This Site Writings Ask Kimmy Random Letters/Editor

Random Inklings

25 August 2003

Okay, I admit it. I've been reading The Stand by Stephen King again. And it always gets me thinking. What would it be like to be one of those people left? How would I cope with watching everyone (or practically everyone) I've ever known or loved die? How would I cope with the fear that I would also die, or adjust to life after civilization? I know it seems silly to get myself all worked up based on a novel (and an old novel at that), but it's fun to speculate. What would still be important to me? My writing ambitions would be a bit difficult to achieve without a society to go with them. But there would still be plenty of books lying around for me to read. I'd probably sleep a lot. Without air conditioning, I'd have to move somewhere with a more temperate climate. I'd definitely get lonely. And, of course, if I were really in the plot of the book with the good vs. evil struggle, I'd have to figure out how all of that affected and/or changed my general worldview. It's really a fascinating question to think on.

- posted @ 8/25/2003 11:52:57 AM - Email -

15 August 2003

I had a huge breakthrough on my screenplay last night. I was brainstorming with friends over a corner I had painted myself into, and something beautiful came out of it. It lends a kind of symmetry to the movie, being that the thing that causes the problem becomes the thing that can be used to solve the problem. All the books say that this kind of symmetry is exactly what you want to go for in a screenplay. *grin* Now all I have to do is figure out whether I can make it work in writing as well as it works in theory. Meanwhile, the notecard plotting proceeds apace. I'm making progress. I should be ready to start the writing within the month. Scary thought, huh? At least, it's scary to me. And probably to the kind people who've already offered to critique it when it's done. *grin*

- posted @ 8/15/2003 03:33:41 PM - Email -

14 August 2003

Well, I had such a good weekend, I didn't have time to write anything at all until today. *grin* Not really. Actually, I've just been incredibly busy dealing with "back to school" things at work, and also catching up on some website administration work of my own. Things finally slowed down some here at work (for those that don't know, I work at the University of Central Oklahoma), but they're going to go crazy again next week when classes start. As a slightly interesting (and yet utterly unimportant) sidenote, the UCO graduate member of the cast of Big Brother 4 was evicted last night. Too bad, the free publicity was nice.

Anyway, to enjoy my last stress-free days at work, I'm surfing the Office Depot website looking for things for my dream office. Don't get me wrong, I just got a new desk that is such a vast improvement over my old one I'll be years getting bored with it. But I do still have an ideal office space in mind for the day when (I dearly hope) I'll be able to quit my job and work at home as a writer. I've fallen in love with this desk and chair. I suppose if I'm dreaming, though, I could get a larger desk. Maybe something like this from Office Max. So, share! What are your office furniture dreams (and trust me, if you spend much time sitting at a desk you have them)? Maybe you'll find something better than mine.

- posted @ 8/14/2003 11:17:02 AM - Email -

07 August 2003

Tomorrow after work Chris and I are leaving for a brief weekend trip. It's to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. We don't have the time or the monty for a big trip, so we're going to stay at a hotel, eat out a lot, play some games, go to Arbuckle Wilderness and get goofy looking at the animals (and taking a ton of pictures). I got a great camera for my birthday present last year, so I'm really looking forward to the pictures. We're also probably going to go to at least one movie and eat dinner at Steak & Ale. This particular restaurant location is special to us. It's where we went the night we got engaged, the night we got married and for our first anniversary. What can I say, I'm sentimental! I've taken Monday off work (thank goodness I was able to, with school starting up), and it's going to be a great weekend.

- posted @ 8/7/2003 01:24:02 PM - Email -

05 August 2003

Where, exactly, did we get the idea of guilty pleasures? Why should we feel guilty for taking pleasure in something? Take the movie Killer Klowns From Outer Space. It's campy, it's a cult classic and I love it. Why should that be classified as a guilty pleasure just because it's arguably one of the worst campy horror flicks made since I was born? I like it. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Is there some measure of stuff that I "should" or "shouldn't" like? If so, whose? And why would I even care, if it's not my own standard? Therefore I make a resolution, right here and now, that I will stand up for the silly/weird/dumb things that I like, no matter what bizarre looks people may give me. If you're feeling brave, list some of your so-called guilty pleasures in the comments. I'm curious.

- posted @ 8/5/2003 10:58:28 PM - Email -

04 August 2003

Okay, new screenwriting project on track. I finally came up with an idea I'm willing to work with, and I'm working on characters now. Once that's done it will be time for the notecard plotting (one of my favorite portions of the action). Then the hard part: writing the screenplay. I'll need to read up on formatting and all that stuff. Want to make sure I get it right the first time. As for the actual writing, well, maybe if I'm lucky I'll get it right the thirty-third time. *grin* The experts say an average learning curve on screenwriting is five to ten years. So at least there's no pressure.

- posted @ 8/4/2003 10:18:50 PM - Email -

03 August 2003

There are few things more upsetting in life than having your friends fighting. Even when no one asks you to choose sides, even when you don't need to, it's still very uncomfortable. I've been watching some huge fights amongst some of my online friends lately. All in all, it's just not been a good weekend for that. I'm kind of naive, and I've always been the "can't we all just get along?" type of person. Someday, you'd think, I might learn better. But part of me hopes not. Part of me thinks I should keep on hoping for the "happily ever after" to happen. Who knows? It could happen.

- posted @ 8/3/2003 08:07:48 PM - Email -

Life is hard. Everybody tells you that, but sometimes it's hard to believe. You say, "Sure it's hard, but I'll be okay. More things will go right than go wrong, and everything will work out more or less for the best." But you know what? That's not necessarily true. Sometimes, no matter what you do, things don't work out for the best. And sometimes when they don't, it's your fault. Because you did something stupid or selfish or short-sighted and you screwed up. But here's the other thing. You can't help it. It will happen to everyone, and the true test of a person is how they deal with it when it's over and done with. Will you bemoan your fate incessantly, falling back into self-pity? Or will you shrug your shoulders, say, "I screwed this one up," and go on as best you can? I recommend the latter, although I do tend to find the former a compelling option. It's hard to let things go, hard to move on. But it's important. Your past is the sum total of your experience, it's what makes you who you are. You can't change it, and you can't expect things to be perfect in the future, but you can accept it (and yourself) for who you are and move on. At least, that's the theory I'm working on, and I dearly hope that it's true.

- posted @ 8/3/2003 12:31:12 AM - Email -

01 August 2003

I've been thinking about fairy tales lately. I mean, there's a lot more to them than the Disney versions. Most of them have strong messages, conveyed in equally strong terms. There is little gray area, but that doesn't mean everything is cut-and-dried either. Interestingly enough, there is a history in fairy tales of very strong female characters, going all the way back to the beginnings of recorded history. Interesting to think about in view of the gains women have been making in the last fifty years or one hundred years. Just think, all you feminists, hundreds of years before anyone gave women the right to vote they were defeating villains, outwitting monsters and winning the day in stories and songs. Kind of nice to know there's a history to this whole "women power" thing.

- posted @ 8/1/2003 10:17:10 PM - Email -