Imagination Run Amuck

Jurassic Park is making its grand reappearance in theaters today. I remember seeing it a few times in theaters twenty years ago. Those were good times.

One of my earliest memories of Sarabeth and I dating long-distance is her mentioning something on the phone about Jurassic Park that I never caught before.

I fell deeper in love with her that day.

This dino-romping, spine-tingling movie is great in so many ways. I like to think it was gutsy of the late author, Michael Crichton, to write an adult novel about people living among dinosaurs.

Amusement park attractions break lose and terrorize the visitors! 

Sounds more like a Goosebumps plot, doesn’t it?

Perhaps Crichton purposefully took a kids’ concept and spun it with a grown-up appeal. It seems like this methodology has taken root over the last couple of years.

You’ve got shows like Once Upon a Time and Grimm – Fairy tales coming to life.

Movies such as Jack the Giant Killer and Hansel and Grettle are stealing Hollywood’s spotlight. And weren’t there several dozen movies about Snow White recently?

And while adult movies are trying to reach for the kid in us, kids movies seem to be appealing more and more to the adult in us. What father can’t relate to Marlin in Finding Nemo? What mother can’t help but root for reconciliation between Marida and the queen in Brave? And need I mention the uncertainty of passing from childhood to adulthood in Toy Story 3?

Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg together created a masterpiece that, in its day, was quite revolutionary – a kids’ movie, wrapped in a grown-up package that will appeal to all ages.

I may be wrong here. I know there are some people who would never let their nine year old watch Jurassic Park. I saw it at that age and I had the time of my life. It was the most fun I ever had being scared out of my wits!

Because they were dinosaurs! I’m not talking about blood-sucking vampires or eye-gouging zombies (or whatever they do), or ungodly exorcisms. I’m talking about good ol’ cowboys-and-Indians type of fun here.

To this day, Jurassic Park influences my storytelling and my day-to-day imagination. (Just the other day I heard what must have been a truck outside, and I asked the girls – the dogs – in all seriousness, “Was that a dinosaur?”)  Those who read my book know what I’m talking about, and see the influence Spielberg has had on me.

I’m not about to tell you to spend $50 to go see it in 3d when you likely already own it (we aren’t). But I am saying that we should appreciate the stories that appeal to both who we are on the outside (tax-paying, hard-working adults) and who we yearn to be on the inside (carefree kids who like to be spooked every now and then).

And who knows? Maybe your kids will be as inspired as I was by Jurassic Park, and, like Crichton, have the courage to let their imagination run amuck.

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Last Minute Pep Talk to Writers

I have never met a person who said, “I don’t want to write a book before I die.” Truthfully, I’m sure some people feel that way – but I haven’t met them. Most people harbor a glistening imagination deep in the wellspring of their soul that they are just too afraid to expose. Today, on the eve of Halloween, the brink of NaNo, and on the cusp of the most imaginative and magical season of the year, I would like to dedicate our minds and attention to our inner child… or, our locked-up imaginations.

“Fun is closely related to Joy,” says C.S. Lewis, “-a sort of emotional froth arising from the play instinct … it promotes charity, courage, contentment…” (And I would like to take it one step further for this 21st century audience and add that Fun creates jobs.)

In light of this NaNo contest starting up in just two days, I want to encourage those of you who plan on participating to not be afraid to dive deep into your imagination, as silly as it may seem. When you think your imagination is so far away from mainstream entertainment think of J.M. Barrie who dared to have pirates and Indians coexist on the same star-inhabited island. Think like him, and allow yourself to become inspired by the things that surround you. (And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, cancel your plans for this evening and rent Finding Neverland.)

Think of the guys at Pixar who dared to create a “children’s” movie about a senior citizen and a flying house. Be reassured by the words of Pete Docter, the co-writer and co-director of Up: “There were times when we thought to ourselves, ‘An old man in a floating house? With a Wilderness Explorer and a talking dog? What are we thinking? Who’s going to connect with this?’”

When you start to panic about writing your story, think: A secret world found in a wardrobe… A magical chocolate factory… A cowardly lion and a brainless scarecrow… a man who climbs inside a box (see what I did there?)… these are all really weird concepts. But they work! And yours can too!

As you write, don’t worry about whether people will like it or not. Write because it’s something you want to read. Because, truthfully, you’re not that different from other people. You like the same stories everyone else likes. So, who’s to say your own stories won’t be received well by others?

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NaNo

I’m finally doing it. After years of hearing about it and shrugging it off as some silly little exercise… this year, I’m going to participate. Now, I know what you’re thinking:

“Andrew, you’ve already written a novel called The Man in the Box which will be available on Kindle for download on November 30th“

(Did you catch that?)

“And you’ve written another one called I Am the Lion, which will be out next year.”

That’s true too.

“So why are you trying this NaNoWriMo thing?”

Because as a writer, I want to push myself. Plus, I’d like to have another book written by the end of the year.

“That’s great,” you say. “But what the heck is NaNoWriMo?”

(Were you thinking all of that?)

National Novel Writing Month begins on November first. The goal is to write a fifty-thousand-word novel in just one month. No edits, no proofs, no corrections… just fly through and get your story told.

I used to be against this project because I believe in cultivating the art of storytelling and letting your ideas simmer and then slowly but surely mold those ideas into a seamless narrative that others can look at and appreciate all the time and effort that went into it. I still advocate for that, but I also realize many people have great stories to tell, but simply haven’t told them yet because they just haven’t gotten around to it because “Swamp People” has been consuming them or something.

Well, no more excuses, people. I’m going to be jumping into this crazy little endeavor right beside you, even in the midst of the oncoming holiday season, heated election, November birthday parties, and Thanksgiving togetherness, I’ll be at my computer dark and early each morning typing my 1,666 daily word-count.

I’m not going into this blindly. I’m preparing for my book now, doing my research, and noting plot lines that will help fuel the story. But the great thing about this contest is that you can write about virtually anything you want!

So, for you inspiring writers, I encourage you to take this challenge with me. And as Sarabeth suggested, I will be posting a link on here for you to list your samples and your blogs for others to find. Yup – free advertising!

So, buckle in and get ready. November will be quite a month. Visit nano for more information and to sign up. Dig down deep for that novel you’ve always wanted to write, start getting some notes together, and let’s embark on a really cool writing adventure together!

Oh, and did I mention? I haven’t seen the movie or read the book, but Water for Elephants was the winner a few years back, which is how it became so popular.

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