(This bluejay looks like a plush toy >_< I guess my office is right on their migration route because there is a whole mob of these guys hanging out in the trees of our parking lot. They are really smart and enjoy tossing acorns at our cars)Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Pixar Challenge
(This bluejay looks like a plush toy >_< I guess my office is right on their migration route because there is a whole mob of these guys hanging out in the trees of our parking lot. They are really smart and enjoy tossing acorns at our cars)I still don't have my computer back, it'll be another two weeks before that so I'm borrowing to make a post.
I'm stuck in my editing at the moment so I decided to take a break and write about a topic that has been both helpful and inspiring.
I chose Pixar because when they became the Mecca for animated movies my friends and I would always wonder- what will they do next?
Honestly I haven't been big on their latest releases, excluding Toy Story 3, but I still feel a challenge with the thought of what world haven't they stepped into? What world could I create to make the next big Pixar thing?
What these questions pose is a way not only for me to challenge my creativity but to rethink my current works. With creating new characters and new worlds I have come to question myself about originality, not just does my idea sound like something that has already been done by someone else but do my characters for a new story sound like characters from a story I may have already done or plan to do; do my scenarios seem the same; do my places look the same?
What I have noticed is that I tend to have some repetition with character types and therefore character interactions tend to be the same from story to story and can loose interest for both myself and prospective readers because there is nothing new, exciting or unexpected, just the same cookie cutter story. That should not be.
As a writer I still need to sharper and hone my skills but the more I think and the more I write the better I feel I will become.
I'm not sure how helpful this may be for others who share my passion for writing but I hope it provokes some thought and helps someone with coming up with their next big idea or in context with today's title "The Next Big Pixar Film".
In addition here is a link I found online for anyone looking to be published- Sure they claim it is easier than it looks but that is really only if you self publish. In the UK it seems to be harder than ever due to a publishing freeze, who is to say that will not effect the US and elsewhere? In the US due to the abundance of writers it is customary that one find a lit agent to promote them so publishers dont have to root out what they want from the hundreds of thousands of inqueries and manuscripts they receive every day.
A lot goes into finding a literary agent, you have to find the right one that will support the theme/ genre of your story. There are many very large but exceptional books out there that give lists of these agencies, however I suggest looking the agencies up online before going out and sending them your work. Things change from the time they are submitted to the time the guides are published and you hold it in your hands. Also be wary of what is not being said in the blurbs written about what the agencies are accepting, from what I have found things tend to be overlooked such as lit agents turning away good stories because of their word count.
Self publishing is also an iffy subject when it comes to being published by a company, while many publishers might be pleased to see you took the initiative, many others may not/ frown upon a prospective author having self published, especially if you publish the entire story on the internet (like a web page dedicated to the story), this way the story isn't as fresh and anyone at any time can read it or steal bits and peices.
Mind you, more than ever now, publishers are utilizing the internet to check out self published writers to see who is becoming an up and coming star of the literary realm and even Amazon has begun their own organization helping authors publish and then aiding them in the distribution and selling of their works. So be cautious. Do your homework. and good luck!
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