I was able to do a Zoom call with my mom and three of my four siblings, which was nice. We're not big phone talkers, any of us, and Zoom is basically a phone call with pictures, but it's the best we can do right now, so we'll take it.
I've decided to do some simple prompts on my author Facebook page for people struggling with their creativity during this time. Starting tomorrow, there will be a basic prompt, such as describing a memory or a person you know, something that will hopefully get people to write a bit without making them feel bad about having trouble creating. If you'd like to take part, you can click HERE and "like" the page to get the daily prompts. You can also search for Shannon Lawrence - The Warrior Muse if clicking the above link doesn't work.
Note that I don't go to bed until about 5 or 6 AM, so I will be checking in on the page later in the day. I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring them! I'm just sleeping. Hopefully. I will schedule the prompts to post first thing in the morning, though. Likely 7 AM MT since that's when I do my blog posts.
Speaking of sleep, raise your hand if you're having crazy, intense dreams. I have been. They're not nightmares, just vivid dreams, and since I wake frequently I also remember a lot of my dreams. Some of them are so seemingly normal that I almost struggle to tell the difference between things that didn't happen and things that did. Only briefly, of course, in that way people (women?) have of waking up mad at their spouse because they had an intense dream that felt so real that it hurt in reality upon waking.
We also have three new events arranged for Pikes Peak Writers. They're all free, so I'm going to list them here. If you want to see all of them, you can click HERE. The new ones aren't added on there yet, but I'm going to list them here, and if you're friends with me on Facebook and want me to send you an event invite, let me know. There are two events on there marked Non-PPW Events. Those are not run by us and are not virtual (and not free), but the others are!
Again, these are completely free. We don't make any money off these. This is purely a way to give back to the writing community and help people hang in there. All of the below speakers are also doing this for free, no honorarium, for the same reasons. If any of you are interested in doing a workshop in May, either on a week night or a Saturday afternoon, let me know, and we can see if we can make it work.
How to Become a Better Writer in Quarantine—Even If You Don’t Feel Like Writing
April 25, 2-4 PM MST, via Zoom *links will be up online in the next week
It sounds like a writer’s dream: hours of time at home, no expectations to go anywhere or do anything outside your house, so you can really dedicate yourself to your writing.
But during this rough time, many find their creative energy has short-circuited: With everyone stuck at home maybe your creative space and time has been crowded out. Maybe worry, uncertainty, and even fear make it hard to concentrate on your craft—the very sensitivity that makes artists artists might be working against your ability to create your art in such unsettled times.
But even if all you’re able to manage right now is curling up on the sofa with a book or the remote control, #stayhome can actually be the perfect time to train your editor brain. Analyzing other people’s stories is often the best way to learn to objectively assess your own, and using examples from popular TV shows, movies, and books, Tiffany will teach you how to objectively analyze and dissect the art you're taking in, the way professional editors do with manuscripts, to see how it accomplishes (or doesn't) major storytelling techniques. Using specific suggestions and questions, this hour-long presentation will help you gain the often-elusive skill of self-editing and effective revision to help you get your story onto the page with all the depth and richness and impact it has in your head.
Speaker BIO: Tiffany Yates Martin started in the publishing industry more than twenty-five years ago as a copy editor for the Big Six. As a developmental editor for the last decade, she works directly with authors as well as through major publishing houses, on titles by New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-selling authors. She holds a BA in English Literature from Georgia State University and is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association.
Q&A with an FBI Profiler
May 2, 2-4 PM MST, via Zoom *links will go up this week
Pete Klismet, retired FBI profiler, will discuss his background and how he got involved in the FBI, then open up for questions. Want to know how profiling works? Have burning questions about serial killers? Ask away! He'll answer your questions and tell some entertaining tales.
Speaker BIO: Peter M. (Pete) Klismet, Jr. is a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran and worked for the Ventura Police Department before entering the FBI in 1979. He was trained to be a Firearms Instructor, Hostage Negotiator, and was in the first cadre of Special Agents chosen to be trained in “Psychological Profiling.” Pete received extensive training in profiling over the years, and worked on numerous cases. He was named the 1999 International Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for solving a large multi-national fraud case. Following his retirement in 1999, Pete accepted a position as Department Chair and Associate Professor of the Criminal Justice Department at Pikes Peak Community College. Now retired from that, he continues to do training and consulting work for law enforcement and private companies and law firms. He has authored four award-winning books.
Story Breaking Monday
May 4, 7-9 PM MST
Wanna kick the tires of your story with a storytelling expert? Game to do it LIVE in front of a gaggle of writers? Ready to embrace this new world of Digital Creative Community?
