Art Journaling and More With Mini-Collages

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time now you'll know how much I enjoy working with magazine cut-outs: words, phrases, photos; I collect them all. Whether I'm using them to plot out my next novel, or simply illustrating my art journal, I can't imagine being without my various files of cut-outs.

The sizes range all the way from items so big I have to crop them (or fold then into quarters) to fit my pages, to teensy-tinsy little things I find in the classified or other obscure sections of magazines and catalogs. I've ended up with so many of these miniature gems that I've started using them for what I call "mini-collages," small pictures no larger than 6" square, usually less.

The best thing about mini-collages is they can be put together in minutes--they're almost like doodling. The materials are easy to carry to work, or while you're on vacation: just a glue stick and a Zip-loc bag of images and supports. They're especially great for those times when I don't have an art journal handy--once I've finished I just stack them up to glue into my journal later.

Readily-available supports for mini-collages can include:

• Index cards; lined or unlined; white, pastel, or fluorescent.
• Business cards.
• Old greeting cards.
• New greeting cards (treat yourself!).
• Envelopes--new and used.
• Origami paper.
• Scrapbooking papers cut or torn into smaller pieces.
• Mini-canvases and art boards sold in small packs from art supply stores.
• Disposable coasters.
• Cocktail napkins (especially the pretty, printed ones).
• Old calendars divided into pieces. The page-a-day type work well, too.
• Old paperback book covers--both the backs and the fronts.
• "Failed" drawings and paintings, cut up or torn.
• Empty matchbooks.
• Old photos (duplicates, or ones that are no longer important, of course!)
• Larger-sized magazine cut-outs.

Right now I'm using mini-collages mainly for my art journal, but here are some ideas I thought would be fun to try in the future:

• Add to, or frame, a larger collage.
• Glue on top of small cardboard or wooden boxes.
• Turn into greeting cards (even the ones made from old greeting cards!)
• Use one as the basis for a book cover design.
• Use as templates for drawings.
• Photograph, scan, enlarge, and make transfers for T-shirts, tote bags, or cushions.
• Use as the background to a website, blog, or social network sites.
• Create a deck of prompt cards for creative inspiration or meditation.

Let's go! 

Tip of the Day: The next time you're gathering magazine photos for prompts or other uses, don't overlook anything you might think is "too small." Good things DO come in small packages, especially when put together as a group: see how many mini-collages you can make in one sitting.

Deadlines or Dreadlines?

This month I seem to have a lot of deadlines. I don't really like them. That said, I also know they are a necessary evil for every stage of the creative process, whether they're for sending in an article to a magazine on time, or setting up personal completion dates for various manuscript drafts. Which still doesn't make me happy with them!

The first time I ever had a real contract deadline I worked right up until the very last second I could, then rushed to the post office right on the nickel. My manuscript made it to the publisher on time, thank goodness, but the next day when I spoke to my editor by phone, she told me I was "very slow." Wow. I was a newbie at that stage and didn't know much about the publishing world. There and then I vowed to not make the same mistake twice.

Since that first professional submission, I can't say I've made friends with deadlines, but I've also learned a few ways to make them bearable, and perhaps more importantly, do-able. These include:

• Deadlines are not about killing yourself--or the work. Pacing is everything! Take some days off in between writing.
• If you need to move a deadline forward--be honest with yourself (and your editor), but don't use the opportunity to change dates as a way to procrastinate and avoid completing the work.
• If a serious emergency occurs that may delay or prevent you reaching your deadline--let your editor know ASAP. Don't be embarrassed to be human.
• The best thing about assigning a deadline to your own private work schedule is it makes you STOP working on a piece before you take all the life out of it.
• Always keep a deadline calendar that is only for your manuscript or other creative project deadlines. Work out realistic stopping points.
• Try not to be too public about personal deadlines--letting everyone know a certain date for being finished with your WIP or similar, and then not being able to deliver might keep you from working with deadlines ever again.
• If possible, do your best to be a few days early with your professional deadlines.
• Don't agree to absurd deadlines unless you really, really know you can comply. Sometimes we can be so hungry for a sale or a shot at publication we'll agree to unreasonable demands--and then find we're mired in an impossible task. Better to walk away without signing if something doesn't feel "right."
• Know your boundaries and energy limits. Know your working style and how much you can (or can't) do.
• Schedule and plan out your work pace. Don't be a "last minute sprinter" working on sheer adrenaline. Just like tackling exam questions, work on the easy parts of your manuscript assignment first, then take the more difficult areas line by line, one paragraph at a sitting.
• Give yourself space between deadlines to breathe and regroup.
• Even when you finish a piece, give it 24 hours to gel. Whether it's a blog post, a query letter, or a finished manuscript, don't push "send" the second you finish writing. Let it wait.
• Whenever possible, practice working with deadlines. Finished work is the key to success; deadlines will help you get there.

