Calvin and Hobbes

Thirty years ago today, Bill Watterson released his first Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.

For the first time, the world was introduced to a six-year-old-boy and his best friend. I was five and a half when this strip was released. I'm fairly certain I didn't notice it the first time it came out, or even when it first appeared in our local paper. Yet, within a year or so, Watterson and his creation had become a part of my daily routine, and they'd go on to have a profound impact on my life. The story lines are one of the reasons I became a professional storyteller (both as a novelist, and a theatre director).

For ten years, Calvin and Hobbes delighted readers, but it did far more to me, Calvin and Hobbes was an inspiration every day. I would rush downstairs and look for the paper, just so I could read the strip. Calvin and Hobbes was the first thing I read every day. I was roughly the age of Calvin, and of all the characters I've encountered I've never identified so completely with anyone as with him. I was a very lonely child, and spent hours meandering in circles, telling my parents I need time to "imagine." Daydreaming was a 24/7 occupation. Whether in school, at home, or just about any other time, I'd find myself lost in outer space, fighting dinosaurs, or building transmogrifiers. It was at this same time that I discovered books, and my world opened up. It's no wonder that Pratchett, Asimov, Tolkien, Lewis, and Clark became the worlds I devoured. Speculative fiction mirrored my love of imagination and creativity, my incessant and unending daydreams: the way I saw the world.

In many ways, I was Calvin. To be honest, perhaps I still am. The imaginary best friends running around in my head have found their way onto the page, as well as onto the stages I direct. A student today asked me to draw a groundplan for our upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It took me fifteen minutes to draw a complete groundplan. She stared- and said how'd you know what to do so fast? It's there in my head. Same with books- they just pop out.

On a deeper level, I think Watterson first taught me the craft of storytelling, albeit on a subconscious level. At first glance, the comic strips might seem silly or banal, but there are deeper, underlying story lines and themes. Calvin is both idiotic, small minded, and altogether brilliant. Hobbes can be a pacifist, and environmentalist, or a would-be romantic, depending on the arc.

Bill Watterson

In middle school, we were asked to write letters to one person we admired. A lot of people wrote to the President, or to movie stars. I sent a letter to Bill Watterson. His secretary wrote back, or sent a form letter, but to me, he was the hero I admired most.

To this date, I logged on the computer and noticed my avatar is Calvin. There's a Calvin and Hobbes poster, advertising one of the collections, that I swiped from my job at Borders, hanging on the wall beside me. When I'm feeling down, I still pull out a Calvin and Hobbes strip to cheer me up.

And of course, Watterson's also admired for never selling out. It wasn't about the money. He never let people make bad movies or tacky merchandise (merch you see is illegal). He was about the art, and the imagination. I'm not sure Bill Watterson knows I exist, or has any idea how much he impacted me, but someday I imagine him looking at one of my books, and saying- I helped inspire this.

Magic in Nature

As an author of speculative fiction, I constantly imagine and dream of new worlds. Magic is something fun to write about, and to envision. Yet, occasionally I encounter something in nature that is more magical than anything I've dreamed. Such sights fuel imagination, stirring creativity to new levels.

Last week, I was walking my dog at twilight. There is a huge tree behind my yard, which stood silhouetted against the rapidly dusking sky. As I watched, the entire tree sparkled. Hundreds of fireflies swarmed around every branch, shining for a moment, before darting somewhere new. My camera was inside, and even my phone was charging (the pic above isn't the tree, I borrowed a different pic from the internet). With no way to record such an image, I simply stared. Glowing dots dancing and flying around a shadowy mass of tangled branches. Fairies flying around a giant? Magic sparkling around a void?

I looked at the top of the tree, and saw something spewing from the tree's crown. I thought, perhaps, the tree was smoking. These tiny sparks flew upward, with clouds of smoke wafting away. After a moment of confusion, I realized what the dark swirls were. Dozens and dozens of bats circled the tree, perhaps planning to eat some of the fireflies. The effect was pure magic. Sparkles below, a shadow behind, and waves of winged smoke circling above. 

When I returned inside, I instantly dove into my writing.

What sights in nature have inspired you lately?

RIP Terry Pratchett

"Death isn't cruel, merely terribly, terribly good at his job." 

- Terry Pratchett

On March 12th, Terry Pratchett passed away, finally succumbing to a long fight with illness.  I had never met Pratchett personally. The one time I tried to, at the National Book Festival in Washington DC, I stood in a long line for over an hour to meet him and get his autograph, only to have my section of the line turned away, because he had another commitment, and the festival was ending.  I never got the chance to shake his hand, or tell him how much he inspired me. If the gods are good, Pratchett's chasing adventures somewhere on an enormous disc, hurtling through space on top of four elephants, who in turn ride an enormous turtle.