Join Trai Cartwright for an evening of story development – we promise everyone will learn lots about story build and get inspired, and 2 (or 3!) lucky writers will be chosen through lottery to work through—and fix—their stories. Bring your screenplays, books, TV pilots, or web series.
Everyone is welcome to listen—maybe even give notes!
Stories will be chosen by lottery that night.
FREE -- but you must register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0qduGtpzwr43sPYeVcIVZ-7PTK7b9Lhw
BIO: TRAI CARTWRIGHT, MFA, is a 25-year entertainment industry veteran and creative writing and business development specialist. She teaches, produces, and writes screenplays and novels. While in Los Angeles, she was a screenwriter, independent film producer, and story consultant and development executive for HBO, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and New Line Cinema. She was the Assistant Director of Leonardo DiCaprio’s online endeavors and the Manager for 20th Century Fox’s Mobile Studios. Trai currently teaches creative writing, screenwriting, and producing for Western State Colorado University, Denver University and CU Denver, conferences and cons, and one-on-one as a development and story editor. She is the screenwriter of Secret Ellington, and producer of docu-series Hidden Tigers, and short film Sundown Road.
www.traicartwright.com
How are you doing? Are you coping okay? What coping mechanisms have you found that help you? Have you been able to write? Having vivid dreams? Will I see you on my Facebook page or at any of the events?
May you find your Muse.
19 comments:
I want those last two masks! We looked into getting a Bane one, but it didn't appear to really be a good virus deterrent.
"Analyzing other people’s stories is often the best way to learn to objectively assess your own." Yes! I see mistakes in submissions that glare and I know I've made them in my own work but couldn't see them.
Hi Shannon - great you've managed to get a zoom session in with your Mama and siblings; while your clever hubby creating 3D masks, and SIL letting you have some fabric ones. But those are great fun masks ... definitely ones to keep.
Good luck with the writing sessions - but generous you're including others to share along ... take care and enjoy life where you can - Hilary
Love the masks - which were your husbands - the last two? I have been covering very varied writing on my blog but wa spleased to create a poem under Lis for Love (but not as we know it) https://how-would-you-know.blogspot.com/2020/04/l-is-for-love.html
Am dying for someone, anyone, to comment on it lol
Seeing you Shannon and this post made me grin. We are coping after a month (has it been a month already!?) in quarantine. Can it be over now? We have enough food and TP and books to last another month. (I hope to God it's over faster than that)
Great masks - especially the Face Hugger. You are doing an awesome job inspiring people, Shannon, although I seem to be getting enough motivation with IWSG, WEP, and A2Z. ;-)
I am not enjoying wearing those masks. They always end up over my eyes.
Those masks look really neat! Very creative.
Those dreams that seem so much like reality can be scary. I've had a few of them, though not lately fortunately. One dream that I had the other night though involved myself having finished reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein then realising it wasn't the same the original version yet it was still attributed to M. Shelley. The ending, for example, was set at the university where Victor Frankenstein created the monster and, in this version, where the monster is killed. Sounds kind of undramatic but if you have the dream it is really weird! I wrote that one in my journal to hopefully make into a story. Take care of yourself!
The Mad Max one wasn't quite finished when I photographed it, so it looks even better now. A Bane mask would be perfect (if it was actually a virus deterrent, too). I still want a plague doctor and maybe a Hannibal Lecter.
I've found reading slush and judging writing contests shows me errors that I then see in my own work, so it's a big help.
Thank you, Hilary! I'm surrounded by a lot of good people.
Yes, the last two were ones he made. The facehugger was actually one of the first things he 3D printed when he got the printer a couple years ago, but he made the mask and put velcro on little Huggins so I could attach him.
Out of all the masks. I like the second one (I am assuming that is the fabric one)
I hope you can hang in there and that you can come out of quarantine sooner! This is such a bizarre time.
I had hoped to do the A to Z this year, but April crept up on me FAST. Glad you're getting motivation and inspiration out there!
Mine do, too. The first day I wore the construction one (the white one), was at work, and I had to leave the bottom strap off just so I could pull it down out of my eyes without touching the rest of the mask. This will definitely take a lot of adapting.
There may be a lot of great story ideas coming out of the crazy dreams right now! Hope it works out for you.
I figure if they're something we may need to get used to for a while, why not make them fun? But they're also all effective.
My sister-in-law knows me well! It's actually so well made that I had to loosen it, because it sucked in with my breathing.
Post a Comment