[Credit: screen capture by http://otalia.ausxip.com]

Maybe some writers are wary in giving away their “secret sauce” with their writing methods, but I’m not one of them. If someone mimics my process, the output would not be the same because everyone’s writing approach and style is different. Therefore, I thought I would take the time to explain how I craft the Otalia blog posts each week.

It would help some of my regulars understand why I write some things with my Otalia recaps/commentaries. For others, I think it would be interesting and maybe fun to give you an idea of what I go through to write the Otalia posts. I consider myself to be a “method writer” (like a method actor) whenever I write about Otalia. Writing each Otalia post is a labor of love, which calls for strict discipline on my part. I think it will be worth the read if you want to know how I make the magic happen, so hang on and follow me down the yellow brick road towards the “Wizard of Otalia.”

Note: I’m skipping some mini steps here because it really is an involved, detailed process that I’m constantly refining each week; however, I will give you an overview of how I write Otalia posts each week.

Step 1: I Watch the Entire Guiding Light Episode & Re-Watch the Otalia Scenes

Obviously, the simplest step involves watching the Guiding Light for my Otalia posts. I watch the entire episode without fast forwarding or rewinding. After finishing the current day’s episode, I rewind to the beginning and watch the Otalia scenes once.

Step 2: I Digest What I See with the Otalia’s Scenes

I do other things (i.e. chores and life responsibilities) and I let my mind churn over the Otalia scenes for that particular day’s  episode. I start to analyze the dialog on a subconscious/conscious level, and I think about how the story line is advancing.

Of course, I start to deconstruct Jessica Leccia (Natalia) and Crystal Chappell’s (Olivia) performances for the day, which continues with each new episode. I just allow my mind to start interpreting what I see at first and second glances of their scenes. I don’t think too hard about it at this point of the process.

Step 3: I Start Composing What I Might Say for My Otalia Posts

If Otalia is on a Monday episode of Guiding Light, I start composing what I may or may not say about them in my head that same day. That process of composing posts in my head continues throughout the week as I watch Otalia on Guiding Light.

It’s really hard to describe how I compose things in my head if you’re not a writer. Additionally, I don’t know if other writers do what I do, but I consciously and subconsciously start writing everything in my head. I never write down a single word concerning Otalia until Friday evenings. If I write anything, it might be ideas for a screen capture I want to use, a possible title (usually not), and maybe a reminder to discuss one scene in detail. Otherwise, the actual writing process starts in my head long before I sit down to type it Friday nights.

Step 4: I Avoid Spoilers, News & Tweets about Otalia & Guiding Light

I learned quickly (after my second Otalia-related blog post) that I would have to avoid reading spoilers, soap news, and tweets about Otalia and Guiding Light like it was the plague. I like not knowing what is coming. I like being surprised, dismayed, upset, frustrated, etc. in “real time” when I watch Otalia. As I explained briefly in my most recent post, I cannot write about Otalia the way that I do if I read spoilers. My daily experiences with the show must be genuine and true in that moment. It’s a writer thing, and again, I’m a “method writer” when it comes to Otalia. Therefore, that means I have to maintain a high level of discipline to keep my Otalia experiences as pure as possible. Other than avoiding spoiler news on web sites, my process also results in me having to do the following:

Stay Behind on Soap Opera Related Podcasts

This means that I have to be at least two weeks behind on the Daytime Confidential and Big Purple podcasts. Even when I finally listen, if any show host starts talking about Guiding Light/Otalia spoilers, I fast forward and hope I land in a safe place. For example, I just listened to the Jessica Leccia (aka Dimples the Freakin Superhero) episode of the Big Purple podcast the week of May 4; it was released a couple of weeks ago. Currently, I have the Crystal Chappell episode sitting in my iPod, but I have decided to let it sit unplayed for a few weeks. I am aware there is some spoiler talk about the future of Otalia. Believe me, it is not easy to resist The Goddess (it was hard to resist Dimples, too); however, it gets better with each passing day.

Stop Reading User Comments at the Point When I See Signs of Otalia Spoilers

I love to read the feedback and comments from the Otalia fans who read my posts. I really appreciate the Otalia community and what they have to say; however, if I see the word “spoiler,” I stop immediately. I then jump down to a different section to avoid seeing something I shouldn’t. It’s not that I’m disinterested in what the Otalia community thinks and has to say, but for my own sake, I have to stop reading when I see “spoiler.” For example, if I had known about spoilers, I don’t think I would have been as awed and floored by the Otalia love confession on April 14 and April 17. At the time, I was not watching Guiding Light every day and would watch it in chunks every few days. I did not watch the previews at that time either, so I was absolutely amazed by Olivia and Natalia’s confessions.

