the catalyst
I downloaded some writing prompts recently, with the intention of doing one each day to jump-start my writing. This plan has worked, though perhaps not quite in the way intended. It’s more like when a doctor tells you if you don’t do this, you’ll have to do this other awful thing, you know? Take pills or get a shot or have surgery or whatever. To avoid any of that, I (at least for a time) will do what I am told.
It’s like that. I look at the various prompts – “You are here, this is happening, now what?” – to put it very simply, and my reaction is… to recoil in horror and break out my keyboard to write something – anything – else. So, the prompts work, no?
This aversion may not be a good thing, though, and doubtless I’ll have to tackle some of those one of these days. Until then, I will toddle along writing about whatever catches my interest.
Like, strangely enough, fashion (mostly vintage) and race and identity and invisibility. A few thoughts of my own but mostly those of others because there is much I’ve never thought of before. I am far from a fashion maven (my mom always was one, though) and never thought I’d be intrigued enough about any part of it to click from blog to blog reading this and that. Shows you how much I know. I have to get my thoughts in order and scan in some vintage family photos, though, before I do the piece.
Also, a couple of months ago (or more, I have no conception of time), when I decided I was going to write a book, I created a blog to store all my research and to create scenes and all that, only I made it private because – well, I was very unsure of myself and my ability to write anything let alone an entire book. I still am, somewhat, but I’m going to open the blog up anyway because it occurred to me that I was doing all this research (although not as much lately, because of computer issues. My Blackberry may have been a lifesaver as far as classes and stuff go, but it’s not optimal for writing a lot of stuff or looking up things. I have my wonky computer working again for a time, though).
Anyway, I was doing all this research into my own history and into Black history in general, mostly in the pre-Civil War days, but also just stashing anything that catches my eye. And it occurred to me that others might benefit from some of the items, and also people who already know far more than I do might add their thoughts or corrections or whatever.
That would be helpful both to the content of the site and the book itself as I’d like the setting and the characters and the times to be as authetic as possible and although I spent two weeks in Nashville TN, I wouldn’t say that makes me any sort of expert on the rural TN of the 19th century, and I’ve never been to Louisiana at all, so…
Anyway, that’ll happen in the next couple of days… I need to pick up all the clothes and dust a bit before I open the doors.
Nanette is | Topic: culture and such, promises | Tags: None
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