I've been quiet here on this blog - and in terms of production on the novel itself - since the end of Novel III class at UCLA Extension.
I could blame part of it on the FIFA World Cup tournament going on, which I've followed quite closely. I could blame part of it on my work schedule, which now takes me out to the desert for days at a time.
But the real culprit seems to be that I've been feeling exhausted since midway through the class. A personal upheaval had shaken me up, and as a result, my recent writing tendency has been to pamper Sarah and spare her from the same life troubles that I've been going through. I just can't bring myself to throw homophobic insults, economic disasters, fashion mistakes, and other mishaps into Sarah's life at this time. I'm so exhausted that right now, I cannot even bother to log back onto the class website and retrieve my classmates' and instructor's suggestions before the website shuts down.
Another issue seems to be the format of the class. I had to write 50 brand-new pages (or more exactly, about 10,000 words) from scratch, in sequential order. I've found that I work better when I write distinct scenes and chain them together into a story. In the class, I was writing lots of boring narrative just to fill out the requirements, and that left me AND the classmates less than happy. I would rather have a crazy scene pop up like a lightbulb in my head (for example, Sarah's visit to the sperm bank shortly before surgery), write it out, then when I have enough of those scenes, try to connect them together.
Less than a week remains until my Seattle trip. I hope it inspires and rejuvenates my personal life - and my writing life. Flying on a United Airlines plane - Sarah's former workplace - will be one step in the right direction.
24 June 2006
07 June 2006
Class Wrapping Up / Seattle
My Novel III class is wrapping up.
I've gotten lots of good tips from classmates and the instructor. However, I don't feel I was as productive as in my previous classes, partly due to the crisis at the beginning of May, and partly because most of the classmates seemed to be at a more advanced stage than I was (and that's what the instructor seemed to be shooting for, too).
Meanwhile, in my main blog, I started mentioning a trip to Seattle which will take place around the 4th of July weekend. In terms of my novel, there won't be as much progress as there was for the Bay Area. The best I can do will be to rejuvenate myself, again.
Specifically, I could be experimenting with various fashion looks that I could give to either Sarah or Kirsten. For example, Kirsten could wear my sweatshirt dress - which dresses her down and makes her look sporty, while keeping her still hyper-feminine. My reactions to the environment surrounding me could also translate right into actions for either of these characters, even though Seattle will not be a setting in the novel. I expect to meet a political activist during my trip, and that could form the basis for Kirsten's own activism.
The most concrete boost to my novel, however, is expected to come from my flights there and back. I've booked on Sarah's airline - for the first time since starting the novel work - and I will be happy to observe the inflight procedures from departure to arrival, as well as what the flight attendants do throughout the flight.
I've gotten lots of good tips from classmates and the instructor. However, I don't feel I was as productive as in my previous classes, partly due to the crisis at the beginning of May, and partly because most of the classmates seemed to be at a more advanced stage than I was (and that's what the instructor seemed to be shooting for, too).
Meanwhile, in my main blog, I started mentioning a trip to Seattle which will take place around the 4th of July weekend. In terms of my novel, there won't be as much progress as there was for the Bay Area. The best I can do will be to rejuvenate myself, again.
Specifically, I could be experimenting with various fashion looks that I could give to either Sarah or Kirsten. For example, Kirsten could wear my sweatshirt dress - which dresses her down and makes her look sporty, while keeping her still hyper-feminine. My reactions to the environment surrounding me could also translate right into actions for either of these characters, even though Seattle will not be a setting in the novel. I expect to meet a political activist during my trip, and that could form the basis for Kirsten's own activism.
The most concrete boost to my novel, however, is expected to come from my flights there and back. I've booked on Sarah's airline - for the first time since starting the novel work - and I will be happy to observe the inflight procedures from departure to arrival, as well as what the flight attendants do throughout the flight.
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