A New Adventure Equals New Writing Material...

Well, for some time now I've considered adding Vlogging to my arsenal of writing tools.  And today, I took my very first steps.  A few weeks before college let out, I was speaking to a classmate about how I wished I'd had a digital camera to record some of the dances we were doing in class so I could rehearse at home.  She told me she had a Bloggie camera that she didn't like and would let me have if I:

1) Managed to get it to operate, because she couldn't

and

2) Promised to record her performances in class.

Well I agreed and succeeded at doing both.  So that's how I wound up with a Bloggie camera.  Mind you, I later learned that the reason she couldn't get it to work was software incompatibility with her computer.  And by the time I figured out the problem and how she could get around it she already had gotten new camera which was better suited for her needs.  She informed that the Bloggie had been given to her as a gift, so she wasn't out of pocket and was glad to pass it on to someone who could really use it.

So, after finishing school I needed to get settled into my new job, which is going well according to my supervisors.  Which is great news to me.  However, I have a 40-45 minute commute until we move.  And during that drive I get a lot of time to think.  And I started thinking more and more about trying my hand at Vlogging (video blogging for those not familiar with the term).  And I wanted to do it at a location that i thought would capture a lot of imaginations.   Finally, I decided on the place.  So, today I went back to the concrete boat, the S. S. PALO ALTO, and filmed there.  Yes, I know I've blogged about it once, but allowing my audience to see and hear the pounding of the waves on the shore and its hull I felt would give them a new sense of awe like it did to me.  Plus, the whole subject of the video is about setting and getting ideas.  Once I've edited the footage I'll post a link to it for all of you to see if you're interested.

But even more important was something else that happened there, namely the experience of trying to do a Vlog in the first place.  My arm got tired at times holding up the camera.  Then trying to get the right shot, or get my speech in or and not keep flubbing my words.  The looks I was getting from other people as I was filming.  It was a wild experience.  And it gave me a whole new list of ideas for stories down the road.  Here again we have exactly what I keep going on about, writing from experience.  How did it make me feel to get those looks?  The frustration of trying to get the words just right and not keep screwing up and doing another take.  It was fun and fascinating as well as annoying and a little embarrassing at times.

So remember to take mental notes about things that happen to you in everyday life so you can draw upon them as you write.  It really does help make your characters seem more real and easy for the reader to relate to.  Until next time, take care and keep writing everyone.



 

Comments

  1. All that great build-up...and NO attached video! I kept reading to discover a hotlink, right up to the last word. Good advice, despite my let down over the absence of a video. lol

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  2. LOL Dean,

    Okay I'll do my best to get the video edited and a link to it posted up as soon as I can.

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  3. Observing is a great way to write about life. I can imagine the vlogging as perhaps a pivotal scene in your book. You can keep replaying it until you have to words just right to describe it. I am no where near to having anything ready for looking for an agent, but I have a short story I wrote, that began entirely looking at a photograph and describing it. Capturing images is a wonderful tool. Keep it up, no matter what those around you think.

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  4. Thanks Sharon, I appreciate the compliments. And yes, I am thinking about one day doing a story about a Vlogger finding him/herself running across something very strange. As for that short story based on a photo, I'd like to hear more. I had to do an exercise involving a photo and coming up with ideas for what might be going on in it or what it was about. I love those kind of writing exercises. I'd really like to know what image you used and story you came up with.

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