Creadium: The Blog of Elle Beauregard

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Build a better story, plus some advice for life.

I thought this article was really interesting, and  I’m sure all my writer friends will enjoy it.  That said, the final chunk (“Using Stories to Guide Our Lives”) is SUPER cool, and has real impacts for everyone—writer or not.  Here’s a snippet, condensed to give the gist (you really should read the whole thing): 

Every so often[ … ] I’ll have somebody who will be telling me, […]about they’re in a relationship, and it’s in trouble and this trouble has been going on for some time, often years, and it’s now heading for a crisis. And it’s one of those things where you know sort of, even though they don’t verbalize it, they’re asking, “What do you think? What do you think I should do?”

And after listening to the narrative for a while, […] I’ll say, “What movie are you living now?” And it always produces the same response. The person is startled because it sounds initially like a trivial question. […] and then […] they’ll laugh and say, “The Exorcist,” or something like that. And the laugh is a sign of recognition that the story they’ve been telling me has a recognizable structure, and once they give me that, they then usually laugh again and say something like, “Oh, my God.” I then say, as quietly as I can, “And where does the story go?” And that’s the advice I’ve given them.

What I love is that this advice gives you the power.  You know where the story goes—you know how the movie ends—and it’s your choice to make your movie ending match, or go in a totally different direction from what Hollywood had in mind. 

So. Cool. 

Filed under writing advice reading article

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Thursday Catch-up + strategic procrastination

I will be out camping in the wilderness for the next three days, Faithful Readers.  (Okay, “wilderness” meaning the forests outside of Leavenworth WA.  If you’ve never been to Leavenworth, it’s a delightful little bavarian town—very fun.  Look it up!)  So I thought I’d write you all a quick note since I will be incommunicado for a bit:

First, I’m making great headway on Augury (Mythologicals Saga|Two) and very much looking forward to getting the first round of revisions (for the first 3/4 of the book) back from Beta Reader #1.  Augury is already as long as Harbinger (120,000 words—approx 500 pages) but it isn’t nearly complete yet.  This is both excellent and terrifying.  It means edits will take more time than they do for SHIFT books (which tend to run in the 90,000 word range) but it also means readers will have lots of time with the characters, and that’s usually a good thing (I hope…)  :)

Next, I’ve been trying to think of fun ways to introduce new readers to the Shift Series.  Giveaways, perhaps?  More videos on YouTube?  More bookstore appearances?  I’d love your input.  Did you all enjoy my first Vlog post? Would you jump at the chance to win a SHIFT t-shirt?  I want to do things that you would find entertaining and fun, so let me know what you think!

And finally, I found this article today and simply had to share: It’s like they put into words things I’ve been doing as part of my creative process forever!  Sometimes I have to “procrastinate” because I know that walking away from a particularly difficult scene is the right decision—and I’ll come back with the answer.  Other times, I have to drive somewhere and get stuck in traffic (“boredom” + ” distraction”) because it helps get my creative juices flowing.  Here’s my fave quote:

“The creative process requires a period of boredom, of being stuck. That’s actually a very uncomfortable period that a lot of people mistake for writer’s block, but it’s actually just part one of a long process.”

But this doesn’t just have to apply to writing—it applies to life and all the myriad of decisions that must take place as part of it.  Plus I love nothing more than a good article, so here it is!  The Holy Trinity of Inactivity: How Boredom, Distraction and Procrastination are Vital to Healthy Living. 

Until next week! Happy Reading!

Filed under Catch-up augury camping article shift

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"Sharing with no rules..." Little Free Libraries Pop Up in Puget Sound Area

This is SO cool.  Click the title for the full story, but here’s some of my favorite quotes/highlights:

“It looks like a birdhouse on a post, usually in front of somebody’s house. There are about a dozen in the Puget Sound area, with more on the way.

What they contain are free books. The little hutches each fit about 20 or so titles.

See a book that piques your interest? Take it.

And if at some point you’d like to contribute a book, great.”

Neighbors meeting neighbors all because of books. 

Her Little Library went up in April, and Nash has marveled ever since at the response.

It’s almost magical,” she says. “Sharing with no rules, no boundaries.”

Makes me <3 my city even more.  Oh, the warm-fuzzy feels!

Filed under books library seattle article MADE MY DAY!

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Writing YA: Better than the Prom

Loved this article that a friend sent to me.  YA Fictions is a powerful, fast-paced, ravenous machine at the moment.  I’m glad I started writing it 10 years ago, or I’d never be able to keep up all by myself.  :) 

And, for the record, it is just about the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced to have a fan ask you when your next book comes out—if they liked the first one enough to want the second, I’m thrilled!  Bucket list: check!

Click the title, above.

Filed under inspiration, article YA writing Elle Beauregard