I walked out of my apartment yesterday morning and found this old magazine on the stoop a few doors down. It’s just the research I needed as I am slowing carving out my second young adult book in the Emerson Page series. The stars are deeply entwined with her story and her future. Sometimes when we need inspiration for our writing, all we need to do is go for a walk and keep our eyes open.
Tag: creativity
In the pause: Creativity Loop from Writers Writing Alone Together
I’m so honored to be part of the second Creativity Loop created by my amazing friend, insanely talented poet, and Penn roommate, KaRyn. Her organization, Writers Writing Alone Together, puts together retreats for writers. This is the gorgeous package I received in the mail. Then I used this poem to inspire a work of my own creation that I sent on to the next person on the list. Excited to see what our loop builds together. In these crazy-ass times we’re living through, being able to express our creativity together is what keeps hope alive. I wish each of you a creative, imaginative day. To learn more about KaRyn’s retreats, check out http://bit.ly/wwatwoodsinterest.
In the pause: You are entitled to your dreams
“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.” ~Robin Williams
As I’m deep in the job hunt at the start of this new chapter in my career, I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams. How big to make them, how long to chase them, and how much to give up for them. These are very personal questions, and there are no wrong or right answers save for this one exception: we are all entitled to them.
Dreams are the lifeblood and the bedrock of the human imagination. They need air and companionship as much as we do. Please don’t crumple them up and toss them into your sock drawer. You and your dreams deserve more than that; they deserve a shot.
I don’t know if you’ll ever be able to make your living from your dream. You may never even earn a single cent from them. And I don’t think that matters at all. Dreams are about much more than that. They are what keeps our creativity alive, and our creativity is the most important asset we have. If we lose the ability to dream, that little spark of madness that says “I think I can” against all odds, then life becomes very dull very quickly.
If I learned anything during a very tough week last week, it’s this: life is to be lived, fully, in every moment. That doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and roses. Sometimes life feels downright impossible. Sometimes we struggle just to put one foot in front of the other. But that act of persistence, of pushing through against the odds, is the very essence of what it means to live. That is exactly the moment of our creative growth. It’s the most human thing we do—to go on.
In the pause: The future you want is out there
It’s been said that there are an infinite number of parallel universes where every scenario of your life is currently in existence. That’s a pretty trippy thing to consider but today I’m going to let my mind expand and imagine that’s true. Makes things a little easier, doesn’t it?
In the pause: The difficult and uncertain trade-offs of creative work
“It’s a real book!”
That’s what my friend, Alex, said to me when she saw the layout proof of the first page of my novel. She’s right; everyday Emerson becomes more real. For many years, her spirit lived in my mind. I had to introduce her to the world. So I started to write down her story. There were nights I didn’t go out. Places I didn’t go, things I didn’t do, people I didn’t see because I chose to stay home and write. I could have poured that time and effort into many other things. Some people thought I should (and told me so); they thought writing the book was a waste of time. All creative work looks like a waste of time until it’s done.
Now that the book will be published on November 1st, it’s easy to say and see that I wasn’t wasting my time, that it was worth the effort. But that’s not always the case. I toiled for years with no outward progress on it. Many times creative projects are like that—slow, uncertain, and frustrating. The thing is that I couldn’t stop writing the story. It would have haunted me. Emerson’s voice would have gotten louder and louder and louder until I had to sit down and write it. Creators have to create as much as they need to breathe, eat, and sleep. It’s a vital process.
So if you’re in the midst of a creative project, one that’s taking longer than you’d like, one that other people don’t understand, it’s okay. Every person who’s ever created anything has felt exactly what you’re feeling at some point in their own process. That’s part of the journey. Do the work you know you need to do, and tune out the noise. When it’s done, and I promise you that you can finish it!, the amount of pride and gratitude will be overwhelming in the best possible way.
In the pause: Saw the first print layout of my novel
Yesterday was a pretty thrilling day: I got a glimpse of the print layout of my novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters. To see it coming to life bit by bit is very exciting and keeps me motivated to write the next chapter of the prequel and to get started on the second book in the series. When we see progress, however slowly, we begin to realize what’s possible and that is a powerful tool to spark our creativity. Once we see and hold what we can do, we know how much more is out there for us to explore and accomplish.
In the pause: Write your stories now
“I like stories where women save themselves.” ~Neil Gaiman
Screw patience. Do what makes you happy now. If someone asked me how I got to the point I am in my life now, as a person and as a writer, my answer would be “I’ve always been my own savior.” I’ve never expected anyone to fix anything or do anything for me. I don’t want or wait well. All I really know how to do is roll up my sleeves and get to work. Sometimes that work is with other people like my experience in theater, and sometimes that work is on my own like sitting down to write my book. Some call it feisty, others call it fiery, and I call it building a life I love.
Our time is so precious and so short. It flies by despite our efforts to slow it down. Every day matters. Don’t bottle yourself up or tell yourself , “Someday, I’ll do what I love.” Do it now. Some day is today, every day. I promised myself a long time ago that I wasn’t going to die with the music, or the books, still in me. I was going to live and write out loud. However improbable my book seemed, I was going to find a way to get it done. And I did. You will, too. Keep writing.
In the pause: The premise of my novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters
I’m in my next round of edits with my publisher and we’re putting together the marketing plan. The cover art and illustrations are in progress. The question I most often get, of course, is “what is the book about?” Here’s a short, draft synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Emerson wants to know who killed her mother, Nora, and why. Nora was a gifted anthropologist well known for her research on ancient cultures and languages. Five years ago, Nora was found dead on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “We’ve never seen anything like it,” the NYPD’s spokesperson said. “Life has gone out of her with no explanation.” And with that, the police gave up their search for answers.
But Emerson didn’t. Her journey to discover the answers about her mother’s death takes her deep below the street of New York City on a dangerous adventure into a secret world of books where the very existence of human imagination is at stake. She must survive and thrive a battery of mental, emotional, and physical challenges if she is to fulfill her destiny, protect everyone she loves, and continue her mother’s legacy. If Emerson fails, human creativity and imagination will cease to exist.
Time is running out. A dangerous threat looms large and too close to home as Emerson must choose between fulfilling the last promise she made to her mother and ensuring that the human capacity for creativity is preserved forever. Will she defy her mother’s final wish or sacrifice the only living family she has left?
In the pause: An immigrant’s fortune was made in yogurt
This month’s Fast Company features Hamdi Ulukaya, the Founder of Chobani, in its cover story. A Kurdish immigrant who moved here to go to college after facing persecution in his home country and without speaking a word of English, Hamdi is an inspiring figure in business and in life. If you want to feel hopeful about America and the good that capitalism can do, I highly recommend reading the article. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down and all I want to do is eat Chobani yogurt and learn more about this fascinating man. With a lot of hard work and the right intentions, it’s amazing what the human imagination can accomplish.
In the pause: The gift of time
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainty.” ~Erich Fromm
I was handed a gift. I didn’t know it was a gift at the time. It was packaged in something that wasn’t so lovely but when I opened it up and looked inside, I realized it was priceless. That gift is time—time to dream, to write, to dare to do something bold and brave and needed. I hesitated for just a moment right before taking the gift. I could feel the weight of it, the responsibility of it, because it is so rare and desired by so many others. And I plan to make good on it. I plan to use this time wisely and wonderfully to make this world a better place. The sun’s shining; I am madly making hay and smiling all the way.
Christa Avampato 