Kurt Vonnegut had this amazing lecture on YouTube. About time lines. It may not be the exact same advice but it’s always helped when I’m writing. https://youtu.be/GOGru_4z1Vc
Also you just gave me the idea I should probably write a chapter I will never only use sparsely as my character soapbox. Maybe I should do that for all of my characters.
He's brilliant. The Vonnegut Museum in Indianapolis is pretty cool. I had something weird happen recently. Was looking for a Kurt quote from Pity the Reader, and happened upon an article about this hack writer who did a biography that portrays Kurt as abusive, focuses on his negative qualities, etc. The next day I was talking to this gal I met online, got on the subject of Vonnegut, and it turned out that the negative bio author was her father. Kurt obviously had PTSD, and Im sure he was a jerk sometimes, but he was also a very sweet man.
Love that lecture! Also, the Vonnegut documentary that came out in 2021 (called "Unstuck In Time," of course) was fantastic if you haven't seen it yet.
The soapbox for your new novel sounds great! With global warming and climate/environmental issues being a hot topic, the idea of people being “sponges” for all of humanity’s filth and how we’re the only thing we properly dispose of is a brilliant notion. Can’t wait for it’s release! (next year???)
Btw, I started the ten weeks of writing project that I said I’d keep to in yesterdays post. I did the math and worked out that if I stuck to writing for a certain amount time and and hit so many words per day, by the end of the 10 weeks/summer I’ll have a 200+ page book give or take (which is what I’m aiming for). I recall Douglas Coupland once saying that his average word count for a day was 450-500 words and that once he had his words it gave him a kind of protective shield; the rest of the day could be “a flaming bag of dog shit”. I think the man may have been onto something with that.
Hope everyone has a great time at workshop tonight! Always remember that the mic stand makes for a decent weapon should the crowd turn on you.
I've adopted word count targets instead of time targets and I've found it to be much more motivating. I often surpass my word count target as well, which creates real forward momentum. Good luck with the writing!
A few years ago I quit my job and focussed only on writing for 12 months straight. Looked for writing competitions, wrote like a maniac.
I bumped into this big writing competition I really cared about, sat down started writing and don’t know what happened. Planets aligned, a fortunate series of coincidences, don’t know, no idea, but I wrote 5k words in 48h. It was good. I loved it. I laughed so much working on it.
I remember I thought, “What the hell, what’s all that big fuss about writing block and stuff. I can write a book in 2 weeks. Damn, I’m good at this.”
It turned out it never happened again. Never ever managed to wrote such a good stuff in such a short amount of time. The story didn’t get picked up. Although it’s one of those I still cherish today.
What I’m trying to say is that 500 words a day is great pace to have. Keep up the good work Brandan. And good luck with your writing.
Thanks, man. I’m hoping in all honesty to achieve what you did -- to create something I cherish. If I can at least do that with this 10-week writing project, I’ll consider it a success.
Man, honestly, this is just my humble opinion, the opinion of someone who pretends to be a writer a never made anything out of it other than having fun but you know, your face changes. Your hair gets greyer, gets thinner. Your interior decor taste grinds new styles, that coffee table you had 10 years ago, now you find it lame, démodé. Your music taste evolves, and so does change what you like reading and writing.
What you write now and looks great, you’ll look back in 2, 3 years time and think, “Da hell was I thinking?”
What you write now is fun, and interesting, and great to read in this very moment of your life. And that’s how it should be.
Just have fun with it. Lots of it. Otherwise there’s no point.
It’s great advice, man. It’s natural to look back on stuff with a differing view -- a sign that your getting older, and getting wiser hopefully. And yeah, what’s the point in writing if your not having fun, enjoying yourself? Take some enjoyment from what you do or don’t do it; no one’s forcing you to write except yourself (I’m both assuming and hoping).
Also, and this is just my opinion, I don’t think someone who writes is pretending to be a writer -- they’re a writer; by definition they’re a writer. Being an author can be seen as a rank, I guess, but that doesn’t change the fact that people who don’t have that rank (yet) aren’t writers. I mean, is a writer someone who gets one book published and calls it quits or is a writer someone who writes continually regardless of if they get published and if so to what quantity?
Like you say, It all comes down to how much you enjoy it; how much value you both derive and place on it. And I think that mentality can probably be broadly applied to a majority of things in life, but it’s probably best not to go down that philosophical rabbit hole and turn this post into a thread on “value placement and displacement”. Another time though maybe...
You know what does mess up my big writing theory tho? Chuck and his work.
I swear, whatever I pick and re-read, novels from 20, 15, 10 years ago, it doesn’t matter, I still love them to bits today. When I re-read them I always spot something new, some quirky clever bits I somehow missed before.
