Rosemary Diaries - Day 120

72 days of silence.

That’s how long I haven’t wrote a new blog post about the book. Cause to be true, nothing much had happened to the book, so I couldn’t really write about it, could I?

But things changed. For the past 2 days I’ve been dragged into darkness. This is the place I go when I need to be creative. All the worst in me comes out to hunt me down. I’ve become moody, annoying, insomniac and just plain awful. But it’s a place I need to go every now and then if I want to output something creative. It’s horrible. I really do feel like shit when all is said and done. But it’s totally worth it. In this 2 horrible days I’ve written 2 chapters for the book and had 1 realization.

You see, when I started all of this I had everything completely outlined. What I was aiming for, what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. I had focus, I had energy and I had means to do it. This was 6 years ago and not a lot of that energy, focus and means has remained. But this past feels days might have changed everything. I realize that I’m not only writing a book on brazilian folklore. I’m not only writing a fairy tale. This is me. I’m writing about myself. I’m the clown in that story. I’m the one who falls in love with the princess and has to go into a one man mission to have her. It’s all me. And that’s where the darkness comes from. Why would someone go after all the little things that hurted oneself? Why would someone relive some really great moment just to realize that everything that came after was just horrible? Can you see what I mean? What I’m doing is absurd, but I gotta do it. I need to finish this. I needed to see the light, which I did this week.

Now Cravo is in the skies. In a castle in the clouds. He’s so close to what he’s looking for. He can, literally, smell the roses. The fairy tale is gonna end soon, otherwise I’ll.

Some years ago, I had this realization that I was born at least 70 years too late. I’m too romantic, too old, too poetic and too optimistic (and I’m also a cancer, if you are into the whole horoscope thing) to be living in this age of irony and desattachment. Thank to the higher powers I can escape and create this worlds and actually spend time in them.

The whole process of creating this book is coming to an end quite soon. And at the same time I’m gonna miss it dearly, I’m gonna be extremely happy to be able to see the light once more.

Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem,

m.

Rosemary Diaries - Day 48

It’s been exactly 26 days since my last entry.

This is also the time I haven’t put a single word on paper. The book came to a halt in a violent sudden manner. Life had me back into a place I didn’t want to go and my beautiful lovers were the ones that suffered the consequences of staying apart for more than they deserved to.

But the project itself is in full throttle. On this silent period we have developed the whole project proposal and goals, and now it’s time to go after some kind soul that will give us the resources to spread this story to the four winds.

Also we decided to test the flow of what is already done. The awesome illustrator of the project, Jean Roux, has been kind enough to draw the first chapter for us. It’s no easy task as only in this chapter we have around 19 illustrations. He’s giving the final touches to the images but I have to tell you that’s looking simply AMAZING!

Now I have to step up my writing just to match up with what I’ve seem.

I will be silent again for the next couple of days, as I need to travel north for a couple of days.

Labor omnia vincit,

m.

ps: because of my commitment on the Land of Obama the RoseBeard updates had to be reseted. So starting on a couple of weeks the new wave on the excitement, that is to watch my beard grow, will restart to all your pleasure and excitement.

Rosemary Diaries - Day 22

It’s been a while, I know! Shame on me!

But things haven’t stop at all. Writing wise, yes. Production wise, not for a mile!

This past days writing didn’t stop. It was just a matter of timing and will.

I have done a lot of things on the book that was needed, so the book could come out on the timeframe I’ve imposed to myself.

You see, this is a pet project and also a quite important project for me. I feel that this is not my book anymore. A lot of people have donated their time and will to help me with this. From the people I bother asking for inspiration and guidance, to the people who are actually putting their work into the it.

So this past couple of days I had to assure that people were on board, and the ones that are still in will be properly awarded.

Another thing that was important to secure was that once this is done and printed, that the people that I’m writing this for gets the book into their hands for absolute no cost. I wont spoil what this means, but this week we had a HUGE step to make this happen.

On the writing side, I’m on the adventure. And every page I write I feel like I’m actually with Cravo running around the mysterious and exciting world that is the Rosemary Kingdom.

I’ll soon be able to share really exciting news… hang in there boys and girls!

Non scholae sed vitae discimus,

m.

Rosemary Diaries - Day 11

It’s the 11th day of this daunting task.

After a couple of sleepless nights (YAY TO LONG WEEKENDS), part one of the book is almost done. I’ve rearranged a lot of stuff on the past days and rewrote some stuff from previous chapters.

I usually don’t do rewrites like this, in my screenplays and short stories I usually vomit a first draft up and then, and only then, I rewrite stuff. With this book, I felt I was all over the place with my voice as the narrator of the tale. So a few adjustments had to be done.

Now the couple is about to meet for the first time and promises and flowers are about to be exchanged among them. Also the villain had it’s first appearance on last night’s chapter. He’s one mean mothafreaker (sorry for the neologims,but this is kids book/blog, and writing motherfucker is out of the question!)

