Not that sort of faking it…. * rolls eyes *
I live in New Zealand, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and the sheer magnificence of the scenery usually inspires my writing. But I’ve hit a problem. I’m trying to write a Christmas-themed novella about a wolf shifter trying to get home in a snowstorm after being injured in a trap.
I’m thinking about snowy landscapes, log fires, and Christmas carols. Here, the sun is shining, lambs are gambolling, cherry blossoms adorn the trees. Doh!
Maybe I need to look elsewhere for inspiration?
There’s a great story that when Dustin Hoffman was involved with the movie Marathon Man, his character was depicted as looking like he had stayed awake for three nights. Dustin, being a method actor, decided to stay up for three nights in real life in order for it to look more realistic.
When he came to the set, Laurence Olivier (An actor some consider one of the greatest in the world) asked him why he looked so tired and Dustin told him. Olivier paused for a moment, and then made the famous statement, “Try acting, dear boy…it’s much easier.”
So, as I mentally throw another log onto the fire and reach for an ice cream instead of a mince pie, I could try the following to get into the right frame of mind:
- reading books set in winter; the colder and more snowy, the better
- ditto with movies; that one with Jake Gyllenhall battling against the freak snowstorm will be perfect
- taking a cold shower and pretending I’m caught in a blizzard
- try defrosting the freezer…
On second thoughts, I’ll fake it. Pass the mulled wine please…..
(all images, except film still, courtesy of 123rf.com)
Sofia Grey 