Okay, so I know I may be the last person on the planet to watch Big Hero 6. I'll own that. But we watched it a couple of weeks ago, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the humor of the movie, and the heart, but what I really liked was what spoke to my creative soul.
At the beginning of the movie, Hiro is inspired to try to get into his brother's school. He's been working on his projects, and can't come up with anything. He's frustrated and complains to his brother, Tadashi.
Tadashi grabs Hiro and shakes him around. Literally. Tells him to get a new perspective. It's when Hiro is hanging upside down that he gets the idea that changes the world. Again, literally.
I know it's a small part of the movie that many people probably don't even think about. But I really liked it. It reminded me that when things aren't going my way -- in writing, in my job, in everything -- that I can shake things up. I can look at things with a new perspective. Or a different one. And try something different.
So I've been doing that. It's helped me reach beyond what I know in writing (YA) and pursue another genre. I'm shaking it up!
Have you found this to be true? Have you tried looking at problems, your writing, or other things in a different way and been able to see the solutions?
Okay, so last week I was driving to parent-teacher conferences, and my friend Erin called me. She was all excited about this cat that had clawed his way back from death. I think the conversation went something like this:
Erin: Have you heard about Bart the Cat?
Me: No. I'm driving to work.
Erin: It's this cat that got hit by a car in Florida.
Me: O-kay. Great. One less cat in the world.
Erin: No! Elana! It's a great story.
Me: If you say so. Tell me about it.
Erin: So there's this cat that got hit by a car. And the owner was so upset about it that he couldn't bury the cat. So his neighbor, who was trying to be helpful, buried Bart in a shallow grave.
Me: Great.
Erin: But then five days later, Bart the Cat showed up at his owner's door. He had clawed his way out of the grave and dragged himself home.
Me: The dead cat?
Erin: Yes! The dead cat! Only he wasn't dead! He'd survived for five days in the grave!
Me: Okay.
Erin: Don't you see what we can learn from this?
Me: That we can be buried for five days and claw our way back to the surface?
Erin: Yes!! Just like when I thought my book was dead last fall, remember? It was dead! Buried! And then that agent emailed, and it came back to life!! I'm Bart the Cat!!!
(And if you've ever met Erin, you know that all these exclamation points are warranted.)
Me: You're so right! So when we feel like we've been hit by a car and buried in our neighbor's backyard in a shallow grave, we can drag ourselves back out and try again!
Erin: YES!!
(And if you haven't heard Erin's news yet, you should go over to her blog. We're dual-posting about Bart the Cat today.)
So there you go. We can all be Bart the Cat. We can pull ourselves back from the shallow grave when we feel like quitting, when our eyes have been gouged out, when we think we've had enough of this business.
I'm still not sure if I'm all the way out of the grave, but I'm not dead yet. Just like Bart the Cat.
What do you think? Are you inspired by Bart the Cat's story?
Okay, so a week or so ago, I was fortunate enough to listen to a keynote address by Anne Perry. She's a big mystery author, which admittedly, I hadn't read. But she hails from Scotland, so if her delightful accent hadn't already won me over, the fact that she spoke on several things that hit close to my heart did.
1. The power of words. I believe in the power of words, especially those things we say and those we read. She talked about how the words we use can comfort someone in the middle of the night, when they reach for our story for comfort. I really liked that, because writing is more than the commercial aspect to me. It's about the power of words.
2. Finding that essential thing that provides you with inspiration. Well, she may not have said those words in that exact order, but that's what I got out of it. For Anne Perry, she said she loves light on water. That inspires her, shows her the beauty of the world.
I've long had this thing where I watch for and experience a "nature moment" every day. Something that reminds me that this world is big, and wonderful, and filled with glorious things I cannot even comprehend. Something that takes me beyond myself, and my worries and cares.
And as Anne Perry was speaking, I realized that I too have something that inspires me. Something that always makes me feel at peace, evokes in me a sense of wonder. And that's the moon. I've always loved looking at the moon and the stars, of staring into the night sky with a sense of its incomprehensible vastness.
So what's your essential thing? What's something that inspires you, that takes you beyond yourself, that brings you a sense of wonder and joy?
