Inspiration Days #2: Masterful Miyazaki

Since a very young age I have been influenced by filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

One of the very first films I have a memory of watching (I'm sure it's not THE first, but it's the first that sticks out) is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. As a child this movie really blew me away with its visuals, its characters, and its way of dealing with various themes.

Nearly all of Miyazaki's movies have a charm that other movies lack - there are no "true villains" in Miyazaki's films. Every character is believable - even the antagonists have good sides and reasons why you feel sorry or pity for them, or want them to be happy in the end.

He is also known for his strong female characters and child characters - which is something I have always respected. In a media where main characters are usually overly buff dudes who rescue damsels in distress, Miyazaki proves that you don't have to be a macho male to be great, and that's always inspired me.

One thing in particular about Miyazaki's movies is that every time I watch one I always get inspired to write. 

I have a few on DVD (not as many as I should...considering I should own them all, really) and there's usually always at least one on Netflix, so today I decided to fill up my inspiration pool by watching two of his movies back-to-back.

I decided to start with my least favorite - but still an absolute classic and a movie I love dearly all the same (that just goes to show how much I love his work that it's my least favorite and I still like it this much!):

Princess Mononoke.

Princess Mononoke is a historical-fantasy set in an ancient Japan where Gods, Demons, and Spirits are still alive and walk the Earth. It's highly environmental and follows the plight of the main character as he crosses a land being ripped apart by manifested hatred. The film is overwhelmingly beautiful both visually and aurally.

What always inspires me about this movie is how the world is absolutely flowing with life - spirits are everywhere. One of the main locations in the movie - the forest of the Deer God - has trees which are filled with nature spirits known as Kodama (the cute ghost-like creatures in the picture). They are curious little sprites that feed off nature energy and are neutral to both human and animals. One tiny scene that I personally love is where a character picks a flower from the forest and walks off - the camera stays on the spot where the flower was...and three tiny Kodama walk up and look sadly at the spot, as if the flower, picked, had died.

Little details like that are sprinkled throughout Miyazaki's movies. They're like candy to me, and I can tell through them that he loves his craft.

- - -

The other movie is the one that started me off on my love of this filmmaker, and the movie that remains to this day one of my all-time favorites:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

This movie really is perfect for me. Every time I watch it I'm in love again. Everything about this movie works and expands my mind and imagination. This is exactly the kind of story I'm glad I had growing up. This movie could very well be a reason why I was sent down this path and ended up with Lifebound the way it is.

The movie has a character you will almost instantly adore, a world you will crave to know more about, a history you will demand to discover, species and creatures unique to this story, laughter and cuteness along with tragedy and sorrow; moments that will leave you in tears of both grief and joy. Adventure, exploration, action, prophecy, freedom...the title character rides the winds on a flying machine and you can feel the sense of freedom she has.

The world in this movie is a world at war and on the brink of destruction, but the title character just refuses to give in and accept that fate. The chances of her being able to stop the inevitable are just impossible but she still just refuses to accept it - and that refusal of hatred and war in the face of inevitability is just so beautiful.

Nearly everything in this movie is inspiration for Lifebound. The movie's existence itself and how unique and creative it is just spurs me to create and give my own imagination to someone else like Miyazaki gave his to me.


Closing Words...

Miyazaki has made other fantastic films of course; and many a lot more popular than these two! He's a lot more well known in the West probably for Spirited Away, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Off the top of my head he's also done Arriety, Castle in the Sky, The Castle of Cagliostro, and Howl's Moving Castle.

All his work is wonderful, so if you get the chance, I really must encourage you to give him a chance! Your (inner) child will thank you!

Thanks again for reading.

Love,
 Skinner

It was cold today! This morning! Ish!

I like Winter so much more than not-Winter.

This morning the heater was turned on and so I declare it the first day of not-Summer, which is at least a very good start!

Summer is all hot and bleh. Skinner is bleh.

