CODE OF CREATION
Dan Brown, the best selling author of The Da Vinci Code has a success story that is not unlike many we have heard. His first book was published by a small publisher which put very little into marketing, forcing Brown to spend his own money booking radio interviews and doing his own publicity. His second book met with a similar fate, pushing Brown to sell books out of the trunk of his car while he struggled financially. After moving to Random House, and with a different agent, his work was pushed to the forefront of the mainstream and it hit big. There are common threads which run through all his work, though, back to the beginning. This can be found in his creative process. Transcripts of his witness statements from the High Court proceedings over disputed origins of The Da Vinci Code give us a view of that process.
Because my novels are so research-intensive, they take up to two years to write. If I am going to stay focused on a two-year project, it is imperative that I remain excited about the subject matter. Therefore I choose a subject which is not black and white, but rather contains a grey area. The ideal topic has no clear right and wrong, no definite good and evil, and makes for great debate. . . . For me, the 'must have' themes include codes, puzzles and treasure hunts, secretive organisations, and academic lectures on obscure topics.
While we know these elements are to be found in The Da Vinci Code, it might be surprising to find that his previous work, Angels and Demons, which features the same lead character and is also rumored to be coming to the big screen headlined by Tom Hanks, features much of the same. The elements which keep the creator motivated are only one aspect of "getting it done". How Dan Brown goes about this work is yet another important piece of the puzzle. He says:
Writing is a discipline, much like playing a musical instrument; it requires constant practice and honing of skills. For this reason, I write seven days a week. So, my routine begins at around 4 a.m. every morning, when there are no distractions. By making writing my first order of business every day, I am giving it enormous symbolic importance in my life, which helps keep me motivated. If I'm not at my desk by sunrise, I feel like I'm missing my most productive hours. In addition to starting early, I keep an antique hour glass on my desk and every hour break briefly to do push-ups, sit-ups, and some quick stretches. I find this helps keep the blood (and ideas) flowing.
He's getting his "big rocks" in first, the idea being if you're trying to fill a jar (your day) with sand, gravel and large rocks, you have to put the big rocks in first because the sand and gravel can fill the spaces around them, but if you start filling your jar with sand (all the little things) there will be no space left in which to fit the important big rocks. I've read of other novelists who have a similar process. The indie creator working alone to make a movie or animated series is much like a novelist. How we go about getting it done, how we schedule our time, what we put first in our day, can mean more than we think. We have to love the project while making a project we would love. Dan Brown says:
I tried to write a book I would love. I wanted every single chapter to compel the reader to turn the page. I was taught that efficiency of words is the way an author respects his readers' time.
We've heard this many times. The best creators, writers, directors, musicians, often say they were making the project they wanted to experience. The indie creator must do the same, especially on a really long project, if there is hope of getting it done. Don't make something you don't really want to make because you believe you have to or you think it is necessary to sell it. Enjoy your project first, above all else, and that insures the rest will fall into place. From reading what Dan Brown has to say, in order to get it done, it only takes putting together the puzzle pieces of a creative process, and in some cases creative solutions to problems. He says:
I'm also a big fan of gravity boots. Hanging upside down seems to help me solve plot challenges by shifting my entire perspective.
Because my novels are so research-intensive, they take up to two years to write. If I am going to stay focused on a two-year project, it is imperative that I remain excited about the subject matter. Therefore I choose a subject which is not black and white, but rather contains a grey area. The ideal topic has no clear right and wrong, no definite good and evil, and makes for great debate. . . . For me, the 'must have' themes include codes, puzzles and treasure hunts, secretive organisations, and academic lectures on obscure topics.While we know these elements are to be found in The Da Vinci Code, it might be surprising to find that his previous work, Angels and Demons, which features the same lead character and is also rumored to be coming to the big screen headlined by Tom Hanks, features much of the same. The elements which keep the creator motivated are only one aspect of "getting it done". How Dan Brown goes about this work is yet another important piece of the puzzle. He says:
Writing is a discipline, much like playing a musical instrument; it requires constant practice and honing of skills. For this reason, I write seven days a week. So, my routine begins at around 4 a.m. every morning, when there are no distractions. By making writing my first order of business every day, I am giving it enormous symbolic importance in my life, which helps keep me motivated. If I'm not at my desk by sunrise, I feel like I'm missing my most productive hours. In addition to starting early, I keep an antique hour glass on my desk and every hour break briefly to do push-ups, sit-ups, and some quick stretches. I find this helps keep the blood (and ideas) flowing.
He's getting his "big rocks" in first, the idea being if you're trying to fill a jar (your day) with sand, gravel and large rocks, you have to put the big rocks in first because the sand and gravel can fill the spaces around them, but if you start filling your jar with sand (all the little things) there will be no space left in which to fit the important big rocks. I've read of other novelists who have a similar process. The indie creator working alone to make a movie or animated series is much like a novelist. How we go about getting it done, how we schedule our time, what we put first in our day, can mean more than we think. We have to love the project while making a project we would love. Dan Brown says:
I tried to write a book I would love. I wanted every single chapter to compel the reader to turn the page. I was taught that efficiency of words is the way an author respects his readers' time.
We've heard this many times. The best creators, writers, directors, musicians, often say they were making the project they wanted to experience. The indie creator must do the same, especially on a really long project, if there is hope of getting it done. Don't make something you don't really want to make because you believe you have to or you think it is necessary to sell it. Enjoy your project first, above all else, and that insures the rest will fall into place. From reading what Dan Brown has to say, in order to get it done, it only takes putting together the puzzle pieces of a creative process, and in some cases creative solutions to problems. He says:
I'm also a big fan of gravity boots. Hanging upside down seems to help me solve plot challenges by shifting my entire perspective.
5 Comments:
This post has been removed by the author.
Jasonn: I agree, and I am considering removing it. I haven't so far removed anyone's comments, even if they were against me or my work, but it's tough as to where to draw the line. In this case, the comment has nothing to do with animation, and adds nothing to what we discuss here, so unless someone chimes in with reasons it should remain, I will delete it.
I'm still working on what kind of stories I want to tell, but I'm afraid it might turn to be fun and cheesy stuff :). I was watching
"big trouble in little china" the other day. I love that stuff. I'm sure not going to hang from the ceiling, or get up at 4 in the morning though!
Nothing wrong with fun and cheesy stuff. Being afraid of making what I truly wanted to make literally stopped me in my tracks for a very long time. I got stuck in thinking of what I "had to" make and usually turned out to be stuff that didn't really interest me. Getting over that wasn't easy.
Once I got past that, I could start to see what really got me excited and motivated. The greatest realization came with knowing that you can never please everyone and there will always be those who talk bad about your work. Now I say let them talk. I would rather do what I truly love doing and believe that if I love it, there is an audience out there will love it too.
Great post Terrence. I really could resonate with much of what the author was talking about. I think, in animation especially, one needs to love what they are doing because for the most part the work is so tedius at times; without that spark of passion to re-ignite it's hard to stay motivated, especially if one is working alone.
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