Friday, November 12, 2010

Getting Back Into Digital



I'll get back to this later...

Friday, November 5, 2010

Influence

I am not impervious to influence.  Sometimes I try to be.  It was something that I would often identify myself with.

"As original as someone could be who didn't live in absolute isolation."
Although isolation would inevitably become the source of influence.  Art, music, writing, any form of self-expression, is nothing more than a response to what we are receiving in the world around us.  Since I have come to accept that, embrace it even, it leaves me excited, enthusiastic to interpret and share what it is that I have been enjoying recently.

I've been watching the Tudors...

And, damn... talk about a cocktail for something I would be obsessed with.  It's pretty, to downright gorgeous, sexy, complex with amazing character depth, historical, and not a single damn character involved is really "good."  So ultimately, that's the same description I would hope to receive in regards to my novel.  Damn, I even drew a picture with all my characters in a similar matter to this one above a few years ago.  I came upon this realization when I was revisiting and re-writing a section:

    "Lady Bordeaux, are you not feeling well this evening?"  As true as his words may have been taken, they were nothing further from just that. They belonged to Geoffrey Logner, the Emperor's First Advisor and long standing rival to Evelyn.  Seeing her in any amount of distress seemed to please him, irregardless of the circumstances surrounding.
    Evelyn sighed, raising her hand to meet her temple, but not diverting her attention which was placed on the massive audience that was strewn before them, "If it satisfies my Lord, no I do not."

Obviously, I didn't mean for that to be overly rhetorical or even profound (although as the author, everything is significant to me).  But what I'm really trying to emphasize is how it's influenced my dialogue, my interaction... to me that's the whole pleasure of the writing experience... it's what I'm most interested in.  In fact, that's what I try to explain my entire book being about.  Social interaction under different hypothetical scenarios... I imagine that's what nearly every book I ever write will be about... I'm sure I'll write an "adventure" novel here and there, but overall, the ones that are my "favorite" will most likely be in the spirit of what I've expressed.

At any rate, thank you to my friend Jenn, who brought this wonderful show to my attention.  I had noticed it in the past, but was weary due merely to my suspicions of the historical merit to the show... I mean... c'mon...

Although, seeing the show inevitably provoked me to do research, I did come to find that King Henry VIII was quite fit in his youth.  Sadly, or perhaps not, this made me infinitely more interested in him.

At any rate, my first love, my passion, my story... has been sparked once more, and it is in these moments, I am most happy.

I find that speaks volumes about what I should be doing with my life.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Admiration, Anticipation


Audrey Niffenegger
http://audreyniffenegger.com/, author of The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry and artist, just visited my university.

My professor, and one of few subjects of my admiration, Mille Guldbeck http://www.milleguldbeck.com/,
worked very hard to have her come.  Throughout the duration of the semester up until this point, Mille had expressed to me her excitement about Audrey's visit, as she was first introduced to Audrey during a residency, nearly 10 years ago or so.
Mille, I find, is an incredibly intelligent, introspective individual, who has most likely (and unknowingly) opened up my eyes to a whole, much more expansive field of art than what I had known previously.
Naturally, someone I admire being excited about someone else coming to visit makes me excited, so I had to check out what she was all about.
Currently, I'm a little over 100 pages into The Time Traveler's Wife.  It's a good read.  Nathan finished first (he reads much more quickly than I do) and remarked on how it's one of the best books he's read in a long time, and he's read a lot of books and has a fairly critical eye for such.
I can't help but be inspired.  For those of you who know me, and for those of you who don't, I have been writing a novel for the past 4.5 years.  I used to be paranoid about how long it was taking me, but I've discovered throughout the journey, that the length of time it has taken me has been the best thing to happen to the novel.  I've sat with the idea long enough, that it's more than just a story, it's a whole universe now.  The characters, not just a skeletal idea, but living, breathing personalities.
My insight, now much less naïve, facilitates room for a much more complicated, thought provoking idea.  The gravity of it is much more real now than what it was when I was 17 (If you can only imagine).
Talking to Audrey was wonderful.  For the first time instead of being intimidated or discouraged, I thought, "Yeah, this is something I really can do."
It doesn't sound scary at all.
I was also quite flattered that Mille spoke of me specifically to Audrey, telling her of my current work, my aspirations, and my in progress novel.
I started to revisit my novel today, being as though such inspiration shouldn't go to waste.  My conclusion, "This is actually pretty good."

That's comforting.  That's usually the exact opposite of what happens.
In short, I think that's all I am left feeling the urge to say.  At the end of anything I write, or create for that matter, I'm left feeling/knowing I excluded more than I included, and sometimes that's frustrating... but that is the nature of things is it not?

So this is just an old "digital painting" I did back in 2007 of one of 4 main characters from my novel.  Her name is Evelyn Bordeaux and at one point is the Empress of the Empire of Alunae, Alunae being the title of the novel.  Admittedly, I had no idea what I was doing on Photoshop at the time, and still fumble around when I'm on it.  Bettering my digital skills is among one of many of my post-graduate aspirations.

In other news...

I make an excellent David Bowie Goblin King don't I?  With one obvious difference...