Secret? Substack allows you to pre-load articles. While getting ready for tour, I wrote and scheduled as many as I could so there would be less of a lull. It's called being 'proactive' and my boss at Freightliner loved it.
Im pretty confident that I can see whats really being sorted out in your work. But Im sure I get some of it wrong. Lullaby is an obvious one.
Have you heard or read what Alan Moore has to say about Magick? How what we think of as magick is actually just language, and how it affects us? Spelling/casting a spell. Grammar/grimoire. When wielded skillfully, language can coax a person of out self absorption, or out of living in the future (anxiety), or living in the past (depression). Our brains are so much more powerful than we can comprehend. Especially in terms of our connections to one another. I believe that Alan is correct. And my quality of life has been greatly enhanced by this sort of grounded magical thinking.
Also, this was a great read. Appreciate you. I thought Rosemarys Baby had to do with Roe v Wade?
In a general way, I'd always thought it was about women's health care. Then on my millionth read I caught the bootie detail, where Rosemary thinks to herself about what a terrible knitter Laura Louise is and how the baby's feet turn out to be much like those of Lobster Boy.
It all ties together loosely, at least. Also loosely related: I recall arguing with my oldest friend 20 years ago. I wanted to watch Rosemary's Baby and he wanted to watch Peewee's Big Adventure. My girlfriend took his side.
Sadly, that friend fell off the deep end into drugs a few years ago and completely blew up his life. I reckon that's where avoiding negative emotions at all costs gets us.
Chuck, I love how you seamlessly threaded so many stories together. Some writers bury the story behind the story deeper than others. Others, Hubert Selby comes to mind, attack their demons head on.
Again, this is the trick of Minimalism. To give many difference versions of the same thing. The themes that Tom and Lish called "your horses." As in, "What are your horses in this story?"
I think that the therapy sessions in Fight Club are a metaphor for how many writers use writing as a form of talk therapy or group therapy.
Notice how many comments here are just to be heard? It's like we need validation but can't talk about the things that made us want to write in the first place.
Perhaps once we get over all our shit then we'll emerge from out of our shells and be strong enough to withstand the pain of nobody caring. Make them care about something they care about and use a metaphor as transference.
Suss out metaphors by asking yourself what makes people stop to listen, to get involved, to feel as if they aren't too scared to go up against what you had to deal with all by yourself.
Beautiful post, Chuck. I especially like, "I’ve not revealed any of the real dangerous personal issues in my own writing. I’m not going to." After reading this, I looked (and confirmed) that the bit about Ms. Bancroft did what all revelations do: it showed up on a Wikipedia page. It's now a bit of trivia. I like that I can live with a book like Fight Club for over twenty years and have my theories, responses, emotions, and frustrations with the book—and never really have the "Oh, I happen to know that the secret code—Chuck's secret code—is xxxxxxx." In all the Dangerous Writing books you listed, the power is in the book. It's there, whether or not we can spot it. It's subtle. And the hidden source (that the book jacket doesn't say, "An allegory about dangerous chemicals") keeps novels from becoming bits of ideology or relying on their "message" so much that the actual story is irrelevant. Good stuff.
Another odd fact. I've read that Vonnegut's book 'Cat's Cradle' is about the disaster of 'Ice 9' but REALLY about how Vonnegut's scientist brother experimented with cloud seeding and accidentally triggered massive flooding that killed many people in Great Britain. The guilt was with his brother until his own death. Vonnegut had to deal with that pain with a metaphor.
I heard Max Brooks mention that he had dyslexia so his mom quit acting to help her son. Maybe that’s also in World War Z , how people stay home or in small groups to do what they have to do, survive.
Can I print this and hand out copies at our story night? I enjoy good stories, I enjoy stories I don't like because I appreciate the process. I love metaphor rooted from experience.
And actually that's a general question. Can I print out your writing advice oriented columns occasionally and hand out? It might encourage more people to sign up for your substack. I get a lot out of them. I was quoting your column about WWII vets using their experiences to write fiction just last night.
