The Sunday Circle is the weekly check-in where I ask the creative-types who follow this blog to weigh in about their goals, inspirations, and challenges for the coming week. The logic behind it can be found here. Want to be involved? It’s easy – just answer three questions in the comments or on your own blog (with a link in the comments here, so that everyone can find them).
After that, throw some thoughts around about other people’s projects, ask questions if you’re so inclined. Be supportive above all.
Then show up again next Sunday when the circle updates next, letting us know how you did on your weekly project and what you’ve got coming down the pipe in the coming week (if you’d like to part of the circle, without subscribing to the rest of the blog, you can sign-up for reminders via email here).
MY CHECK-IN
What am I working on this week?
Typing up a short story that’s been kicking around in my notebook for a few weeks, trying to dredge out the heart of the story from a handful of false starts. That alternates with putting together some rough write-ups of PhD ideas and research, so I’ve got something to work with over the next couple of months.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I watched Iron Fist in a thirteen-hour block, as is my wont with the Netflix Marvel shows. It’s not the best they’ve done by any stretch of the imagination – and the first episode verges on being excruciatingly bad – but there’s a really interesting mix of things that work really well and things that just…don’t.
When they get a scene right, they get it really right. Every couple of episodes they’ll build up to a scene where a character gets exactly what they want, but it ends up screwing said characters so badly and surprisingly that I just kinda sit there fascinated by how slickly they set things up.
On the downside it does a terrible job of getting around the inherently racist elements of the character, the action scenes are nowhere near as slick as the other Netflix shows, and the goofiness of the whole living-weapon-from-K’un-Lun is really foregrounded in the opening. It’s done for effect, but the payoff isn’t until you’re many, many episodes into the series and you put up with an awful lot of stupidity for no apparent reason until then
What part of my project an I avoiding?
I’ve been letting planning slide a bit over the last month, taking short-cuts instead of really investing in laying out projects and planning out what needs to happen. I’m going to be taking a few hours on Monday to do a really thorough sweep and start the quarterly planning process.
I’ve ended up taking a short, unscheduled break from writing newsletters over the last fourteen days. Regular GenrePunk Ninja transmissions will resume
Like many of you, I have good weeks and bad weeks on the writing front. This week has been rocky, and if
Welcome to GenrePunk Ninja supplemental, where I occasionally post foundational essays written before I launched the GenrePunk Ninja newsletter, especially if they’re
12 Responses
Peter, I admire your ability to stick with a show when the first episode is really bad, and to wait & see what it evolves into. At what point do you decide a series isn’t worth the time and give up on it?
Here’s my Sunday Circle.
Your dad sounds amazing, Ree! To be that vibrant at 97 is all any of us can hope for.
Regarding the novel – it sounds like it might be a good idea to spend a little time getting a realistic measure of what solid progress looks like, so you don’t get dispirited by how much distance is left in the race.
(potentially completely wanky thought – maybe look at how marathon runners keep motivated in long races as a source of potential psychological tools?)
thanks Kevin, I picked myself up pretty quickly. I just understand it’s a longer term project now & it will take as long as it takes – so yes, just like a marathon.
I’ll generally keep going as long as there’s *something* interesting, even if it’s “I want to figure out why, exactly, everything has gone so wrong with this.”
In this case, it’s because the other Netflix shows based on Marvel properties have been really good and because Iron Fist was the first Superhero comic I owned. I was willing to cut them a lot of breaks because of that.
What am I working on this week?
Voice recording continues for the sci-fi film, and I’ve almost polished off one of the video game projects on my plate. Intensive planning continues for one gig I’m helping coordinate, and the other video game gig I’m helping with casting/production for is rolling towards done. ALSO, DEMO PREP.
What’s inspiring me this week?
Continuing to read Aurora and loving it despite its bleakness.
Continuing to listen through the audiobook for Art of Possibility, and it’s exactly what I need to hear right now.
Preparing to apply for a multi-week gig based in London which would be an amazing experience and big help financially if I land a part.
What part of my project am I avoiding?
Demo prep is suffering by virtue of not being an ‘on fire emergency’. A lot of time is being sucked up with prep for moving as well, which is a pain in the ass. The rest has all gone to working on whatever is the highest priority.
A small favour to ask you lovely people
Following up from a point made during the week (when I got to this rather late) if you lovely people would be willing to share this link with your networks, that would be a fantastic help during what is a bit of a rough patch! It’s a quick read and self-explanatory, so it’s about 30 seconds read if you wanted to vet it before passing it on – it’s over here
Fingers crossed for the London gig! That sounds amazing. And I’ll try to get a link up to your page on my blog sometime this week! 🙂
Fingers crossed for the London gig Kevin. And moving is a pain- how does all that stuff get in cupboards???
Peter: I’d love to argue you with about Iron Fist sometime following up from the Facebook conversation. We could only get through the first ep of that show, and found it laughably bad. The one unforgivable sin is that I don’t understand how, in a show about a martial arts hero, the fight sequences could be so dull and rubbery.
Let us know next week how the quarterly plan works out! I’ve been jonesing for time for some real strategy planning myself, but it’s felt like most of my time has gone to bailing water at the moment.
Best of luck with getting motivated about the planning and prep work needed!
My Sunday Circle, a little late, is here.
Barnaby’s the best. Pleasant, more-or-less functional ordinariness can be so attractive.
What I’m working on
– Getting work done around tutoring preparation.
– Art for a group show about the Iceland trip.
– Editing various bits of stories.
What’s inspiring me
– Relearning grammar, oddly. I’ve had a lot of editing debates on reprints and articles of late, and it’s a splendidly powerful feeling, to be able to explain things technically again.
– Having a car once more, and doing things I said I would do once I had it! Such as going places to draw things.
What I’m avoiding
– The art for the art show, and I need to get a wriggle on because I’ve been accepted into several others, back-to-back.
– Booking flights for everything ugh.
Hooray for the car and going places to draw things! Must be freeing. ^_^ Congrats on the multiple shows, even though they come with their own workload. Best of luck getting everything lined up!