Tip of the Day: Create some easy deadlines for yourself. For instance, give yourself a week to write a short story. Break the work into sections: e.g., one day for research, one day for the first and last paragraphs, one day to polish, and another to rewrite. Slow and steady does win the race (and keeps you ready and rested for more!).

Manuscript Organization 101

Except for tweeting and some very quick emails, I have to write longhand. Everything. I can't even fill out a simple questionnaire without writing out my answers by hand first. So when it comes to writing the first drafts of my book-length manuscripts, or working on my writing practice sessions, or just tracking my ideas, I need some way to keep each project separate from the others.

For me, the best solution has been good old-fashioned legal pads. After years and years of writing in fancy--and expensive--journals, I've found that nothing beats a good-quality, white paper, three-hole-punched, stiff-backed legal pad--brand name as shown in the photo above!

I started using these wonderful tablets when I found myself writing mainly manuscripts, rather than journal entries, in exquisite blank books, only to then transcribe the writing into proper manuscript form, and then be left with a beautiful, but unnecessary, first draft. My recent move into condo living this year facilitated finally parting with all those gorgeous notebooks, and I must say it feels great. Although I still want to continue keeping lovely art journals and sketchbooks, as well as my commonplace book, from here on out anything that costs more than five dollars is going to be for "special."

So here's how I'm using legal pads right now. To start with, I have about 6-8 going at any one time. These are:

• Morning pages. Legal pads are particularly good for morning pages. I usually will write my pages for at least a week, give them a quick read-through over the weekend, follow up with any notes I need to keep in a more permanent form, and then tear everything up and toss. Easy!
• Blog Ideas. During the day I often get an idea I want to share via my blog. So it's good to have a dedicated place to jot it down and even expand on the theme whether I'm blogging that day or not. Added benefit: doing this has helped me blog more consistently.
• Freewriting. I am a great believer in writing practice and working from prompts as much as possible. None of this is guaranteed to be great writing, or even usable writing, but more often than not I will come up with a scene for my current WIP, or a character or premise I'd like to use in the future. After I've filled up every line and reached the cardboard backing, I can either add my pre-punched pages to a specific WIP binder, or simply file the pages away in various places for later use.
• Poetry. I like to keep poetry separate from prose. Not only am I using a different voice when I write poetry, but it also just makes everything easier to find when I do file or transcribe the pages.
• The Novel WIP. My current fiction WIP is already transcribed and printed in manuscript format, but now I'm going through the massive job of re-reading and taking notes on the text. Keeping these together in a single pad/place has been helpful as I go chapter by chapter, page by page, line by line to look for inconsistencies, plot glitches, and places where I could use more foreshadowing, action, or description.
• The Screenplay WIP. This is where I keep absolutely everything that occurs to me re: my screenplay WIP. It's a place where I can over-write and put in all the emotional/mental content and back story my heart desires--all the things that aren't supposed to go in my actual script. These are valuable notes when it comes to trying to get the most out of the least amount of acceptable page- and word counts.
• Marketing. At least once a day I try to do something that adds to my marketing efforts. Whether it's simply making a list of potential reviewers, or discovering new blogs to read and comment on, this is where I put my notes and information. I also use this particular pad for practicing my synopses, queries, and cover letters.
• Fiction Ideas in General. They just won't stop!  And in order to get on with my day and keep them quietly in one place, I've given them their very own pad. Whew.

With the exception of the "Morning Pages" pad, I like to keep writing straight to the last page before I read through any of the previous pages. Once I've reached that point, however, I then file what I plan to keep, and discard the rest.

I also have to say that it's kind of fun to watch the pages fill up on the pad. Seeing that I "did the work" seems to help me get right back into it the next day. A growing stack of orderly pages helps me to feel that I am making some serious progress rather than floundering around jotting down a mish-mash of themes, plans, and journal entries in a single, confusing notebook.  The best part is that I never feel anything is so precious that I can't part with it. Added benefit: more clutter-free closets, yay!

Tip of the Day: If the thought of starting with as many (or more) legal pads as I've outlined here is a little overwhelming, why not just start with 3? I suggest keeping one for your current WIP, one for marketing, and one for general ideas. Let me know how it goes.

Bride and Prejudice

I don't usually write movie reviews--in fact, I don't think I've ever written a single one, but I couldn't resist blogging about how much I enjoyed watching "Bride and Prejudice" two weekends back.