I'm honestly very surprised they'd commission that- they're a very conservative paper here, aimed at an older readership, who have gone increasingly down the line of articles with 'anti woke' and 'climate change is a fiction' as an agenda as they chase readers.
I'm fascinated that they would think there was a crossover between their readers and yours.
This is exactly what I needed to read right now. Thank you for this. I can’t tell you how much this impacts me, but one day, maybe, I can show it with my writing.
Was thinking about something you said a while ago. About your star sign, Pisces, being the only water sign without a shell. And how you need to have that ongoing story in your head to focus on. How issues in life don't seem as daunting in comparison. I asked you what happens when you don't have that shell and I think you said you were miserable. You started beef with friends, took Ambien, drank.
And I realized that's pretty much how I live. Without that shell. Which is strange because I'm a Scorpio. And I think it's all because I'm not writing about things that are dangerous. Or maybe not dangerous enough.
Do you have any tips on how to find dangerous topics in my life? Because all I can come up with is death or perhaps physical or emotional trauma.
Oh definitely. In the hands of a skilled writer, trauma can make for devastating pieces. I can't be near a swimming pool anymore without covering my rectum in fear because of Guts.
This was great. Thx Chuck
Did you ask Max Brooks the question about the book and his mother after having wrote ‘Damned’?
Thanks for this, I talked with someone at great length at the book signing yesterday, just about this.
Also, damn. You just spent a whole day socializing, then share this the next day. You have so much strength.
Chuck is a beast haha
Secret? Substack allows you to pre-load articles. While getting ready for tour, I wrote and scheduled as many as I could so there would be less of a lull. It's called being 'proactive' and my boss at Freightliner loved it.
Hit me when and where I needed to be hit.
And hard.
Im pretty confident that I can see whats really being sorted out in your work. But Im sure I get some of it wrong. Lullaby is an obvious one.
Have you heard or read what Alan Moore has to say about Magick? How what we think of as magick is actually just language, and how it affects us? Spelling/casting a spell. Grammar/grimoire. When wielded skillfully, language can coax a person of out self absorption, or out of living in the future (anxiety), or living in the past (depression). Our brains are so much more powerful than we can comprehend. Especially in terms of our connections to one another. I believe that Alan is correct. And my quality of life has been greatly enhanced by this sort of grounded magical thinking.
Also, this was a great read. Appreciate you. I thought Rosemarys Baby had to do with Roe v Wade?
In a general way, I'd always thought it was about women's health care. Then on my millionth read I caught the bootie detail, where Rosemary thinks to herself about what a terrible knitter Laura Louise is and how the baby's feet turn out to be much like those of Lobster Boy.
https://sometimes-interesting.com/story-of-grady-stiles/
It all ties together loosely, at least. Also loosely related: I recall arguing with my oldest friend 20 years ago. I wanted to watch Rosemary's Baby and he wanted to watch Peewee's Big Adventure. My girlfriend took his side.
Sadly, that friend fell off the deep end into drugs a few years ago and completely blew up his life. I reckon that's where avoiding negative emotions at all costs gets us.
Thank you so much for this.
The shitting out a lump of coal metaphor will stick with me for a long time. Thank you good sir
I loved this too
Chuck, I love how you seamlessly threaded so many stories together. Some writers bury the story behind the story deeper than others. Others, Hubert Selby comes to mind, attack their demons head on.
Again, this is the trick of Minimalism. To give many difference versions of the same thing. The themes that Tom and Lish called "your horses." As in, "What are your horses in this story?"
Does anybody have any useful tricks on sussing out ideas for fiction metaphors?
I think that the therapy sessions in Fight Club are a metaphor for how many writers use writing as a form of talk therapy or group therapy.
Notice how many comments here are just to be heard? It's like we need validation but can't talk about the things that made us want to write in the first place.
Perhaps once we get over all our shit then we'll emerge from out of our shells and be strong enough to withstand the pain of nobody caring. Make them care about something they care about and use a metaphor as transference.
Suss out metaphors by asking yourself what makes people stop to listen, to get involved, to feel as if they aren't too scared to go up against what you had to deal with all by yourself.
