10 To Try

~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good evening.   As you may know my name is Gigi.  I am a parti poodle and owner of a novelist.  This week my novelist and I have been catching up on some of the films nominated for the Oscars and next week we will do a post on the subject.  This week however she would like to tell you about something she’s been participating in for the past two years and encourages all writers to do if it is available in their area.  So, without further ado, here is my novelist. 

Every year I participate in my library’s local reading challenge.  This is my third year in a row where I’ve taken on the task of reading ten books before the end of the year.  Each book must fulfill one of ten categories.  The following is this year’s list:

Retelling of a fairytale or myth

About a journey

About a person you’d like to meet

About music or a musician

Recommended by the library staff

Teaches you a new skill

With a friend

About nature

About current events

By an author whose gender is different from yours 

It’s not always a simple task finding time to read and write a book at the same time.  But I like getting the finisher pinback button at the end of the year when I turn in my completed bookmark. There’s a wonderful line Abbe de Coulmier has in Quills which is: “The writer who produces more than he reads – the sure mark of an amateur.” (Quills by Doug Write, The Dramatists Play Service Inc. Page 29). 

It’s not necessarily fun to read things you don’t want to.  And I don’t always like all the categories they choose.  But it makes me keep up a pace and keep reading.  One thing I suggest is if you can find books that fit the categories and serve as research for the story you’re working on, do it.  I did that with the first book I read last year. It was one of my favorites of last year’s ten.

Doing a reading challenge is more work than blowing through a television series on Netflix or Amazon or whatever you may subscribe to but it’s good for you.  Reading as opposed to watching film or television makes you empathize with the characters better.  It also gives you knowledge, vocabulary, improved memory, sharpens your analytic skills, helps you concentrate better, improves your mood and yes, it makes you a better writer. So, if your library offers it, do the reading challenge.  You’ll be glad you did.  

I’ll post every Thursday.  That’s the schedule.  While you’re waiting for my next post check out my novel Chicane currently available on Amazon.

GOING FOR A WALK

~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good afternoon.  My name is Gigi.  I am a parti-poodle.  I also own a novelist.  Today in our continuing series my novelist is going to talk to you about taking walks.  She is an excellent dog walker and does not pull too hard on the leash.  She exerts patience when I stop to sniff at things which interest me like grass, flowers and bushes.  She is well trained in remembering to give me a premium treat after my walk, usually a canine sandwich cookie with a chocolate-like wafer top and a vanilla-like wafer bottom…or a vanilla bottom and a chocolate top depending on your point of view.  Some dogs may like to separate the cookie and lick the cream filling inside, but I prefer to nibble at mine whole after which I curl up on the couch on my plush blanket and doze.  So, without further ado, here’s my novelist.   

One of the most challenging enigmas a writer can face is figuring out what to write about.  The answer is always this: unless it’s a paying gig write what fascinates you.  So, how do you decide on a topic that will fascinate you enough to be married to it for at least a year? 

This what I did.  I made a list of loglines…a long list of loglines.  Some people may tell you to sit down, bang your head and crank out a hundred log lines at a desk.  This strategy is daunting and painful.  I found a better way to accomplish the task was to walk.  I accumulated a list of two hundred log lines by taking a daily walk as often as I could.  I walk for about an hour.  Not on the treadmill.  Outside.  My mind works better if I walk outside. 

However, if you live in an area that is not safe enough to take a walk outside don’t do it.  In that case do use a treadmill if you have access to one.  Or if you can walk inside somewhere like a mall or a gym or a Costco.  Whatever way you walk do not walk with headphones on or involve yourself in some other distraction such as your phone.  Walk around aware of your surroundings.  It will help you think better, and it will be safer.   

A logline, in case you are wondering, is a sentence (or sometimes two) which introduces the lead character (without using their name), their goal and the antagonist who stands in their way of achieving their goal.  The point is essentially to present the idea of your story and keep it brief.  One example from my list is:  A criminal mastermind is ostracized by his peers when he enlists a lap dog for his pet instead of a cat.  The criminal mastermind is the protagonist.  His peers are the antagonist.  His goal is to own a lapdog instead of a cat.  A completely different log line would be:  A deceased man struggles to find a way to come back to life to prevent his teenage daughter from committing suicide. 

On every walk I challenged myself to come up with one new idea, one logline before the hour was up and the walk was over.  I did it every day I could until I had a list of over a hundred log lines.  And then I kept going till I had two hundred.  On some walks I was creative enough to come up with two and sometimes three log lines.  But this was the exception not the rule.  As soon as I finished a walk, I wrote the idea I had in my notebook.  The best notebooks I’ve found to write in, especially if you can keep them in one place and not port them around are Black n’ Red hard cover case bound.  I use the large size.  They lay flat, do not have perforation and hold up very well.  If I do have to port around a notebook, I use Black n’ Red twin spiral small poly cover notebooks which work well except they do have perforation.  As a writer I don’t like perforated notebooks because I like to keep all my work together.

After I completed my logline collection, I went over it to see what log lines popped out for me. The way you know you have your next story is when the idea won’t leave you alone. The logline that keeps popping out amongst all the others is the one to use to write your next story.

