Fighting the Resistance!

As the weather becomes friendlier the creative juices are beginning to flow again.   Not ready to tackle any outdoor projects yet, I've been writing and also doing a bit of painting.  Need to have some entries for Fair which is moved up to the last week in July now.  Camp NaNoWriMo has begun, it's only a few days in but I anticipate success.  I'm taking my unfinished November project and finishing.  To start, I input scenes and ideas I wrote during "Make Me Write" sessions into what I had started in Scrivener.  Next I spent some time getting my chronology in order, mapping out the timeline of challenges and tragedies for my main character.  I've also needed to do a little research into the time period which is during the 1960s with some childhood flashbacks to the mid 50s.  It is challenging to keep in mind the lack of technology during that time.  Things that I've grown up with and become so naturally acclimated to were not part of the regular daily routines back then.  It was much easier to remain anonymous which is what my character seeks to do.

First layer...still in progress.

Fox had a harrowing writer's event recently.  He has been writing for years, working on different projects until he gets bored then starts a new idea.  Recently his tower died but with dad's help they did recover his creations and he stored them on a flash drive.  Lately he's been working on my old computer but still saving to the flash drive, even though I told him to save a copy on the hard drive also.  Well, he bumped a chair against the flash drive and broke it beyond repair even though they did try to solder it together.  He put a copy of the old stuff on the hard drive but not all the new material.  That he was saving to the flash drive so he lost about 5000 words and three months of creative effort as he says.  He immediately sat down and started noting manually everything he could remember.  I feel awful for him since he was just commenting this was a work he was actually considering developing to completion and letting others read it.  Wow.  He has now taken himself into his cocoon of creativity to try and recapture and continue the momentum.  This has entailed building with Legos, watching a marathon of Harry Potter movies, walking, and listening to his music. 

The 'big room' is covered with Legos. 

At least he clears me a path to get to my bedroom in the evening. 

This is the start of our enrichment activities that I had planned to do with the boys this month.  Perfect timing because we've all been in need for a punch of inspiration.  Last weekend we took in a play at the Flint Youth Theater called "Jackie and Me" which was about Jackie Robinson.  They always have top-notch productions and this one did not disappoint.  Quite a contrast to the local high school musical Aladdin that we watched the evening before.  Still a fun show, sets and costumes were great but boy do we need to upgrade the sound system in our theater!

Confab during intermission during dress rehearsal. 

Great production they even sang with Brooklyn accents! 

Kim Josephson in the role of Eddie was our favorite.

The next week the boys got a day off of school to venture down to Detroit for some cultural exposure.  First we took in a dress rehearsal at the Detroit Opera House of "A View from the Bridge" which takes place in New York circa 1950.  Click HERE for a synopsis. 

A view from the DIA

Then after a quick lunch at the DIA Café we toured their traveling Samurai exhibit.  It opened in early March and will run thru June 1, 2014.  Audio was available so Fox, Ethan and I listened to both the adult and youth commentary which was very well done.  Ben decided to free form and read.  The video about how they make the swords was fascinating and all the ornate armor was incredible, hard to imagine someone actually wearing that get-up around.  Part of the samurai life section talked about literature and the ink and watercolor illustrations were gorgeously detailed.  Now I want to purchase a pack of watercolor paper and some ink quills.

It was a real gritty city adventure day too.  Since I'm not usually down in the area any more I had a little bit of wanderlust in me to explore.  First we went down through Palmer Park where all the stately old homes are.  Many have been retained and restored and are used by organizations as offices more than residences on some streets.

 

I love the show Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis and last summer she restored a house in Detroit so I wanted to go and see it.  It was quite an experience driving around the ghetto with the boys.  They were pretty shocked at the conditions as was I.  Especially being a Detroit girl and remembering a childhood of city experiences.  We also found my old house, so sad.  Even the neighborhood Nicole did her project in is deplorable.  Houses are abandoned or burned out and the ones with people living in them are riddled with trash.  The route that I once walked to elementary school is now blocks of empty lots full of garbage.

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing the conditions of the city sparked some good conversation.  We discussed the type of environment they'd like to live in when they are on their own.  The differences between rural life low-income and city life low-income.  It also gave us all a new perspective and appreciation for our little town.  I am curious to see where the boys end up....will they stay small town or try movin' on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky.  ;)

 

It was a good day out and helped bring about inspiration in various ways as I continue to work on my third novel.  Since I started formulating this post we have moved into our spring break and the weather has turned warm finally.  The past couple days the boys and I have gotten outside to combat the multitude of limbs and branches that have fallen in the front yard.  I've also done some raking and the place is beginning to look fresh and alive again!