Agreed. It's sweet. Like a kind of echolocation. Or the way birds call across space.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_echolocation
Beautiful post, Chuck. I especially like, "I’ve not revealed any of the real dangerous personal issues in my own writing. I’m not going to." After reading this, I looked (and confirmed) that the bit about Ms. Bancroft did what all revelations do: it showed up on a Wikipedia page. It's now a bit of trivia. I like that I can live with a book like Fight Club for over twenty years and have my theories, responses, emotions, and frustrations with the book—and never really have the "Oh, I happen to know that the secret code—Chuck's secret code—is xxxxxxx." In all the Dangerous Writing books you listed, the power is in the book. It's there, whether or not we can spot it. It's subtle. And the hidden source (that the book jacket doesn't say, "An allegory about dangerous chemicals") keeps novels from becoming bits of ideology or relying on their "message" so much that the actual story is irrelevant. Good stuff.
Another odd fact. I've read that Vonnegut's book 'Cat's Cradle' is about the disaster of 'Ice 9' but REALLY about how Vonnegut's scientist brother experimented with cloud seeding and accidentally triggered massive flooding that killed many people in Great Britain. The guilt was with his brother until his own death. Vonnegut had to deal with that pain with a metaphor.
Wow. Just read one of his ;’Mother Night’. Now I’m so keen to read more.
I had no idea of this. Cat’s Cradle is my favorite story of Vonnegut’s, and seeing the metaphor applied is truly remarkable!
I heard Max Brooks mention that he had dyslexia so his mom quit acting to help her son. Maybe that’s also in World War Z , how people stay home or in small groups to do what they have to do, survive.
Can I print this and hand out copies at our story night? I enjoy good stories, I enjoy stories I don't like because I appreciate the process. I love metaphor rooted from experience.
Memoir?
A story by Eric Iversen.
"I'm sad."
The end.
And actually that's a general question. Can I print out your writing advice oriented columns occasionally and hand out? It might encourage more people to sign up for your substack. I get a lot out of them. I was quoting your column about WWII vets using their experiences to write fiction just last night.
I've no problem with that. This piece is already in a newspaper.
Learning that Anne would eat her dog if she had to makes her more attractive. I like a gal who can survive a harsh winter.
I'd could eat some Poodle if it's seasoned lol
oh shit. This is super relevant to my story.
The Daily Telegraph? Wow.
I'm honestly very surprised they'd commission that- they're a very conservative paper here, aimed at an older readership, who have gone increasingly down the line of articles with 'anti woke' and 'climate change is a fiction' as an agenda as they chase readers.
I'm fascinated that they would think there was a crossover between their readers and yours.
Thanks for posting on on here!
I thought the same thing! I wouldn't have paired the Telegraph with transgressive fiction.
It turns out I jumped the gun. They had yet to published this when I posted it. I do apologize to The Telegraph. Crossed wires.
This is exactly what I needed to read right now. Thank you for this. I can’t tell you how much this impacts me, but one day, maybe, I can show it with my writing.
Same
Was thinking about something you said a while ago. About your star sign, Pisces, being the only water sign without a shell. And how you need to have that ongoing story in your head to focus on. How issues in life don't seem as daunting in comparison. I asked you what happens when you don't have that shell and I think you said you were miserable. You started beef with friends, took Ambien, drank.
And I realized that's pretty much how I live. Without that shell. Which is strange because I'm a Scorpio. And I think it's all because I'm not writing about things that are dangerous. Or maybe not dangerous enough.
Do you have any tips on how to find dangerous topics in my life? Because all I can come up with is death or perhaps physical or emotional trauma.
Thanks Chuck, great piece.
Are those not dangerous enough? Trauma converted into writing can be horrific.
Oh definitely. In the hands of a skilled writer, trauma can make for devastating pieces. I can't be near a swimming pool anymore without covering my rectum in fear because of Guts.
Thinking..... I don't want to answer with bullshit, so I'll give this more consideration.
Appreciate it. Take your time.