Happy Monday, everyone!
In my painting and my writing, I've always considered myself a purist. As a painter, I don't get into collage or other mixed media forms. Truth me told, I don't even really like my paint to get too thick on the canvas because it starts to feel too sculptural for me. In writing, I've never really gotten into unusual formatting or graphics in my stories. For me, there was something about having those rules that kept me creative.
But for the first time I am getting a bit experimental with my WIP, Cyberlama. I'm revising a scene, and without really paying attention, I started inputting graphics. Inside my head, I told myself it was no big deal because I could always take them out again. But once I started doing it, I realized that they were affecting what details I chose to include or not include. The graphics were becoming integral, and if I change my mind about them, it won't simply be a matter of cutting them out. I'll have to rewrite this particular section.
I'm not getting into too much detail about this because I'd rather not influence any future readers by telling them ahead of time what I've done. But I'm curious how people feel about doing those types of things in general. Unusual formatting, graphics, maybe even multi media stories. Do you do it? Have you tried it? Do you read it? Would you eat it in a house?
I would eat it in a house,
ReplyDeleteI would eat it with a mouse.
I am not a purist,
But curious about what's newest!
Okay, that didn't quite work. The sentiment is there, though. Experimenting creatively is my bread and butter. There's just something about expanding into new areas that's exciting and fun and keeps things fresh enough that the creativity can keep on happening.
I don't mix media when it comes to story-telling (yet), but it's definitely something I'd try. This new venture of yours sounds very interesting. I can't wait to see what you come up with!
S.M., Judging from what I've seen of your personality it doesn't surprise me that you are jumping into this kind of thing. I think this type of pursuit requires a lot of fresh energy.
DeleteOh, this is interesting, Davin! This makes me extremely curious about what you're doing. You'll pop on chat and tell me...right? Right.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, yes, I'm going to be reading an experimental-looking book called MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ranson Riggs. It has all these vintage photos throughout the book that directly relate to the story and its progression, I think.
I've been a little experimental in my fiction, but not with inserting art or anything. So far. I might get there one day. I like to jump out of the purist box as much as I can, even if it's one toe at a time. :)
Michelle, Really...I think you'll be quite disappointment when you find out what I'm actually talking about. It's definitely a toe dip and nothing more! :)
DeleteAnd I'm glad to see you're able to get online!
DeleteI'm not a purist by choice, it's just that prose is the only storytelling form I'm any good at, so I try to do everything with prose and only prose. There's so much for me to learn and do with just words that I'm not interested in working with anything but words. I don't do anything with typography or layout because I tend to think of my prose as essentially something that should work when read aloud, when the hearer has no idea how it looks on the page. Which is one reason why my current novel has no quotation marks around dialogue: when someone reads a story aloud to you, you don't see the quotation marks, so why should they be there at all? That's as experimental as I get with the visual aspect of writing. Which isn't much.
ReplyDeleteNone of which is to say that I'm opposed to mixed media. I wish I understood more types of art so I could incorporate more media in my own stuff, but as I say above, I'm still figuring out words. I love illustrated books and I'd like someday to make somethign where the figures were integral to the story, but right now I haven't the slightest inkling how I'd do that. Cyberlama sounds more interesting every day.
"There's so much for me to learn and do with just words that I'm not interested in working with anything but words."
DeleteThis is why in general I've been a purist, Scott. I've felt like I should focus on learning everything I can from the most basic units of the art form. I haven't like most illustrated books because the images always interfere with my own imagination. But what I'm trying is much much simpler and hopefully more essential.--and I'll probably end up not using it!
I haven't tried at all. I'd be concerned about doing it actually because I don't know that any images could adequately fit with whats in my head (if that makes any sense).
ReplyDeleteMore and more though, you're really getting me excited to see this book of yours.
Eric,
DeleteThat's a good point. I've always wanted to write music, but I know it would take me so many years to get to the point where I could create sound that I actually liked. I haven't been willing to make that investment yet.
Since I just finished an art piece that used watercolor, pen-and-ink, colored pencil, and 22K gold leaf, I'd have to say: I would eat it in a house!
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of children's books (mostly middle-grade) which usually have illustrations, some in rather interesting ways. I highly recommend "The True Meaning of Smekday" (Adam Rex). On the adult front, I am totally enamored of the way Charles van Sandwyk mixes words and art - check out my favorite, "Sketches from the Dream Island of Birds".
Keep at it!
-Alexandra MacKenzie
Alex,
DeleteThanks for the references! I said above that I usually don't like illustrated books, but I was refer to books that had pictures inserted later. You are reminding me that I love a bunch of children's books with pictures. They're actually some of my favorites. I'll check out Sketches!
I also write prose and only prose, though there are many ways you can experiment within the medium. I started off thinking I would write some exciting, obscure stories with tangential plot lines and deep character development. Some ways to experiment and get away from the "pure" in that sense is stream-of-conscious and long strings of internal monologue. There are so many ways you can change things up and diverge from the norm, but the more I write and the more I read, the more I've been developing my specific writing style, which just some happens to line up with the "purist" type of writing. Maybe I won't be the next David Foster Wallace, but at least I know the type of style that I can use to get my point across.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a fabulous turn of events. It's obviously organic, and you have talent and skills in both forms: perfect, I say, perfect. And yes, I would eat it in a house, I would eat in with a louse, I would eat it when I grouse.
ReplyDeleteSome time ago, I started writing vignettes of childhood memories. I have the imagery of each scene in my head, but my drawings skills are not able to bring them to life and it was very frustrating. I had no idea what I was going to do with them, I just felt like veering off into something totally different from what I usually do.
Do take it as far as it will go. Then share.
I love the idea of that... as a child, I grew up reading a few graphic novels, and it seems like this is a creative way to come at it from the other side, the writing side. I've always been a very visual person... for example, I scavenge visuals for every character in my novels and stories --sort of a visual anchor for each.
ReplyDeleteCreative food for thought. :)