Category: writing
-
walk your way into an idea
Some of my most important creative realizations have occurred while out for a walk. In college, walking around campus, often with a good record or a solid mixtape loaded on my iPod, helped ease my mind. Not only did it offer some physical exercise, it also provided a bit of…
-
life as a two-headed monster
Almost ten years ago now, I had the chance to meet Alan Zweibel, one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. In a freeform Q&A with a circle of students, he talked about writing for television and his creative process. The thing that always stuck with me was his…
-
nothing personal
My roommate and I have talked at length about how you can’t make your art personal. “Personalize it,” he’ll always say. “But never make it personal.” He’s 100% right, but as an artist, sometime it’s difficult to be honest with yourself. I recently scrapped an idea for a novel that…
-
seven questions no one asked me
Once again taking a page from Austin Kleon’s book, I really enjoyed reading and responding to this New York Times article, in which 75 artists were asked about how they spent the last year. Here are my own responses (even though no one asked me): 1. What’s one thing you…
-
looking for the launchpad
In an interview with Marc Maron, Matthew McConaughey described looking for “a launchpad line” to access a character: That line is not an attitude. It’s a part of his constitution. It’s an encyclopedia on that guy and that belief. It’s like The Wolf of Wall Street. The way I was…
-
save it all
I’ve started upwards of a hundred stories and plays. Most of them are in folders in my hard drive, abandoned and unfinished. This morning, I suddenly knew how to fix a play I haven’t thought about it three years. I was suddenly back in the room with the characters and…
-
missing the boat
Most days, I begin by putting on a pot of coffee, practicing transcendental mediation, then writing three long-hand pages on a legal pad. From there, I open up the internet and write a blog post. Then onto working on whatever short story or play needs my attention. But some days,…
-
commissioning a new notebook
I’ve carried a Moleskin notebook in my pocket with me everywhere I go for almost ten years now. It usually takes between six months and nine months to fill it with drawings, dialogue, bits of prose, and snippets of conversation. When it comes time to retire a notebook, I empty…
-
why I quit
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not great at letting things go. Despite this fact, yesterday I decided to call it quits on a novel I’ve been tinkering with for close to eight years. There were many reasons to do so. The project was an attempt…
-
process > product
I used to want to write something so monumental–so universal–it would shift the culture in a tectonic way. Problem is, I can’t control that. I can only control the work, not the way people respond to it. If we concern ourselves with the process, the results will take care of…
joshua chamberlain 