inspiration

hello blogosphere!
remember mi?
no?
that's cool :)

as i have limited blogging time (trying to do this entry between helping customers in my coffee house and playing with my son) this post will most likely be very short. so, i apologize ahead of time for the lack of recap.

the good news is my business is growing and i'm managing to find a few moments in the morning to work on my novel. having spent so much time away from it, i was forced to become reacquainted with the plot and characters.

time and distance can often be a blessing, let me tell you.
i realized there were structural problems i needed to fix before i could write the climax and actually end the book. it seems i've been revising the first two thirds of this novel for years now. a part of me wants to do whatever it takes to complete it,  just so i have an actual first draft to work with. and as much as i want to write the words "the end" on the last page of my manuscript, i want even more to produce a well-written and well-thought out work of fiction.

so, instead of throwing myself into the unwritten last third of my manuscript, i analyzed each chapter on an individual basis. i've never done this sort of exercise with any of my previous novels, and perhaps that's why i still haven't landed an agent, haha!
suffice it to say, key issues became very obvious and i am happily tightening up my work in those few moments i have in the morning.

now, just the desire to finish the damn thing is motivation enough for me to crack open the laptop and start writing. but amazingly i found a major source of inspiration from the last place i'd expect: youtube.

in fact, it's this artist and this video that fuel me:



i can't explain why this video in particular inspires me. all i can say is i watched it for an hour and a half straight after my first viewing. there is something so engaging and theatrical about both his performance and the music. i was hooked instantly and have gone into almost full IAMX obsession status.
and although there's nothing specific i can pinpoint about this video, there is a definite reason why this artist inspires me. and that is his full dedication to his art.

not only is chris corner an multi-talented musician, he is a genuine craftsman. from the melodies and lyrics born from his ideas, to the recording, mixing and producing of his full-length albums, and ending with his live performances. he is a master from start to finish, present for every beautiful, tortuous, fulfilling and painful part of the process. he has given himself up to the beast, so to speak, and in doing so has also become master.

thank you for the inspiration, chris.
my novel, and the pathway to completing it, now seem within reach.