I recently finished reading the nonfiction book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life" by Donald Miller. He's the guy who wrote "Blue Like Jazz" one of the best books on spirituality and Christianity I've ever read. It's a book I've bought several copies of because I just have to share it with everyone. I love books like that.
So back to A Million Miles. This book was about Miller making his book Blue Like Jazz into a screenplay. I had no idea this is what it was about when I bought it for Angela for Christmas (she had it on her wish list). But it kinda fits perfectly with my life right now. And Miller talks a lot about story. Writing story, living story, creating a better story, those who teach about story (particularly Robert McKee, the screenwriting guru on the subject), etc.
But what's stayed with me most is not any of the writing tidbits sprinkled throughout the book but the idea that because of all this talk of story, Miller made the decision to create a better story of his own. And he encourages all of us to do the same. We have the ability to create an awesome life story. No matter what. All we have to do is get off the couch. (Well, that's what he had to do at least).
That thoughts stayed with me over the last week or so since I've put the book back in it's dust jacket and slid it onto the shelf. Am I creating a better story every day? How can I write my the best story possible with my life? I thought about it today when I got up from my computer an hour before I should have and went out to the living room and asked my mom to show me how to knit, again (yes, she's shown me, several times, and no, I never remember but I really really want to learn from her).
I thought about it when I invited my two elderly neighbors over for coffee tomorrow morning. I want to hear about their stories, more than I hear in passing when we wave from the driveway or walk to the Neighborhood Watch meetings.
And I've been thinking about it as I make decisions and contemplate making decisions that affect my life in a much bigger, overall way. How can I write a really interesting story? What should I do right now? Tomorrow? Next year?
I want to write a good story. I want to live a good story. I want to create better stories. The question now is how?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Me and tuna
I just ate a can of tuna. Yep. It's true. Me, the girl who doesn't like tuna. Who doesn't like any fish (this probably has something to do with my severe allergy to seafood).
I've eaten tuna before, this wasn't my first time. Tuna and noodles (a hot casserole) was a staple growing up and I ate my fair share of it and I liked it. And I distinctly remember eating several tuna salad sandwiches on a mission trip to Philadelphia because I was famished. I also remember that those sandwiches tasted better than anything I'd ever eaten and I appreciated the heck out of them.
But today was different. Today was me trying my hardest to be healthy. (And yes, thin but mostly, for today, healthy). I'm trying to eat more whole foods, more foods that are served the way they come if that makes sense.
I recently read a book called "The Game on Diet" by Krista Vernoff and Az Ferguson. If you're at all interested in creating a better, healthier life for yourself, I highly recommend it. Plus, Krista's a very funny writer (she's a writer on "Grey's Anatomy"). While I'm doing the game right now (because you're supposed to have 4 or more players and Angela and I are only 2) I am trying to put a lot of the principles into place. For instance:
-Less chemicals! Yeah, yeah, I like 'em too. I love Diet Coke. I adore ketchup. I put 2 packets of Splenda in my apple spice tea. But apparently chemicals are bad for you. So I'm cutting back. Less prepackaged food. Less pop (none in the house was big change number one), even less Crystal Light (sorry, Ang but I know you're getting used to iced tea!). And my tea doesn't taste so bad. And yes, I still had ketchup on my burger the other night, let's not get crazy!
-More protein, less empty calories. Before I'd reach for a bag of crackers or chips to accompany my lunch sandwich. Yeah, they're only 2 points on Weight Watchers (which I am still doing religiously). But they're 2 points that mean little in terms of fuel. So instead, I reach for the 5 point package of almonds - plain old unsalted almonds, and guess what? I feel better. And I really like almonds (this last week we also bought walnuts and cashews! Cashews! I thought they were only for Christmas but guess what? You can eat them any time!).
-Water. I am drinking water like no one's business. We splurged and bought these new stainless steel water bottles, three of them at Sam's for like 20 bucks. Now there are always 5 or 6 filled in the fridge. Makes life a lot easier.