Winter though! That is the time for dreams and gathering warmth and seeking ideas. Time to gather 'round the imaginary hearth and tell stories.

Basically - hopefully the productivity will increase as the temperature lowers.

Love,
 Skinner

Reality scares me

You know what will be really really great about Canvas?

There won't be any political parties.

At least, not like we have today.

Not to the point where people won't be able to watch the news or listen to people talk without needing to take a xanex and write up a whole world light-years away from the Earth where they can live on to escape all the stress and anxiety that comes with the mind-numbing insanity that people are driven to by the religious-fervor that is party-loyalties.

...actually that was going to be the full post for today but I guess I can expand on that and make it into a full fledged thought.

Almost everything about this world stresses me. I'm sure a lot of my family knows this or at least suspected it but I suffer from a lot of anxieties. Videogames are my vice and it's probably fair to say I'm addicted; and LifeBound is my real meditative-like relief. LifeBound is where I make my ideal world where there are no anxieties or stress. There's problems to be sure and there's obstacles and hardships and pain and tragedy - but...well...

I wrote a poem in college; I'll share it here.


Reality scares me.

Where have all the monsters gone?
from all the stories I read as a kid?
I was promised a beastie under ever bed
A crawlie in every cupboard, 
A creature under every stair,
Where's the lady with snakes in her hair?
Now I'm all grown up and there's just humans
killing other humans

Where have all the monsters gone?
from all the horror flicks shown on Tv?
Where's Dracula, waiting to descend upon a neck?
Where's Wolfman, I've got a silver bullet ready.
Where's a mummy to run from in a long chase scene?
Or Frankenstein's monster, all big and green?
Why is it that now all I see are friends yelling at
friends, over friends.

I could deal with a monster. I could handle a monster.
I could understand a monster. I could accept a monster.

But reality scares me. 

Where have all the monsters gone?

The difference in LifeBound is that there's nothing that I personally wouldn't be able to overcome. Wouldn't want to overcome. People work together in LifeBound.

Happy are worlds where there are monsters - for in worlds where there are none, people will attack eachother.

Love,
 Skinner

Oh what a world, what a world...

So here's a small little tidbit...

The world that Lifebound will take place on - that is to say, the actual planet itself - has a name. I have named it Canvas.

There are a few reasons for that.

The name foremost refers to a painter's canvas. The people of the world gave the planet the name Canvas because "It is a fresh foundation upon which anyone can make something for themselves, if they try."

Also among the reasons is because this world is truly my canvas. It's my ultimate canvas. This world will be my best showcasing of my craft and what I can do. Whatever talent I possess, it will appear on Canvas. It'll have to be perfect...and it's the size of a planet!

Love,
 Skinner

P.S.: I've known what I've wanted to call the planet for a long time now, but I've decided to reveal it just now because I've got this other idea coming up that will probably be posted in a few days and knowing the planet's name would probably be important.

Writing!

Good writing day yesterday.

It's funny though what can put a stop to a writing session.

Usually for me it's not "not knowing what happens next" or getting tired or losing focus.

It's something much more inane.

It was how to perfectly word a single sentence.

It wasn't even an important sentence! It was nearly a throwaway sentence! I could have easily and probably should have thrown the sentence away it was such a throwaway sentence but I was got so focused on the challenge of making it a perfect sentence that fit in the context and convey exactly what I wanted it to convey that it drove me mad and made me lose fifteen minutes of time and I still couldn't get it right.

It was a completely mundane action that had no fantasy in it whatsoever, and I even mimicked the action exactly in my own room over and over again in-person to get it right but to no avail. I was just stumped.

Frustrated, I saved my work and gave up in exasperation.

I'll almost certainly take the line out and change it for something else when I go back, but I'll write it down and put it on a post-it or something on my wall and deal with it in my spare time.

Yes, I know I'm very weird, thank you.

Love,
 Skinner.

The Forest Lights

My digital clock I keep below my computer monitor is reading a bright red 4:11. It's pure darkness outside. 

