Change of Perspective

About two weeks ago, I began a new project that I'm pretty excited about. Over the past few years, I've had some trouble keeping momentum on a writing project. This was largely due to scholarly obligations, which ended this past September. Over the course of the fall, I tried to pick up manuscripts I'd begun while working on my Master's degree, but I've always found it hard to get back into something that was an idea once upon a time. 

I had a new idea recently, and it excited me. I started working on it, and it was going well, but it was still a struggle. I found myself writing the same character I'd written before, and that was dampening my momentum. Then I had the idea to try it over in third person rather than first person. (Cue light bulb over my head)

Instantly I found writing to be FUN again. I think because I haven't written a ton in third person, there was something new in it. New ways of expression. New perspectives. New momentum!

Creation

As my journey into fatherhood quickly approaches, I've been thinking a lot about the act of creation. I've always been interested in the concept. As a writer, I'm constantly creating lives and stories, but they only exist in some other realm. Having a baby is an entirely different thing, and sometimes the whole thing can be overwhelming, contemplating how two people can create a life where one didn't exist before.

The other day, I was thinking about this, and I came to the conclusion that the concept that life is created by a divinity bothered me. A new life isn't made by an act of divine intervention, it is made by a man and a woman. To deny that is to deny the power we hold within us. It's what makes people believe that humans don't have the power to fix the problems of the world, when we do. If we can create life, we can certainly fix the environment, conquer hunger, poverty, and disease, but to do these things, we need to believe in ourselves and our ability to affect change. 

As a father, I want my daughter to be aware of her potential. I don't want her to ever think she can't do something. Of course, there are many things we can't do by ourselves, but together, I truly believe there isn't anything the human spirit cannot achieve. These are the values I want to pass on to her, because divinity is intrinsic within us all.

The Lost Art of Lost Art

This past week, I've spent a lot of time painting, something I haven't done in quite a while. For many years, it was part of my routine. I always believed that one creative outlet fed another like a conjoined parasite. An image I drew would become inspiration for a scene I would write, and an image I wrote would become the seed of something to paint. I lived in that circle quite contently for a long time, but eventually the demands of one outweighed the time left for another. 

After this week, I realize again how important the connection is between them. If for no other reason, it allows the imagination to work in a different way, to pull free from the tracks that keep it running on a straight course and take it for a scenic loop. Sometimes detours are the best route to take.

IMPORTANT WARNING

Effective immediately, the world governments have ordered a ban on all future publishing of the following genres: dystopian trilogies, paranormal romance, and books about rich teenagers who behave nothing at all like teenagers. 

Citing popular demand and fear of an uprising if one more of these over-hyped and manufactured stories surfaces, cease and desist instructions have been sent to all major media outlets. Writers currently working on such projects are encouraged to erase all files and burn all drafts. 

Similar measures are also being considered for comic book movies, reality television shows centered around any sort of wives, mothers, or subhuman made-up jobs. Thousands took to the streets to protest these new rules but were silenced with two simple words: BE ORIGINAL.