-Fresh fruits and veggies. Yeah, they seem more expensive but I've realized, they're really not. Not compared to how expensive those 100-calorie packs of snacks are. And I've now got Ang hooked on asparagus. My mom would be proud!
-More movement. I bought this elliptical. I am trying to get my money's worth from it. (It's a lot easier on Wednesdays when I have 2 hours of "The Biggest Loser" to keep me going!) But not just that. For instance, last night Ang and I danced around my room for 10 minutes to some new songs I downloaded. It was fun and it was healthy.
So yeah, a few changes here on Abbey Place. Nothing big, nothing major, just making better choices. Hence the tuna. I ate a can of it, mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil and some kosher salt (I have the biggest box of this stuff, bought for some recipe I can't remember) and guess what? It was pretty good. And I feel good, I feel like I'm treating my body better. And hopefully, in return, it'll treat me better too.
I've eaten tuna before, this wasn't my first time. Tuna and noodles (a hot casserole) was a staple growing up and I ate my fair share of it and I liked it. And I distinctly remember eating several tuna salad sandwiches on a mission trip to Philadelphia because I was famished. I also remember that those sandwiches tasted better than anything I'd ever eaten and I appreciated the heck out of them.
But today was different. Today was me trying my hardest to be healthy. (And yes, thin but mostly, for today, healthy). I'm trying to eat more whole foods, more foods that are served the way they come if that makes sense.
I recently read a book called "The Game on Diet" by Krista Vernoff and Az Ferguson. If you're at all interested in creating a better, healthier life for yourself, I highly recommend it. Plus, Krista's a very funny writer (she's a writer on "Grey's Anatomy"). While I'm doing the game right now (because you're supposed to have 4 or more players and Angela and I are only 2) I am trying to put a lot of the principles into place. For instance:
-Less chemicals! Yeah, yeah, I like 'em too. I love Diet Coke. I adore ketchup. I put 2 packets of Splenda in my apple spice tea. But apparently chemicals are bad for you. So I'm cutting back. Less prepackaged food. Less pop (none in the house was big change number one), even less Crystal Light (sorry, Ang but I know you're getting used to iced tea!). And my tea doesn't taste so bad. And yes, I still had ketchup on my burger the other night, let's not get crazy!
-More protein, less empty calories. Before I'd reach for a bag of crackers or chips to accompany my lunch sandwich. Yeah, they're only 2 points on Weight Watchers (which I am still doing religiously). But they're 2 points that mean little in terms of fuel. So instead, I reach for the 5 point package of almonds - plain old unsalted almonds, and guess what? I feel better. And I really like almonds (this last week we also bought walnuts and cashews! Cashews! I thought they were only for Christmas but guess what? You can eat them any time!).
-Water. I am drinking water like no one's business. We splurged and bought these new stainless steel water bottles, three of them at Sam's for like 20 bucks. Now there are always 5 or 6 filled in the fridge. Makes life a lot easier.
-Fresh fruits and veggies. Yeah, they seem more expensive but I've realized, they're really not. Not compared to how expensive those 100-calorie packs of snacks are. And I've now got Ang hooked on asparagus. My mom would be proud!
-More movement. I bought this elliptical. I am trying to get my money's worth from it. (It's a lot easier on Wednesdays when I have 2 hours of "The Biggest Loser" to keep me going!) But not just that. For instance, last night Ang and I danced around my room for 10 minutes to some new songs I downloaded. It was fun and it was healthy.
So yeah, a few changes here on Abbey Place. Nothing big, nothing major, just making better choices. Hence the tuna. I ate a can of it, mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil and some kosher salt (I have the biggest box of this stuff, bought for some recipe I can't remember) and guess what? It was pretty good. And I feel good, I feel like I'm treating my body better. And hopefully, in return, it'll treat me better too.