Made in 2004 and directed by Gurinder Chadhu of "Bend it Like Beckham" fame, the movie was one I've wanted to see for some time but never seemed to get around to it. Recently, however, I've been on a bit of a Jane Austen tangent, so when I was at the library the other day and saw the film on the DVD shelf, I knew it was the right time for a little fairy tale fantasy.

It turned out to be a serendipitous choice--I absolutely LOVED this movie. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a modern-day version of Pride and Prejudice set in rural India. Aishwarya Rai (aka "the most beautiful woman in the world") and Martin Henderson play the parts of Lalita Bakshi and Will Darcy, or as we might recognize them from the original Austen text: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Moving the story up a few centuries and taking it from the English countryside to Amritsar was an incredibly clever interpretation of a much beloved classic. The Bakshi family was the perfect remake of the Bennets; Will and Lalita were just as conflict-ridden as their original counterparts; and the chemistry between all the characters--including Jaya (Jane) and Mr. Balraj (Bingley) was almost better than the book!

I've always been a big fan of Bollywood: lots of bling, embroidered silk veils and saris, singing and dancing for no reason whatsoever, dreamy couples who seem to have all the money and time they need to fly around the world to gaze wistfully at sunsets and each other, and of course the 3-hankie happily-ever-after ending. Bollywood is the ultimate escapist, love-conquers-all movie moment. "Bride and Prejudice" was no exception.

Which got me thinking about what makes a great romance book or movie. And this is what I've come up with: two strong, intelligent characters overcome their very real differences so they can learn to work together. Yep, it's all about work. Kissing is the easy part. Getting to the altar takes courage. And a lot of singing and dancing.

I've always thought Pride and Prejudice is essentially a story about marriage. The relationship between the parents--the Bennets in Pride, and the Bakshis in Bride--truly intrigues me. Mismatched on the surface but made for each other; their bond is what has made Jaya and Lalita the heroines they are. My favorite line from "Bride and Prejudice" is when a distraught Mrs. Bakshi is scolding her daughters on being so concerned about marrying for love. She turns and points to a sheepish-looking Mr. Bakshi. "Where was love in the beginning?" she chides. Where indeed? And yet here she is, with four pretty girls, a home of her own, and a husband who obviously cares for her. Awww. As the girls sing after dinner with the endearingly awful Mr. Kholi: "No Life Without Wife!"

Tip of the Day: Watch this movie! Afterward you might like to think about your other favorite romantic films or books. What makes for good chemistry between the characters? Anything you want to change in your own writing? And now it's time for some more singing:                                                                   





Life is a Playground

When I was little, I could play all day. ALL DAY. From the minute I woke up to the second I fell into bed, I was in play mode. For weeks on end I could live in a world of my own, a fantastic landscape filled with talking animals, altered realities, and pith helmets. (I always had to wear my imaginary pith helmet.) Not that I didn't get into trouble; I don't think a single report card ever went home without "Too much daydreaming" scrawled across the bottom. Sigh.

Report cards aside, I still managed to grow up into a fairly disciplined person, so much so that when I made the comment in my writer's group that "life was a school," I was somewhat surprised when another member countered with, "Actually, life is a playground."

When I started thinking about it, however, the idea made a lot of sense to me. Playgrounds, as I remembered them, were a place to let off steam, have snacks, and learn to take turns with the ball. They were a place to sit quietly and talk with my friends, or else to go find a team and run around and scream--as loudly as possible.

Being allowed out of the classroom was a reward for enduring what seemed like endless hours of boredom and repetition: math, spelling, "current events." Instead of rulers and leaky pens there were slides and swings, scraped knees, split lips, and badge-of-honor Band-Aids. When it rained we couldn’t go outside but we invented indoor games and turned our classroom into a makeshift playground. And when nobody was there on the weekend, the empty fields could sometimes feel like the loneliest place on earth--a feeling I rather liked when it conjured up visions of ghosts and captured fairy princesses.

So what made me turn my back on the playground? Perhaps it was the fear of looking too happy, or even foolish. Real writers frowned and worried about their manuscripts. They complained about editors and constant rewrites. Yet I should have known better: literary history is ripe with successful fools: wise fools, holy fools, jesters, clowns, Nasrudin and Silly Billy. In the tarot deck, the fool can be the smartest person in the room. So shouldn't we all be fools for our art? Fool around. Just fooling. April Fools. Feast of Fools. Ship of Fools.

The best way, I realized, to get back to the playground is to examine what is so much creative fun we're embarrassed to admit it. It can be anything: from crayons to mud pies aka ceramics. It can even be an obsession with cats.