That’s when you enjoy something across decades that you know you’ve found something really special. I mean, that’s also the reason we’re all here every week and every post I suppose 😂.
Wait, do you also re-read your comments after you post them? I always do that too. Hahaha. Cracking myself up.
Anyway nope, you don’t sound like a douche. You sound like someone who’s extremely passionate and motivated and put quite some thought into what he’s doing. And you will always have all my respect for that.
When my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer she asked my three favorite colors. She wanted to crochet an afghan in those colors so I'd remember her after her death. Then, she didn't die. Thirty years later she saw that afghan and winced and said, "Let me make you a better one."
I nicely declined at the time. Now she's been dead for twenty years, and I still nap with that original afghan. Someday you'll appreciate everything as the best you could accomplish at the time. And each is a step or an experiment worth the effort.
My grandma crocheted a queen-size blanket for me when I was 18 and leaving for university. She wanted to use 'cool colours'. She used lime, purple, black and neon orange. She's 93 this year and can no longer crochet. That blanket is the still the best one I have. There's something about afghan blankets that says home.
Thank you for sharing the helpful writing lens of Suzy Vitello to avoid flat Point A to Point B storytelling. I think it might be interesting to have two strong characters oppose each other with differing worldview/philosophy. Like two religious zealots, or cult leaders or politicians.
On a side note, a few weeks back you threw out "Let's Go Play at the Adams'" as a possible read. I just finished it. Very disturbing and well written. What a 70s time capsule! I tried to learn more about the author since the worldview/philosophy was very "unwoke" compared to contemporary literature but unfortunately it seems he has only the one fiction book. His other writing is non-fiction about sailing. Kind of funny considering the themes of the fiction book. I loved the shifting POV between characters and was sad when the book was finished for a number of reasons. Thanks for the book rec.
Good luck working on your new book. Looking forward to reading it.
What works better - a character with a philosophy/ worldview that they struggle with, or a character with a philosophy/ worldview that they have firm convictions about?
This is a great post which I am going to read several times.
I was flipping channels the other night and somehow Brad Pitt in Fight Club came up. Someone said most young men want to have Brad Pitt's body in that movie. Then someone said all women want his body in that movie.
Then, "that was a while ago, at this point Brad Pitt wants Brad Pitt's body in that movie."
I love this. I have spent the last few years working with a developmental editor who has hammered home that subtext is where the story lies. The motivation, the emotion, all of that is all that matters. He had me watch shows, read books, anything to get me to understand the importance of subtext. You have beautifully described why subtext can make or break a story taking it from mediocre to meteoric. I remember him once telling me, "I don't care if your story is about how you woke up and took a dump. Make me understand why I should care about YOUR dump and I will happily read it."
Seems to me the real hard part is the method with which one presents such a rationalization/justification. Thought verbs aren't allowed. Ping-pong conversations aren't allowed. Long spiels of thought process without action might lose the readers easily. What are some of the methods to present the vertical of the story besides short powerful speeches? I assume we strive to create scenes where such ideas are communicated one way or another?
"The population explosion was engineered to provide more people who could inhale the asbestos from 9-11 and sieve the mercury and heavy metals from the sea. Our livers and fatty tissues collect all the muck and viruses, and the only thing people really do dispose of properly is our own bodies. "
Not to d-ride on you too hard here Mr. P but something I think you do better than almost anyone is to pluck an idea from the zeitgeist, something we all feel and that is just starting to be talked about, and blow it up into compelling or hilarious satire.
I spend a lot of time and other resources following alternative health news and one idea that's become prevalant (and that I'm a proponent of) is that our environment has become toxic in more ways than we can hope to understand. It sounds woo-woo but our cells really are under attack by everything from metals to mold to microplastics to microwaves. So, it seems you've taken that idea and flipped the script, so to speak. Looking forward to reading it.
Yeah. The first couple of stories I wrote were heavily Palahniuk-esque. Once I had around three published I made it a point to try and not sound like that, which has been difficult.
An idea as a hook, possibly even an actionable advisory idea. Dig it, and believe I did this intuitively already, maybe, probably not.
Kurt Vonnegut had this amazing lecture on YouTube. About time lines. It may not be the exact same advice but it’s always helped when I’m writing. https://youtu.be/GOGru_4z1Vc
Also you just gave me the idea I should probably write a chapter I will never only use sparsely as my character soapbox. Maybe I should do that for all of my characters.
Just a different perspective of vertical vs horizontal.
He’s so funny too.
He's brilliant. The Vonnegut Museum in Indianapolis is pretty cool. I had something weird happen recently. Was looking for a Kurt quote from Pity the Reader, and happened upon an article about this hack writer who did a biography that portrays Kurt as abusive, focuses on his negative qualities, etc. The next day I was talking to this gal I met online, got on the subject of Vonnegut, and it turned out that the negative bio author was her father. Kurt obviously had PTSD, and Im sure he was a jerk sometimes, but he was also a very sweet man.
