I'm wondering about how you structure your short stories. Do you use a checklist (similar to your Persona one?) while writing? How do you know that the chosen structure is working in service of the story?
I’m interested in hearing from you about the act of writing. Do you write every day? What are your experiences with inspiration or “flow” on the one hand and the tedious labor of writing on the other hand? Are you able to work your way into flow by just sticking with the tedious labor of writing? Is there a stage of writing that you enjoy more than the others?
michelle, i wish i wrote every day. over a decade ago i lost my writing habit and never really got it back. three years ago when i was writing my disastrous martian novel i got back into the habit again for two years. during those two years i didnt give a damn about inspiration, i just put the daily words down which usually worked for me but this time it didnt (though there might have been other reasons the novel collapsed.) i find rewriting very easy though not necessarily enjoyable. im one of those morning writers, like to write when my mind is protean and before the social contract takes hold of my imaginary - if i speak more than 100 words to anyone the spell tends to be ruined. hope that helps...
Yes,it helps. You're showing me that a writer that I admire very much is human, is someone who sometimes maintains the ideal habits and sometimes doesn't. This matters.
Hello :) I would love to hear all about your take on revision. I am learning just how much more revision is needed. For a while, I was just so glad to get the story written and then spend time making it sing at a line level as best I could. Now, I’m finding there’s much more to it than that--staying with the story long enough to discover what else it needs. Which could be, and in my case is likely, more pages. It can be hard to see that the story needs more because it can be a relief to have written it in the first place and just enjoy the succinct tightness of its form, but apparently that often ends up being a situation, not a story. Or a story that needs more “scenes.” So yeah, I’d love to hear your thoughts on revision!
Thank you for this opportunity. I'm working on a story that involves two main characters, one from central Appalachia, part of an immigrant family from the Holy Land, much like my own, and the other, an African American former policeman from Detroit. The initial setting is WW2, specifically the Battle of the Bulge. I want this to be a compelling action-packed story but I also want to touch on the issues of race and ethnicity and how they impacted the war effort at home and at the front. The Double Victory campaign, for instance, fighting fascism abroad and racism at home.
My question for you is how can I reflect the racial hatred of some, especially segregationist whites against blacks or anyone who would stand with them without it sounding offensive or gratuitous to modern readers? How can I use racial slurs without crossing a line? Should I worry about a line? Is there a line? Ok, that was a few questions but they all relate to the first.
Maybe I'm thinking too much but I don't want a bland story that doesn't reflect the reality of the hatred or of the real obstacles blacks and others faced during a time of supposed national unity. And I don't want to depend on or perpetuate stereotypes that are not only lazy but boring. Band of Brothers is a enthralling and engaging story but I wonder if it would still resonate with as wide an audience if those brothers had been black or Arab Americans.
Thanks for your reply. I'm sure you are busy and I appreciate whatever advice and perspective you can share. What I had to put up with as a kid was nothing compared to what I saw others dealing with. I just wanted to say that I can relate at a much lower level to the pain and anger racism and exclusion can create and I don't want to add to that while I'm calling it out. I look forward to your next post.
I'm wondering about how you structure your short stories. Do you use a checklist (similar to your Persona one?) while writing? How do you know that the chosen structure is working in service of the story?
shivs, going to take a crack at this one asap. thanks for the smart query!
thanks, Junot! I don't know if it's as smart as it is desperate :) I'm a mess! Help!
I’m interested in hearing from you about the act of writing. Do you write every day? What are your experiences with inspiration or “flow” on the one hand and the tedious labor of writing on the other hand? Are you able to work your way into flow by just sticking with the tedious labor of writing? Is there a stage of writing that you enjoy more than the others?
Thanks!
Michelle
michelle, i wish i wrote every day. over a decade ago i lost my writing habit and never really got it back. three years ago when i was writing my disastrous martian novel i got back into the habit again for two years. during those two years i didnt give a damn about inspiration, i just put the daily words down which usually worked for me but this time it didnt (though there might have been other reasons the novel collapsed.) i find rewriting very easy though not necessarily enjoyable. im one of those morning writers, like to write when my mind is protean and before the social contract takes hold of my imaginary - if i speak more than 100 words to anyone the spell tends to be ruined. hope that helps...
Yes,it helps. You're showing me that a writer that I admire very much is human, is someone who sometimes maintains the ideal habits and sometimes doesn't. This matters.
Thanks for taking the time, Junot.
Hello :) I would love to hear all about your take on revision. I am learning just how much more revision is needed. For a while, I was just so glad to get the story written and then spend time making it sing at a line level as best I could. Now, I’m finding there’s much more to it than that--staying with the story long enough to discover what else it needs. Which could be, and in my case is likely, more pages. It can be hard to see that the story needs more because it can be a relief to have written it in the first place and just enjoy the succinct tightness of its form, but apparently that often ends up being a situation, not a story. Or a story that needs more “scenes.” So yeah, I’d love to hear your thoughts on revision!
paige i touch a little bit on revision at the end of this upcoming post on story structures. sorry that i didnt do more.
Thank you for this opportunity. I'm working on a story that involves two main characters, one from central Appalachia, part of an immigrant family from the Holy Land, much like my own, and the other, an African American former policeman from Detroit. The initial setting is WW2, specifically the Battle of the Bulge. I want this to be a compelling action-packed story but I also want to touch on the issues of race and ethnicity and how they impacted the war effort at home and at the front. The Double Victory campaign, for instance, fighting fascism abroad and racism at home.
My question for you is how can I reflect the racial hatred of some, especially segregationist whites against blacks or anyone who would stand with them without it sounding offensive or gratuitous to modern readers? How can I use racial slurs without crossing a line? Should I worry about a line? Is there a line? Ok, that was a few questions but they all relate to the first.
Maybe I'm thinking too much but I don't want a bland story that doesn't reflect the reality of the hatred or of the real obstacles blacks and others faced during a time of supposed national unity. And I don't want to depend on or perpetuate stereotypes that are not only lazy but boring. Band of Brothers is a enthralling and engaging story but I wonder if it would still resonate with as wide an audience if those brothers had been black or Arab Americans.
Thank you for your consideration. JW Mansour
JW, sorry to hear about all the racist bullshit you endured. this world is a lot.
ill try to give something like an answer in the next post but please forgive me ahead of time if it comes off to prescriptive.
Thanks for your reply. I'm sure you are busy and I appreciate whatever advice and perspective you can share. What I had to put up with as a kid was nothing compared to what I saw others dealing with. I just wanted to say that I can relate at a much lower level to the pain and anger racism and exclusion can create and I don't want to add to that while I'm calling it out. I look forward to your next post.