Single. Person. leading a creative life ought to read it. Or at least flip through a couple pages.
Why?
Let me give you a sampling.
The book opens with a quote from Pablo Picasso –”Art is theft.” — and then goes on to discuss how nothing is truly original. How every idea is simply a re-imagining of previous works. Kleon says:
“Some people find this idea depressing, but it fills me with hope…If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”
Oh my goodness, yes! Nothing is new. Everything is borrowed and expanded upon. From here, the idea of “stealing” is introduced. And not stealing as in plagiarizing. That is bad. BAD! Plagiarizing is trying to pass someone else’s work off as your own. Kleon instead talks about “copying” as a method of practice, as a way of finding yourself.
“Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don’t come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes. We learn by copying.”
He talks about surrounding yourself with the work of the artists you love, and the work of the artists those artists love, and studying everything. Embrace those artists. Emulate them. Try to create not only as they create, but to see as they see. Get inside their minds. The goal of copying is to see the ways in which you can’t be those artists because they are them and you are you. Kleon says this much better than me:
“Copy your heroes. Examine where you fall short. What’s in there that makes you different? That’s what you should amplify and transform into your own work.”
And then Kleon gives the most basic advice: Start making stuff. Just start! He talks about how “imposter syndrome” often holds people back. (I know for a fact that I struggle with this daily.) So what is “imposter syndrome?”
“The clinical definition is a “psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments.” It means that you feel like a phony, like you’re just winging it, that you really don’t have any idea what you’re doing.
Guess what: None of us do. Ask anybody doing truly creative work and they’ll tell you the truth: They don’t know where the good stuff comes from. They just show up to do their thing. Every day.”
YES! It’s like he’s in my head. I do feel like a phony, a hack, a sad excuse for a writer. I don’t know what I’m doing, and that’s OK. No one does. Every writer face doubts and fears. They sit down and create without knowing the answers — from the NYT Bestselling author, to the child picking up a pencil to draft their very first story.
The rest of the book became a sort of surreal reading experience for me, where I felt like Kleon was sitting in my office, speaking directly to me. Everything I need to hear when I’m lost in revisions or slogging through a first draft or swimming in the Vortex of Self-Doubt and Loathing for any number of reasons was in this book.
Sometimes these words of encouragement were written:
“There are no shortcuts. Make stuff every day. Know you’re going to suck for awhile. Fail. Get better.”
“We’re drawn to certain kinds of work because we’re inspired by people doing that work. All fiction, in fact, is fan fiction. The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s to write what you like…write the story you want to read.”
“Don’t worry about a grand scheme or unified vision for your work…What unifies your work is the fact that you made it.”
“You can’t go looking for validation from external sources. Once you put your work into the world, you have no control over the way people will react to it…Not everybody will get it. People will misinterpret you and what you do. They might even call you names. So get comfortable with being misunderstood, disparaged, or ignored–the trick is to be too busy doing your work to care.”
And then there were the doodles — you can see a bunch more here — interspersed between all the brilliance:
While I’ve summarized the book in this post, it’s nothing like the actual experience of reading it. Between the simple statements, sketched visuals, and conversational tone, it’s almost as if Kleon is speaking directly to you. This book is honest. And beautiful. And real. And it’s just good advice. For a creative life, but for life in general.
But of course, as Kleon points out on the very last page:
“Some advice can be a vice. Feel free to take what you can use, and leave the rest. There are no rules.”
Isn’t that the truth?
I’m giving away a copy of this little beauty. Use the form below to enter, or learn more about the book on Kleon’s site. (Giveaway is US only.)
Go Away, I’m Reading: Hunger Games inspired dust jackets · 21 March 2012
Remember when we made those snarky dust jackets so you could tell people to bug off while reading?
Well the response has been so amazing that Sarah, Tracey, and I have been thinking long and hard about how to move forward with the project and give you guys more goodies. We are seriously considering opening some sort of store for both dust jackets and e-reader covers. Maybe even additional goodies. Who knows! But we’d love your feedback to help us get started.
If you have some time, please take two minutes (that’s seriously all it will require) to fill out this survey. We’d really appreciate it.
In the meantime, how about we celebrate the upcoming movie with some special Hunger Games inspired dust jackets? The message is still clear — go away, I’m reading — but now you can get sassy with District 12 terminology:
Download “At the reaping” right here on my blog:
At the reaping, brb (pdf)
If you want “Girl on fire” or “Drinking with Haymitch” covers, head to Tracey and Sarah‘s blogs.
And lastly:
A Scrivener tutorial: character worksheets and freeform corkboard · 19 March 2012
Today we’re taking a look at character and setting worksheets in Scrivener, as well as how the application can be used to help brainstorm visually. (What, you didn’t know you could brainstorm visually in Scrivener? I didn’t either until recently, but then I discovered the freeform corkboard. It’s pretty nifty. Watch and see.)
I’m thinking of focusing on revising next time — How I handle editorial feedback in Scrivener, how I keep track of changes, etc. But if there’s something else you’d rather know, please leave me some notes in the comments! I’m happy to help if possible.
What I’m Reading: February Edition · 2 March 2012
Copy edits really slowed me down this month. They arrived mid-February and were due just this past Tuesday. I only got through a couple novels in the process, but they were good ones!
Here’s what I read in February:
I love a good fairy-tale retelling, so I was so very excited to get my hands on Marissa Meyer’s CINDER. In this version of the classic, Cinder is a cyborg mechanic working on the plague-ridden streets of East Beijing. She crosses paths with Prince Kai when he asks her to repair a broken android, and finds herself caught in the middle an inter-galactic struggle that involves many well-kept secrets. Oh, and she may or may not fall in love in the process.
