This coming Monday I’ll be in the audience at the Katie Couric show, soaking up the atmosphere for my novel-in-progress, which is set in the land of daytime television. But I don’t have a thing to wear! After the phone call inviting me to attend, they sent me a lengthy e-mail explaining what I should expect and what they’ll expect from me. “Katie loves bright colors!” they said. I should “dress to impress,” with absolutely no black, brown, beige or gray, nothing dark or muted, and no prints.
Though I love Duke Ellington’s classic “Black, Brown and Beige,” I don’t cotton to those colors when it comes to my wardrobe unless they’re combined with something brighter. Nor do I usually wear straightforward primary and secondary colors. As an artist, I prefer subtler shades – and lots and lots of prints. But it’s Katie’s show, and she has the right to determine her own esthetic, so I’ll be hitting the January sales this week.
I thought I was well past the age of slavishly following someone else’s dress code, so why am I caving for Katie? Because except for a visit to the Conan O’Brien show many years ago, I’ve never set foot in the TV studio of a major network. Even though my novel is pure fantasy, I’m a stickler for accuracy, so I need to do some heavy-duty research. That’s more or less what I wrote in the online application in the section asking why I wanted to attend the show, and maybe it piqued the interest of some lowly intern processing the applications. I didn’t elaborate further, nor will I do so here.
I’m so excited about this story, so convinced it’s a high-concept project, as they say in Hollywood, that I’m not about to give away any specifics until it’s up on Kindle. Suffice it to say that it’s my first excursion into the paranormal, and it’s a lot more light-hearted and humorous than Eldercide or Mood Swing: The Bipolar Murders.
When inspiration struck last spring, I was slogging away at the sequel to Eldercide, but I was bogged down and blocked. My husband was planning to enter Script Frenzy, an offshoot of National Novel Writing Month, and he suggested I join him. The challenge: to write a 100-page film or TV script during the month of April.
JULIE
(Frowns as she sips coffee)
But I’ve got no desire whatsoever to write a script.
SPOUSE
Why not give it a try? What have you got to lose?
JULIE
That whole show-business world is so competitive, I’d never have a chance.
SPOUSE
Just do it for fun, as a creative exercise (pause as he gazes skyward) I know. What if you write about that show you always watch, and that actor you’re so crazy about?
JULIE
(brightens and grins)
Hmm . . . Maybe that could work.
FADE OUT
And so I took a flying leap into the unknown – a totally new format, a new genre – and before long I was having a ball. I made my quota of 100 pages in the 30 days of April, submitted my script for verification and printed out my winner’s certificate, but that only took me a third of the way into the story. Then began the challenge of turning it into a novel.
I’d hoped my new opus would be finished already, but now I’m aiming for the spring equinox on March 20th. I’m asking you, my readers, to help hold me to that deadline. I’ll post progress reports every week or two, and I hope you’ll leave comments to cheer me on. If I really buckle down, maybe I’ll be free to write another script in April. Well before then, I’ll blog about Script Frenzy in hopes of enticing you to join. In the meantime I plan to reconnect with the wonderful online community of writers, and beginning this Valentine’s Day, I’ll be hosting guest bloggers once again.
As I wrap up this post, I’m watching the Katie show. Though she doesn’t look it, she’s celebrating her 56th birthday today. And those women in the audience are all decked out in cheerfully brilliant colors. Time to head for the mall – since orange is my favorite color, I’m envisioning something in orange sherbet or tangerine.
What colors do you favor for your wardrobe? And how much are you willing to tweak your image for special occasions?
lennonsundance says
Whoah! I think that’s weird that someone should dress for a host. Forget that. I mean, I don’t think you should wear a see-thru dress (unless that’s your thing) but I don’t think I’d dress based upon a hosts preference for bright colors. Black. That’s my thing. Take it or leave it. And crayon-red hair. Deal. Thanks for your post!
www.julielomoe.wordpress.com says
Thanks for your input – I hope you’ll visit again.I’m the opposite of you – I virtually never wear black, and I clashed with someone doing a staged reading who requested that all the authors wear black “so no one would stand out.” I eventually caved, realizing she was the director, and as such had a right to superimpose her opinion. Same goes for Katie – she has a right to her own creation, including the overall visuals.
A year ago I joined a church choir for the first time in my life. All the individual voices need to blend harmoniously, and I wouldn’t insist on singing rap or hip hop (not that I could).
lennonsundance says
Good, good point. I never looked at it that way!
www.julielomoe.wordpress.com says
UPDATE: wonderful shopping success last night. At Burlington Coat Factory I found a faux-suede jacket in red-pepper orange for just $9.99, and an interesting knit top a few shades lighter – grand total $29.01. Don’t you just love a bargain? Does anyone else get that adrenaline rush from successful clothes hunting?
Marilyn E. Rothstein aka: M. E. kemp says
Turquoise is a color you wear well, Julie, although an orange shade would stand out. Sounds like fun! I have as much fashion sense as a vegan Lady Gaga. Actually, my granddaughter for Xmas gave me the 40th anniversary edition of David Bowie’s ZIGGY STARDUST album. Ziggy was way before Gaga in off the wall fashions – she even stole his shoes.
www.julielomoe.wordpress.com says
Love David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust period. Did you get a CD or a DVD? I went to both his Ziggy performances at Radio City Music Hall back in the day, took photos and included an image of him in my erotic geodesic womb dome in 1973 – but that’s a different story!