...Just two inches above that my computer's clock tells me it's 4:07...I just now realize they're not synced up...I decide not to bother fixing them though...

Anyway, I'm writing this post now, in the dark, because an idea has just come to me and it is this darkness that has facilitated that idea.

The scene I'm having such trouble writing - that I wrote about in my last post - it occurs at daytime. Not for any reason; it just did because it did. It occured at daytime because in my head there was no reason for it to not occur at daytime because daytime is when events occur - when things can be seen.

-but night's domain is just as long as day's; and events do not need only to happen in the sun.

As I sat here in the dark with the fans blowing I started to envision the scene I've been having so much trouble with happening under the light of the moon instead of the warmth of day, and everything changed and was suddenly made all the better for it.

I'm not sure if this will fully break the writer's block that has been built up but...

I think it's time to enter the forest. 

Love,
 Skinner

Hesitation

Time to be brutally honest.

Things are going slow.

I'm at the start of a new chapter and I'm having real trouble getting things going. I know what's supposed to happen and I have it all planned out - I even like the ideas so it's not a problem of inspiration...it's a problem of confidence and willpower. It's a strange issue I have because for some reason I have to write everything perfectly the first time through.

I've never written a second draft of anything.

Every story I've written; every paper I've ever turned in has been a first draft. I just can't bear to 'hurry' through something with the intent to go back later and fix it. I make sure I choose my words correctly the first time or I don't use them at all if I can help it.

I know logically that's ridiculous and making a novel-length story in such a manner is nearly impossible but it's the way I've written things my whole life and it's terribly difficult to break that.

-and I already know that's going to be broken because I know for certain there's parts near the beginning I want to re-do and touch-up and/or add-to, so my whole mental system has gotten screwy with this. All my little 'systems' and 'rituals' that I had for writing throughout highschool and college have had to been thrown out the window and burned.

On top of it all is the ever-present self-doubt; made extra powerful since this is a novel instead of a short story like everything else, and I'm getting into the middle parts of the story where (while things are still very interesting!) I'm having to trust the reader has been sufficiently hooked by the beginning to stay with me.

Doubts and Fears are piling up. The Writer is having to struggle to write down the lines. If there was a Deadline to meet there would be a ticking clock to push the madman forward like a foreman to make sure the job gets done; but without a Deadline the Writer simply sits and is overcome by hesitation.

I always say "I can't wait until people read my novel" or something to that effect. It's true!
I also can't wait until I will have finished my novel.

Please don't take this post the wrong way - this is still truly and absolutely what I want - To be the author of This Book. -but that doesn't mean it's an easy goal. Making sure this story will be as good as I can possibly make it - so that when it comes out I wont have any regrets at all - will be a challenge unlike any other. -but it's what I want to do.

I know when I do complete it, the reward - if nothing else just the self-worth I'll recieve - will have made the struggle worth it.

Love,
 Skinner

Madness

Before you judge...

I wasn't TRYING to come off as some deranged madman / lunatic when I was writing down my ideas!

Honestly! You've got to believe me!

No no, I'm really serious! I just had to write really small because I ran out of space! -and I have bad handwriting! I'm seriously not a psycho-killer or anything! Just because that looks like something you'd find in a horror movie doesn't mean you should suspect me of anything!

Anyway.

In seriousness, all that writing in the Harvey playbook was to choreograph one scene. The 'fancy' notebook you see in the top-left of the first picture is where I make my 'fancy' notes and concept art, and the other notebook is where I make my quick-notes and other jottings. You can also see my voice-recorder in the first picture. I'm prepared!

Dream Time #1 ~ In the River

Okay, so...

This isn't going to be about my book at all - feel free to skip now.

What this is going to be is a written up version of my dream last night. I thought it was quite nice and while it doesn't relate to my novel I want to write it up real quick and I figured I might as well post it here because you people might enjoy it and if nothing else it could give you some insight into my way of thinking and my way of writing.

