Brainstorm in Moderation

"My feeling is that as far as creativity is concerned, isolation is required. The creative person is, in any case, continually working at it. His mind is shuffling his information at all times, even when he is not conscious of it . . . t

he presence of others can only inhibit this process, since creation is embarrassing. For every new good idea you have, there are a hundred, ten thousand foolish ones, which you naturally do not care to display."

~ Isaac Asimov

Writing is neither a team nor a contact sport. Well, unless you count smacking your head repeatedly against a computer screen when you get stuck. My point is that the grueling, day to day act of pounding out words to complete a novel is necessarily a singular activity. Yeah, I know. That's kind of a given. 

So, how does brainstorming fit into this equation? Usually at the beginning of the novel writing process.

First, a writer comes up with their own idea for a story. Maybe a character they've been noodling. Or a theme they want to explore. Something that the writer is passionate about. These are all story seeds, and it's the seeds that are brought to the brainstorming table to sort through.

When you've got some ideas to discuss, then you call your brainstorming buddies. Note: this isn't an entire tribe of yes-men to hold your hand and sing Kumbaya. This is two, maybe three writerly friends who you feel comfortable with sharing your seeds. They'll tell you what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly about your ideas, and then add their own. This is where you work out the general idea of a story, discussing it until you feel like you can take the ball and run with it.

Then you do. You run away. You write. Alone. If the story bunches up some in the middle, then another, smaller brainstorming session can be held. Otherwise, it's you and the words. The danger for writers, especially newbies, is to groupthink novels to death. 

The Dangers of Too Much Brainstorming

• It sucks the voice right out of you. 
• It stretches the story into awkward shapes that don't belong to the writer but to the collective. 
• It takes away risk, turning the words to a grey meh.
• The pressure to conform increases anxiety in the writer.
• The presence of others can even stifle creativity.

So go ahead and toss your ideas around with writerly buddies, but just like everything else in life, partake of this pastime in moderation. 

A Library Made of Books

I've never really wanted to visit San Francisco. I've heard it's expensive. Riding streetcars up and down huge hills would make me throw up out the window. And it's chilly there, never getting hot enough to feel like a summer vacation. But (and I've always got a big but) the temptation to toodle over there this June is nudging me in that direction.

This summer at the Bay Area Book Festival, a non profit art group (the FLUX Foundation) will build a library entirely out of books. It's called the Lacuna and will be constructed out of 50,000 books which have been donated. That means it's free, folks. Like not only entrance, but pulling books out of the wall is at no charge as well. Sweet deal!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "Dude! The thing will collapse if everyone starts yanking out books!" Don't panic. It does have some structure beneath all the books, such as shelves and guidewires holding things up. The concept is that as books are removed, the structure will change into an entirely new design. Gaps in the walls will change the way light and sound filter in. It's kind of an evolutionary building. In their own words:

"Lacuna is a library where the process of taking out a book shifts

 and re-shapes the very structure in which those books are contained."

Sounds like a unique library worth visiting. So hey, if you do, fling me some pix and I'll post them here at Writer Off the Leash.

Shout

everything falls down at some point
just stops
and falls right over
the little boy's ice cream when he licks too hard, dying in the dirt
and he weeps
the grey-haired lady, linoleum unforgiving beneath her broken hip
and her family weeps
the newborn robin, half-crushed on the sidewalk, empty eyes unblinking
and I weep
blood dripping from a young man's brow
and
God weeps
all broken
but not hopeless
tell the boy, the gramma,
shout it at the birds in the sky
He lives!
He lives!
He.
Lives.

How Free Do You Want Speech to Be?

Lots of interesting word policing going on out there in the wide, wide world of writerly sports. Two extremes, wanting things their own way . . .

Extreme Far Right: The Clean Reader App

This handy dandy little download scrubs out naughty words from books on your e-reader. It obliterates F bombs and closes the door on naked body parts, which can sound like a fantastic idea for readers who find this offensive. The problem is that it doesn't just erase words -- it changes them into gentler, kinder words.

Here's the deal, folks. If you don't want to read a book with swearing or sex, then be careful about the books you choose to read. Sheesh. It's really that simple. When you go changing an author's words, you're ripping the fence off their intellectual property and running roughshod over their creation.

