Storytellersunplugged

By Sephera Giron

In the vein of John Skipp’s essay a few days earlier, I would like to add my enthusiasm for exploring other forms of creativity and self-expression besides writing. Or perhaps it’s all about writing, but in a more subtle form.

Last month, I wrote about how I came to work on a series of Kama Sutra cards. I have now gone through the shooting process, and it’s opened up a whole new world to me. Yeah, get your minds out of the gutter! I’m speaking about a visual world more akin to filmmaking then novel writing.

I really enjoyed working with absolutely everyone, and it was great fun posing the models. They were good natured and easy to get along with, so that made everyone’s job way easier. The experience wasn’t THAT strange to me, since I’ve been on many film sets in many capacities, and have done tons of theatrical work in all positions. It was just so weird, seeing MY ideas being acted out, and MY judgment called upon as to what the poses should be and MY people skills in posing the models. It’s such a weird feeling, seeing something that was stuck in your head being acted out by others.

Now I’m home, looking at the pictures, and writing the cards. I put all the pictures up in order on a big foldout display board in front of my desk so that I can look at them while I write. I explained it to my fifteen-year-old son as I pinned up the pictures. He said he understands that I’m working and that it pays the rent. I pointed out that I’M not in the pictures! I’ve already done many cards and have written all the positions. Now I have to add flavor and color to the project.

I see the pictures now as images I have to bring to life. I don’t even see the beautiful naked bodies anymore. These are words yet to be written. The other day when the phone man came and I had to lead him through my office to the back patio, I realized after he left that he must think I’m a big ol pervert with a giant board of 64 sexual positions on one side of the room, more naked pictures of Zeem and Krista on one of my bulletin boards, along with a big blow up of me and Rainy where everyone thinks we’re lovers, naked Waterhouse mermaids on the walls, and a full skeleton, my Monica, in a feather boa, staring at him from where she sits on top of my piano. I won’t get into all the skulls, gargoyles, and birds adorning the bookcases.

Yes, writers must be insane, or at least this one might be, judging from what the outside world must think looking at my inside world.

But back to trying to organize myself.

This is a whole new experience for me, this writing a card deck business, and tackling it has been a learning curve. Deciding what parts of my massive research to pare down to one or two sentences is the biggest challenge. The easy ones are long done. Now comes the part that is like a jigsaw puzzle.

While I’ve been working on this project, I wrote a short story, and have been working on some proposals. I’ve found the trip and being out with other people and doing other new and interesting things has really freshened my perspective. I’m a full time writer/online teacher/editor/online tarot reader/mom and I don’t get out in the world that often.

But I’ve started to change that, now that I know how good it feels to be revitalized (ie. interacting with other humans)

I’ve started going to the gym every day, doesn’t matter what’s going on and how much time I lose with the new temporary (haha) gym being 16 km away instead of 1.5. (Yes, I know I wrote about working out on a regular basis some months back, but when my gym moved and I got swamped with writing, I ended up sitting at my desk and gaining thirty pounds.) I listen to CDs and think about stories I’m working on. I’m an assistant stage manager for a community production of Wizard of Oz, which gets me out with people two nights and Sunday afternoons. My son is in it, too, so we get our bonding time. I work with words in a different way, by writing cryptic notes by them as to how the set looks, and where people stand. I’m also working on a comic book with someone, which is yet another way of working with words I’ve never done before. I hold writers’ dinners every couple of months to try to get writer friends out of hibernation and share experiences. I’m accepting more invitations to go to people’s functions. There’s a big world out there and life is so short.

I still have my bonding time with family and spouse, since I know that is important, too. Maybe my fiction writing is taking a bit of a lull, but I’m massively busy with non-fiction gigs. I’m hoping to do another set of cards at some point because this has been the most fun writing project I’ve ever done. It helps that I love to research things in every way, and have theatrical directing experience and screenplay experience which came in handy on the set.

Life is sometimes about finding new pieces to make the puzzle of your life larger and more interesting. Don’t get caught in a rut. Try something you’ve always wanted to try, because you never know when the experience will come in handy some day. The Kama Sutra is all about keeping your life interesting and fresh. Not just your sex life, but every facet of your life. Having tunnel vision about anything can make you stale and boring. If you find yourself in a rut over the winter, try to shake up your routine for a bit, and see where it takes you.