It seems that my life revolves around Star Wars now. I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of the series, but it was part of my youth, and I’ll probably always enjoy it. My husband, however, has been calling me a Nerd all week*, after we attended the Star Wars Identities exhibition and I got all giddy about it.
The exhibit was a lot of fun. We were given wristbands that we used to identify ourselves at ten stations. We answered questions, picked favourite friends and jobs, and decided what species we wanted to be. At the very end, our character was displayed on one of the large screens in the final room and we were able to email ourselves a copy of the results. (That’s mine above.)
I must say, I was a bit star(wars)-struck. Not only did they have objects from the movie on display, but mock ups, drawings, and lots and lots of costumes. Oh, let me tell you, I was thrilled to stand beside Yoda, C3PO, R2D2, and even Darth Vader. But Chewbacca was probably my favourite. I was also amazed by how teeny tiny Princess Amidala’s costumes were (Natalie Portman), and how very imposing Darth Vader’s costume was even without the scary voice.
If you have a chance to go and see this exhibition, please do. It’s well worth it, even if you aren’t a super nerdy fan like myself.
I’m also working a large bulletin board at work based on the new Star Wars book called STAR WARS : JEDI ACADEMY by Jeffrey Brown. I can’t wait for this book to arrive at the library. The other ones are so, so funny, they’re always out. I’m glad I have a chance to look through them before they go out onto the shelves.
Oh, and of course, if you missed it last month, my Princess Leia look was very popular at the library. (I drove by my hairdresser with my hair coiled up in those buns. I’m still hoping she’s forgotten all about it next time I go to the salon.)
So, when a great article popped into my inbox this past weekend from the people at Writer’s Digest (namely, James Duncan), called “8 Things Star Wars Can Teach Us About Writing” , I knew the Force must be strong within me. I must be a Jedi. I especially liked the advice on getting in the trash compactor. He’s right, you have to get dirty when it comes to your writing. None of this “I must write beautiful sentences” stuff. Write dumbly (see?). You can clear out the trash on revision…that’s what it’s all about.
I’ll leave you with a few highlights from the exhibition, just to inspire your inner Jedi. May the (writer’s) Force be with you this week!
* Okay, technically, he only called me a nerd maybe two times, and only in the sweetest of ways. 🙂