Wow! Small world!
Love that lecture! Also, the Vonnegut documentary that came out in 2021 (called "Unstuck In Time," of course) was fantastic if you haven't seen it yet.
Seen it, it was great
Thanks for the tip!!
Loved the Vonnegut video, "Beginning and Entropy."
Ooh, not sure I've seen that one. Do you have a link?
This should be it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BARmB82_FU
Oh yes! Have seen this one, but thanks for the link! I'll file it away
I need a T-shirt that says Antics is not enough. (Even with the singular verb).
I just got a Tshirt that says "Big Uterus Energy" and I absolutely love it.
What? That’s amazing. I need one!
The singular verb was intentional. Just so you know.
The soapbox for your new novel sounds great! With global warming and climate/environmental issues being a hot topic, the idea of people being “sponges” for all of humanity’s filth and how we’re the only thing we properly dispose of is a brilliant notion. Can’t wait for it’s release! (next year???)
Btw, I started the ten weeks of writing project that I said I’d keep to in yesterdays post. I did the math and worked out that if I stuck to writing for a certain amount time and and hit so many words per day, by the end of the 10 weeks/summer I’ll have a 200+ page book give or take (which is what I’m aiming for). I recall Douglas Coupland once saying that his average word count for a day was 450-500 words and that once he had his words it gave him a kind of protective shield; the rest of the day could be “a flaming bag of dog shit”. I think the man may have been onto something with that.
Hope everyone has a great time at workshop tonight! Always remember that the mic stand makes for a decent weapon should the crowd turn on you.
I've adopted word count targets instead of time targets and I've found it to be much more motivating. I often surpass my word count target as well, which creates real forward momentum. Good luck with the writing!
Thank you!
A few years ago I quit my job and focussed only on writing for 12 months straight. Looked for writing competitions, wrote like a maniac.
I bumped into this big writing competition I really cared about, sat down started writing and don’t know what happened. Planets aligned, a fortunate series of coincidences, don’t know, no idea, but I wrote 5k words in 48h. It was good. I loved it. I laughed so much working on it.
I remember I thought, “What the hell, what’s all that big fuss about writing block and stuff. I can write a book in 2 weeks. Damn, I’m good at this.”
It turned out it never happened again. Never ever managed to wrote such a good stuff in such a short amount of time. The story didn’t get picked up. Although it’s one of those I still cherish today.
What I’m trying to say is that 500 words a day is great pace to have. Keep up the good work Brandan. And good luck with your writing.
Thanks, man. I’m hoping in all honesty to achieve what you did -- to create something I cherish. If I can at least do that with this 10-week writing project, I’ll consider it a success.
Man, honestly, this is just my humble opinion, the opinion of someone who pretends to be a writer a never made anything out of it other than having fun but you know, your face changes. Your hair gets greyer, gets thinner. Your interior decor taste grinds new styles, that coffee table you had 10 years ago, now you find it lame, démodé. Your music taste evolves, and so does change what you like reading and writing.
What you write now and looks great, you’ll look back in 2, 3 years time and think, “Da hell was I thinking?”
What you write now is fun, and interesting, and great to read in this very moment of your life. And that’s how it should be.
Just have fun with it. Lots of it. Otherwise there’s no point.
Again, that’s just me though.
It’s great advice, man. It’s natural to look back on stuff with a differing view -- a sign that your getting older, and getting wiser hopefully. And yeah, what’s the point in writing if your not having fun, enjoying yourself? Take some enjoyment from what you do or don’t do it; no one’s forcing you to write except yourself (I’m both assuming and hoping).
Also, and this is just my opinion, I don’t think someone who writes is pretending to be a writer -- they’re a writer; by definition they’re a writer. Being an author can be seen as a rank, I guess, but that doesn’t change the fact that people who don’t have that rank (yet) aren’t writers. I mean, is a writer someone who gets one book published and calls it quits or is a writer someone who writes continually regardless of if they get published and if so to what quantity?
Like you say, It all comes down to how much you enjoy it; how much value you both derive and place on it. And I think that mentality can probably be broadly applied to a majority of things in life, but it’s probably best not to go down that philosophical rabbit hole and turn this post into a thread on “value placement and displacement”. Another time though maybe...
Ahhaha rabbit holes are my favourite.
You know what does mess up my big writing theory tho? Chuck and his work.
I swear, whatever I pick and re-read, novels from 20, 15, 10 years ago, it doesn’t matter, I still love them to bits today. When I re-read them I always spot something new, some quirky clever bits I somehow missed before.