I’ll post every Thursday.  That’s the schedule.  While you’re waiting for my next post check out my novel Chicane currently available on Amazon.

GREETINGS.

~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good evening and welcome to Gigi Catches Air.  My name is Gigi, parti poodle.  Tonight, we begin a new series which is based on the bloggings of my pet, Karen.  And might I add she is a marvelous companion on walks, a warm lap when I watch television and always prompt in providing meals and treats.  Even the baths she gives me are uncommonly tolerable.  She has fared well under my tutelage and I expect her to express her thoughts brilliantly on this page.  The only drawback I can deduce about her is she has chosen to adopt a Maltese.  But we shall not speak of that disconcerting indiscretion at this time.  So, without further ado here is my human.     

My name is not Gigi.  It is Karen.  Gigi is my toy parti poodle who catches air when she sees me come home by jumping up and down in front of the window.  But Gigi Catches Air is a more beguiling name for a blog than Karen Rolls so we’re going to call it Gigi Catches Air. 

I (Karen that is) have written seriously for over a decade and a half.  My mission is to publish every bizarre tale I have penned.  My goal is to tell you about how I go about writing and how I do it almost every day.  I’ll share with you all the wacky ways I create my stories and perhaps you’ll find something to either spark your imagination or add to your toolbox or throw in the trash.  In addition, I will talk randomly about film, television and my outré view of the world at large.  My philosophy is writing should make you happy.  Even if your dog just died, your boyfriend dumped you and the giant tree the neighbor refused to cut down just fell on your car you should have a happy writing session that day.   

I am or was a trained actor and I love film and television.  I believe acting is good for writers even if it isn’t their goal in life.  I’ve learned as much about storytelling from acting classes as I did from writing classes.  I also worked at a video store for three years and have watched thousands of films.  Because of this my novels have a lot of dialogue.  I put more emphasis on what people say rather than what they’re wearing or the scenery around them.  My stories are primarily dark comedies or seriocomic in nature.  When I have done public readings of my work some people have laughed, and others have left the room in terror.  I consider both reactions a triumph.   

I’ll post every Thursday.  That’s the schedule.  While you’re waiting for my next post check out my novel Chicane currently available on Amazon.

MY FIRST BLOG POST

~ gigicatchesair ~ Leave a comment

Good evening.  My human is now going to present her first blog post. She has decided the subject with be how she goes about a common everyday writing session.  I would like to mention that during her writing time I like to lie on my designated pillow by the window and make certain all goes well and micromanage the session as it were.  I am quiet most of the time but if I hear someone come to the door it is my job to go ballistic and bark at the top of my lungs. 

I thought a great place to start…

Notice I didn’t say I felt a great place to start.  I said I thought a great place to start.  This is important, and I will get back to it in a later post. 

I thought a great place to start my blog would be to talk about how I go about a day in the life writing.  And the answer is simply I write almost every day at the same time.  There are writers who don’t like to do that.  They don’t want a schedule, or they would rather do all their writing with their writing group, or they prefer to walk around and jot down wise little thoughts when inspiration strikes.  But not me.  I like a schedule and I like to stick to it.    

I write for two to three hours a day.  Do I write straight through without a break?  No.  That’s crazy and stupid.  Sometimes I surf the internet and think.  Sometimes I listen to music.  Sometimes I get up from my chair and do something else for a little while. Why?  Because if I’m stuck, getting up may be just enough to jolt my brain into coming up with the escape plan out of the corner I’ve written myself into.  Writing shouldn’t be a chore.  It should be a joy.

To start my writing time I make myself a cup of tea, a small cup (probably a half cup in measurement) of fruit and a small cup of a combination of nuts (usually Costco nuts which rock), Annie’s Bunny Cookies and the most important ingredient of all six to seven Dilettante chocolate covered coffee beans which I buy in bulk because otherwise I would be broke. When I first started out the fruit was a couple of large strips of Just Mangos from Trader Joe’s.  Later I tried Costco berries.  Sometimes I have an apple.  Sometimes I switch out the bunny cookies out for dried apples or something else.  It just depends.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday I make espresso instead of tea.  And when I say I make espresso I make it.  I do not stick a plastic cup into a machine and push a button.  I brew the espresso on a little espresso machine, and I froth the milk.   I like Torriano and Ghirardelli syrups which I use sparingly to give my latte some flavor.  See, I worked as a barista in college and so I don’t have a problem making my own coffee.  A lot cheaper and less sugary than buying it from a stand. 

I have tried different teas through the years and my favorite is Harney’s & Sons.  They are excellent.  I like their green and white teas.  They cost a little more, but they do have sales on their site and their teas are worth it.  And their shipping is free, and the tea comes in tins not cardboard boxes.  Awesome.  

Anyway, that’s essentially my ritual because all those stupid little things are part of what I look forward to.  Every writer should make their writing time something to look forward to because it makes it more fun and you deserve it. 

I’ll post every Thursday.  That’s the schedule.  While you’re waiting for my next post check out my novel Chicane currently available on Amazon.