When I was six years old, my parents bought me a set of five hardback novels, which happened to be the first five Discworld novels. I think they bought them because I enjoyed superhero cartoons, and perhaps I'd like to try reading fantasy books. The covers showed fanciful images of space turtles, bumbling wizards, clever witches, and amazing magic. The Colour of Magic was the first fantasy novel I'd ever read. While I'd spent hours dreaming of far-off adventures, these books opened my eyes to a world of imagination I'd never contemplated. I devoured those novels, and later other Pratchett books. The Unseen University introduced me to a school where wizards learn magic, fifteen years before Rowling published her first novel set in Hogwarts. Pratchett introduced me to English wit, instilling a love for British humor, one I carry to this day. And the novel Mort, which I read as a kid, featured Death training an apprentice. The idea of someone training to reap souls is an idea that never left my mind.

I think Pratchett influenced me most in that he truly brought books to life, and helped me develop a lifelong love of reading. I devoured the first few Discworld books, and moved on to other books, novels, and eventually even began writing books.  My first taste of fantasy novels eventually led to my creation of my own fantasy worlds. He and I even share a birthday, April 28th. 

Pratchett's unique voice and inspiring worlds will be with us always, even as his many fans now mourn his loss.

The Artist's Eye

This past Sunday, Rachel and I intended to go to church, but woke up late, forgetting that they'd switched to the morning service.  I sat, listening to a recorded dharma talk, staring out the window.  As I watched a bush outside my window, a flurry of gently drifting dandellion puffs, and a small bird, I realized how much there is to see in the supposedly mundane.  One of the things that makes humans wonderful is the ability to look at something and see more than the sum of its parts.

We all have an artist's eye.  It might be more pronounced or practiced in writers, painters, or other practicing artists, but I think it's there in all of us.  I was speaking to one of my students (keep in mind I work at a Science and Tech magnet school) about the universe.  As we discussed the theory of continuous expansion and contraction in the universe he compared space to a giant beating heart.  That type of abstract thought takes an artist's eye, a way of seeing the beauty in what's there.

If your inspiration needs a jumpstart, try this exercise.  Go outside and look at a tree.  It doesn't have to be a particularly large or special tree, any tree will do.  Look at it through a window if you need to, sit under it if you can, and really look at the tree.  Notice the way its branches form an intricate maze.  Look at the patterns on the bark, the color of the leaves, the way the breeze blows through it.  Stare at the tree observing every detail for twenty minutes or so.  There's more there than fibers and cellulose and chlorophyl.  There's more than a collectin of atoms arranged into molecules.  There's beauty and art, a majesty that defies description, and yet begs every artist's eye to attempt the feat.  There's peace and poetry, and the muse we search so elusively to find.  They say the devil's in the details, but I disagree.  It's in the details that we truly find God.

Stories that Inspire- Part Two

Continuing my look at stories that inspired me, I turn now to television.  Growing up around TV and movies has definitely affected me as a writer.  It's hard to imagine what my books would have looked like without being bombarded by visual and auditory imagery everywhere I turn, now (with the internet) even more so than ever before.  I greatly admire writers such as Shakespeare, or Jules Verne who dreamed entire worlds from their imagination alone.  Today things are a bit more muddled...

1. Farscape

This cult-followed science fiction show was developed by Brian Henson (Jim Henson's son).  While on TV, it was one of my favorites, and I recently re-watched the entire series with my fiancee Rachel.  The show combines puppetry, computer effects, and extremely creative writing to produce one of the most original shows I've ever seen.  An astronaut is hurled through a wormhole where he befriends a group of escaped alien convicts aboard a living ship.

As the series progressed, the writers pushed every boundary, never fearing to break the fourth wall, or even to mock other sci-fi shows.  Many of the episodes focused on what was within the character's minds. Impressively, at the end of the entire series both the protagonist and the antagonist achieve all their goals! That in itself is an extremely rare feat. The biggest inspiration was the idea that our universe is entirely open, anything we dream can exist.  One of my works-in-progress is an adult science fiction novel, and it does begin on a prison ship.



2. Naruto

I'm putting this under TV, though I considered doing a separate anime entry.  Naruto is one of the most popular anime/manga series in production with nine motion pictures, hundreds of anime episodes, toys, and a massive merchandising franchise.  For me, the character development in this series is some of the most complex in any show on television.  I've watched both Naruto series (subbed, not dubbed for the true otakus reading this), beginning when I was young myself, and continuing to this day.  Every character in the series is given a wonderfully layered back-story, a goal and a set of obstacles.  The young ninjas develop not just their skills as fighters, but as human beings, coping with life, love, and death.

