Thanks for featuring that Doctorow quote, Harvey, as well as the wonderful Lamott thought about it. I regard Doctorow's observation as the single best thing ever said about writing. To me, it also seems to captures the essence of "writing into the dark." The next time you write Dean Wesley Smith, can you ask him if he's familiar with the observation, and if it had any influence on his coining of the legendary WITD phrase. Thanks.
Had a choice moment after finishing a short story.
I meant to write about a voicey character trying to get a ghost to move on, but the idea of writing the story felt like mud. The problem is that the ghost's attitude is "life sucks why would I want to do it again?" and even the POV character is "I can't work with that. Can I go home watch TV?". So I'll come up with another, more fun reason why the ghost won't move on.
I started writing a story based on an another story I heard: a guy got locked out of his sauna and cabin. He heads out into the woods to find help. He's covered in lake water and nothing else. It's getting cold.
But look there's a church!
The police helped him get back inside the cabin.
I just have the locked out of sauna/cabin and church. Everything else is made up fantasy stuff.
You obviously are drawn to the ghost too. Start writing it. Soon s/he'll reveal why the attitide is what it is. :-) Maybe the ghost is the actual POV character, and s/he's kicking your chosen POV character to the curb. You'll never know if you don't write it. :-)
Thanks for featuring that Doctorow quote, Harvey, as well as the wonderful Lamott thought about it. I regard Doctorow's observation as the single best thing ever said about writing. To me, it also seems to captures the essence of "writing into the dark." The next time you write Dean Wesley Smith, can you ask him if he's familiar with the observation, and if it had any influence on his coining of the legendary WITD phrase. Thanks.
Hi Mardy, Sure, but the question would probably be better coming from you. His email is dean.wmgworkshops@gmail.com.
Great. Just wrote him. Will share what I've learned when he replies,
I might be tomorrow. Like I do, he keeps strange hours. :-)
Think of those zeros as blank canvases waiting to be splashed full of numbers. They soon will be.
Had a choice moment after finishing a short story.
I meant to write about a voicey character trying to get a ghost to move on, but the idea of writing the story felt like mud. The problem is that the ghost's attitude is "life sucks why would I want to do it again?" and even the POV character is "I can't work with that. Can I go home watch TV?". So I'll come up with another, more fun reason why the ghost won't move on.
I started writing a story based on an another story I heard: a guy got locked out of his sauna and cabin. He heads out into the woods to find help. He's covered in lake water and nothing else. It's getting cold.
But look there's a church!
The police helped him get back inside the cabin.
I just have the locked out of sauna/cabin and church. Everything else is made up fantasy stuff.
You obviously are drawn to the ghost too. Start writing it. Soon s/he'll reveal why the attitide is what it is. :-) Maybe the ghost is the actual POV character, and s/he's kicking your chosen POV character to the curb. You'll never know if you don't write it. :-)
I will :) I get drawn to several stories at once :D
Yup, that plagues me too, but it's a nice illness to have.