Check out this fantastic blog on all things related to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
It is amazing how, after so many years, this work of art is still inspiring us in so many ways.
The articles are insightful and educational, and I find I am a much better writer because of them.
http://detroiaaitaca.wordpress.com/
("from Troy to Itaca")
Let me know what you think! :)
Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Inspiration from the pros #LASCBWI11
At the last SCBWI conference in Los Angeles I had the privilege of listening to some of the most talented authors of our time share their thoughts and the ins and outs of the trade.
One of the sessions that stayed with me was the one with Donna Jo Napoli, author of the book The Wager. It's about a medieval Italian Don who finds himself having to make a wager with the devil.
(It's a great read. Check it out here.)
She based her session entirely on the question:
"How can we make it worse?"
At first we were a bit dumbfounded. Mrs. Napoli is a sweet lady with cute round glasses sitting on a button little nose. Her voice is clear and high-pitched, and her demeanor is that of someone who just baked a batch of the best cookies and cannot wait to share some with you.
Yet the scenarios that she was able to weave with us were pretty dire situations, most of the time involving the loss of life and limb in the most creative of ways. Every single time something new came to the surface, she beamed and then replied:
"How can we make it worse?"
It was amazing. When everything seemed hopeless, we were still able to make it even worse for our imaginary impromptu protagonists. And the stories got even more interesting.
That was a very powerful lesson. Often as writers we are content to create some tension within a scene but find ourselves stopping short of taking it even further. And the reasons may vary: Are we raising the age of our intended readership by adding a scene that might be too violent or too risqué? Are we afraid to go down that particular path because it evokes painful memories of our own?
Instead of cutting short and going on, we should actually stop and embrace the fact that
a) yes, we can (and should) push boundaries and
b) yes, we WILL know how to artfully approach that issue within the confines of our intended readership and
c) yes, sometimes it is in those painful places within us that we might find the source of our very best writing.
What do you think?
One of the sessions that stayed with me was the one with Donna Jo Napoli, author of the book The Wager. It's about a medieval Italian Don who finds himself having to make a wager with the devil.(It's a great read. Check it out here.)
She based her session entirely on the question:
"How can we make it worse?"
At first we were a bit dumbfounded. Mrs. Napoli is a sweet lady with cute round glasses sitting on a button little nose. Her voice is clear and high-pitched, and her demeanor is that of someone who just baked a batch of the best cookies and cannot wait to share some with you.
Yet the scenarios that she was able to weave with us were pretty dire situations, most of the time involving the loss of life and limb in the most creative of ways. Every single time something new came to the surface, she beamed and then replied:
"How can we make it worse?"
It was amazing. When everything seemed hopeless, we were still able to make it even worse for our imaginary impromptu protagonists. And the stories got even more interesting.
That was a very powerful lesson. Often as writers we are content to create some tension within a scene but find ourselves stopping short of taking it even further. And the reasons may vary: Are we raising the age of our intended readership by adding a scene that might be too violent or too risqué? Are we afraid to go down that particular path because it evokes painful memories of our own?
Instead of cutting short and going on, we should actually stop and embrace the fact that
a) yes, we can (and should) push boundaries and
b) yes, we WILL know how to artfully approach that issue within the confines of our intended readership and
c) yes, sometimes it is in those painful places within us that we might find the source of our very best writing.
What do you think?
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