some crazy writing ideas
A woman in my creative writing class was from California--summering in Michigan. She commented that she enjoyed this glimpse into the Midwest. She stated that we wrote about different topics than the people in her writing groups in LA. Could this be what she was thinking of? I should have just asked her.
- My life in waking moments . . .
*I actually used to be able to do this mind trick where I challenged myself to think about what I was thinking and it was a brain spiral, kind of like a thought "black hole." It sounds so pretentious now, but unfortunately, I'm unable to replicate this as an adult. Weird.
*I also liked to pile my fingers on top of each other for some reason while I lay awake on a lazy Saturday morning.
*Another thing I did was psych myself out by closing my eyes and imagining my room laid out in a different way. Then I'd open my eyes and be surprised by the familiarity of my bedroom. - things I learned from cars
*How can I replicate that little beeping noise that reminds me to turn off my lights? I need to translate that reminder in a thousand different ways.
*It goes without saying that you can tell a person's personality by the car they drive. For instance, when I'm trailing a Ford F-150 and it's going the speed limit or slower, even though you can't see around it, you just KNOW that it is tail-gaiting a conscientious Chrysler Town-and-Country or Mercury Grand Marquis, just itching to roar around it at the first opportunity. I live in Michigan where American made trumps everything else. I drive a Honda Civic and am pretty much constantly run off the road as a "5-mile-per-hour above the speed limit max" driver.
*I've been given the finger on a 2-lane highway that was clear except for a Dodge Ram and myself. The Ram was trailing me in the right lane--almost on my bumper--when I indicated that they were free to pass me in the fast lane. Once they swerved back into the right lane, cutting me off and storming away, I saw a hand emerge from the driver window with a message. Why?
*Do you name your cars? I don't. - evolution of camping trips
*I used to have the stay-up-all-night blood tingles before we left on these trips.
*Now I classify my top 5 worst locations for mosquito bites as I quickly towel up in a cement shower where clumps of dirt populate the floor and insects lurk in the steamy air. For the record, the worst sites are:
1) Face
2) Private zones (embarrassing itching)
3) Ankles
4) Hands
5) Rest of the body (pretty much covers it all)
*Then I felt palpable safety in being tucked away in a pop-up trailer at a location that had no clear address for enemies of our state (I lived in fear of terrorists when I was a young girl) . . . I still love the sound of rain pelting the canvas and plastic top of our trailer--existing in a pocket of damp serenity. Waking up to this rhythm is less an escape, however, and more gift.
We played Rummy Cube for hours--our mom's new favorite game. I lost. You really feel like you're thinking though. Lots of looking for possibilities.
When I got home I checked out the new show, Masters of Science Fiction, that I had taped because I heard about it on NPR. It was freaky, but intelligent, just as you'd expect. I'm not a huge fan of this genre, but I thought I'd give it a chance. And Sam Waterston was in the first episode.
I think what bugs me the most about science fiction is that at this heightened reality, you feel really manipulated somehow . . . you're just so aware of the writers' sense of their own cleverness. And yet, the same can probably be said of the amazingly talented writing staff of "The Office." And I'm swept away by every literal, not virtual camera glimpse from Jim Halpert and by every metaphoric parallel story line (Michael Scott's motivational speech occurs in the most unexpected way as a result of a public blundering of the intended speech--Booze Cruise). I'm such putty in the hands of these comedic geniuses.