Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Magic of Star Wars and Writing

I’m feeling a little empty today.  Bereft of thoughts that are interesting or engaging, even to myself.  While I’m writing this, I sound so depressed!  I’m not.  I think I have just hit overload, is all.  The pressure to be witty (which certainly is work for me!), to tweet, to blog, to write, and then all the demands of my non-writing life has just come to a head.

Yesterday I went to the Denver Zoo with my family to attend a six-year-olds birthday party.  It was Boo at the Zoo, and there were tons of people, children, costumes, candy and fun.  The fall day was cool, and we actually saw more animals outside than we have ever seen before.  For the record, I’ve been to the zoo dozens of times throughout my entire life, so it really was quite amazing to see the tapirs outside and standing up.

One of the best highlights for me, though, was the Star Wars troupe.  I love Star Wars.  I was five, I think, when the first Star Wars: A New Hope came out.  Different stages of my early life have the different movies imprinted in my mind.  Harrison Ford as Han Solo was one of my first Hollywood crushes.  My first date was going to see Return of the Jedi when I was about thirteen years old.  The magic of the movie wasn’t ruined, fortunately, by the immaturity of my date.  He crunched spilt popcorn and laughed about it right when the duel between Darth Vader and Luke was occurring.  How rude of him!  We didn’t have a second date, by the way.

Back to the zoo.  There were Storm Troopers, a Tatooine family, and even a Tusken Raider.  I was delighted!  They had full-sized, accurate weapons, for goodness sake.  It was like being at Comic-Con.  Or maybe even on Tatooine.  I tried to get my sons –- who are Darth Vader and a Clone Trooper (Captain Rex, according to the zoo’s train driver) for Halloween this year—to get a picture.  They refused.  They love Star Wars, too, but they were scared to see Storm Troopers in their real world.  But I wanted a picture with a Storm Trooper! So, with a rush of excitement, I gave my camera to their handler, and got my picture with the Storm Troopers.



That’s me, in the teal shirt.  Can you see me?  I can’t, hardly.  But my friend took some closer pictures, so I’m hoping to get one of them from her.

What does all this have to do with writing, you may be wondering?  Well, it was a magical moment.  I was seven again.  I felt excited, and happy. 

That is what writing does for me, too.  The magic of creating, seeing what my subconscious comes up with, and sharing that magic with others is what makes writing enjoyable.  And we all need magic in our lives.  I think I'm going to concentrate on that part for a while, and not worry so much about the other stuff.  I have to believe the platform will come along.  Worrying about it isn't going to make it grow any faster, right?

For the record, I did make my kids take a picture with a Storm Trooper.  We caught them on the way out of the zoo.  This morning my eldest asked to see the picture, and told me he was glad I made him take the picture, because “I like storm troopers now.”  In the picture, we all look very happy.

What creates magic in your life?

13 comments:

  1. I love Star Wars! My kids always called me Ewok because I'm so short, and now my little dog is named Ewok.

    I see you in the photo clearly, and what a fun time you must have had at the zoo! What handsome sons!

    Yes, I'm also getting weary of the blogging and the tweeting and then the writing on top of it. Takes the sauce out of you. But I also need to get back to the pure pleasure of creating characters. There's simply nothing like it...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tough pic!

    As an emerging writer, the pressure to build a platform is enough to make you swan dive from it as soon as it will hold your weight. A post I read recently suggested writers stop trying to brand themselves; identify their target audience; and write good books. But having tried it both ways, I find it's easier to create when I have a social network who are struggling with the same issues. My network is meager compared to some, but it has grown organically, so the interactions and information I gain from it are high value.

    Yes, it is time for me to shift my efforts as well. We still have end of year holidays to get through, and I think the energy will be good for my writing. Doing one-man band marketing, design, and layout grows tiring. Your post is a great reminder how the right distraction can refocus one's efforts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Cindy and Eric! It's nice to know that others feel some of the same pressures I do. I agree that even if the network is small - because mine isn't large by any means - I do thoroughly enjoy all the people that I have gotten to know both here and on twitter. I also have found some nice support through the Writer Unboxed Facebook group. That's a good reminder to me, Eric!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi! I was recently awarded the Versatile Blogger Award and in response to that I’m passing the award on to 15 other bloggers. I’m really happy to say that you are among that number! Congratulations! For full details and for the nifty badge for your site go to http://myinner-i.blogspot.com/p/awards.html.

    I really love your site and I’m happy to share this award with you!

    Lacey
    http://myinner-i.blogspot.com/ (*award winner*)
    http://updownin-n-out.blogspot.com/
    http://becomingdawn.blog.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you so much, Lacey! I am glad you like my site enough to share the award with me! I really appreciate the affirmation. I kind of needed some!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the zoo, Lara! I don't know why I do this, but every time I go to the zoo, I insist on taking my camera. It's not like I don't have 12 different shots of a bear from 12 different zoos. My husband seems to give me that look that says, "Really? More photos of cheetahs and lions just laying around looking at us with bored stares?" I say damn straight! I'm having fun!!

    Anyway, I stuck around a bit longer than I needed. My OCD held me prisoner to your animated fish for about an hour, so thank you, they are nice and fat from my feeding them with clicks every three seconds.

    :) Have a nice day!! Come visit me at my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such an honest, insightful post. I'm glad you found solace in a trip down memory lane--revisiting a childhood favorite. Funny how we find similar comfort in such things as adults.

    You've inspired me to visit the zoo--a long overdue trip. ;) Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Diane and August - thanks for stopping by!

    The fish are addictive, Diane! And I, too, ended up with yet another picture of a bear. It was just too cute, draped over the log as it was.

    August, I'm glad I could inspire you to let some of your inner child back out!

    Hope to see you again sometime. I did follow your blog, Diane, so you'll see me over at your place :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you so much for sharing this with me via Twitter. I'm grinning like a loon as I read it because we've been wowed by the 501st and their amazing presence at MGM in Orlando during Star Wars weekends and at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama corresponding with the opening of a big Star Wars exhibit back in June of 2010. Lots of pictures with Clone Troopers and Princess Leia and even Chewy an R2D2 and C3PO on that trip. Also, I take zoo pictures, every time we go. I love the animals. And the fun of the zoo. So glad we met in a random way via social networking sites. THAT'S what they are for! (And I feel the pressure too. It's part of the adrenaline perhaps?!) ~ Janean

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can't explain the excitement of seeing real storm troopers - maybe it's like a child seeing Santa Claus in the mall. I do appreciate Twitter for introducing me to some great people, like you, Janean!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh yeah, and now I want to go to a Star Wars weekend somewhere! To see C3PO...

    ReplyDelete
  12. I had to click over here from Vaughn's interview because I love that first night when I was nine and saw the first ever Stars Wars film and because just a few nights ago I watched this fascinating documentary called The People vs George Lucas. (Not for kids, by the way.)

    What creates magic for me--inspiring someone else, falling in love with someone else's story, art, daring creativity, and a good laugh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you dropped by this post! I've not heard of The People vs. George Lucas. I'll have to search it on the internet.

      That's a superb magic-maker list. I totally agree about laughter. I love to laugh, and that might be why. Thanks for that little bit of insight! :)

      Delete

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave your comments below.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...