I rather liked Cinder. She is tough and determined and a bit sarcastic. Her relationship with her youngest stepsister is endearing and it is hard to not root for her and Prince Kai. There were a few things I wanted more of in this novel though. Cinder herself is a cyborg, and I really wanted to hear more of her internal thoughts on what this means. Does she think of herself as human? What does being a cyborg mean to her? These topics were touched on lightly, but I guess I was holding out for some JENNA FOX-esque internal battles. And New Beijing. This city was so fascinating that I just wanted to lose myself in it, but I never felt like I saw enough of it to make this possible. Of course, there is a sequel coming out. Actually, CINDER is the first of four novels, so there is plenty of time to spend in this world. Definitely pick this one up if you dig sci-fi and fairytales.
A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis was a fantastic follow-up to an already fantastic debut! I really enjoyed ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, but the environment in A MILLION SUNS is even more claustrophobic and tense than ever. As Elder attempts to successfully man the ship, the enclosed society of Godspeed falls into chaos and discord. If you thought Godspeed was a bit of a dystopic setting in book 1, this sequel makes you feel a bit for Eldest, who slipped into gray areas with his methods of subduing the population during the first installment.
While Elder has his own struggles, Amy is left trying to unravel a mysterious string of clues left by Orion that may very well hold the key to Godspeed’s fate. I can’t say much else without spoiling the entire novel, but Revis weaves these secrets and clues into the overall plot flawlessly. Between twists and turns and the dual POV, it is hard to put this novel down. I’m so very excited for SHADES OF EARTH!
Kiersten White’s final book in the PARANORMALCY trilogy, ENDLESSLY, was such a bittersweet way to say goodbye to an amazing series. I will miss Evie and her tell-it-like-it-is attitude. I will miss the dynamic cast of characters that fill her life and storyline. I don’t want to say too much about this novel since it is not out for awhile (5+ months to be exact), but I’m just so pleased with how this story ended. The stakes are raised, hard decisions are made, and Evie kicks butt throughout the entire book. As fluffy and fun as this series often is, this final novel really hits home, subtly hinting at the depths of friendship, love, commitment, and how far a person will go for the ones they hold dear. Fans of Evie are going to be thrilled with this novel when it hits shelves in late July.
But my favorite read in February was hands-down UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi. I’ve already raved about this one already on the blog — I just couldn’t contain my excitement — and you can read the full review here.
But in short, this book is a fresh and unique addition to the dystopian genre. The world — from the Aether storms to the enclosed Dweller pods to the Outsider tribes — is fascinating and well thought out. The characters — Aria, Perry, Roar — are all dynamic and you can’t help but root for them. And the romance. It will make you swoon to no end. Cheer. Shout. I love this book. So much. I won’t be surprised if it ends up being one of my favorite novels of 2012.
Do yourself a favor and pick this one up if you haven’t already. Especially if you’re a fan of action/adventure. You will not regret it.
That’s it for me! What was the best book you read in February?
A letter from the past · 2 March 2012
I had a different blog post planned for today — my February reads, which still may happen — but then this letter arrived in my inbox and I had to share it.
A year ago, today, I used a service called FutureMe.org to write myself a letter. I’m not sure how I heard about the site — maybe in passing or on another blog — and until this morning when I opened it and started reading, I had completely forgotten about using the service altogether. It’s clear that this letter carried a lot of weight when I originally wrote it. When I read it now it nearly makes me cry.
And I think someone else out there might need these words, or appreciate them, or be able to nod their head along with them just the way I am right now, so I’m going to share them.
Here’s what I wrote to myself on March 2, 2011:
Dear FutureMe,
You are really stressed right now. OK, fine. Stressed is not really the right word. Anxious. You are anxious. (And terrified.)
Your book went out on sub a week ago (now a year and a week ago). Sara has been nothing but awesome about it. But you are having problems waiting. You are trying to be patient but there is nothing you do other than sit and hope to see a magical message arrive in your inbox.
And hopefully it will. I have faith in you. You have faith in you. But waiting still sucks.
Here’s the thing. A year from today, when this gets to you, what you are feeling right now is going to be a distant, fuzzy memory, and I wanted to capture it. I wanted to write it down and trap it digitally, because that’s what we do these days. We chronicle our lives online. And I want you to know exactly what it was like when you were waiting. I want you to be able to recall all these feelings: the anticipation, the nerves, the way your stomach was an unyielding knot. How every unread message in your inbox induced a free-fall sensation. All for that one email (or call). Maybe it will have come by the time you get this. Maybe not.
The point is that new things are exhilarating and scary, but waiting for them should not limit your living. Keep living. Keep writing. Keep loving. With any luck, the nerves you feel now will not exist when you read this email. Hopefully you have a whole different set of issues now. Like edits and revisions and publication dates. And if not, persevere. You will get there. I’m sure of it. Sometimes you just need to be reminded.
Know that I’ve kept my fingers crossed for you. And know that I always will.
The timing of this letter seems impeccable, especially after my post last week about how the grass is always greener somewhere else. Because I have been stressed all over again. With copy edits, and book two drafting, and a whole new pile of worries.
This is quite a journey, this whole book-writing, publication-pursuing, love-of-the-written-word lifestyle. But it’s exhilarating and wonderful and scary and challenging and unbelievably surreal and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. PastMe was a mess when she wrote this letter, but she certainly had a few things right: Keep living. Keep writing. Keep loving. Keep your fingers crossed.
PresentMe is nodding in agreement.
No matter where you are in this journey, friends, keep at it. <3
