Defying Gravity
Hello everyone, it's been a bit of a time recently but thankfully, the madness seems to have temporarily subsided which has given me time to sit down and catch up with you all. I hope you're all doing well, I know some of you are now looking forward to Summer, whereas here in the Northern Hemisphere we are heading into Autumn. So whichever end of this glorious planet is yours, I hope you can either stay warm or cool ! Anyway, today's post was inspired by a young person at work who was looking through the movie listings as she was trying to choose a film to see. As some of you may know, there is a new movie about Judy Garland, my young colleague looked puzzled and asked me who she was - at first, I was stunned but then, realising she was barely out of her teens, her lack of knowledge wasn't quite so surprising. After all, the world lost Ms Garland back in the 1960's so perhaps it is understandable some of the younger generation aren't familiar with her career. Anyway, I proceeded to explain what was so special about the star and it was hearing myself talk, which prompted this post as wider thoughts sprung from the original conversation.
For me, even though Judy Garland might not have been the greatest singer when considering the technicalities of the art, but, quite honestly, those pale into insignificance when compared to her true genius. When she sang, you believed she had been through every word in her own life - so if the song was about heartbreak, you felt she knew exactly what that was like, equally, when she sang about falling in love, being happy, life itself - well, as you listen you her, you believe she is drawing on experiences she knows well. She has to be one of the most relatable performers ever to grace a stage, if you have a chance, watch how she interacts with the audience - it's far removed from 'look at how talented I am' and so much closer to 'yes, I've been through it all, just like you.' Sadly much of the focus when her name appears, is linked to her mental health problems but this seems grossly unfair to me. Despite everything that happened to her, she had this amazing ability not to lose hope that things would improve- after all, she sang 'Over the Rainbow' which is practically an anthem for the belief there is a better world. If I sound like a fan, I make no apology for it, growing up, I read every book and watched all her films, always in awe of her wide range of talent. Not only could she sing and dance, but, at times, a truly gifted actress - if you cannot watch the last few scenes of her version of 'A Star is Born' without reaching for the tissues then there is something very wrong. Unlike so many performers now, she had no autotune, no backing tracks when she was onstage, it was just her and an orchestra - yet she could keep an audience mesmerised with not only her singing but just for being herself.
As someone who is trying to be a creative person, I have learned a great deal from Ms Garland when it comes to being authentic. I have had many times when I have written several thousand words and thought they were a 'clever use of the phrase' or 'enlightened prose'. Naturally, when I re-read those same passages, I can see them for what they really are, meaningless BS with nothing real underneath, despite all the apparent wisdom. So I scrap them and start again, which is not easy to do when there are 10,000 to be deleted ! But I am always reminded of why I admire Judy so much, like her, I want my audience to feel I know what I'm talking about. I want them to read my words and find the truth within them - my life has been no picnic, so I have plenty of experience to draw on.
I genuinely believe, she felt it was somehow 'cheating', not to be open and honest with her audience and I strive to be the same. I am very fortunate, readers do get in touch with me via my FB page and share their experiences and thoughts about my books. Owing to the subject matter, very often they tell me about how they went through a similar time as one of my characters - and it's the fact they share with me which keeps me writing. Every book is personal to me, when someone reads my words, I want them to know - without question- what they are reading is my truth. My heart has been broken, I've met people who have changed my life, I understand the pain of loss, the joy of love - yes, most of what can happen to all of us. I think we have all read books where characters act in a way that is so far removed from credible, of course, there can be a degree of fantasy but, speaking personally, there has to be a core of truth. Whatever the protagonist might be, whether a fallen angel, vampire, fairy, CEO of a major company or a waitress - they need to be believable, they need to show emotions which are familiar to the audience otherwise it seems almost 'fake.' Of course everyone can show courage, weakness, love, hate, jealousy - but not within the space of a few paragraphs, because, as I've said, as a reader, you can't help but think, 'well that would never happen.' I cannot think of anything worse than someone contacting me and saying they felt cheated in this way. I have had people who have been outspoken with their disapproval of the actions of some of my characters. I am fine with hearing those views too, everyone has a right to their opinion and sometimes, when I've been challenged, it has made me take a moment to think again. But not one of those negative responses has ever been, they feel there is no truth in the story - and I hope I never do receive that criticism.
I called this post 'defying gravity' in honour of Judy, as when everything around her seemed hellbent on dragging her down, she kept going, aiming to be the best she could be - in my small way, I intend to try and follow in her footsteps with my own creativity.
Well, as always, time has run away and I have to try and catch up, thank you again for everything, the support and the good wishes....until the next time....
Take care out there xx
As someone who is trying to be a creative person, I have learned a great deal from Ms Garland when it comes to being authentic. I have had many times when I have written several thousand words and thought they were a 'clever use of the phrase' or 'enlightened prose'. Naturally, when I re-read those same passages, I can see them for what they really are, meaningless BS with nothing real underneath, despite all the apparent wisdom. So I scrap them and start again, which is not easy to do when there are 10,000 to be deleted ! But I am always reminded of why I admire Judy so much, like her, I want my audience to feel I know what I'm talking about. I want them to read my words and find the truth within them - my life has been no picnic, so I have plenty of experience to draw on.
I genuinely believe, she felt it was somehow 'cheating', not to be open and honest with her audience and I strive to be the same. I am very fortunate, readers do get in touch with me via my FB page and share their experiences and thoughts about my books. Owing to the subject matter, very often they tell me about how they went through a similar time as one of my characters - and it's the fact they share with me which keeps me writing. Every book is personal to me, when someone reads my words, I want them to know - without question- what they are reading is my truth. My heart has been broken, I've met people who have changed my life, I understand the pain of loss, the joy of love - yes, most of what can happen to all of us. I think we have all read books where characters act in a way that is so far removed from credible, of course, there can be a degree of fantasy but, speaking personally, there has to be a core of truth. Whatever the protagonist might be, whether a fallen angel, vampire, fairy, CEO of a major company or a waitress - they need to be believable, they need to show emotions which are familiar to the audience otherwise it seems almost 'fake.' Of course everyone can show courage, weakness, love, hate, jealousy - but not within the space of a few paragraphs, because, as I've said, as a reader, you can't help but think, 'well that would never happen.' I cannot think of anything worse than someone contacting me and saying they felt cheated in this way. I have had people who have been outspoken with their disapproval of the actions of some of my characters. I am fine with hearing those views too, everyone has a right to their opinion and sometimes, when I've been challenged, it has made me take a moment to think again. But not one of those negative responses has ever been, they feel there is no truth in the story - and I hope I never do receive that criticism.
I called this post 'defying gravity' in honour of Judy, as when everything around her seemed hellbent on dragging her down, she kept going, aiming to be the best she could be - in my small way, I intend to try and follow in her footsteps with my own creativity.
Well, as always, time has run away and I have to try and catch up, thank you again for everything, the support and the good wishes....until the next time....
Take care out there xx