Shutdown Twitter at 3:00 p.m. EST or Filter Out Guiding Light/Otalia Related Tweets

I know the Otalia community is very excited about this storyline. Believe me, I am one of those persons considering I am writing about them every week. When I first started writing about Otalia, I realized I started seeing things I didn’t want to know about from people I follow. To keep my experience pure, I do not read any tweets related to the show. If I keep TweetDeck open, I just filter out Otalia-related tweets.

Step 5: I Don’t Talk About What I See & I Keep Myself in a “Bubble”

Keeping quiet about Otalia when I watch them is a relatively new process to my writing method. If you follow me on Twitter, you may notice that I do not tweet about current week’s episodes involving Otalia. Yes, I did break that policy a bit with the May 6 episode because I was extremely alarmed with the dialog.

Initially, I discussed Otalia in very general terms for current week episodes; however, I no longer do that. I appreciate and think it’s awesome that some of my Twitter followers want to know what I think when I watch the current week’s Otalia scenes. Because the Otalia storyline, the writing, and the performances could be interpreted in so many ways, what I think today could change by Friday. In addition, as weird as it may sound, I do not always know what to think when I finish the Otalia scenes. I like to analyze everything I see for hours and days. Unbelievably, sometimes I don’t know what I think until I sit down to write the Otalia posts Friday nights. Even I am slightly amazed at the stuff that pours out when I write the post. I am often unaware that I have these impressions and interpretations until I write the words.

In addition to not discussing Otalia, I keep myself rather isolated and in a “bubble-like” environment for current week’s episodes. The best way to describe it is that I am “quarantining” myself from other Otalia fans. I participate on Big Purple Dreams where I can (and when I have time), but there are forums that I do not venture. I am interested in what people are saying, but I cannot see what people are discussing when it comes to the current week episodes. I must shape independent impressions, interpretations, and analysis of Otalia scenes. I am more than happy to discuss the previous week’s episodes with other fans, but I contain my thoughts on the current week until I write the Otalia post.

Step 6: I Study Old Otalia Footage to Obtain More Understanding of the Natalia & Olivia Characters

Because I don’t have the long history with the Natalia and Olivia characters, I have had to play catch up. This has resulted in me having to spend a lot of time watching (and re‑watching) old footage from late 2008 up to 2009. I have to understand their past to understand their present and possible future. As a result, I watch their episodes online late at night after I finish writing or early in the morning before work. While I’m watching, I just take mental notes and observe what I see with these characters. I won’t deny that I also do it for pure enjoyment, but I am actually conducting research as well. The Otalia fans who comment on my posts indicate that I have a firm understanding of these characters, and it proves that my research efforts are worth it.

Step 7: I Wind Down Before Writing about Otalia

Since I write for a living, I like to give myself some “down time” and distance from words for a few hours on Friday evenings. During that time, I take care of anything that needs my attention. I might watch an episode of another show I’m behind on or just engage with my Twitter friends for a couple of hours. On occasion (but not lately), I take a nap since it takes me all night to write an Otalia post.

Usually, I don’t work on anything related to Otalia until late at night; therefore, I just listen to music. I am a huge music lover and former musician, so music plays a huge role in my life and my writing. While I can write without music, 99.9% of the time, I write with music. During the week, I store “mental notes” of songs that are inspiring me creatively, and I will often create a new Otalia playlist just for that one night of writing. Since my musical tastes are all over the map, I just listen to whatever I’m in the mood for at that moment. The music helps clear my mind right along with a fresh hot cup of green tea (the first of many).

Step 8: I Lose Sleep

I’m aware that a few Otalia fans have commented about my sleeping patterns on Friday nights. I know some have even expressed concern, and I appreciate the concern, truly. Is it painful to be up nearly all night on Friday and well into Saturday afternoons? Yes, it is downright painful sometimes, especially after a long week. I go through several cups of tea (I don’t do coffee) just to keep me awake all night on Friday. I could write the Otalia post earlier in the evening; however, I always write my best work at night. Everything is still, quiet, and dark, and there are no disturbances.

