First off, what an honor to have my mentor read anything that I’ve written. Chuck, you are the reason (over 20 years ago) that I ever took a creative writing course in community college. I’m humbled beyond measure, as giddy as a teenage girl on prom night, and quite possibly semi-erect.
Moving right along…
First off, what an honor to have my mentor read anything that I’ve written. Chuck, you are the reason (over 20 years ago) that I ever took a creative writing course in community college. I’m humbled beyond measure, as giddy as a teenage girl on prom night, and quite possibly semi-erect.
Moving right along…
This is the fifth “episode” of a project I’m working on, entitled: Chronicles of a BarFly.
I say episode in quotations, because I wasn’t sure if “chapter” was appropriate. My intention was/is to release the story under as a serialized novel, for a few reasons.
First off, I have no idea what am doing. Consequently, the appeal of not having to adhere to any sort of chronological implications or specific settings was appealing (yet surprising challenging, I’ve come to learn.) The acts are meant to be (semi)cohesive and interconnected, but also act able to act independent of one another as their own “episode.”
The erratic nature of the story, the fragmented sentences, quick chops, are my attempt at mimicking the thought process of a fractured mind, as it slowly loses its grip on what real, and what’s not. I went for a 2nd person POV for the immersive aspects allowing the reader to dive as deep as they feel comfortable doing, without getting squeamish. There is definitely sensitive subject matter and a fuck ton of dick jokes.
Naturally.
All that said, I’m trying to take readers along for the ride, in real time, as shit hits the fan (this is a work of fiction, officer 👐🏻)
As for the ominous implications Amd undertones… we’ll. You’ll just have to wait and see. (Insert evil laugh track made by dead people. A Nod to you, Chuck. 👊🏻)
It is still a work in progress, and I’m currently rewriting the newest episodes, as well as re writing all previous scenes, in an effort to provide a bit more clarity. What limited feedback I have received, alluded to the reader being lost, as well.
But here’s the thing…
…that’s kind of the point. 🤓🤐⏳
If anyone is interested I’ll leave a link below to the rest of the episodes, right here on Substack. Might be worth noting that I obviously have no professional background in writing, other than writing all my life, and picking up what I can here and there (along with the aforementioned CC extracurricular endeavors.) Which is why, again, that this is such an amazing opportunity and experience. I’ve always written , never really felt like a choice… rather, a reflex of sorts. Or a response…
Instinctual to a point. Anyhoo, I realized a little late in life that my only choice is the quality of my work. Which I why I have sought out the best in the craft to learn from. You guys. And Professor P, of course. Aside from another blizzard, I’ll be there on Thursday. I feel so incredibly blessed…
Thanks for any and all feedback. You can’t hurt my feelings. Unless you say my cat is ugly. But dont go there, bro. I’m cereal.
Unless you sense that's it's too early, consider looking for common themes and interconnections in what you've got so far. I'd wager that you've written enough to discover your "horses" and once you identified them the rest of the book will be dictated by them.
Always go back to the Skipper's Seafood commercial: napkins, cups, signage, smiling people eating fish, food servers in uniform -- but everything demonstrates Skippers. The "horses' metaphor offered by Gordon Lish is that a wagon of settlers leaving St. Louis would be pulled by the same team of horses that arrive with it in California. The themes/dynamics/whatever that drive the story can be reinvented constantly and morphed, but must remain essentially the same. In my book 'Choke' the main horse is 'things that represent other things' so we have a clock that tells time with bird calls, coded security announcements, and ultimately a doctor who turns out to be a patient.
It's funny you should mention that, good sir. As fate would have it, I just recently managed to lasso up some wild stallions that escaped during the shit storm that is my life. I reckon its back on the saddle, and moseying on out west time for this dumbass.
Another question, if you will. What are your thoughts on spoken word format? Alot of my ever shrinking "inner circle" of relatives and cohorts have said they find it hard to read much anymore(another reason for the brief snippets/quick cuts/ fast pace An attempt tot adapt to the way storytelling changes, I suppose. Thoughts on that, perhaps?).
Back to the matter at hand. As of late, I try not to answer setbacks with more negatives, or with lamentation, rather I try to make it an opportunity to learn how to adapt to the whole process. Hence, making a podcast with the episodes in spoken word. It wasnt part of the plan but i'm glad that i did. Its tons of fun, and also allows me to emphasize tone at key points. That in itself is helping me find the voice of the MC and also gain some better understandings of what is working/what falls flat. Are the readings you mentioned before a regular thing? Thanks in advance.
