STIATF February 28, 2013

Seven Things I Am Thankful For:  March 1, 2013

EDITOR'S NOTE:  This is not a motivational diatribe...  If you are looking for purpose in your own life, I would look elsewhere (ideally inward, or around you).

1.  My Father
My father is a kind, generous and hardworking man.  He is also a big inspiration to me.  As an English teacher, and the son of of English teacher, he (and my mother) also bestowed a reverence for reading and the written word in me from a very early age.  I am very lucky to have such a solid and steadfast motivator and inspirer providing me with a constant impetus for consistently striving to better myself as both a writer, and a person in general.  My dad also grows a little older today - Happy Birthday Dad!

2.  Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich
Parks and Recreation is a great show.  It is easy to focus on the breakout performances of Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, and especially Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson, but it is Jim O'Heir's Jerry that is the unsung hero in my mind.  Tonight's replay of this year's Halloween episode provided a great example of just how relevant the perpetual underdog was to me:  when he had a (SPOILERS) heart attack punctuated by excessive flatulence, I laughed - and quickly grew worried.  Speaking of which...

3.  Halloween
There is no better "holiday" and no better "season" in my mind, than the inherent spookiness of Halloween, and the dry decay of late autumns in Northern Ontario.  Halloween is the only day I can think of that emanates throughout the work of my favourite auteurs.  John Carpenter's film is one of my favourite (and most watched) movies of all time - and while Rob Zombie has always embraced the basis, he also missed the point.  To me, Halloween is a state of mind, and a seasonal presence that is more evocative than Christmas itself!

4.  Thom Yorke
I have long been a fan of Radiohead, and always realized that their quirky, droopy-eyed singer was a big part of the buy-in I experienced.  I have seen Radiohead in concert multiple times and revere both their artistry, and their commitment to the obscure.  I know people who were passionate fans of different "eras" of Radiohead music that can no longer tolerate the band's elasticity.  It is that very elasticity that keeps me engaged with them - they are one of the only bands I can think of who constantly strive for musical evolution.  I am listening to Thom Yorke's Atoms For Peace side project "AMOK" as I write this.

5.  Finding Old Things
Today I found an old note from a man who was voted as "one of the most important people in the history of Canada" by Maclean's magazine.  That note is featured in the photo at the head of this entry.  That is an impressive title, and it was bestowed upon a man for whom I have a great deal of respect and reverence.  I also hope to be working with him on a short film project in the coming months.

6.  Producing Short Films
There are two reasons why I love producing short films.  The first reason why I really love producing short films, is because I don't have time to produce full length ones.  The second reason why I love producing short films is because it has provided me with the confidence to start working on my first feature length film.  For me, film and life tend to be a juggling act.

7.  Jane Espenson
Not only has she been a part of some of my favourite pieces of entertainment (seriously, look her up) but it was one of her frequent WRITING SPRINT challenges on Twitter that inspired me to post this tonight.  It was that same kick in the butt that lead me to realize I have had a great deal of traffic to my blog despite the fact that my last post was on October 31 (Halloween) of 2012 (see #3).  I need to increase my posts, and I will thanks to one of my favourite entertainers:  Jane Espenson...

See you all again soon -

Mike

Where Does Inspiration Come From?

Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to look.

 "Where do you get your ideas?"

That is one of the most common questions I am asked about my writing and films.  To be honest with you, it is a tricky question because it can be both very easy to answer, and very difficult.

I'll start with the easy answer.  Inspiration is all around us, and by extension, ideas.  The photo above is a good example of inspiration.  It would make a great shot in a movie for sure, but that one simple photo could also inspire a half-dozen stories with very little meditation:

1.  What lurks beneath those floating leaves?
2.  The frog prince who was too clumsy to reach the princess two pads over.
3.  The daily bloom and collapse of the water lily.
4.  The painter who strives to capture the strokes of the great impressionists.
5.  The person who nearly drowned in the youth, finally drawn back to the water by a beautiful flower.
6.  The man who is certain a beautiful mermaid lives in his lake.

Those are six stories I could easily write based on that one photo alone.  So that would be the easy answer:  I get my inspiration from life, and I constantly seek out the stories around me.  Anything can inspire a decent story.  Any decent story can inspire a satisfying film.

