So how does something so gross have an effect in my writing? It woke me up.

For the past few months, I’ve been juggling different things left, right and center. I’ve neglected some projects that I was really excited about (keeping up this blog for example). I procrastinated. I put things off. I got caught up on the little things – things that weren’t really necessary or important right now – and this made it harder for me to accomplish the small goals I had set for myself a while back. The worst part is knowing that I could’ve checked off those goals on my list if I had just kept working on them. But instead, I’m still somewhat standing on the same spot from where I started.

Long story short: I saw the man a couple of metres ahead of me squatting near a huge pillar, automatically thought the worst (he’s doing #2! Must. Get. Out.) and walked quickly away from the area as fast as I could. When I got to the office, my story definitely got the poop jokes started for the rest of the day. And because everyone got a kick out of this story (friends on Facebook expressed their amusement on my wall) I started thinking: how many ways can I use this for a script? What story ideas can this do for me? And that’s when my mind woke up and started doing the brainstorm dance (ideas just kept rolling in my head). The original ideas led to a whole new group of action steps I haven’t thought of before. Not only was I coming up with several premises, but I was actually getting my motivation back! I suddenly want to get back on the projects I’ve put aside and I came up with other creative projects I’d be interested in pursuing. I even got ideas on some changes I could make on my current projects.

With all of this commotion in my head, I need to write them down. So why not blog about it? I have to admit that I’ve been a bad blogger – I don’t have a consistent schedule to post my writing online, so I just end up not writing much at all. But I might be able to solve this.

For the past few months, I’ve been writing my Morning Pages (from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way) and I’ve surprisingly kept it up since I started since June 20th. Every morning, I write 3 pages. The content isn’t what matters, it’s the process. And I can successfully say that Morning Pages is now part of my daily routine and it’s a habit that I just…do. So, if I can do this everyday, I should be able to write  on a scheduled basis for this blog, too, right?

The Action Plan

I need to get back to the main reason I created this blog: to be a storyteller – offline and online. So besides the web series I’m currently working on with my talented friends, I’ve decided to start something on this blog I’ll be calling Everyday Stories. Inspired by what I witnessed earlier today, I’ll be writing posts where I take something from everyday life (it could be mine or someone else’s) and I’ll list the story ideas I come up with for it. Maybe I’ll even write a scene and post this script online. Maybe I’ll encourage people to take these scripts and put it on film. Maybe I can get a collaborative storytelling community started. Or not. Who knows what will come out of this, but I’ll try it out anyways.

Oh, and I definitely want to write additional posts on my experience of producing a web series DIY-style. I did start this back in April and a lot has happened since then (re-shoots, re-writes, and lessons learned). It started with us (4 actors/writers) who wanted to create a web series and, now that a few months have passed by, we’ve learned so much about the other things, like production and editing (and we still continue to learn something new).

Inspiration is Everywhere

Yes, I was disgusted with what I saw this morning. But now that I think about it, that event actually snapped me out of this rut that I’ve been in. And you know how people usually have a story or two to tell everyone? Well this could be mine, I guess. It’s bizarre, yet amusing. And everyone loves to hear stories – it’s what connects us all to one another.

Joan Didot got it right: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.“

(via Go Into The Story)

Television is all about character. Films are typically more about story. For a TV show to work, you have to have a reason to come back every week.

The quote above is from Canadian writer/director, Martin Gero, who was interviewed in this article on the Globe and Mail (along with two other Canadian writers). I thought it was a great read for those interested in tv comedy writing. Here are some quotes from the article that I’ll be taking with me as I write for my upcoming projects:

“My rule for running the writers’ room on How I Met Your Mother is simple. It’s all about character. And the thematic discussions that come from the essence of that character. Is it time for Barney to have a real relationship? Is Ted due for a career change? After three or four days of spinning ideas, a writer goes away with a fairly detailed outline. Each episode takes roughly three weeks.” — Chuck Tatham

“The trick to coming up with stories is to steal from your life and other people’s lives. One episode of The Simpsons was about a school closing due to a blizzard. The kids were so excited, but woke up the next morning to no snow. Off they went to school, only to get trapped there when the blizzard finally hit. That happened to me in Exeter. Only we didn’t put the principal in a volleyball sack.” — Tim Long

“My advice to those getting into TV comedy is, first, order two lunches. Because when 4 o’clock arrives, and you’re famished, you’re a staggering, 230-pound mess. Second, always make sure your characters need each other. If you do that, you can have the craziest, most disparate characters together, and it works.” — Chuck Tatham

One of the exercises we had to do was a name game where each of us received a cool nickname. You can’t choose your own name though – the rest of the class does this for you. You’re also given an action to do while you say your nickname. I was Bionic Bianca! As for the rest of the class:

Richard Ratatouille! Mariachi Meghan! Alana the Slamma! Sea-Farin Aaron! Doug Douglington! Cosmic Chris! Shawna Seashells! Vivacious Vincent! Jump-five Jamal! Allan Island!

We spent a good amount of time saying all of these names and doing all the actions associated with them. We were all crazy/energetic and we were really getting into the exercise. Fun is definitely the word to describe it.

The exercise after this was called Panel of Experts. We were in groups of 4 and we sat in chairs in front of the class. If you were in that group of 4, you were there for us to watch and interview about something you’d be an expert in. (Our class had experts on Mealworms, How To Manage a Restaurant, and Heroes). This exercise was great for team-building exercise. The things people came up with were not only creative, but funny too!

So where am I going with this?

After this class, I immediately had the urge to go and write. The energy in that room was intense and it really gets your creative juices flowing. When we all got in a circle to talk about how the first class went, there were a couple of us who mentioned that we were in the mood to write all of  a sudden. Writer’s block? What’s that?

Here’s a few things I got from the first class:

• You’re in a supportive environment. If you’re really shy or self-conscious (which I still kinda am sometimes), don’t be afraid: we’re all in this together.
• Being “in the moment”. You have no idea what’s gonna happen next and pre-planning everything never really works. It’s a scary, nervous feeling – but once you’re up there, you’ll notice that it’s also a great one (thank you, adrenaline rush!).
• There are no bad ideas, bad choices, or a bad scene. You’re thinking on your feet and that’s what makes it entertaining! I’ve learned not to edit myself and to not be so self-conscious about my ideas and what I’m contributing to the scene.

The last point can especially be applied to writing. I often find myself having writer’s block, but that’s because I was either getting too caught up in little details, being a perfectionist, or doubting myself. This class reminded me that the writing process can be fun and that I need to just keep writing no matter how bad or silly an idea of mine is. My main goal should be to just keep spitting out my ideas and to take care of editing later.

So to all my fellow writers out there, I strongly encourage you to join an improv class if you can. Besides have a blast playing all the different exercises, you’ll really get to flex your creative muscles.