Empty Chair Studio

Half Baked

2011-12-17T22:49:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow’s scene post may be slightly delayed as I have a Baking Date with my Mother. This Christmas we have decided to have a small family Dinner with Traditional Polish Foods and Salvic Desserts. Since my Sister is 2500 miles away enjoying the mild winters of the West Coast, I have volunteered to learn a few of the family recipes to keep them alive and well.

In preparation for tomorrow, I’ve been provided a shopping list and baking itinerary. I have a fair hand when it comes to Cooking and am not without experience baking, but from what I can tell, these recipes are nothing short of Advance Chemistry (that ends with a treat).

I was in the middle of outlining my first scene when the email from my Mother arrived and I was a little surprised that I have never really thought about how baking is the perfect metaphor for writing. Her ingrediets list was very similar to my major elements and the one sentence instructions for mixing and whisking were a perfect match for my line-per-scene cards.

Well, I should be off to bed. Baking begins at 7am, at least in my Mom’s kitchen. She’s promised coffee and I promised to be drink it. Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon I will have not burned down my Parent’s home and I will have finsihed my scene.

preview:

Line-for-Scene Card: Diner/Sam’s Last Night

“Sam regrets accepting a man’s invitation to celebrate her last night working at the Coney Island when he attempts to make it her last night alive.”

2011-12-16T23:05:00.000-05:00

"Meet 'R'ex"

Pen on Place Mat

2"x1"

2011

'R'ex was a dinner time doodle on a paper placemat at a local restaurant, the last letter of the word "NUTTER". I left him at the table because the Waitress said it was cute and reminded her of her little brother whom she rarely sees but often calls. She didn't say whether or not he answers and they talk, but judging by the flat tone of her voice and the downturn of her eyes I'm fairly certain it is a one way relationship. I know 'R'ex most likely ended up in the busboy's tray, with bits on mashed potato and uneaten vegetables and a one-way ticket to the dumpster outback, but such is the nature of temporary flash art and I snapped a photo to take that much with me. I imagine the waitress picking up the mat with her tip, carefully ripping around 'R'ex and placing him neatly in the folds of her note book.

I'll call her Sam, and 'R'ex will follow her onto the pages of my next story...

German, Party of One

2011-12-16T22:33:00.000-05:00

The question of whether or not I would ever have an audience on Blogger is one that has never really crossed my mind.

I have the means, through social media mostly, to develop a base of followers (or at least in the loosest sense of the word.) You know the type, well meaning Family members and close friends willing to navigate to my page long enough to give my ticker a boost but not stay long enough to give a read. In all fairness I would have to give them something to read first.

Yet, lo and behold a visitor from afar, Germany, has stumbled across my little acre. I would like to take the opportunity to apologize for the lack of, well... everything; at least I would but I have two sinking suspicions. Firstly, that mein Freund utilized the “next blog>>” feature to reach my blog and lastly, upon discovering my rather empty and English Langauge (but mostly empty) blog the visitor was wisked away to the “next blog>>” unverzüglich (without delay).

So to the Stranger from a Strange Land, “Auf Wiedersehen und gute Fahrt” and to my 9th Grade German teacher Mrs. Van Auken, you were right. I would use what I learned in Foreign Languages.

Ich muss im Verkehr mit Eis spielen in meiner Hose

You Should Be Writing

2011-12-15T19:55:00.001-05:00

It is emblazened across the screen of my MacBook, scribbled across countless loose bits of paper and in my note books and constantly scrolling through the back of my mind.

I should be writing I should be writing I should be writing I should be writing I should be writing

What started as a mantra, slowly drifted to an acknowledgement and has settled firmly in regret.

I should be writing, but...

I work 12-14 hours a day

I just woke up

I need to walk to dog

I have no time to myself

I look at computers all day, my eyes hurt

I’ll do it tomorrow...

I’ll do it this weekend, next week, next month, next year

I should be writing and all I have are excuses. No matter the excuses I make I know the true reason I stumble everytime I begin to put words to paper. It’s the same obstacle that almost put this blog post in the trash. The same obstacle that put the first fifty drafts of this post in the trash.

Fear.

So welcome to my fear. I want to be writing and so I should. and so I will. Here. Everyday. (hopefully) and I will post weekly snippets of my WIP on Sundays.

I should be writing I should be writing I should be writing I should be writing I will be writing...