MAY 2018 – Sat with my notebook in hand along a rocky shore overlooking the bay last week writing. Formulating more ideas, some conflicting at this point, for the main narrative of the new book. Adding more pieces to the puzzle, which right now might not all fit together, but this is not abnormal for this stage of the creative process. As not every good idea is necessarily going to make it into the story. And often a quality idea might get swapped out for an even better or rather more fitting idea when I actually sit down to write or more likely during re-writes. Even knowing that I am going to be mercilessly writing and re-writing the story, it is still hard for me to put forward an idea I’m not totally sold on. Whereas other writers might say, oh, I’ll go back and fix it later. I don’t like to leave problems with the plot unanswered in the early going as it can really come back to haunt you later on I feel.
Traveled to New Haven, Connecticut this month to visit Yale University. Had made cursory glancing visits to New Haven in the past, typically enroute to New York City. Though my grandfather had taken my brother and I to the Shore Line Trolley Museum when we were kids, which was awesome, that’s definitely recommended. At any rate, it was great to finally see the Yale campus, which was as stunning as I imagined it would be, that architecture style is phenomenal, I don’t know why it isn’t used more in construction, regardless of the approximate cost. Can it really cost that much more to have some beautiful decorative stonework done? And they are building new dorms at Yale, so I know it is still possible to do with modern masons.
The Yale Art Museum (pictured here) was a must visit location, specifically (in my opinion) for it’s Japanese Woodblock prints and Impressionist paintings. Monet as always stole the show for me, his work is second to none in my estimation. There were also pieces by other titans such as Van Gogh, Manet, Gauguin, among others. They have one of Hokusai’s wave woodcuts, but it sadly was not on display at the time.
Other sites visited on the trip include the glacial rock formation of ‘East Rock’, which overlooks the city, well worth the short trek to the top. The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript library was not only super cool visually and culturally, but a nice dose of air conditioning on a hot day. The collection of first editions and rare literary pieces there is awe inspiring. And I’ve seen photographs of the exterior of the building at night, where they project imagery onto the geometric patterns of the structure, is a distinctly different look than the rest of campus, but has its place.
Quest to see all the Ivy League campuses continues, next up Princeton perhaps??
Thanks for stopping by, happy reading everyone!
– CS
