I Thrashed Five Drafts
Prompt: What about your interview with your HKBU partner informs/inspires the creative work you’re producing? Are you surprised by it? Is it what you were expecting? Are you let down in some way? Have you adapted something in response to something unexpected?
My interview with my HKBU partner started off with graphic novels. I connected with her almost immediately after the first message when she replied with equal enthusiasm for graphic novels. We talked about a variety of topics, from art to food to languages. We even shared about the stress we have and our current struggles.
Before the week ended, I already had a sense of who she was as a person. I wanted to write the best piece that I could because she deserves it. I went through different ideas, changing here and there as dissatisfaction rolls in. Many of the ideas I discarded were ones that I felt were not strong enough. It's hard to explain why I wasn't satisfied with those ideas, they just didn't feel right.
I went from an idea about someone who discovers a secret tribe and documents them through paintings to a story set in the beginning of a futuristic era and the importance of heritage. Although I went through multiple ideas, all of them came from my contact with her. The story idea I ended up with was inspired by her answer when I asked her which country she liked to visit and she told me Taiwan because they honoured history. Throughout the interview, I already had a sense of who she was as a person, but that answer solidified my image of her.
I'm glad that we were able to hit off well enough to share personal struggles, not just scraping the surface. It helped me understand her better so that I could capture her personality and beliefs in the story.
To be honest, I struggled with producing a piece inspired by her because I felt that none of the ideas did her justice. I think the whole process of throwing away five different drafts taught me that sometimes, I have to let go and forget about my audience just for a while. It made me understand that even though I have a specific person in mind, it's important to let myself wander away from them just long enough to be able to generate ideas without the stress of trying to impress.
The draft I wrote is definitely not the best, I think I can polish it in a lot of ways. I sincerely hope that it did her justice. I have a big idea and a very particular subject I want to wrap my story around. They sound amazing in my mind where thoughts are neither solid words or image, but executing it is a different story.
My interview with my HKBU partner started off with graphic novels. I connected with her almost immediately after the first message when she replied with equal enthusiasm for graphic novels. We talked about a variety of topics, from art to food to languages. We even shared about the stress we have and our current struggles.
Before the week ended, I already had a sense of who she was as a person. I wanted to write the best piece that I could because she deserves it. I went through different ideas, changing here and there as dissatisfaction rolls in. Many of the ideas I discarded were ones that I felt were not strong enough. It's hard to explain why I wasn't satisfied with those ideas, they just didn't feel right.
I went from an idea about someone who discovers a secret tribe and documents them through paintings to a story set in the beginning of a futuristic era and the importance of heritage. Although I went through multiple ideas, all of them came from my contact with her. The story idea I ended up with was inspired by her answer when I asked her which country she liked to visit and she told me Taiwan because they honoured history. Throughout the interview, I already had a sense of who she was as a person, but that answer solidified my image of her.
I'm glad that we were able to hit off well enough to share personal struggles, not just scraping the surface. It helped me understand her better so that I could capture her personality and beliefs in the story.
To be honest, I struggled with producing a piece inspired by her because I felt that none of the ideas did her justice. I think the whole process of throwing away five different drafts taught me that sometimes, I have to let go and forget about my audience just for a while. It made me understand that even though I have a specific person in mind, it's important to let myself wander away from them just long enough to be able to generate ideas without the stress of trying to impress.
The draft I wrote is definitely not the best, I think I can polish it in a lot of ways. I sincerely hope that it did her justice. I have a big idea and a very particular subject I want to wrap my story around. They sound amazing in my mind where thoughts are neither solid words or image, but executing it is a different story.
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