Art on 12th, Abtract Art, and Rocking the Rewrites.

The Long Journey Home by Amanda Corlies SandosIt's a whirlwind adventure over here at Creative Antics this weekend. What can I say? I like to keep things at an insane pace and then occasionally fall on my face from sheer exhaustion. That seems to be  the way I keep my muses happy and willing to work with me on creating stuff. So this weekend, not only am I getting ready for the upcoming Marginalized show next Friday, but my studio group, Art on 12th, is having their semi-annual open house this afternoon from 2-4. So I'm in the midst of hanging not just one, but two shows, while also trying to juggle all of my various writing deadlines.

Oh, and while I'm at it, I've also started a total rewrite on the story that was once La Playa Blanca. It's getting a make over and a new linear storyline, thanks to some sound advice from my editors. One should never scoff at the advice of editors. It's not that they always know what's right, but neither should anyone try to write in a box. It usually turns out crappy work. Best to rant and rave and get angry if you must, while on the surface remaining mature and polite, of course. You might even need to give yourself some time and distance from it, but then truly sit down and take what the editors have said to heart. Nothing they say is ever intended to be cutting or mean. Not if they are at all professionals, and most are. I guarantee work that has several eyes and lots of opinions on it is always much better overall, particularly if you are willing to be open minded about changing things.

Waterhorse No. 1 by Amanda Corlies SandosAnyway, I digress. After taking that needed distance, I started over, making some big changes to the overall story arc. I've hit the 6000 word mark here today on the do over, which I am now calling Deep Down. The whole thing is already up around 10,000 words and I just started the rewrites at the beginning of the week. Not too shabby for a girl with more balls in the air than she has hands to juggle them with. Now that I've caught the linear storyline, and figured out how this thing can come together, I feel like it's turning into a much stronger story. It might even hit novel length before it's over. My goal is to have it done in time to give away at least a .pdf version for the Hop Against Homophobia, but that might be pushing things. Alas, the writing is going strong, so in case I forgot to say it, thanks editors. You know who you are. I really appreciate the honesty and the little shove in the right direction.

If you live in the Lynchburg area, and you like abstract art, come on by the studio today, Sunday 4/29/2012. Art on 12th is on the corner of 12th and Grace Street in downtown, above The Art Box. We'll be open from 2-4 PM. I will be showing my abstracts at this particular show. Plus, all ten of the other artists in the building will be showing, as well. It should be a good time.

The Elephant Keeper

Earlier, I mentioned that my latest WIP includes elephants. I also promised I would tell you more. So, tonight, I thought I'd keep that promise. I've been knee deep in imaginary elephant dung all day, and I need a break from the story telling.

Incidentally, this photo is of me feeding apple bites to Moja. She and her sister, Jenny, were the first elephants I ever got to know. It was an experience I won't soon forget. They both used to like to explore my person with the ends of their trunks, searching for any treats and nibbles they might find. Moja was particularly good at retrieving these items from my pockets when given half a chance.

Writing this novel has been exhilarating, because I can turn my affection for these huge, beautiful animals into a vibrant story on the page. I get to show my love for elephants  through my character's eyes. The current working title is The Elephant Keeper. Writing this novel has also been much more difficult than I imagined. The memories of my days with the real elephants return, and all my feelings for these animals, many of whom are no longer living, come rushing back.

Because I wanted to honor some of my elephant friends, I've chosen to use a few of their names for my fictional elephant characters. Nita and Teela, two of the friends whose names I've borrowed, both died of a fast-acting and incurable disease that baffled our zoo's veterinarians for some time. I used to love watching these girls interact with each other on exhibit. They shared a powerful family bond and so much obvious affection. Each time I type their names into my story, it's as if, for a moment, I can bring them back to life and enjoy their company again. Nita and Teela, this novel will definitely be dedicated to you!

Zookeepers, Dive Masters, and Free Reads

Since I spent twenty years as a professional zookeeper, conversations with me generally wind around to animals. Yes, zookeeping was a fun job in many ways. But, like every job there were some aspects that were not so fun. Let's not get into those just now, though.

People are often curious about my zoo career, so I thought I'd share some glimpses of it here. After all, one of my goals when I left the zoo was to write about my experiences. I've always created visual art to raise respect for and awareness about our animal kingdom, ourselves included. And, during my zoo days, I wrote many scientific research papers with the same goals. So, when I thought about changing careers, I realized I wanted to write creatively, as well. First, I published environmental journalism, then creative non-fiction, and poetry. So, it stands to reason that I would try my hand at fiction, too.