My wish is to finish part 1 today, then is off to the adventure. Which I can’t wait to get to (I really want to shave!).

Meum cerebrum nocet,

m.

Mama’spiration 02 - The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a book that found me, before I had any idea of it’s existence. It was just a couple of days after the new year’s that a friend of mine asked me for lunch and for once I wasn’t late, I was the first one there for the matter of fact. There was a bookstore on the same block where the restaurant was, so there I went.

As usually happens these days, I started my exploration of the bookstore by the children book area. Just a couple of steps in and I was mesmerized by the size of the book ahead of me. A behemoth. Sporting 544 pages, it felt bigger than the last couple of Harry Potter books, and those ones were big tomes. I pick it up and I was awestruck by the structure of the book, to the hell with it, I was struck by everything on that book. The drawings, the way the text was separated and was not used as subtitle of the illustrations. It was like the heavens sent me a message and the book was acquired as fast as you can say credit card. If you don’t believe me, take a look by yourself

The book laid low for a couple of days by my office desk until a late night came, and without the ability to sleep I started, and finish, my adventure into the world of Hugo Cabret and his little room on the Montmartre station in the Paris of 1930’s. For those of you that don’t know who Hugo is, here’s a look at the lad

The book is divided into two2 parts. On the first we follow Hugo and his quest to fix an old and beaten up automaton. The robotic man was left behind by his father when he died, leaving Hugo an orphan. Hugo is sure that when he fixes the machine a message from his late father will appear. On his journey, he meets a grumpy old man that owns a magic/toy shop in the station, which Hugo goes to for spare parts for his project , the station police officer and the old man’s granddaughter. On the end Hugo does find a message. A message that shook he, and me, both. It wasn’t text, it was an image. There once was a filmmaker, a genius and a pioneer, that started it all for us. And this image is a homage to this man legacy. I won’t spoil who he’s, cause I’m gonna write a post on him in the future, but here’s a hint:

On part two, we found out what happened to the man and his works. And this actually flipped me. Knowing nothing about the book before hand and encountering this tale about one of my favorite human beings. It was mind blowing.

Also, today I discovered that Brian Selznick is related to the great David O. Selznick. If you don’t know who he is, that fine. I know, cause he helped me shape me. He was producer of such films as Gone with the Wind, A Tale of Two Cities and my personal favorite film King Kong (which will also receive a special one post treatment soon). That was what sealed to me. Brian’s work helped me find my voice and lead me to finish this book. He’s family helped me to become who I’m, as an artist and as a person.

If you wanna learn some more about the book, clike here to go to the official site!

Facta, non verba,

Rosemary Diaries - Day 5

This last couple of days have been slow on the writing side. But not on the development side.

Other parts of this great puzzle are developing fine, thank you for asking.

I’m proud to be working on such a great endeavour.

More collaborators are coming on board and more inspiration is being brought to the table by them. I’m blessed indeed.

Hope you liked the little image tease, more to come…

Volo anaticulam cumminosam meam,

m.

Rosemary Diaries - Day 3

As Russell would say “Adventure is out there”
An that exactly what happened to me and the book on the last two days.
Even though not a lot of writing has been done, the baby is growing up very fast. Today I met a lovely lady and we decided to work together on the Rosemary Saga (not as catchy as the Twilight Saga I know, but you have to work with what you got…).
Now is to keep up the pace, like a kenyan marathon runner, and get to finish line.
Next week is shaping up to be a good one…

Sum, ergo edo,

m.

ps: can’t believe the first fortnight of the new decade is already gone. The Grey Men are really effective this days!

Mama’spiration 01 - Where the Wild Things Are

Last year was a busy year on researching for the book(s) and it was the year where I’ve found out what, who my favorite authors are.

In this series of post I’m gonna talk about all the (wo)men that made me the writing toddler I’m today.

To start with I’m gonna start with,what might be, my favorite book of all time:

Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are

Well, it’s a book with only 18 sentences and 48 pages. It’s a tiny, tiny piece of storytelling that tells a HUGE and AMAZING tale of what is to be a child.

Sendak’s illustrations are awe inducing and take you straight to a children’s mindset and world.

Also I do think it might be one of the best closing lines in a book, ever. EVER! I won’t ruin it for you, but it’s simply great, and induces you to a place or warmth that you can only feel when you are in the lap of your mother listening to a lullaby.

The book just got a portuguese version, so if you speaks the language of Camões, go fetch yourself a copy on the nearest book store.

The film by Spike Jonze is also a masterpiece on it’s own. A film not for children, but, about children. And it’s the best film of it’s kind so far. Everything works, and even what differs from the book, works magically on the screen. Experiencing Carol, KW, Goat Boy and specially Max come to life is an amazing experience (and for those in Brasil, it’s an experience that can be had starting this next friday).

This book changed my life and my view of what children’s books are.

Ventis secundis, tene cursum,

m.

ps: Don’t forget to listen to the AMAZING film score by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s fame. And when you listen to the track Rumpus think of me.