A Writer's Notebook, Day Thirteen

I think I might be cutting through the block that I had with this story. though I am scared to admit that because writer's are, by nature, rather superstitious.  Never talk about a thing too much.  But, I feel it is worth discussing some of what I am figuring out, and to see if I can connect some thoughts that are triggering in the back of my mind a bit more explicitly.

For one, I have gotten to a point where the character of Bimble seems to be figuring out what is going on for himself, and is going to confront that situation in a way that will reveal a lot of the story in a way that makes sense to me.  I sense that I have allowed the character of Carter to be a bit too insular.  The character does not want to share, and it is not easy to force that out as a writer, but another character can doe that job, and that seems to be what is happening.

I also realize that I do not need to hold back information for the final moments, because the information that will matter at that moment will be something more and will be connected to an emotional resonance.  There are some things in the story that remain mysterious, and some are the largest and strangest things, but become taken for granted in a way that is interesting to me.

I'm also recognizing certain things that I like to play with in settings, perhaps things that I need to tone down in future stories to keep from being cliche, or rather that I need to find new and more interesting ways of creating these types of effects.  The warehouse that Bimble operates from is a strange place, and his way of working requires this, yet I feel a similarity between it as a place and a setting in my novel.  The two are quite different in most regards, and the setting is not central to novel (it appears only once, though at a pivotal moment early on), but I do see the connection.

A part of me is quite afraid to indulge those types of imagery too much.  I don't want to create too many stories that are the same, but on the other hand, I don't know if this is important for me to explore in a way that will only become clear as I keep going.  I think, more likely, I need to consider the question of what these aspects represent to me, what I think they create in terms of experience of the reader, and what else can serve those similar functions.

The most interesting thing, though, is recognizing that my hesitancy to share certain things, and my fear about sharing them, were actually qualities that I can now see are in the character as much as anything.  I am hopeful that some of this may have transferred through in a way, but more, I am glad to recognize that those feelings were connected and not signs that the story was not working,  I had the character in a situation that was wrong in many ways, and it still feels that way to them, but I recognize other aspects that are allowing me to see further.

I need to run, as I am still exhausted and overwhelmed, but I am glad to feel on track with the story at the moment,

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Writer's Notebook, Day Two-Hundred-And-Fifty

Each of the three pieces I wrote today was a bit of a struggle to get going, if I am honest.  That happens, as I have mentioned, and my answer is generally to just wait it out, and the results vary.  A lot of the time, if I am really stuck, I might try to force something out, often it winds up being a bit meta, with me writing about being stuck without much in terms of inspiration, and it feels a bit like I am working scales in a way.  All the aesthetic decisions are there, they just don't always have a lot of purpose behind them, and that is fine in that context.  Essentially, I am just forcing myself to do the work, and getting it done, and I am showing myself that I can and will do it even if inspiration never strikes.  This can often take pressure off, and that lack of pressure opens up creative thinking and inspiration. Now, that is a fine thing for me to do, and I am likely to use that approach again many times in the future, but today I felt that I want...
Read more

A Writer's Notebook, Day Three-Hundred-And-Sixty-Five

One of my teachers, the late poet Thomas Lux, was fond of pointing out that writing and publishing are two different things.  He stressed the need for a writer to focus on the work itself, not on the building of a career or the accumulation of publishing credits and other accolades.  Those things are not what a writer should be working towards, he would say, but instead the focus needs to be upon the craft.  He once expressed to me his belief that great work will always find a way into the world, even if it is after the artist has died.  Emily Dickinson is, of course, a prime example of this, though far from the only one.  That is a fine way to think about these things, but, and Lux also acknowledged this, to have a career as a writer requires doing all that other work. I tend to think that the writing itself is an important act on its own, having nothing to do with whether the work finds an audience immediately or not, and the publishing aspect as more of an ...
Read more

Le Guin, Steering The Craft, Chapter Five: Adjectives and Adverbs (Exercise Five, Chastity)

A note of apology for my lateness with this.  I had expected to have time earlier in the day, but it was not to be, alas.  Anyhow, I am still a bit nervous about this exercise, though it is clearly of significant import to Le Guin, as she points out that it is the only exercise that she has given to all of her workshops.  That, of course, does not alter my feelings about it, excepting that I am aware of it as something valuable and worth doing, so the fact that it is a bit daunting might well be seen, through that light, as a promise of reward, perhaps.  The more difficult the task, the more one has to gain, at least by some logic... Exercise Five: Chastity Mr. Torino was in charge.  He had his way.  It was the way.  Desktops are clean.  Nothing but work.  No pictures: not your kids; not your girl or wife; not (as Allen recounted) your car.   None of that.  No plants.  No cartoons.  That is for home, this is work....
Read more