Uzumaki Naruto, the central figure of the anime is a boy who spends his life confronting an inner demon- a nine tailed fox with immense power who was implanted inside Naruto as a child.  This makes Naruto isolated, feared, ridiculed, yet ultimately powerful.  I drew on those themes when crafting School of Deaths.  Suzie is ridiculed and isolated because she is a female, alone in a world of men.  Ultimately, her ridicule turns to courage, when she realizes that being different isn't bad.  

3. Avatar: the Last Airbender

The movie was terrible, and completely let me down.  However, the television series, which some have called "American Anime" was brilliantly crafted and extremely inventive.  For any adult who insists that children's shows cannot have good writing (and admittedly they often do not), I recommend watching this series.  While the character development isn't as detailed as a series like Naruto, the world-building is masterfully done.

In School of Deaths, there is a race enslaved by the Deaths called Elementals or 'Mentals for short.  Each has an ability to manipulate an element.  This idea was directly inspired by Avatar, where different nations "bend" different elements in nature.  In my story, I expand the principle beyond the four elements of nature, to include things such as thought.  As I work on the sequel to School of Deaths, the role of 'Mentals in the Word of the Dead is one of the most vital questions to the series as a whole.

Don't forget to pre-order SCHOOL OF DEATHS!

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/museitup/fantasy/school-of-deaths-detail

or

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/school-of-deaths-christopher-mannino/1119059176?ean=2940045799010

Stories that Inspire - Part One

The act of publishing is circular. For me, the process began after completing the novel and editing it many times. I then queried agents and publishers.  The querying phase is exhausting. I sent small samples (sometimes a single paragraph query letter) to agents, looking for representation. 99.9% of all queries are rejections- either the agent/publisher never answers, or they send a polite note back saying no.  Some wrote back and asked for the novel, but then decided it wasn't for them.  Eventually two publishers said yes, and I chose MuseitUp. Now, the book is preparing for release, and I feel like I am back at the first stage again.  Instead of querying agents or publishers, I am querying bloggers and reviewers.  So far, five have agreed to review the book before release, yet the feeling is similar to the frustration of querying at the beginning of this process.

Another query...  D'oh!

While reading the blogs of potential reviewers, I've noticed how many others talk about the stories that shaped them as both readers and writers. One of the people who signed up for my newsletter (note: sign up for the monthly newsletter before April 14th and be automatically entered to win a 20 dollar Amazon Gift Card. Details at www.ChristopherMannino.com/extras or sign up on the sidebar at right) asked if my students inspire my stories. The answer is "sort of".  To be honest, many of my stories were created before I started teaching.  School of Deaths was finished before I set foot in my current job, yet interacting with kids on a daily basis has certainly shaped my writing and how I view kids and their reactions.

One thing that has undoubtedly affected me as a writer is stories I've read, watched, performed in, or otherwise encountered throughout my life. Towards that end, my next several posts will be a reflection on some of my favorite stories and how they inspired me.

PART ONE: THE STAGE

I am a full-time theatre teacher, and have been involved with theatre onstage and off since I was ten.  Writing and theatre are my two greatest passions in life.  It is natural to start a discussion of stories that have inspired me by talking about theatre that has inspired.

Man of La Mancha by Wasserman, Darion, and Leigh

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was cast as the understudy for Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. It was the closest I'd ever been to playing an actual lead in a musical (at that point), an it was a musical I enjoyed a great deal. I was allowed to perform the role in a single performance, not even open to the public, yet it was one of the highlights of my high school career, and probably the beginning of my current career path, since I am back at the high school level, giving new students the opportunity to experience the joys I did.  The story itself is also motivational. Quixote is a dreamer, an idealist. He lives with one foot in reality, and one foot in his own fantasy. It is his "quest" to constantly strive towards his own fantasies, his own lofty dreams.  From an early age, living with a foot in my own daydreams was something I was accustomed to.  Striving towards making those dreams is a goal Quixote helped inspire, and now with the publication of my first fantasy novel I really have "reached the impossible star."

Wicked by Schwartz and Holzman

One of my favorite musicals (and no, I haven't read the book it's based on), Wicked helped inspire me as a writer.  The writing, and how everything comes together is brilliant.  Add this to a thrilling and wonderful score, and an amazing set, and of course you have an incredible musical.  I first saw Wicked in London, then saw it on Broadway with Rachel for our one-year anniversary as a couple.  While writing School of Deaths I'd play the soundtrack, imagining Suzie struggling at the College of Deaths, while Billy told her to simply try "Dancing Through Life."  One of the characters in the novel, named Athanasius, was even given a goat-like physical appearance directly inspired by Dr. Dillamond.  