First off, what an honor to have my mentor read anything that I’ve written. Chuck, you are the reason (over 20 years ago) that I ever took a creative writing course in community college. I’m humbled beyond measure, as giddy as a teenage girl on prom night, and quite possibly semi-erect.
Moving right along…
This is the fifth “episode” of a project I’m working on, entitled: Chronicles of a BarFly.
I say episode in quotations, because I wasn’t sure if “chapter” was appropriate. My intention was/is to release the story under as a serialized novel, for a few reasons.
First off, I have no idea what am doing. Consequently, the appeal of not having to adhere to any sort of chronological implications or specific settings was appealing (yet surprising challenging, I’ve come to learn.) The acts are meant to be (semi)cohesive and interconnected, but also act able to act independent of one another as their own “episode.”
The erratic nature of the story, the fragmented sentences, quick chops, are my attempt at mimicking the thought process of a fractured mind, as it slowly loses its grip on what real, and what’s not. I went for a 2nd person POV for the immersive aspects allowing the reader to dive as deep as they feel comfortable doing, without getting squeamish. There is definitely sensitive subject matter and a fuck ton of dick jokes.
Naturally.
All that said, I’m trying to take readers along for the ride, in real time, as shit hits the fan (this is a work of fiction, officer 👐🏻)
As for the ominous implications Amd undertones… we’ll. You’ll just have to wait and see. (Insert evil laugh track made by dead people. A Nod to you, Chuck. 👊🏻)
It is still a work in progress, and I’m currently rewriting the newest episodes, as well as re writing all previous scenes, in an effort to provide a bit more clarity. What limited feedback I have received, alluded to the reader being lost, as well.
But here’s the thing…
…that’s kind of the point. 🤓🤐⏳
If anyone is interested I’ll leave a link below to the rest of the episodes, right here on Substack. Might be worth noting that I obviously have no professional background in writing, other than writing all my life, and picking up what I can here and there (along with the aforementioned CC extracurricular endeavors.) Which is why, again, that this is such an amazing opportunity and experience. I’ve always written , never really felt like a choice… rather, a reflex of sorts. Or a response…
Instinctual to a point. Anyhoo, I realized a little late in life that my only choice is the quality of my work. Which I why I have sought out the best in the craft to learn from. You guys. And Professor P, of course. Aside from another blizzard, I’ll be there on Thursday. I feel so incredibly blessed…
Thanks for any and all feedback. You can’t hurt my feelings. Unless you say my cat is ugly. But dont go there, bro. I’m cereal.
That link 👇
https://erikknudtson.substack.com/p/the-haps
P.S.
(Also worth noting that in my mind, I’ve never written a lick of poetry. And that word was used two times to describe my stuff.
Fuck yea! 💪🏼🤙🏼
Unless you sense that's it's too early, consider looking for common themes and interconnections in what you've got so far. I'd wager that you've written enough to discover your "horses" and once you identified them the rest of the book will be dictated by them.
Always go back to the Skipper's Seafood commercial: napkins, cups, signage, smiling people eating fish, food servers in uniform -- but everything demonstrates Skippers. The "horses' metaphor offered by Gordon Lish is that a wagon of settlers leaving St. Louis would be pulled by the same team of horses that arrive with it in California. The themes/dynamics/whatever that drive the story can be reinvented constantly and morphed, but must remain essentially the same. In my book 'Choke' the main horse is 'things that represent other things' so we have a clock that tells time with bird calls, coded security announcements, and ultimately a doctor who turns out to be a patient.
It's funny you should mention that, good sir. As fate would have it, I just recently managed to lasso up some wild stallions that escaped during the shit storm that is my life. I reckon its back on the saddle, and moseying on out west time for this dumbass.
*perfectly rings the spittoon, and nods intently.
Me: Boss.
Another question, if you will. What are your thoughts on spoken word format? Alot of my ever shrinking "inner circle" of relatives and cohorts have said they find it hard to read much anymore(another reason for the brief snippets/quick cuts/ fast pace An attempt tot adapt to the way storytelling changes, I suppose. Thoughts on that, perhaps?).
Back to the matter at hand. As of late, I try not to answer setbacks with more negatives, or with lamentation, rather I try to make it an opportunity to learn how to adapt to the whole process. Hence, making a podcast with the episodes in spoken word. It wasnt part of the plan but i'm glad that i did. Its tons of fun, and also allows me to emphasize tone at key points. That in itself is helping me find the voice of the MC and also gain some better understandings of what is working/what falls flat. Are the readings you mentioned before a regular thing? Thanks in advance.
-E