Thursday, November 11, 2010

A glass half-full...of poison.

This is a snippet of a quote from Woody Allen in his 2006 film "Scoop." I find this turn of phrase, a play on the adage that optimists see the glass half-full, as one of Allen's more humorous. As someone who routinely forgets quotes, this one sticks with me for some reason. Perhaps it resonates with my optimistic nature, a sort of naive optimism, which friends remind me is rather dangerous.

But today a different sort of meaning came to mind for this turn of phrase. In creative endeavors, 'filling up the well' is a process I've come to believe in and trust. Drawing from the creative well daily requires a replenishment of the aquifer supplying that well. As Stephen King (and most authors) advise young writers, read. Read a lot. This is a form of 'filling the well.' Visiting museums, catching a movie, playing a game...can all help fill the well.

Unfortunately, I've poisoned my well accidentally. And though I know it is temporary, it is poisoned nonetheless. This poison happens to be sweet, and addictive. It is the latest television show I'm obsessing over (five years late), namely, Battlestar Galactica.  Being able to watch episode after episode, season after season of this gritty, compelling Sci-fi show on Netflix Instant is proving detrimental to the young adult, playful writing mode I'm in now.  While writing Mary Margaret's next adventure, with its mixture of whimsy, seriousness, and escapism, I find myself second guessing those qualities...wanting to interject more grit, more nihilism, more corruption...in short, more reality.

That is the poison, and the challenge: Balancing realities with fantasy and escapism for a younger audience, while myself being exposed to (one might say inundated with) harsh realities.

 

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