Massacring Movies

Bay Area horror hostess Miss Misery is one of the hardest working dames in horror business. Not only does she host her own local access television shows -- Movie Massacre and the Last Doorway Show -- she hosts a segment on Creepy KOFY Movie Time for the KOFY station in San Francisco, runs her own film festival, and has a horror convention slated for later this year.

I met Miss Misery at WonderCon in San Francisco last year, and I was immediately taken with how friendly she is. She's a charismatic lady, who knows her horror history. I had the privilege of appearing on the second episode of Movie Massacre (with Everything...Zombies screening before Night of the Living Dead...more on this at a later date), and she and her partner-in-crime John Gillette made me feel as at home as a girl could feel while sitting in a fake electric chair.

Hangin' with Miss Misery at Sac Con in October

So, when I got the call that she wanted a few extra hands on deck to help her film an episode of Movie Massacre, I jumped at the chance to help out. I haven't been on a live film set since I shot Everything...Zombies back in 2008!

Funny enough, Miss Misery's film set is no more than a 10 minutes drive from my new digs. She was interviewing John Stanley, veteran horror host and author, and it was quite the moment to be watching two generations of Bay Area horror hosts at work.

I also got to help out with filming some of the show's "Mr. Torture" segments. The actor who plays him is not only a talented executioner (kidding! I think...) but a cracker-jack carpenter, responsible for some awesome props, including the aforementioned electric chair (seriously, I want one for my home. Most comfortable chair ever).

I mean really, check this guy's talent out! What goth child wouldn't want their own home-made guillotine to play with?

It was a really great night. I've missed the camaraderie of working on a set, of watching everyone's talents and skills click to make something greater than any one person could do alone. Not to mention, it was a really inspiring set, being surrounded by horror fans and paraphernalia, and it made me want to get cracking on breaking down the script for Inner Critic.

I'll let ya'll know when my episode of Movie Massacre hits the air! I have a copy of the DVD sitting here, but I'm still too nervous to watch. It's one thing to be interviewed via internet...it's another to be on TV!

Tips to Stay Creatively Focused

Creativity is a process. A really messy process. Even if your primary tool is a neat, clean laptop your mind can still be as chaotic as one of Jackson Pollock’s paintings.

Some days, I come to the keyboard with fingers itching with words, my characters already whispering to me. Others days, I’ll find something – anything at all -- to distract me from my writing: “Ooh, look! Filing to be done! Laundry that needs folding! A junk drawer to clean out! Maybe I should start on my taxes now…”

 

I know I’m not alone in doing this. But in those moments, I feel pretty damn alone. Like I’m the only writer who has ever avoided doing what they love most, just because it’s…well, too darn hard to harness all that chaotic energy into concrete words.

I’ve been working harder at focusing that energy, though. It’s been a challenge, but I feel like I’ve made some real strides forward. I’ve been churning out more pages, and on the whole I’ve felt so much more balanced and centered.  

I thought I’d share some of my findings. I’m no “creativity expert,” but I thought some of these suggestions might be helpful to other writers out there…if nothing else so you don’t feel like you’re the only one who suffers through these spells!

Tips to Stay Creatively Focused

1. Write only what you truly love. If it makes your heart sing, you will find the time to write it. If you don’t really want to tell the story, you’ll find a way to avoid doing it, no matter how “good” or “marketable” you think it could be.

2. Create a schedule for yourself. This is especially important if you work from home. Having a structure will help you create the mental space you need to sit down and create. “1-5pm is writing time. The laundry will still be there after 5pm.” If you have other obligations, carve out a little regular time for yourself, even if it’s only a few hours each week. You need that mental permission, or you’ll always find “more important” things to do.

3. Exercise regularly. I’m realizing that I write best on the days I’ve stuck to doing my daily Qi Gong stretches. It gets the blood flowing through the brain, and burns off some of the antsy energy that plagues you.

4. Don’t be afraid to do something else. Maybe the words just aren’t coming, but you’re still itching to create something. That’s okay. Sometimes working in a different medium can help you get unstuck. It shifts your thinking onto new paths, and can present new answers. Tear up some old magazines and make a collage of images that inspire you to think of your story. Bake something that one of your characters would like. Paint something in colors you find inspiring. It’s never a waste of time to create something.

5. Hang out with other creative types. It helps to talk to people who know what you’re going through. They’ll understand the frustration of creator’s block, and the elation of artistic break-throughs. I’m lucky to have a network of friends and family that ooze creativity from every pore, and after I hang out with them I come away enlivened and energized to tackle my own projects. If you don’t personally know creative folks, join a writer’s circle or forum online (there are numerous ones, some specifically geared towards different genres), or find a group through MeetUp.com.  

6. Believe that your writing is important. Sadly, it’s doubtful your short story will solve world hunger or fix the global economy or even make you enough money to pay your phone bill. But it will make you happy to write it. That is enough. Even if no one reads your story, your life will be better for you having taken the time to write it. When you’re happy, you carry that with you, and it touches others around you. Thus, your writing does help make the world a better place. 

And hey, if someone reads your story, you'll have brought a little something new into their lives. Whether that's a smile on their face or a chill down their spine, you'll have touched them, even for a moment. That’s what I hope for as a writer, and sometimes it's that thought that keeps my butt in my seat and my fingers on the keyboard.