Staying up all night hurts sometimes because I have to resort to some sort of normal sleeping patterns during the week; however, I am use to suffering from sleep deprivation. During the week, I am up late at night writing my novel, and there are nights when I average 3.5-5 hours of sleep per night.

Additionally, I have figured out that I write the Otalia posts better when I “suffer” a little from the lack of sleep on Friday. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I feel like a bit of sleep deprivation (the pain) pushes me harder when I write about Otalia. If it ain’t broke, I’m not going to fix it. I always pass out for hours once I release the post to the masses anyway.

Step 9: I Re-Watch Otalia Footage

When I am ready to write about Otalia on Friday nights, I don’t write anything for hours. All I do is watch the current week’s Otalia footage repeatedly. I watch for different things, and I watch each scene at different angles. I study each scene, and I really listen to what these characters are saying. I don’t write anything down during this process unless it’s a title; however, most of the time, I never have a title until I finish the post.

Step 10: I Start Writing the Otalia Post

At some point (normally well after midnight), I stop watching the current week’s Otalia footage. I open iTunes and play music that I feel is inspiring to me. Again, I don’t always have specific artists or songs in mind when I write the Otalia posts. I just listen to the songs that “move” me when I am writing. For the past two weeks, some artists/songs that have inspired the Otalia posts are:

• Wendy & Lisa – Mother of Pearl, All I Wonder/Anyway, Are You My Baby, Everyday, From Now On (We’re One), Don’t Try to Tell Me, Crack in the Pavement, Reaching One, I Will, Uh-Uh Don’t Look Down, Balloon, Red Bike, Waiting for Coffee, White Flags of Winter Chimneys, and You and I
• Radiohead – All I Need, 15 Step, The Reckoner, and No Surprises
• Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire, Cold Desert, Notion, and Manhattan
• Nine Inch Nails – We’re in This Together, Somewhat Damaged, Closer, Just Like You Imagined, Burn, Only, Head Down, All the Love in the World, Something I Can Never Have, Sunspots, Vessel, and Into the Void

Once the music is playing and I’m ready to write, I have that moment of terror that I refer to as the “Oh sh*t! How am I gonna top what I did last time?” feeling. I feel terror, fear, pressure, anxiety, and stress when I start to write the Otalia posts (or anything else). I have a “be better than I am” mentally with everything I write, so I worry that I cannot live up to what I wrote in the past when I start writing. The music helps me get over that feeling because I start focusing on making that one post as great as it can be. I then zone out into writing mode quickly.

At that point, I just write what I saw on my TV/PC screen, and I dredge up how it makes me feel as I write. I go through lots of emotions when writing the Otalia posts because I try to “feel” what the characters feel, experience, and think. It’s really hard to describe, but I just find a way to tap into these characters for these posts. In any case, I don’t stop writing until I have a complete rough draft or near complete draft (without a conclusion, normally).

After I have a rough draft, I crash and sleep for 2-4 hours to allow the post to bake in the oven (aka my head and computer). Once I wake back up again Saturday morning, I start revising, editing, and proofing the Otalia post. Just like a film or TV show, I leave some things on the cutting room floor. I revise, edit, and proof a couple of more times before I work on the artwork. Normally, I have an idea on what screen captures I will use for the Otalia graphic, so I finish the artwork quickly. At that point, I read the Otalia post one final time and make adjustments where needed before publishing it to my blog.

Now that I have explained my process, I think it’s quite clear that writing my weekly Otalia posts is truly a labor of love. I do work hard to compose the Otalia posts, but the effort is worth it when I see how hard Guiding Light is trying and how wonderful the Otalia storyline is told. The Guiding Light is giving me the soap opera experience I remembered and loved growing up as a child. While I only have the faith of a mustard seed with Guiding Light, that is more faith than I have with other soaps, which is none (other than The Young & the Restless). Even though my faith is small, I have absolute love in my heart for Guiding Light and the Otalia story line. When I see the effort that this show is giving to its fans, I feel like I need to do my part to help keep the light shining. This show helped keep my own personal light shining when I was laid off for a month and a half. I believe in giving back. If that means I lose sleep and spend hours of my week glued to this show to construct Otalia posts, I will do it.

Tags: crystal chappell, entertainment, guiding light, jessica leccia, natalia, olivia, otalia, tv

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 at 8:26 pm and is filed under Commentary, Life, Play. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.