| Today is July 29, 2010 |
Susan Andrus is the founder of the Consortium of the Creative Nudge. She can always use a nudge. She lives in Bozeman, Mont.
Write to Susan.
My New Year’s resolutions have turned into a cruel April Fools joke, so this month I’m starting over.
Every now and then everyone wants to start over. Sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t. Sometimes starting over only leads you to a place where you just want to… start over. But sometimes, oh, sometimes you can start over and do it right. And pretend the first pass never happened.
So here’s to New Year’s April Fools resolutions! Go ahead, start over!
Tonight’s the night!
At 6:30 p.m. the writers(well, many of them) will gather at the Leaf & Bean in downtown Bozeman to read their terrible, wonderful work!
Hope to see you there! 
I am not athletic.
Maybe that’s not quite true–maybe it’s just that I haven’t found a sport or activity I like. Or, perhaps, it’s because I’m too shy and self-conscious to enjoy things when people might be watching. Maybe, having chosen drama as my extracurricular activity at a young age, I haven’t had enough opportunities to become athletic. Could it be that some people just aren’t?
All I know is that some people are extremely athletic, including my younger siblings, and I’m not. Are you athletic? What does “being athletic” mean to you? Why do you think you are or aren’t athletic? Was there someone who got you started or a time when you remember becoming more, or less, athletic? How does it make you feel?
I’m trying to get some exercise this month, breaking out of my usual routines. I might like it… I encourage you to try something new this month too: If you usually write, try painting or sculpting to express your thoughts about being athletic. If you are a photographer, try starting with words. If you’re a musician, try creating a short skit. Who knows? You might find new dimensions to your art by breaking out of your usual routines. And I might actually be a little athletic.
If you act(and by act, I mean write) quickly your short, short story could be read aloud on National Public Radio. If nothing else it looks like a fun exercise to try. The deadline is February 28th and the details can be found HERE.
February’s nudge is: Lace, a fabric that was once carefully crafted by women, a talent handed down by grandmothers, but is now produced in factories with computerized machines.
The idea came to me while thinking about Valentine’s Day. Cards and lingerie decorated with lace. Two lovebirds “lacing” their fingers together. Frilly and fine and fancy.
Of course, the second example I used refers to something entirely different–you know, those things that help keep your shoes on your feet when you go out for a run. Or maybe, if you prefer a more romantic notion(depending on how you look at it), the laces could be on a corset.
Or another unromantic idea: a yellowed piece of lace on the musty sofa of the dead woman. Hey, wait… that could be a pretty romantic story depending on how you write it…
What can this little word inspire?
2009’s Chief Officer of Fools, Ray Sikorski, abandoned(yes, abandoned!!) Foolish Words for adventure in far away lands, so I’m heading up the silly marathon this year!
What is Foolish Words? Foolish Words is an add-on story created by writers in and around Bozeman each year. Each writer adds his or her 200–400 words to the story and when April Fool’s Day rolls around we all get together and read aloud our contributions to this unholy document of pure foolishness.
Quite a lot of fun, I must say!
If you’d like to check out what 2009’s fools produced, it’s all online at http://www.foolish.creativenudge.org/
Now, I’m running a bit late getting this started, so please let me know ASAP at susan@creativenudge.org if you’d like to be involved. Also let me know if there is a certain time over the next two months that would be either really bad or really great for you to write your piece.
Thanks! And away we go!!!
Susan Andrus
Another new year is upon us. Are you ready? My desk has been cleaned and my resolutions have been made. I resolve to… actually, I’m not going to say just in case I fail miserably. Again.
As we transition into 2010 many people have been reflecting on where they were and what they were doing ten years ago, their memories pulling them back and pushing them forward into a new decade.
This month: reflect. Find a memory, good or bad, shared or yours alone and make something of it.
Ready… set… CREATE!
“Classic Books” is November’s nudge.
When the weather starts to get cooler I just want to curl up with a great book and read the winter away. I’m tempted to buy a Snuggie just for that purpose(you get a free book light!) Of course, if you want to make the best use of those long hours you’ll grab a cup of cocoa and a “classic book.”
Are you embarrassed that you’ve read too few? Is there a book that is considered to be a classic that you positively despise? Are “classics” great works that everyone should be familiar with or should they be replaced by more diverse and modern works? Did a book change your life? What was the last “classic” you read?
The Good Men Project is a multimedia work exploring what it means to be a “good man.” A book of essays on manhood and a dvd are set to be released this fall. But this isn’t just a book and it isn’t just a dvd–it is, and is striving to be, a discussion. Excerpts and a blog can be found on the website, which is part of what is described as “a comprehensive social media network.” Readers are encouraged to contribute their own two cents and one of the essayists was picked through a contest.
Unable to find a publisher The Good Man Project seems to have found a place anyway through the Internet and social networking. I came across it because of a critical tweet of an article written about the disinterest the publishing world showed the project. I was mildly interested and a quick click of a link brought me to the website. The Good Men Project makes it easy to find out more, interact and keep up-to-date, which may just be the recipe to success independent of a major publishing house.
Now, I’ve seen books with websites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts before. They generally link to articles and reviews about the book and remind everyone where and when it will be for sale. The thing that seems to be different about this is the welcome and encouraged interaction.
Check it out for yourself at www.goodmenbook.org.
Is this the wave of the future for independent work? Are we going to see more and more of this not-just-a-book sort of thing? Can you point me to some similar projects? What do you think?
In the movies, pathetic fallacy rains.(Malapropism intended.)
Nearly all funeral scenes in movies(and books) are dribbling and dripping because black umbrellas are dramatic, but we all know that rain can be so much more than the cue for contemplative solemnity. In the midst of a hot August day a light rain can be refreshing and welcomingly cool. Roiling black clouds ripped open by thunder and lightening can be frightening and awe-inspiring. Yet another dreary day of spring rains inspires anger and annoyance after already having been kept inside because of weather all winter.
For me, sometimes those dark clouds and wind before it rains fill my heart with a desire to go, to change, to run. On those days I inhale the breath of the gods and the rain gives me life.
This month’s nudge, while we enjoy the last days of rain this season, is to create with rain in mind. The rain doesn’t have to be the starring character, of course, or even obviously present in your work. Just keep it in mind and let it nourish your growth and breathe the gods into you.