That’s when you enjoy something across decades that you know you’ve found something really special. I mean, that’s also the reason we’re all here every week and every post I suppose 😂.
Amen to the last paragraph, man. Amen.
Christ. I sound like an enlightened douchebag giving a TED-talk in the second paragraph lol
Wait, do you also re-read your comments after you post them? I always do that too. Hahaha. Cracking myself up.
Anyway nope, you don’t sound like a douche. You sound like someone who’s extremely passionate and motivated and put quite some thought into what he’s doing. And you will always have all my respect for that.
Agreed.
When my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer she asked my three favorite colors. She wanted to crochet an afghan in those colors so I'd remember her after her death. Then, she didn't die. Thirty years later she saw that afghan and winced and said, "Let me make you a better one."
I nicely declined at the time. Now she's been dead for twenty years, and I still nap with that original afghan. Someday you'll appreciate everything as the best you could accomplish at the time. And each is a step or an experiment worth the effort.
God, I love being here so much.
My grandma crocheted a queen-size blanket for me when I was 18 and leaving for university. She wanted to use 'cool colours'. She used lime, purple, black and neon orange. She's 93 this year and can no longer crochet. That blanket is the still the best one I have. There's something about afghan blankets that says home.
Thank you for sharing the helpful writing lens of Suzy Vitello to avoid flat Point A to Point B storytelling. I think it might be interesting to have two strong characters oppose each other with differing worldview/philosophy. Like two religious zealots, or cult leaders or politicians.
On a side note, a few weeks back you threw out "Let's Go Play at the Adams'" as a possible read. I just finished it. Very disturbing and well written. What a 70s time capsule! I tried to learn more about the author since the worldview/philosophy was very "unwoke" compared to contemporary literature but unfortunately it seems he has only the one fiction book. His other writing is non-fiction about sailing. Kind of funny considering the themes of the fiction book. I loved the shifting POV between characters and was sad when the book was finished for a number of reasons. Thanks for the book rec.
Good luck working on your new book. Looking forward to reading it.
What works better - a character with a philosophy/ worldview that they struggle with, or a character with a philosophy/ worldview that they have firm convictions about?
This is a great post which I am going to read several times.
I was flipping channels the other night and somehow Brad Pitt in Fight Club came up. Someone said most young men want to have Brad Pitt's body in that movie. Then someone said all women want his body in that movie.
Then, "that was a while ago, at this point Brad Pitt wants Brad Pitt's body in that movie."
He’s still a silver fox even with his wrinkles and chub.
I love this. I have spent the last few years working with a developmental editor who has hammered home that subtext is where the story lies. The motivation, the emotion, all of that is all that matters. He had me watch shows, read books, anything to get me to understand the importance of subtext. You have beautifully described why subtext can make or break a story taking it from mediocre to meteoric. I remember him once telling me, "I don't care if your story is about how you woke up and took a dump. Make me understand why I should care about YOUR dump and I will happily read it."
Seems to me the real hard part is the method with which one presents such a rationalization/justification. Thought verbs aren't allowed. Ping-pong conversations aren't allowed. Long spiels of thought process without action might lose the readers easily. What are some of the methods to present the vertical of the story besides short powerful speeches? I assume we strive to create scenes where such ideas are communicated one way or another?
Is it any wonder that I'm writing a time travel book?
Is it any wonder that I'm writing a time travel book?
Is it any wonder that I'm writing a time travel book?
Is it any wonder that I'm writing a time travel book?
Love this:
"The population explosion was engineered to provide more people who could inhale the asbestos from 9-11 and sieve the mercury and heavy metals from the sea. Our livers and fatty tissues collect all the muck and viruses, and the only thing people really do dispose of properly is our own bodies. "
Not to d-ride on you too hard here Mr. P but something I think you do better than almost anyone is to pluck an idea from the zeitgeist, something we all feel and that is just starting to be talked about, and blow it up into compelling or hilarious satire.
I spend a lot of time and other resources following alternative health news and one idea that's become prevalant (and that I'm a proponent of) is that our environment has become toxic in more ways than we can hope to understand. It sounds woo-woo but our cells really are under attack by everything from metals to mold to microplastics to microwaves. So, it seems you've taken that idea and flipped the script, so to speak. Looking forward to reading it.
Yeah. The first couple of stories I wrote were heavily Palahniuk-esque. Once I had around three published I made it a point to try and not sound like that, which has been difficult.
Thanks Very helpful advice but I'll have to let your suggestions ferment before I can use them
I love the vertical/horizontal axis. It's really just another way of saying internal/external,though, isn't it? Or is it more complex than that?
Agreed. But I'm so visual and tactile that I hold on to Tom's graphic terms of horizontal and vertical.