Well I may not be getting a lot of the physical things done—cleaning the cellar, sewing, building bookshelves, building P.C. Frankenstein, etc.—but I’m getting some thinking done.
While I’m still in Stress Time Zone (i.e., being awake at strange hours and catnapping along the way in strange places) I follow the wanderings of my mind and usually end up here, plunked down in front of one of three computers. If I can’t think a creative thought (“Amazing,” she told her best friend, Betsy, “how losers find each other in the crowd. Crossing boundaries of time and place to meet and recognize the need within; to feed each other exactly what we crave. To chew upon it, digest it, and vomit it back at each other.” – sorry, that was a creative moment.) then I sit here to further play with HTML on a test weblog I made up. Or tweak out Spinning. Or turn a Willie Nelson picture into hypertext html. Anything; rather than do the year end books or revise stories already written.
But what I’m thinking now, what I’m doing for my future, is bricklaying a few new paths. I must use bricks, even though the paths may not be taken, because I feel you should use the best material available to withstand the passage of time and feet. Flagstones are good, but there are spaces in between that allow for grassy doubt to grow—I think that’s what my problem’s been before. But what I’m thinking now, is not to go back to that novel I wrote five, six years ago. But write short stories. Not “The Perils of Pauline” but taking whacks at different characters, giving each a single problem to overcome in ten pages instead.
I even like the idea of black humor, irony, sardonic stories of normal people doing not so normal things. In keeping with this train of thought, I’m going to justify my sitting here today (and not working in the frameshop in zero-degree weather) by opening up a weblog of some stories (and yes, Lauren, I’ll even put in some of my poetry which I’ll beg to be critiqued and torn apart) and let you see that even if I’m not such a hot writer, at least I’m (and here’s that sacred word again) Prolific.
Either this today, or turn on Scandisk, Defrag, and Viruscan to preclude my using the computers at all for a few hours.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
Hi Susan,
You are among several writers that I’ve read or spoken to lately, that feel the need to put noveling aside for a while and try their hand at short stories. Personally, I think it’s an excellent idea! When I lay off the poetry a bit and complete my Faces of Cancer article, I plan on doing the same.
I believe that doing so will provide many useful purposes. You can continue exercising your writing craft and story creation in a shorter format. It will be easier to have your work critiqued by peers and friends. Most importantly in my eyes, is that you can use the shorter version as a springboard for a novel, by flushing out the plot, theme and central characters. Stephen R. Donaldson, a favorite sci-fi/fantasy author of mine, often began his tales as short stories, then fashioned them later into novels. And not to be overlooked is the gratification and enthusiasm you’ll experience by completing a project – one much more easily achieved than starting a new novel, but will inspire you on to the greater length when you are ready.
Simple-minded as I can be at times, I’m learning that the real point is to just keep writing. As long as you do, it doesn’t really matter what. You’ll learn. You’ll grow. You’ll be inspired to take bigger leaps.
Lauren