Tools & Toys of the Trade: anarchicq

anarchicq

Tools & Toys of the Trade

Sep 25, 2013 19:06

Mirrored from Do Not Tamper With....

About three weeks ago, I got myself a new treat. Behold:

“It’s the little things in life.”

It’s been a while since I’ve written with paper and pen and I’ve been meaning to get a notebook to dump in my various bags and backpacks but I always wanted one that just screamed me. You know the kind. A nice hard leather cover with a magnet latch and a little ribbon bookmark.

But my frugal nature, combined with never finding one that I adored finally pointed me in the direction of this simple notebook. Everything’s cheaper with the school year starts anew.

Here’s a closer look, plus a nice eye-full of the chicken-scratch and scribbles I call “my writing.”

“Yes I can read that. Can you?”

Last night I was up until 1:30am writing in this little book, jotting down notes and a rough outline for a project I’ve been working on since July or August. 10,000 words, an exercise in world building. Let’s call it Project 10×10 because I initially wanted to finish it by October. 10K by the 10th month. And then I bumped my self-imposed deadline to Oct 10th.

Luckily, Of course, the subject matter of Project 10×10 lends itself well to the organic feel of paper and pen, too. So that helps. In fact, until I got this book, I was virtually stalled at 3,000 words for days. I tried listening to music, I tried RP, I tried changing my font to one that was more organic looking, but nothing really worked. But I got the book, and while waiting for the bus, I wrote. Words came. They became scenes. So what I forced myself to do was write a paragraph in the book, then type out said paragraph, then go back to writing in the book.

Project 10×10 has actually been one of the most difficult writing tasks I have ever undertaken. I feel a lot of pressure. I am painfully aware of other people writing for Project 10×10 and I feel sometimes that my plot or characterization is stale. But while it’s a subject I know oodles about and feel comfortable with, there’s tonnes of research to delve into, and my brain can only hold so much info before I become overwhelmed.

I’ve said writing Gods is like herding cats, but Project 10×10 is like…being the darkest sloth in the sloth exhibit. You’re a sloth, people wait to watch you do something, but there are cuter sloths too.

But last night my brain flooded with ideas that I had to get down lest I forget them, and I’ve written out a outline for places Project 10×10 can go if they like my 10k sample.

And without my new book, I would have had to get out of bed, hop one legged over to my laptop, been dazzled by the sudden light of the screen, and disgruntled, typed out these half-formed thoughts.
So, thank you book. Another purchase without a hint of buyer’s remorse.

Sometimes all we need are the right tools to create perfect art.

story: project 10x10, writing, life