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?
I’m starting to work through the draft of Float and weave in some of the secondary stories, adding in some new POV characters that flesh out the action and world where the main character isn’t present.
What’s inspiring me this week?
The most immediately useful thing I’ve seen this week is Ascension, an SF mini-series I found on netflix which packs of lot of story in six episodes. It’s premise starts simply enough – the life of a generation ship crew as they’re halfway through their 100 year journey to a distant star – but it adds in some twists that are pretty-well executed and the setting is very stylized. Nowhere near the level of The Expanse in terms of good SF currently on television, but it’s a well-executed show that plays its conceits well.
But the most inspiring thing I’ve seen this week was the QTC production of Moliere’s Tartuffe, which is a brilliantly funny adaptation that continues QTCs run of great sets and great blocking on their theatre productions.
What part of my project an I avoiding?
A lot of the scenes that i’m writing over the current week need to flesh out the world of the novel, but I’ve been avoiding doing a lot of worldbuilding up to this point. Trying to get comfortable with the info dump as a necessary evil, at least in the first draft of a sccene, is far harder than it should be for me.
I’ve also been meaning to write a blog post about the fact that today marks the one-year anniversary of The Sunday Circle here on the blog. I was really nervous about kicking this off, picturing a feature where I’d sit around talking to myself for weeks on end. Instead, I’ve learned a lot from everyone whose posted here about their process, problems, and inspiration – thanks to everyone for being part of it.
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: YAY for a one year anniversary. That time has really flown!
Regarding the info dump scenes – can you put a reminder near the computer saying something similar to GET IT DONE! ? Can understand how hard it would be to knock those scenes out as essentially sketching territory to be dramatically revised. Do you already have a working list of what you need to convey to the reader in those scenes?
What am I working on this week?
Finishing up long-form narration gig, plus a few other paying gigs that have come across the desk.
Doing more self-teach via Udemy on After Effects & Adobe Premiere. Boyhowdy, watching After Effects tutorial videos is a giant goddamned black hole. Such a fun toy!
Also, continuing to pound the pavement for the animation series.
Monthly mentoring meeting with QUT graduate mentee this week.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I’ve started reading The Last Wish as prep for playing through The Witcher 3, and it’s scratching the same talented outsider itch that The Gunslinger did. Very interesting reading fiction that’s come from a different set of cultural assumptions.
Also, not so much inspiring as self-care, I’ve started being a lot more conscious around information consumption given the patterns of rage, frustration and despondency world events have been triggering. Wrote a short blog post over on Tumbr with a few things I’d run into this week that really helped.
What part of my project am I avoiding?
Ahahahahahaha…er still no movement on the commercial demo or website work thanks to a slew of paid work coming in. Hard to complain about it at the moment, but hoping that the holiday break gives the necessary time for that vital prep for next year.
Hi Kevin, the link to your Tumblr didn’t work for me. Can you try posting it again? I too need help working out how to best process some of the concerning shifts in western politics.
Great news on all the paid work!
I hear you regarding *conscious* information consumption!
Amen, brother! Social media, especially, has been such a toxic wastedump, I haven’t felt much need to get back to it since I started easing off it at the end of October. NPR is my go-to at the moment, and the NYT, but even the latter can be clickbait-y at times. But maybe everything seems so unreal and outrageous because it is… Strange and disconcerting times…
Best of luck finding the focus and energy for next year prep! I need to seriously look at a year-end review myself…
Thanks Peter for starting off the Sunday Circle. It helps me reflect on my writing (something I haven’t done enough of in the past) and it’s great to read about how others are going. I’m really enjoying the process.
My Sunday Circle is here.
I’m looking forward to hearing your comments on Oryx and Crake. I first became aware of it through the cover art in an art annual, and haven’t read it because I wasn’t sure what story could ever live up to that painting. But that was also before I was really aware of Atwood.
Hooray for being so close to the end of your rough draft! Quite a milestone! 😀 I seriously need to read more Atwood. Have fun with it! 😀
Weird – I must have mangled the URL while writing the comment. Try this link.
Happy anniversary, to everyone!
What am I working on this week?
– Finishing the first draft of the awful November novel – I’m well ahead on the NaNoWriMo wordcount, but I’d really like to finish the whole draft this month, because I have Other Things To Finish Writing, like
– The novella, and also
– Lots of art projects to catch up on still, although I’ve knocked a couple big ones over.
What’s inspiring me?
– That unexpected one-man Angela Carter cabaret, both because of actually going, just like that, and because it was so contained and complete and (as Peter said) assured. I’ve been rather happy about it ever since. It made me want to make things, and also finish them in time to go sit at tables in basements and listen with friends.
– Harriette Wilson’s memoirs, still, because they are so lively and merciless and human, and her strictures on novelists and Byron are hilarious.
What am I avoiding?
– I’m behind on everything because of another week of helping the parents and also being sick, so I’m pretty much just cycling through categories of Things To Be Done, trying to hit all of them.
Always tricky balancing life responsibilities with creative/work ones! Best of luck this week on making progress, and remember to be generous with yourself about acknowledging what you *do* accomplish, even if there’s always more to be done. 😀
@Peter: Can’t believe it’s been a whole year! I know I’ve found it helpful just having to quantify and clarify what I need to work on any given week. Thanks for starting it!
Although late, my Sunday Circle is here!