Friday, April 09, 2010
A collaborative sport
The other night I had an "Ah-ha!" moment. And I cannot tell you what a relief it was. I was sitting at the table with my classmates and instructor and I just couldn't figure out why my instructor had given me the same note on my script multiple times. It just didn't make sense. I got that there was a problem with the plot but I couldn't grasp what it was. I'd spent several hours that afternoon sitting there, thinking it through (remember Victor Hugo's quote: A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor.), re-reading the notes I'd received and I just wasn't getting it.
And then "bam!" right there, at that moment, I got it. And it was a relatively simple problem to fix. Some characters had to interact earlier, a few scenes needed to be changed and voila! the whole was filled. But it took me several weeks to get there.
As I was driving home that night I thought about how I just couldn't get to that realization on my own. I'd tried and tried and tried. I'd made outlines and notes and charts and nothing worked. It wasn't until I was talking with other people that I finally saw the light. And that led me to think about how for most of my life writing has been an individual activity. It's been a process I do alone, with a computer or a pencil, sometimes with music but mostly just alone. Me and my thoughts. Me and my crazy brain. (My grandmother once asked me where I came up with my stories. I didn't have an answer, they're just there, in my head, and once they're there, I have to get them out.)
But now my writing life is changing. It's becoming a group activity. It's becoming collaborative and I like that. I like talking about my characters and storylines with others. I like trying to come up with ideas for someone else's characters. I like working through the beats and the outlines, working together, discussing, creating.
I think that's what drew me to screenwriting at the beginning. I love the idea that I'm just the start of it all. I'm just the architect. And I love when I watch a movie or a television show I'm fully aware that those characters would have nothing to say if it weren't for some writer sitting around with a computer and a few friends. I love that.
But that's not to say it's easy. At least when I write my Bones or NCIS: Los Angeles or Big Bang Theory spec scripts, I know that I'm drawing from someone else's world, I'm just visiting for a while. But now, starting this week, I'm going to be responsible for creating the world again -- as I embark on my first pilot writing experience. I'm taking a class on how to write an original television show, so once again I'll delve back into my mind, to my own ideas and work out from there.
But now I know something I didn't know when I began my writing journey: that I don't have to do it alone. There's so much to be said for spending time with other writers. For learning from, helping out, just going along the path with them. And that's exciting...
And then "bam!" right there, at that moment, I got it. And it was a relatively simple problem to fix. Some characters had to interact earlier, a few scenes needed to be changed and voila! the whole was filled. But it took me several weeks to get there.
As I was driving home that night I thought about how I just couldn't get to that realization on my own. I'd tried and tried and tried. I'd made outlines and notes and charts and nothing worked. It wasn't until I was talking with other people that I finally saw the light. And that led me to think about how for most of my life writing has been an individual activity. It's been a process I do alone, with a computer or a pencil, sometimes with music but mostly just alone. Me and my thoughts. Me and my crazy brain. (My grandmother once asked me where I came up with my stories. I didn't have an answer, they're just there, in my head, and once they're there, I have to get them out.)
But now my writing life is changing. It's becoming a group activity. It's becoming collaborative and I like that. I like talking about my characters and storylines with others. I like trying to come up with ideas for someone else's characters. I like working through the beats and the outlines, working together, discussing, creating.
I think that's what drew me to screenwriting at the beginning. I love the idea that I'm just the start of it all. I'm just the architect. And I love when I watch a movie or a television show I'm fully aware that those characters would have nothing to say if it weren't for some writer sitting around with a computer and a few friends. I love that.
But that's not to say it's easy. At least when I write my Bones or NCIS: Los Angeles or Big Bang Theory spec scripts, I know that I'm drawing from someone else's world, I'm just visiting for a while. But now, starting this week, I'm going to be responsible for creating the world again -- as I embark on my first pilot writing experience. I'm taking a class on how to write an original television show, so once again I'll delve back into my mind, to my own ideas and work out from there.
But now I know something I didn't know when I began my writing journey: that I don't have to do it alone. There's so much to be said for spending time with other writers. For learning from, helping out, just going along the path with them. And that's exciting...
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