I won't revise it or spend too much time on it so you'll be getting a rough first-draft thingee. Keep that in mind. This is raw.

So enjoy?

~Dream Time ~~~

The poor creature splashed and tried all it could to escape, but the river continued to twist it and hold it captive. The creature had been carried along by the raging river so long now it had forgotten time and rational thought - all it knew was the river.

It must have been in a cave, or underground, for the rushing cacophony of the water lapping against the rock walls echoed against the low ceiling and threatened to deafen the creature when its head would be above the water and not submerged or waterlogged.

The creature could tell there were banks on the side of the river where other creatures had escaped to - it could hear them talking. Whether they were speaking in a different language or whether the sound of the river was simply drowning them out the creature could not tell, but their words were lost.\The creature itself was never strong enough to reach the banks. It felt so very alone.

Perhaps it is a surprise that this creature could survive such an ordeal for any length of time; this creature was incredibly small. Most human beings would even hesitate to call it a creature. This poor thing, however, Was so very tiny that it did not need as much as us lumbering giants do, and so it persevered.

Days went by. Hours, eons, seconds...time was meaningless. Being tossed and turned and twisted by the rushing water made the brain lose all sense. Taste shut down as there was nothing there to taste, colors were meaningless in a land of darkness with white-spots if water got in your eyes. Sound and touch became enemies. The smell of wet stone became old quickly.

Then.


Wait.


There was a light.

The creature saw it, it knew he saw it. It didn't see it directly but it knew it saw a light.

There!

More lights! Coming from above! The creature twisted with all its might to try and face the direction the current was going and it could see more lights coming down the tunnel.

Soon the roof gave way and bright, blinding - oh so blinding sunlight flooded into the river and warmed the creature. It was too shocking to believe. It hurt to stare at the sunlight but the creature could not help it. As it was still being tossed and turned its view fell to the water below and it saw that on the floor of the river were large stone blocks: were these the blocks that once made up the roof?

Only a minute passed by before the miracle happened.

The river stopped.

Or more correctly: the cave did.

The creature who had been a captive to the currents for so long suddenly found itself being tossed out into the air as the structure that had been carrying the river simply stopped. The water fell straight down but the creature fell at a slightly different trajectory and for the first time in longer than it could remember found itself free from the water's grasp.

It looked around.

After so long in the dark, it viewed the world through lenses of water-colors. Everything was perfect and beautiful.

As the river fell to the Earth far below the creature knew it should be worried about gravity too, but it simply stretched out its long disused wings, and after a few flaps to get out the dampness, it took off.

The fly remembered now that it had fallen in the strange tunnel miles back and had gotten swept in. It was sure not to make the same mistake again.

It would live life to the fullest. It would cherish this second chance it had been given.

---

Far below, two farmers were watching the river - now a waterfall - and discussing the sight.
"I sure hope the Roman Empire stop lazing about and get that Aqueduct fixed."

Love,
 Skinner

This Book Will Make You Feel X Years Younger!

I refuse to grow up. 

...a lot of you probably know that already...

Anyway! What I mean is that I adore the state of childhood as an idea. The state of innocence and wonder that you're in where everything is fresh and free. You have no limits or boundaries and the world is completely yours. Sure there are monsters around every corner - but thankfully you have been taught how to deal with monsters (Vampires? Garlic. Werewolves? Silver. Etc.).

A child cannot be stopped.

An adult can be sent into depression with the mail.

A major reason I continue to play video-games is to re-capture and keep hold of that sense of childhood joy that I had playing them as a kid. Video-games (at least my favorite ones) emulate in many ways my favorite parts of being a kid: the sense of exploration and freedom - the idea of being in an open world and having nothing to stop you from going wherever you want and being whatever you want.

Now, that exact feeling of "you can go wherever you want" can't be conveyed into a novel too well, but in my stories I've tried over and over again to capture the feeling of being a child. It's been one of my main goals.