The harder answer is in fact a bit of a non-answer.  Where do I get my ideas?  Sometimes I have to sit down and plot them out.  I have to map out the characters and arcs, and major plot points in order for the story to solidify.  Writing longer narratives in particular is a bit like making Jello: You have to keep stirring the ingredients until they all start to come together, then you have to let it chill until the character, plot and themes solidify.  When I am writing a novel, that is usually how I will start.

Sometimes you just have to go for it.

With my shorter pieces though, it is more like a brief possession.  I will sit down with very little idea about what is I am going to write.  This is never more true than with my "Story-A-Day" project.  With each of those 400+ stories, I start by selecting a photo, and the stories almost seemed to write themselves.  I try not to go back and edit them, which leads to some embarrassing spelling and grammar errors, but I like that they are all very much stream of consciousness efforts.

With my films, there is a little more thought put into narrative crux, character motives, and audience lures, but they tend to start off as very simple concepts as well.  From the concept stage, I then reverse engineer the story and it is often the twist or reveal that defines what the remainder of the story will be.

Stories are everywhere, which makes me truly fortunate because all I have to do is collect them and tell them.

And where does inspiration come from?

It comes from everywhere.  Inspiration lurks in the darkness of night, it flourishes in the beauty of nature, it falls and rises through the fragility and strength of humanity, and it explodes outward from all the stories that came before.

That is where my ideas come from.  If you are looking for inspiration, all you need to do is look.  It is everywhere...

Welcome Back to... Somerset

It has been a long time since I have posted anything here, and I apologize for the absence.

Of course, the usual excuses apply:  I've been busy with the job; I've been busy moving; I've been busy with the other job(s); I've been busy trying to find time to cram everything into a 24-hour-day, and trying to cram 7 of those into each week, and 52 of those into the year.

In the end, so many of the things I view as important have fallen by the wayside.  I feel like it has been ages since I have seen many of my friends; since I have spent a day engulfed in a good book; and especially since I have made a new film...

North Bay Nipissing Life Profile First Page

I have been interviewed about my films though, and it was a pretty big honor to be included in a 5-page spread about the work that I do "for fun".  I was interviewed by Margaret Parker and photographed by Shawn Moreton for this article and their incredible talents have brought a great deal of exposure to my work, and the close partnership I still enjoy with Patrick Gilbert and Kevin Hoffman.  If you haven't yet, you can read the article, "Humble's Gift", right here, where you might discover a little known fact:  I am a self-professed "Idea Guy".


It was a flattering (and in all honesty, somewhat embarrassing) profile, but mostly, it was a reminder that I need to make sure I live up to the promise of the guy in the article: the guy who is very much me, albeit a slightly heightened version of me who is not encumbered by the many distractions and obligations that are part of this life.

I have been reinvigorated though to make a stronger effort to focus on what has always been one of the most important things in my life:  Stories.

Working for The Nugget has helped with that, but it extends into all corners of my life.  I am actively plotting multiple projects, everything from a cookbook and the coffee table book spin off of the "Story-A-Day" component of this blog that first put my words out on a global scale,to additional short and feature length films and the publication of my first novel "I Land".

I am quite fortunate to have many co-conspirators in my artistic endeavors and the list of potential partners in crime continues to grow with each new idea, concept, and flight of fancy that flutters through my mind.

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on this blog, but I will do my best to keep everyone up to date as far as the progress of the various projects and concoctions that I am constantly shuffling, adjusting and constantly putting back into context.  That being said, there is definitely more to come.

Thanks for tuning back in!

    - Michael Humble
      (self-professed idea guy)

Writing Time...

So, a lovely weekend lined up with temperatures climbing into the mid twenties at least. This is a good thing. Also good? A four day weekend. Combine the two and I should be able to get a decent amount of writing done, most likely trying to get I Land cleaned up. This is of course, if I can tear myself away from the sunshine to spend my weekend staring at my flickering old VGA monitor. Should be a chore to say the least. Still, I need to get some of these loose ends tidied up and I need to do it sooner rather than later.

Mission: Accepted.

I would also like to tidy up a few lingering scripts now that the shooting weather has returned. And I need to read sixteen submission for the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education competition that I am judging. From what I have been told, there is some pretty stiff competition this year. I'm looking forward to offering my insight, but mostly to getting some writing done over the next four days. Maybe I'll even manage to squeeze in another blog. These week long absences are not good enough.

Wish me luck!