It’s a brave new world!

According to Swedish communications agency Cordovan, you can now apply for a job via Twitter. This is interesting on many levels.

In summarizing your CV in 140 characters you must also use the right words, the words that the agency especially are looking for. Is it at all possible to summarize your life/CV in 140 characters? I would say that it’s hard, but not impossible; even though the picture gets a bit fragmented.

It’s a fascinating grip by the agency, if not genial. Because if you can handle information in 140 characters, you can probably handle it with even more.

On a grander scale or with a wider perspective, what does this mean for producers of content in the media business? We can deduce some things. As a producer of content, you must get to the point fast, if not dead fast! The clock/the characters are ticking... The content must be readable very quickly, with just a glance the “story” must be told. A way to get around this is for example to use several commercial “spots” to tell the story, and to give a clearer picture to the viewer along the way.

The producers must also use the right platform to tell their story. But these platforms are only just that, platforms. What’s important here is the content, that must be modified according to the platforms technique, or specifications. It also puts more pressure on the content, on readability, clear visuals and that it hopefully includes a beginning, a middle and an end. To summarize, this means that the producers need to put the right content, to the right audience via the right platform.

So, it’s a brave new world out there, we’ve seen today; what we will probably see more of tomorrow.

Take care!

The inspiration list

What is that you may ask!

Well, when I developed these latest ideas of mine, I came up with this list of comics and films and books, that I needed to see/read to be able to write a good script, or so I thought...

Well, I did watch some of the films and read some of the comics, and they have helped me in the writing process. But I haven't finished that whole list of stuff.

So what did I learn here, then?
I learned that although inspirational stuff is very handy to get and to digest, what's important is that you or I get our thumbs out of our derrières and do stuff! By doing stuff, you get experience and with experience you get better. Sort of a learning curve that goes (hopefully) upward...

Take care!

P.s There has been a short hiatus here on the blog due to Easter and reading... I've written earlier that the scripts are done (sort of) and also the scripts for the teasers are now done too (sort of). What's next is to start drawing and implement those styles that I've imagined... But more on that later.

The Writing as a craft.

Uh, oh, that title is promising something that I might not deliver...

As I've written before I've enjoyed this period of writing, earlier when I drew Pilgrim, these ideas that I've now turned into scripts were kind of stealing time from the drawing. I almost felt that I was cheating on Pilgrim when I was toiling with these ideas.

I think that is why I've enjoyed this writing period, because I've been able to focus on these scripts. I do like to focus you see, I usually tell people that I'm a guy, in that way, that I have trouble doing multiple things at the same time... like I can't walk and chew bubblegum at the same time... It's an exaggeration, but with a smidge of truth!

Today my scripts will be done, sort of. They will now get some rest and hopefully later today I will look at the scripts for the teasers.

Take care!

P.s What about the writing as a craft then? Oh, I almost forgot!
Something I've been thinking about is that, as some writer pointed out somewhere, writers start out as readers. I think of it as a spiral, you read, you get inspired, you write, and then when you go back to reading, you understand more because you have garnered more wisdom about writing since you started writing yourself. So you read more and you write more and the spiral continues. And along the way your writing has improved.

I believe writing is a craft, one that you can hone and develop, through reading and writing.

The power of literature is that a person by making signs on a paper/document can create worlds and communicate ideas and information about life or whatever, just by making these signs on a piece of paper/document.

Off curse I'm writing this as an amateur writer, in the very sense of the word, someone that loves what (s)he is doing. I can't (yet) say that I'm a writer, just that I've studied some literature and written something along the way... This said I do have trouble with labels, like when can you say you are a writer, really? Or when can you say that you know something, for real?

Oh, I better quit now before I write something that I really can't deliver...!

The end of the line...?

My process of writing is coming closer to an end. One of my scripts is almost done, last week when I read it, it felt almost done. Today I'm going to read it again and see how it feels.

After this I'm going to finish my other script, that I have in my pipeline. When the scripts are done they will get some well deserved rest, and the designing process will start.

Take care!

An article about creative people...

Some weeks ago I got an article sent to me about creative people. Since I was not that impressed with it, I'm not going to link to it... But it got me thinking! And my mind played a trick on me...!

A few years ago I attended a retreat at Lilleskog. One of our teachers were the very wise man Magnus Malm, you could even call him a sage... for you not knowing about him, he is a writer of what we in Swedish call uppbyggelselitteratur (literature-to-get-get-you-on-your-right-path-with-a-smidge-of-inspirational-issues). He is writing within the christian faith tradition. As a writer and lecturer he has a knife-sharp intellect, with a knife's edge of humor.

We had a talk and he gave me some pointers about creativity, in his case writing. I've always thought that I wrote those pointers down. This morning I looked through the notes from that retreat and I didn't find anything about those pointers... My mind tricked me!

So here are his pointers, as I remember them...
We talked about the creativity, and how I wanted to get there but ultimately didn't got there. At the time I sent applications to design schools and art schools, because I thought I had something to contribute, and they seemed to think that I did not...

Anyway, what Magnus Malm told me was this:
A lot of people think that they will write "that book", on their vacation or when they retire. But that is not how a book is written! You just don't sit down in front of your computer and write a book. No, a book is written on napkins, tissues, receipts, and various pieces of paper. These notes can then be transformed into a book.

That is how I remember what he said...

I took this to my heart, and started to have notebooks in my backpack so that I could write down ideas. Although it took some time before I used them... These scripts that I've written recently has started out as notes and then ordered in the computer.

So what has this memory given me?
1) I always have notebooks with me or in my proximity.
2) I try to keep myself open for new ideas and when I get them I write then down.
3) I create documents on my computer where these ideas are further worked on and developed.

Maybe this will be of help to you, I hope so, it sure has helped me!

Take care!

Writing continues

I've been enjoying this period of writing. As I've written before it has gone smoothly. Today I might be done with my current script, well so far as to be ready to send it off to my friends to read and to give input.

I've been thinking about the theme of this script, it's in the horror/thriller genre, can I do it? Will it work?

A funny thing with the horror/thriller genre is that it only works, when it works. When the reader gets frightened/scared. Hmmm, maybe it's a drama with some slightly scary moments, or with a smidge of scariness...

Take care!

Feedback on the script

Last week I wrote about the feedback that I was going to receive this week. This tuesday we met and my friends told me everything that I needed to work on... Well, to tell you the truth the list wasn't that long, but there are some stuff that I need to work on.

My writing on my next script has been progressive and today I'm going to devout myself to my third script... third script you ask? Can't you count? Well, when I was drawing Pilgrim, I finished another script, that is script no. one, the script that I sent to my mates is script no. two, and the one that I will write on today is no. three!

But why do you write three scripts, isn't it better to concentrate on one thing at a time!!!!
I'm glad, you asked! During the drawing on Pilgrim, I constantly got these ideas for my upcoming projects. Which is always fun, but also takes time from the current project. To get these ideas out of my system I decided to devout myself to my writing these months. So far it's been very productive, and it feels great to already have received notes on one of the scripts.

Take care!