Elphaba and Dillamond- Original Broadway Cast

Matilda: the Musical by Minchin and Kelly

When I saw Matilda, I posted on this blog that it was one of the best new shows I've seen (original post here).  Like Wicked, this was a soundtrack I played while writing my first drafts of School of Deaths.  I had read Dahl's book as a child, and the thing that thrilled me about the character Matilda was her love of books and reading.  When I went to the RSC production in London and saw thousands of letter tiles exploding outward to form one of the best sets I've seen- I remembered how much Matilda liked to read.  It reminded me of another child who always dove headfirst into books, and would spend entire summers devouring bookshelf after bookshelf. That child, of course, was me.  One of the most important locations in School of Deaths, as well as the current novel I'm working on (a sequel called Sword of Deaths) is a library.  It may seem redundant to emphasize reading within the pages of a book- but as fewer and fewer children read for pleasure (an unfortunate trend), where better to encourage reading than within a book?

Those three stories definitely helped inspire me.  Next week, I'll examine different stories.

Don't forget that School of Deaths is available for pre-order now if you visit MuseitUp's website here.  This past Saturday, I spent 3 and half hours filming a trailer (to be released later this month).  This is a teaser (not the full trailer)

  

Inspiration

What Inspires You?

Inspiration drives nearly every major facet of my life.  I teach theatre because I find it to be one of the most inspiring forms of art.  Taking a story and bringing it to life with a group of people is amazing.  I especially love the organic nature of drama.  When my play Stuck was performed, I had envisioned the entire work while I wrote it.  I knew what (I thought) it would look like from start to end.  The finished play was drastically different, but that was good, since so many different ideas were involved in creating a new and interesting piece of art.  I do enjoy working with kids too.  Children have the power to inspire me, and inspiring them is something I aim to daily (occasionally with some success).


I am marrying my soul mate, because every time I see or even think of her, I feel inspired.  After dating unsuccessfully, and beginning to feel a bit like a character from a sticom (my summer drama students like to call me Ted Mosby), I was wondering if I'd ever find love.  When I first saw Rachel, I was coming down an escalator.  We'd arranged a date over the internet, but I only had pictures to go off.  My initial reaction was "please let that be her- she's stunning," and it was.  Every time I am with Rachel, I no longer feel writer's block or unmotivated, I feel inspired.  She is also a writer, and has encouraged me to continue being my best.  I look forward to the day when we can do book tours together.

With Rachel at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, California

I write out of a desire to share my inspiration in words.  There are times I have definitely felt blocked.  The first novel I wrote (currently shelved, awaiting the day I try a compete re-write) took me just over ten years, and even then it wasn't right.  I vacillated from periods when the words poured out without effort, to days when I'd dig into my soul with a pair of tweezers, yanking each word out forcibly.  At times when inspiration slows, I have found travel and nature to be my chief sources for reigniting my inspiration.

Barras Nose - taken from Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

My time abroad was undoubtedly some of the most inspiring memories of my life.  When I was accidentally stranded overnight in Tintagel (http://poetsfire.blogspot.com/2011/10/travel-to-tintagel.html) I climbed out to the edge of Barras Nose the following morning, fighting the fierce winds, and watched the sunrise from the edge of the cliffs.  It was breathtaking.

Sunset over Rome, from Piazza del Popolo

Living abroad was exhilarating: a week in Rome with Rachel; visiting the ruins of medieval abbeys in England; traveling to new and exciting places every week.  I did this all while working on the first draft of School of Deaths, and it definitely helped inspire the writing.  The location of the College of Deaths seemed to change weekly, as each week I'd visit a new and amazing place and want to set my story there (ironically, the location it ended up being set is not related to anything in that four-month period I experienced in Europe).

Glastonbury Abbey

Guy Fawkes' Day in London - 2011

Now that I am back in the States, and no longer traveling regularly, what can I do to remain inspired?  I experience moments where the words come easier.  My Winter Escape retreat two weeks ago, while brief, helped me reconnect with nature, and rekindle the spark of inspiration for my writing that was starting to wane.  Even at work, while inspired by theatre and children, there are days when I am in school so long I do not see the sun (I drive to and from work, which is a windowless building, in the night).  How do I keep my writing inspired at times like that?

For me, meditation has been one answer.  It helps me remain focused.  Making sure I revisit natural places regularly, even if it's a simple walk outside, also helps.  Spending time away from work and other stresses also helps me remain inspired.

Perhaps the key is actually recognizing inspiration.  Anything can inspire us if we let it, from the news, to a "conversation" over twitter.

Perhaps inspiration isn't the act of journeying in search of a muse, it's the act of recognizing the muse in ourselves.  Several years ago, I read Julia Cameron's excellent book The Artist's Way, which focuses on methods to reclaim your own muse.  Shortly after reading it, I found myself recognizing inspiration in daily life.  Stress can be a fog, but the light of inspiration is always there, once we look past the fog.

Again, I ask:
What Inspires You?