Thank you Mr Palahniuk. Just lovely. I've recently started reading and writing more about addiction. Specifically opiate addiction. Unfortunately I don't have to turn far in order to get stories from others experiencing addiction or family members dealing with the fallout of addicted family members. When I was attending NA I was astonished by how often I thought "Are they talking about me?! That's MY story almost exactly!" I said that to myself so many times that I finally had to ask a fellow ex-addict if they experienced that same feeling in NA. Indeed they did. It takes a while to get used to.
With addiction my mind became bug-like or mouse-like. I was just always wondering when I was going to get the next hit/high. Nothing else mattered which was so freakin' boring. After a few years of this I just wanted it all to end it and I actually feared dying sober. It's really funny to think about that fear now but it's funny how most emotions are pretty much the same across the board.
First time I put on glasses the optician asked what I thought and I shrugged and said I didn't really notice a difference. He told me to turn around, so I did, to face the window. I was FLOORED that I could read the store signs across the street and a "holy shit are you fucking kidding me" fell out of my mouth
I now have a note file in my phone where every unpleasant occurrence or memory gets jotted down as material for stories. Takes away some of the sting. Going to expand that to include good things and pleasant memories/miracles.
This also reminds me of the story you told about a peer reading about the death of his dear daughter and a drunk guy stood up and said "Nobody gives a fuck about your dead daughter." That story really stuck with me because I realized that most of us have similar stories but we all seek stories to help us heal, grow, laugh or benefit in some way. As a writer I can't just cry and throw a fit without trying to reach the audience. If you want to do that then just write in your diary and close the book. Even The Gulag Archipelago managed to be funny and light hearted despite the sheer horror and brutality Solzhenitsyn laid out for his readers. His sense of humor and matter of fact tone while describing horrific events seared his book into my brain.
I enjoyed Greener Pastures and excited that the rewrite is coming together so fast.
Every time I’ve had temporary hearing loss (earwax) for the first day the sound of the world is so vivid, so intense. And by the next day it’s gone, after re-acclimatizing to full sound, it’s no longer special.
Your story reminds me of opiate withdrawals and realizing the world again. I remember when I was coming off of opiates. 90% of the pain of withdrawal symptoms is dealing with any kind of discomfort at all. And I mean everything. You have to learn how clothes feel. How to be alert. How a blanket feels over you when you fall asleep. You have to feel the full pain of hunger, boredom and insomnia after years of not dealing with it . It's horrifying.
To paraphrase what a colleague once said to me, we are too flawed as people to ever see how amazing the world truly is, only to glimpse at it before it leaves our grasp.
My memory was being the only one in almost my entire family who DIDN’T need glasses. Now that I’m over 40 my eyes ain’t what they used to be. I can’t read the labels on food without holding it away from my face. Used to be able to just put it right to my nose and read. Guess I have that to look forward to. On to the next chapter of life.
Thanks for the update, Chuck. Sorry about the Covid. I got it just a few weeks before we met it was the fucking worst covid I’ve had and Ive had it four times now. Thought I was going to die.
Anyways… I wish you could release both Greener Pastures and the new book together. That would be awesome.
My biggest change of perception was when I was 9 or 10. Playing with a toothbrush up my butt. The first time I realised that you can cum from the asshole was an epiphany for me.
I don't want to pry as to the catalyst, but had you considered hypnosis or NLP before you took it up? Like as a therapeutic tool? I think it still has a sort of theatrical/stage image, that makes it seem fun, rather than it being something to turn to when you need it, but in reality, it's super interesting and can be really beneficial. I'd love to try it, but delving into the recesses of your brain is somewhat terrifying.
Several years ago, I reached out to Sebastian Junger through a mutual friend to praise Tribe. It explained so much to me about my own life, and why I needed to travel. He told me that I should write about my travels, and planted the seed that sprouted 4 years later.
Also, this lets me know Im on the right track. Just have to figure out the best way to present the childhood aspects. I dont want to use flashbacks. Tried that, and it was too convenient. Theres a better path somewhere.
Great advice for a story I just finished. If only I waited an extra day before submitting it…
Congrats on the novel! Looking forward to reading it.
Me too! So exciting!
