The Journey for Writing
By Alexandra Ely
I grew up wild and free under the hot, dry southern California sun among the Joshua trees and juniper bushes. Along with my horse, dogs, and costumes, my creativity and imagination soon turned into a pursuit of storytelling.
Taught by a Russian Playwright
A Colourful Journey for Writing
By Alexandra Ely
I grew up wild and free under the hot, dry southern California sun among the Joshua trees and juniper bushes. Along with my horse, dogs, and costumes, my creativity and imagination soon turned into a pursuit of storytelling.
Taught by a Russian Playwright
My first formal education in the craft began in high school with private tutoring under an old Russian playwright. I sat in Vladimir's home office scribbling down notes deciphering the lessons from his thick accent. He emphasised the all-important plot twist and “seeing” the scene. Together, we acted out many scenes as a tool to be fully immersed in our writing. To this day, if I can’t act out my own writing I know that I don’t see the scene completely in my mind’s eye. The flow and feel of storytelling that Vladimir taught me became so entwined in me as a writer that it is now second nature.
The first manuscript
Continuing my education, I finished my first full length manuscript, a historical fiction, for my college thesis. Here I gained the second most valuable piece of advice that I have applied to my writing career: you can’t write what you don’t know. It’s no secret piece of information in the writing field, but I took it as “don’t put writing before experiencing life.”
Travel as a source of inspiration
I sought out opportunities that both added to my writing skill and created lifelong memories that added depth and complexity to my storytelling. Travelling to England, I noted the uneven spiral steps worn down by time and traffic at Leeds Castle. In Ireland I listened to the rush of the ocean below Dunluce Castle, feeling the salt air press in around me. On St. John Island, this California native felt what it truly meant to be at sea level. And in 2010 I represented the USA in an international pageant in Ecuador absorbing the views of the jungle and season below the equator.
Dealing with the tough times and developing as a writer
Though my passion has never faltered, writing is a tough journey. Unlike music where you can hear if a note is flat or painting where you can see if a colour is the wrong shade, writing mistakes are quiet and sometimes elusive. Developing an eye for catching my own mistakes has been one of the more challenging parts of the journey. It has created a burning desire for me to learn and become the best I can be. When feeling particularly frustrated it is my cue to reach out to others. Being a writer doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. Writing depends on people reading your work. Finding a trustworthy critique partner has been invaluable to launching me towards better “hearing” and “seeing” my own writing strengths and weaknesses.
Sources of inspiration
While many writers turn to books for inspiration, I enjoy watching a good classic movie. It goes back to my Vladimir days when much of my writing training was linked to acting as well. Of course, I enjoy reading, preferably the classics like Tolkien, Lewis, Defoe, or Dumas, but there is a wealth of knowledge in old films, too. As a visual person anyway, I enjoy imagining my stories as if from different camera angles paying particular attention to costuming. Sewing and costume design is one way I like to bring my characters to life.
Designing costumes has been one way in which I have been able to immerse myself in the research my writing has required. For my historical fiction, I took a job at a living history site where I learned how to sew authentic replicas of 18th century clothing and wore many of them too. Stepping into the style of fashion people wore hundreds of years ago has allowed me to transcend the boundaries of time and experience the closest thing to time travel possible. This close and personal relationship with costuming has brought to life an aspect of characterization that I particularly enjoy. When reading my work you can count on a thorough background of research and hands on experience when it comes to the description of the clothing.
Other ventures
I have taken on many jobs over the years, from ski lodge customer service to wedding planning, from wife and mom to social media contractor. However, it is to storytelling and writing that I devote my spare time and am constantly playing scenes in my mind.
Much of my nonfiction writing has been published in both local and national magazines and a prologue to an anthology was published internationally. Publication for my fiction work is close at hand. Currently, my writing partner and I are querying our manuscript and on my own I am editing a second book with intentions to publish as well. You can hear a sample of my novel,
The Mermaid Bride, on the Happy London Press podcast and find my personal instagram account @ely_landing and my collaboration account @loftonauthors.
No comments:
Post a Comment