You might be wondering what animals I worked with at the zoo. Well, over the years, I took care of everything from the largest land mammal, the African Elephant, all the way down to the smallest rainforest bird, the Golden-Headed Manakin, an Asian species that is about half the size of our Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. Those little buggers were hard to hold on to when they needed medical attention, I'll tell you.

Some of my experiences are so amazing, even I have a hard time believing them. I've held a polar bear's head in my lap on the way to emergency surgery, and I didn't even take care of him. I was only in the area as one of the zoo's registered PADI divers. I was supposed to be diving in the neighboring puffin pool for a scheduled exhibit cleaning that day. Nobody mentioned I might end up in the back of an enclosed refrigeration truck with a sleeping polar bear in my lap. I was not real happy about it, let me assure you! My friend and coworker kept saying, "But, we're bird keepers!"  I'm still not sure how we got roped into that one, except we were in the wrong place at the right time.

Anyway, I've got a million animal stories. Though my written tales are largely fiction these days, I often rely on real experience where the animals are concerned. I've been working for some time on an M/M novel about a zookeeper. That will be coming to a publisher near you in the future. But, I felt it was necessary to work on completing some shorter stories, as well. I learned from creative writing classes that crafting a good short story or novella is an important skill to have before attempting to complete an entire novel.

I'm proud to say that I recently completed my first novella. My beta readers and editors have offered their valuable feedback, and I have been cleaning it up one chapter at a time. This particular story draws on my experience as a diver, as well as my travels in the Caribbean and Central America. I won't tell you much, because I don't want to spoil anything, but I hope you will love my dive masters, Shane and Andrew, as much as I do. Their adventure begins here tomorrow morning. The best part is it's absolutely FREE! So, I hope you'll stop back by tomorrow for a free read. 

Extra Color and Free Reads Ahead

It's been mentioned here and there that I also paint. I'm an equal opportunity person in pretty much all things, so when people tell me I have to choose one way, one discipline, one sex, one genre, I generally laugh and go my own way. I even opted for a progressive interdisciplinary program when it came to my education. I now split my time between painting, writing, and running my own business. Life is good. 

All this said, it's not surprising that creative antics have been all over the board this weekend. I talked writing and publishing over coffee with Andi Lea yesterday afternoon. Then, I enjoyed a nice #wordwar with some of my writer friends over at Twitter last night and ended up with 2000 words on a back story and 1433 official warring words on my new WIP. Add that to the recent all nighter and my new boys are well on their way to love. On the novella front, I started working on final edits, and soon there will be free reads right here for your holiday enjoyment. I plan to begin posting chapters on Wednesdays in November.

In the meantime, I'll add some extra color to your day. I am at the studio tonight giving some of this energy to painting. I was inspired by Spirit Day to paint a large abstract I'm calling Purple Passion. I thought I'd share it with you even though the photo was taken with my cell phone. It's by no means a professional image. 

 And since I mentioned earlier how music lights me up, for painting I'm often partial to The Scissor Sisters. Nothing beats Jake Shears for shear joy in colorful movement. May you find joy in a dance!

Hard Core All Night

Sometimes the characters in my head are a little pushy. Yesterday, while I was seriously busy working the day job, I could not shake these two new characters and the story idea that has been brewing in the back of my head for weeks. I kept messing up simple tasks all day because I couldn't concentrate while my head was conjuring things like mad. So, last night, I took a break from edits to let the new boys have center stage. Give them an inch and, well, you know the rest. It's now almost 7 AM, and we've been at it hard core all night. Not that! Jeez! Bunch of dirty minds. I like that!

Anyway, I think the voices might let me get a few hours of sleep, now. Please don't call the boys in white. No need for padded accommodations just yet. I am still the fully functioning captain of this vessel. I did attempt to lie down at three, but that was an epic fail. The brain was all a buzz. It wouldn't shut off. Since I have been in a bit of a mild creative slump, inspiring the previous Pearl Jam "Music to Light You Up" post, having to write all night is by no means a complaint. Thanks to Eddie and the Gang for helping to unblock the flow again.

When the words are flowing, I find it's best to just go with it and ride the currents where they lead. This all night session felt a bit like riding a canoe along a steady old river like the James. Not too much white water, but no terribly stagnant places, either. Just an enjoyable adventure. Now, I'm off to conjure more adventures in dreamlandia.  This shouldn't be a hardship since I'm pretty sure they'll be filled with good music and boys in love.