Before you get out your pitchforks, no, I personally do not read erotica or F-this, F-that, and F-you kinds of books. But (and I've always got a big but) last time I checked, this was a free country. If writers choose to put out that kind of material, it ought not be censored. Check out the freaking first amendment. What? You're calling me a Libertarian?

Yep, you'd be right.

Extreme Far Left: The Intolerable Word List

It's no secret Hillary Clinton is gearing up for a run on the White House. But did you know there are certain words that are banned by the press in relation to anything they print about her? Here are the 13 no-no's not allowed to be used in conjunction with her:

"polarizing," "calculating," "disingenuous," "insincere," "ambitious," "inevitable," "entitled," "over-confident," "secretive," "will do anything to win," "represents the past," and "out of touch."

Again, last I checked, which actually was on Wednesday since that's the day I teach a high school Civics class, the Constitution is still our supposed guidebook for the management of this country, and there's nothing in there that allows for banned words. Apparently, however, we are free to call Clinton manipulative, past her prime, and chubby cheeks.

In both of these situations, far left and far right, words are in the crosshairs. Who gets to decide which words are kosher and which aren't? Should that not be between man and God, not man and man? After all, He's the author of words to begin with.

The Legacy of Kara Tippetts

I was late catching the Kara Tippetts bus, but so thankful I hopped on at the last minute. Her blog, Mundane Faithfulness, is an authentic, gritty look into living life slathered with God's grace.

She died last Sunday . . . but her words live on. What an impact this humble author made in her 38 years here on planet Earth. What a picture she created by sharing her beautiful passage into eternity. And just today she'd pre-posted a letter to her readers upon her death.

Words remain long after we are gone, which is a solemn reminder to choose your words carefully.

If you didn't have a chance to meet Kara over at Mundane Faithfulness, here's a little sample of the amazing woman she was (and yes, the blog will continue, run by her friends) . . .

Authors as Presidential Candidates

It's barely 2015 and already things are heating up for the presidential election of 2016. Ted Cruz, senator from Texas, just announced he's throwing his hat into the ol' election ring. Personally, I like him, but it got me thinking what if an author became president? What would that be like?

Stephen King
Terrorists shmerorrists . . . no one's going to mess with a man who pens murder and death in horrifically creepy ways.

Nicholas Sparks
I know Obama was supposed to "bring us all together and tear down barriers," but yeah . . . how's that working out for us? If Sparks were pres, just imagine the warm fuzziness that would blanket the country.

Veronica Roth
With her no-nonsense, hard-hitting characters such as Tris or Four in Divergent, this woman would single-handedly whip congress into shape.

Dr. Seuss
Who wouldn't want executive orders to rhyme? Yeah, I know he died like twenty years ago, but honestly, some of those senators have been in office so long, one wonders if a few of them are actually breathing anymore or just taking up chair space.

J.K. Rowling
British accent. 'Nuff said.

There are my top five pics for authors as presidential candidates. Share yours in the comment section. Go on. Be brave. I don't wield a politically correct axe around here.

Pumping Up Some Motivation to Exercise

I kind of just want to sit around and eat. Could be because I've got a container of homemade chocolate chip cookies calling to me from the counter. But more likely it's the dang snow outside. The calendar says shorts weather is just around the corner, but my thighs and the weather are screaming that ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

Yeah, I've got a gym membership. Yeah, I should walk the dog. But here I am, sitting on my rump roast, thinking about cramming one more killer cookie into my mouth. Why is it so hard to exercise? Oh yeah. That's right. BECAUSE I HATE IT.

You didn't know you'd be tuning into a rant today, did you? I suspect, though, that I'm not the only hater out there.

Here's the deal . . . thinking about slipping into shorts and tank tops without any cottage cheese type lumps or serious muffinish overhangs is oh so much easier than doing the hard work to achieve that body -- which is eerily like writing. Except for the cellulite. What I mean is that it's easier to think about writing a novel than committing the actual deed.

So. There's the ugly truth. The only way out of this lack of exercise pickle is through, one sweaty sit-up at a time, just like the only way to make it to "The End" of a novel is one word at a time. Wait a minute . . . pickle?

I think there's a hamburger calling my name. Smashburger, here I come, baby.

Oh, quit your judging. I'll jog there.