Come with me on a journey
to beauty and creativity.
Enjoy The Traveling Writer
by adding your name ------->
By Norma Hopcraft
I'm working on a novel about an Egyptian Coptic set designer in New York City. In this next series of posts, I'd like to give you, dear reader, a window into my creative process. Hopefully it will inspire you too.
Eight years ago, while living in Brooklyn, I was on the lookout for an idea for a new novel and sensed I'd found it when I spotted a girl working in an Apple store in Manhattan. She had corkscrew curls.
Photo by Rameez Remy on Unsplash
Imagine a head of hair comprising a thousand curls that had each been wrapped around a hot toothpick!
The effect was stunning.
I knew this was the kernel of an idea for my next novel. It just needed a little fleshing out.
I wanted to talk with her, but she was intensely busy with customers, and I had to leave. But those curls stuck with me, and I regretted this thwarted chance.
A week later, on the way home by subway from Manhattan to Brooklyn, I sat next to a young woman with similar hair! We got to talking, and it turns out she was an Egyptian set designer and also a Coptic Christian.
I got her contact info and interviewed her more about living in Cairo and about being in New York, being a set designer, being Coptic. She was so helpful. And my novel was born.
I also interviewed two Coptic pastors and several parishioners, who taught me so much about that tradition and about the food, the community, and what it's like to move from Cairo to make a new life in NYC.
I interviewed two dozen set designers, and the directors of three theater companies. I volunteered to work as a set painter in another company.
Before I interviewed the theater people, I expected that I would meet over-inflated egos and people who fulfilled the stereotype of ridiculous actors.
I chuckled to myself. I thought I would be able to poke fun at them in my novel.
What I met were fantastic human beings, so hardworking, so generous with their time, so knowledgeable about theater, so expressive about making art, so dedicated to the craft of storytelling--just like me.
I was deeply impressed with every one of them.
Next time I'll tell you about the set designer I met recently, after seeing the show he designed. More soon!
What kernels of ideas have you had lately? Comment below!
No comments:
Post a Comment