In most the serious stories I've written, the main character has been a child, or at the least has had a child-like personality. There will even be younger characters who will 'act' older than the main character as a contrast. I'm not saying they'd act up or act like a baby - but they'd act free and have an open mind and view the world with limitless potential.

I want the reader to view the world through those eyes - I want the reader to experience my world at least through fresh eyes and see its beauty and wonder and think, even for a second:

"I could go wherever I wanted, here." 

Love,
 Skinner

Inspiration Days #1: The Nightingale and the Rose

I said in my first post that I may occasionally link to things which have inspired me.

Well let's start that today, shall we? I'm going to go ahead and link to the source material I'll be talking about right up front. It's very short. It's a fairy tale in fact. I suppose I should warn that quite a few of my friends have found it incredibly sad despite it's beauty.

Click Here to go to the full text of Oscar Wilde's "The Nightingale and the Rose"

If you don't want to read it or don't have time, don't worry - the rest of the post will not require you having read it, but since the idea is you may want to get a better idea of what's inspiring my writing process or how my book's style will be, it could help.

Imagery

First off, I cannot get over how much I adore the imagery in this piece. I was overwhelmed when I first read it and still love it to this day. The way everything is given such personality and beauty blew me away. Even the one-line creatures are given delightful details such as the butterfly chasing after a beam of sunlight.

From the tiniest of details such as what the minuscule forest animals are doing to the massive-scale miracles that the Nightingale's song manages near the end of the story, Wilde really set the bar for me in terms of what can be accomplished with vivid imagery.

Tragedy

If you didn't read the text by now, this section will ruin it forever. Yes, the ending is devastating. Humorously enough if you were to tell a stranger "a rose is discarded" they probably wouldn't think that sounds like a tragedy but this story makes it soul-crushing.

Still, I found incredible beauty in that sadness. That a story could make me feel those emotions I find absolutely wonderful and I applaud it. I actually enjoy tragedy like this - that comes from a place of genuine emotion that a skilled writer has crafted. I'm curious though what others think.

Besides of course, that we should burn the Student's house down.

Love,
 Skinner

Orcs Need Not Apply

Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Centaurs, Dragons, Skeletons, and Unicorns...

Usually when someone brings up the fantasy genre, or even says the word "Fantasy" one or more of the above words comes up in the reader's mind, perhaps with some other stock creatures. They're a staple of the genre and writers just can't resist to use them even to this day. People don't even try to re-invent them most the time - they just plop good old Elves in stories and everybody's happy.

Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against that! I love an Elf as much as the next believer; I brought one into my Fairy Tale class in college called "Miss Sugerleaf Brandyvine" in an old shoe-box, and I'd be the first to sign a petition for the ethical treatment of Goblins if their villages were ever discovered and undoubtedly exploited, but one thing I have loved since a child was creating a being from scratch.

That said: it is my goal that my world will be populated by entirely new creations. I do not wish to contain any 'stock' species from other works. All the races and species of creatures and animals in my world I am either creating from scratch or basing on designs from the real-world or mythologies and then heavily editing so that they become my own.

This may sound like a challenge to some, but really this is probably the funnest part of the writing process for me. Creating a species, whether it be a civilized race or a fearsome monster is one of my greatest joys. Creating its physiology, psychology, society, culture, beliefs, fears, behaviors and everything else will keep me contented and occupied for hours.

A Spoiler Free Example of my Creation Process:

About two months ago I was riding in the back of a car looking out at trees passing by and I got an idea for a new forest-dwelling species. I took out my notebook and began jotting down everything from their looks to their cultural practices.

After I had established the basics I began to wonder what creatures they would hunt for food - what creatures would hunt them as prey - what monsters the parents of the race would tell their children about at night to make them behave.

...then I realized I could make all three of those real. I could make all three of those appear in my novel. I could give them all the attention I gave the race I just made. I didn't have to, but I could. -and so I began to create those other creatures then.

You may not ever see those other monsters - you may not ever even see the forest-dwelling race, but this is the level of detail I'm giving to the creatures I'm creating for my world.

