Hidden away for winter
From Prattville, AL on Dec. 15
Christmas is right around the corner and I am neck deep in Batman and Joker stories. I’ve been working hard to write as much as I can during the semester break and so far, so good.
One of the things that has helped me with drafting more quickly has actually been going back to writing longhand. Everyone says this can be a good way to get away from distractions that come with the internet. This is certainly true. For my drafting I have gone to my old-faithful yellow legal pad, Sharpie S-Gel pens (I’m a very recent and very happy convert; 0.7, super smooth line, doesn’t smear), and my iPad, which I use for comics reference and quick factual searches. I’ve removed the keyboard from the iPad to make it less tempting to simply surf the web rather than writing (the temptation for this writer is always procrastination).
But the thing about writing longhand that has surprised me is that somehow the words flow more easily. The blank page on the notepad feels less intimidating for some reason. Maybe because it doesn’t have that blinking cursor. I’m not sure what it is exactly. I just love the ease of being able to scribble down an idea, scratch it out, write the next thought. I’m writing in the margins, drawing lines everywhere, and having a blast.
Another thing I’m preaching to myself right now is: The drafting stage is not the time to decide whether it is good or not. That self-critical voice goes into hyperdrive telling me this is silly or pointless or just plain dumb. This is especially a challenge with this Batman book because I’m blending elements of history, mythology, and even some creative fiction scenes. It’s a fresh approach that really requires me to put the inhibitions out of my mind and just tell the story. My hope is that the end result will be a book that transports you to different places and times as you journey through the history of the Batman.
This style of writing has also required a lot more research into little details about subway schedules and weather forecasts and baseball rosters and a whole bunch of other items that are essential to reconstructing the world of the past. This is going to be a book where you learn a lot about Batman but you also learn a lot about what everyday life was like places like the Bronx eighty years ago.
I mentioned last week that I was reading Mary Beard’s SPQR about the history of Ancient Rome. One of the things that has really been encouraging to me in her writing is just how honest she is about the thin line between history proper and the myths we accept as history. Sometimes it is harder to know the difference than we think. And sometimes we simply don’t know. As I’m writing about how and why Americans created their own superhero mythology after the Great Depression (particularly the truly weird mythology of the Batman universe), this has really gotten the gears turning in my mind.
While I’m thinking of it, if you like podcasts or audiobooks and need something listen to over the holidays, I’ve got two suggestions for you:
1) CHARLIE BROWN’S AMERICA (my first book) is available on audiobook on Audible or wherever you get your audiobooks. Shameless plug, sue me (please don’t!). But seriously, it has an award winning voice actor, it has lots of Charlie Brown and Snoopy and Linus and Lucy, you’ll love it. PLUS: Here’s a special offer. You can get the audiobook for 50% off between now and Dec. 30 when you buy it HERE!
2) There’s a podcast you should listen if you like Batman or just like fun and interesting stories: Batman the Audio Adventures. There are two seasons so far. The writing is excellent. The cast is fabulous (it has folks like Jeffrey Wright and Seth Meyers and Rosario Dawson and Jason Sudeikis and Kenan Thompson and Bobby Moynihan and many, many more). It is set up as an old time radio show and its mix of humor, thriller, and horror twists together into a wonderful character-driven series. Check it out!
Finally, I watched The Shining for the first time last week. I’ve never read the novel (though now I’m interested). I am a big fan of Stanley Kubrick’s work because of the intentionality with which he makes his art. There’s no throwaway space in his film making. He might leave you scratching your head about what exactly he meant with a weird scene (looking at you, guy in the strange dog costume!!), but he always has you thinking and absorbed in the world he has built. 2001: A Space Odyssey is, in my opinion, still his greatest achievement (how he made that movie in 1968 is still simply mind-boggling), but The Shining was fantastic and eerie and perfectly styled for me. I loved it.
That‘s all for now. Until next week, friends!