Some of the benefits of returning to a playful mindset can include:

• Play is infectious. Editors and readers will pick up on, and appreciate, your ability to entertain.
• Constantly marketing or submitting work for publication or other venues can be depressing if you're not seeing the results you want. It's good to take time off from relentless social networking and always being "on."
• You can withstand rejection and negative critiquing better when you remember that you started all this to have fun. (They don't call 'em "screenplays" for nothing!)

Tip of the Day: When’s the last time you chose the playground over work? If it's been a while, you might want to ask yourself why. Write a journal entry, perhaps in the form of an unsent letter to whatever, or whoever made you stop playing. Or perhaps you'd prefer to create a collage mapping out some future play dates. Be sure to take them!


 

I Love Cats!

True confession: If you send me a link to a video with cats, or tell me there will be a cat somewhere in the middle of the video if I look closely, or even tell me it just features 1-nanosecond of something that remotely resembles a cat, I will watch it. In fact, I will not only watch it, I will watch it again. And again. And then want to watch the sequel and probably read the book if one exists. 

The other day I got the full package when a good friend sent me a link to the absurdly, impossibly ridiculous faux E-Harmony video of "Debbie who loves cats," that has around 22+ million hits of which I've contributed about 5 or 6. If you've seen it already, I apologize in advance, and if you haven't, well, here it is. (Go on, you know you want to watch it. Again.)

After about the 6th time viewing it, I then realized there were spin-off videos of "Debbie": satires and diatribes, posers and posters and posts and so on. My favorite was the "Songify" version.

And then while I was laughing hysterically, tears at the corners of my eyes, I suddenly took a look at my office and computer table (yes, I know I should have been working on my writing rather than watching viral videos. . .). I was surrounded by cat images, i.e.,

• My hand was resting on a cat mousepad.
• A Mexican cat figurine was on my desk.
• My favorite cat tote bag was on a chair facing me.
• I was wearing cat earrings.
• The binder holding my WIP, a nonfiction manuscript on pet ownership was covered in a cat collage I'd made to inspire my writing.
• A stack of cat stickers was on the shelf of my computer hutch ready to be placed in my journal.
• And for the last few weeks, I've been drawing cats and kittens in my sketchbook.

I was as bad as "Debbie"!

I loved their ears!

I loved their whiskers and noses!

And their little bow ties!

I had a problem!

Or maybe I just love cats?

 

Tip of the Day: What do you love? What's your passion? Basing our writing and creativity on the subjects we love is a surefire way to guarantee a constant source of inspiration.

 

 







Patterns

Happy September! The year is flying by too fast--way too fast, which doesn't mean "give up" because time is running out; it means: Do all those fun things you've been dreaming about!

With that in mind, I couldn't wait to visit The Sketchbook Challenge to see what the latest theme for the month would be, and I was very excited to see it was "Patterns." I've always loved patterns, and am constantly on the lookout for new ones to include in my drawing and collage work. Even better is the way the topic lends itself so nicely to writing and journaling, starting with one of my favorite poems since childhood, "Patterns," by Amy Lowell.

Other than poetry, which is perhaps at the top of literary pattern-making, I also thought of investigating:

• Animal fur, hair, hide, and skin.
• Fabric swatches.
• Architecture: structure, decorative detailing, even the random plaster and stucco work.
• Plant material, e.g., seed pods, bark, leaves, fungi.
• Seashells.
• NASA photos of star formation.
• Antique books with their intricate borders and covers.
• Wallpaper.
• Gift wrap.
• Ceramic dinnerware, good China plates, tea sets.
• Lace, ribbon, and braided sewing trims.
• Jewelry.

I'm sure there are dozens of other sources you can think of too, but this list seemed to be a good place to begin--at least as far as the physical world is concerned. But what about the other side of "patterns," as in "habits," or dare I say it, "ruts"?

I felt I needed to ask myself some questions about my own patterns, especially those connected to my creativity and daily living. Some of the thoughts I jotted down in my journal were:

• What patterns do I fall into too easily?
• How could I create some new patterns for myself?
• What about the patterns I create for my characters--how can I make them more interesting, lively, and surprising?
• When I write, draw, or paint, am I focusing enough on the overall pattern of the actual piece? How can I improve or work on this?
• Is there an artist, writer, or mentor I'd like to pattern my own work/life upon?
• What would happen if I didn't have any patterns to follow?

I haven't written down my answers yet, but I'm looking forward to whatever comes up for me. I have a feeling this is going to be a good September.

Tip of the Day: What are your favorite natural patterns? How can you bring them into your own work? Over the next few weeks, make a daily practice of observing and recording the patterns you see in the world around you.