I want this world - my world - to be as real as possible.

I'm looking forward to taking you there.

Love,
 Skinner

Some Words on Content

So, apart from the name...

I guess I really haven't said that much about the actual novel. I know I don't want to reveal too much but some stuff really should be laid out, and the sooner the better perhaps.

A quick note that might interest you: Before I even started writing the first word, I had the entire story planned out in my head. The beginning, all the steps along the path, and the very end. It was all there waiting for me.

What's the Structure?

I've been saying it's a Fantasy novel...but that's a big, big genre. It might help to give a few clues to narrow things down. Again, I really don't want to give too many things away, but some things I do have set in stone...

• The story is set on another world, hand-crafted continent-by-continent to my tastes. There is a tangential relationship to Earth but it is of the briefest consequence. 
• The story will take the characters all across the world, visiting the most important sites on their journey so that the reader will get to experience my world completely. 
• The story will feature a huge, rotating ensemble cast of characters that grow and develop while two to six "principals" remain together for the duration of the journey. 
• The story's style is intended to be overwhelmingly imaginative. It's actually my desire to bombard the reader with new ideas and vivid images on every page. 

Why "Young Adults?" 

I've been saying my novel is directed at young adults...well... Personally I want everyone, regardless of age to be able to read and enjoy my novel to the fullest extent, so perhaps another way of saying it is that I am writing a novel for all ages that will not contain a lot of what is usually considered "offensive material."

• There will be little to no "adult language." While I personally feel that language is language and that is that and there is no "bad" language, I know a vast majority do not feel the same, and so - as I do in my public life - I will make sure my characters find other words. 
• While romance and all that goes with it is nothing to be ashamed of, I know that it's the most dangerous thing to even discuss when censorship or kids are involved. You can trust I won't take chances. I won't sacrifice my characters' growth or stories, but I won't add in anything more than necessary. I'm not Disney - I can't get away with what they can.
• Drug use will be hidden. There will be references to 'altered states' but you can find references like those even in Disney films. Alcohol will be mentioned. Despite what my high-school classmates probably think I still have never taken illegal drugs so obviously my novel isn't going to be secretly telling kids to get high. 
• Violence, I am afraid, will be present in my novel, but I can assure readers that it will not be glorified or made heroic. I do not intend for there to be scenes of gore, but scenes of physical pain have already been written in.

That last bullet point is of course where people will find fault, and is why this story for many won't be acceptable for children. I feel I must stress that I, personally, do not find the material in the story (as it is in my head right now) offensive or potentially offensive to children, but I understand perfectly well that others likely will. 

So about this Blog...

I still haven't fully decided what I want to do with this blog, but at least for the first week or so I'll be updating daily. If I start running out of material then I'll slow down and start updating weekly. 

Anyway, thanks again for reading. Any questions or comments you can drop below, or on Facebook, or wherever. 

Love,

 Skinner

An Introduction For Both of Us

Greetings! 

After an outpouring of support from friends and family I've been convinced to start this blog that will...well...I'm not quite sure what this blog will do. Supposedly it is going to detail my journey as I work on my life's project - the completion of my novel LifeBound (working title).

However, unlike construction jobs where photos can be continually uploaded, or visual-art projects where progress can be seen with the eyes, or any other sort of long-term project, I cannot really think of a way to share with you my progress. Giving out 'snippets' of dialogue that might never occur (or worse, might get put back in!) seems wrong, and I doubt you want pictures of me holding my head in frustration over my laptop or computer.

I suppose what I can do is talk about my process. How I think; how I create. What inspired, and what inspires me. What thoughts lead me down this path and how and why I take so long to come up with what I do. Share with you things that I feel passionate about so you can come to expect what my work may hold.

 I can write about especially good days or bad days and breakthroughs or hurdles in writing.

...and then maybe every once in awhile if I come across a joke I just can't fit into the narrative I can stick it here.

Love,
 Skinner