Thank you Mr Palahniuk. Just lovely. I've recently started reading and writing more about addiction. Specifically opiate addiction. Unfortunately I don't have to turn far in order to get stories from others experiencing addiction or family members dealing with the fallout of addicted family members. When I was attending NA I was astonished by how often I thought "Are they talking about me?! That's MY story almost exactly!" I said that to myself so many times that I finally had to ask a fellow ex-addict if they experienced that same feeling in NA. Indeed they did. It takes a while to get used to.
With addiction my mind became bug-like or mouse-like. I was just always wondering when I was going to get the next hit/high. Nothing else mattered which was so freakin' boring. After a few years of this I just wanted it all to end it and I actually feared dying sober. It's really funny to think about that fear now but it's funny how most emotions are pretty much the same across the board.
First time I put on glasses the optician asked what I thought and I shrugged and said I didn't really notice a difference. He told me to turn around, so I did, to face the window. I was FLOORED that I could read the store signs across the street and a "holy shit are you fucking kidding me" fell out of my mouth
Sounds like a very effective method to ensure relatability. I like it.
Looking forward to October!
I now have a note file in my phone where every unpleasant occurrence or memory gets jotted down as material for stories. Takes away some of the sting. Going to expand that to include good things and pleasant memories/miracles.
Gave me a lot to think about, thanks!
This also reminds me of the story you told about a peer reading about the death of his dear daughter and a drunk guy stood up and said "Nobody gives a fuck about your dead daughter." That story really stuck with me because I realized that most of us have similar stories but we all seek stories to help us heal, grow, laugh or benefit in some way. As a writer I can't just cry and throw a fit without trying to reach the audience. If you want to do that then just write in your diary and close the book. Even The Gulag Archipelago managed to be funny and light hearted despite the sheer horror and brutality Solzhenitsyn laid out for his readers. His sense of humor and matter of fact tone while describing horrific events seared his book into my brain.
Thank you, Chuck!
Question: are you doing hypnosis as research for a future project?
I enjoyed Greener Pastures and excited that the rewrite is coming together so fast.
Every time I’ve had temporary hearing loss (earwax) for the first day the sound of the world is so vivid, so intense. And by the next day it’s gone, after re-acclimatizing to full sound, it’s no longer special.
Your story reminds me of opiate withdrawals and realizing the world again. I remember when I was coming off of opiates. 90% of the pain of withdrawal symptoms is dealing with any kind of discomfort at all. And I mean everything. You have to learn how clothes feel. How to be alert. How a blanket feels over you when you fall asleep. You have to feel the full pain of hunger, boredom and insomnia after years of not dealing with it . It's horrifying.
To paraphrase what a colleague once said to me, we are too flawed as people to ever see how amazing the world truly is, only to glimpse at it before it leaves our grasp.
So wonderful!
My memory was being the only one in almost my entire family who DIDN’T need glasses. Now that I’m over 40 my eyes ain’t what they used to be. I can’t read the labels on food without holding it away from my face. Used to be able to just put it right to my nose and read. Guess I have that to look forward to. On to the next chapter of life.
Thanks for the update, Chuck. Sorry about the Covid. I got it just a few weeks before we met it was the fucking worst covid I’ve had and Ive had it four times now. Thought I was going to die.
Anyways… I wish you could release both Greener Pastures and the new book together. That would be awesome.
When I got my first glasses in second grade, I was so enthralled by the leaves on trees. They'd just been colored blobs before, like a kid's drawing.
Damn you write fast Mr. Chuck, congrats on the new novel.
My biggest change of perception was when I was 9 or 10. Playing with a toothbrush up my butt. The first time I realised that you can cum from the asshole was an epiphany for me.
The bristle end?
Lol
Congrats on the quick hardcover, Chuck! That’s awesome. Can’t wait to read it.
Excellent news all round!
I don't want to pry as to the catalyst, but had you considered hypnosis or NLP before you took it up? Like as a therapeutic tool? I think it still has a sort of theatrical/stage image, that makes it seem fun, rather than it being something to turn to when you need it, but in reality, it's super interesting and can be really beneficial. I'd love to try it, but delving into the recesses of your brain is somewhat terrifying.
Several years ago, I reached out to Sebastian Junger through a mutual friend to praise Tribe. It explained so much to me about my own life, and why I needed to travel. He told me that I should write about my travels, and planted the seed that sprouted 4 years later.
Also, this lets me know Im on the right track. Just have to figure out the best way to present the childhood aspects. I dont want to use flashbacks. Tried that, and it was too convenient. Theres a better path somewhere.