My husband and I were recently talking about creativity.

He tried to tell me in the kindest way possible that writing is just not my thing. He didn’t need to be gentle. I agreed with him right away. Whenever I sit down to write a novel I can’t ever seem to get the words to flow. When I do write, it’s generally flat and stilted. I do pretty good with non-fiction, but writing “literature” just does not seem to be my thing. I did complete NaNoWriMo last year, but the novel was horrible. Probably the worst thing I’ve ever written. Plot holes, one dimensional characters with multiple personalities (as in they changed their one-dimension qualities throughout the novel), etc.

However, I still have a very strong urge to tell stories, and I don’t think that will ever stop. We figured out that since I am such a visual person, I probably need to use a visual format, like a graphic novel or a screenplay, instead of a novel.

If you remember, I started a screenplay when Script Frenzy was going on. I was very happy with what I wrote in that case because it was a good way to translate what I see in my head onto paper. I just haven’t done much with it since then. I think I’ll dig it back out to see what I can do with it.

I think the idea of creating a graphic novel is a wonderful idea too, since I used to love to draw and paint. I just don’t see any of my current ideas fitting into that format. My husband, however, has written two stories that I would love to turn into graphic novels. One is about zombies and the other is a children’s story.

The only problem I see with getting back into writing/drawing is that I’ve not done either for at least a few months and I’ve started projects or developed interests in the mean time that already have me stretched a bit thin. I just have too many interests!

I also agreed to edit my husband’s 2007 NaNoWriMo novel for him, so I just don’t know how much more I’ll take on at the moment.

I’ll get the stuff out, but probably wont do much on any of it for another month, when I’m no longer consumed with my genealogy book or busy editing my husband’s novel.

I want what I do to be fun and not feel like something else I have to do.

Script Frenzy 2008 is now officially over. A big congrats to all those people who finished their script!

I didn’t get much done on the script project I mentioned earlier, but I’m happy with what I did do. Unlike the past times I’ve tried to write this story, I finally got across what I’ve always wanted to, at least in the part that I’ve written. Even though Script Frenzy is over I plan to continue working on it in the coming months.

For those curious, the story is a loose fictionalization of how Indians kidnapped Phoebe Tucker-Cunningham and murdered her children, her time with the Indians up until the time she was ransomed by Simon Girty, and her husband’s three year search for her. My daughter is descended from Phoebe Tucker and Thomas Cunningham. She is their 6th great-granddaughter:

1 Thomas CUNNINGHAM
+ Phoebe TUCKER
    2 Sira Leah CUNNINGHAM
    + Benjamin HARDMAN
        3 Thomas HARDMAN
        + Sarah FLING
            4 Henry Green HARDMAN
            + Florinda Alice WOODFORD
                5 Walter William HARDMAN
                + Ermal Jane VANHORN
                    6 Living HARDMAN
                    + Paul Emerson WOLF(E)
                        7 Mother-in-law
                        + Father-in-law
                            8 Husband
                            + Me
                                9 Daughter

Over the past month I’ve occasionally thought of writing a story for the 2008 Script Frenzy, which kicked off today, but I decided I was too busy with other commitments to try it. However, in the past few days, with the “threat” of Script Frenzy looming, I’ve really been feeling the need to write something, so I think that I will go ahead and “do” Script Frenzy, but do it my way. Not officially.

I’ve had a story running around my head for about 3 years now and I’d love to get it on paper… er, pixels… or whatever computer jargon is appropriate here.

I’ve tried writing this story a couple times. The first time was for 2005’s NaNoWriMo, but I only got a couple thousand words in before I crashed and burned. The times I’ve tried since then have been equally disappointing. My main problem with writing it has always been that I saw it vividly in my head, as if I was watching a movie unfold before my mind’s eye, but when I tried to capture it in words, it just fell apart pathetically. Now, I know that it is likely just me lacking the creativity to find the right words, and maybe it’s just a cop out, but I’ve been thinking that if it feels like a movie in my head, maybe I should write it as if it were a movie even if I’d rather see it in novel format. Also, then I can just say something along the lines of “To the left of the meadow you see him lurking behind the bushes” rather than come up with some literary stuff like, “Breathing slowly, he peered out into the meadow through the tangle of arrowwood branches.” This way I might finally be able to get the story on paper and then go back in and work on turning the script into a novel.

We’ll see how it goes. In any case, good luck to those who are starting their Script Frenzy adventures.