Thursday, December 22, 2005
skywriting
This past semester I devoted myself to writing serious fiction for the first time in my life. I took Fiction Writing with Dr. Judy Troy, and I got a lot more than I bargained for. You learn a lot about yourself when you really try to write a story that you will show to someone else.
One of the most annoying things about what I've been writing is my dependence on the weather as a narrative device. We all understand how deeply the weather affects our lives, so it's a great tool to call upon when we need to describe a situation precisely. Good writers use this subtly in a way that I admire and desire to emulate. But for me, so far...
It's easy to explain a situation by explaining what the sky is doing. But to actually explain what the characters are doing--to have someone start crying rather than have it start raining; to describe someone's anger rather than pointing to the hot August sun--that's something I haven't mastered.
I don't know how to describe an emotional response without feeling like it sounds contrived. So I write around the characters, lofting the narrative into intangible clichés. This robs the story of its specific climax, so there's no resolution.
And I'm worried that I do this when I write because I do this with my life.
One of the most annoying things about what I've been writing is my dependence on the weather as a narrative device. We all understand how deeply the weather affects our lives, so it's a great tool to call upon when we need to describe a situation precisely. Good writers use this subtly in a way that I admire and desire to emulate. But for me, so far...
It's easy to explain a situation by explaining what the sky is doing. But to actually explain what the characters are doing--to have someone start crying rather than have it start raining; to describe someone's anger rather than pointing to the hot August sun--that's something I haven't mastered.
I don't know how to describe an emotional response without feeling like it sounds contrived. So I write around the characters, lofting the narrative into intangible clichés. This robs the story of its specific climax, so there's no resolution.
And I'm worried that I do this when I write because I do this with my life.
Comments:
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David, I took Dr. Gresham and he always said that writing is about the character not the plot. I had a major problem with choosing abstract and stock characters instead of characters that you can relate to. I have found that the best way to be a bettr writer is by being a better observer of people. I don't see any problem with being descriptive, that's a good quality I think, as long as it helps with progression of characterization. Of course that is easier said than done, but it's a process you know. Think of writing as an obsession or like falling in love. When you are obsessed or fall in love you notice every detail about the object of your devotion. Ok so that doesn't sound psychologically healthy but do you think Kafka, or Buechner, or Dostoevsky, or Nietszche were psychologically healthy. Anyway just observe, you are a photographer, you have some sort of affinity for observation. Have fun!
# posted by 
: 2:34 PM
: 2:34 PM
Oh, that's an easy one David. I'll teach you all about it when I get back, okay? See you soon.
# posted by : 10:25 PM
: 10:25 PM
oh yeah...
i remember that one short story that I wrote...and everything took place in the weather. I thought it was clever, but you're right: it's pretty cliche.
so this is a critique of that one, right?
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i remember that one short story that I wrote...and everything took place in the weather. I thought it was clever, but you're right: it's pretty cliche.
so this is a critique of that one, right?
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