Friday, January 12, 2007
Repeating Myself
It's an unusual day for me to write, on a Friday, rather than a Monday, but I had to work Monday, so I took today off in order to keep from getting too far off track on my current story. Last week, I reread what I had written and had this horrible sinking feeling that I was repeating myself, that my work was stale. I couldn't pinpoint the problem, so I asked everyone at Writers Group on Monday evening. They were so helpful. One said that a certain amount of repetition is to be expected. Another said that I should keep going and the problem leading to my feeling would become apparent over time. Everyone seconded the idea that I should just keep writing. Here it is, the dead middle of the project, story six out of ten, and this is where I'm getting bogged down.
This morning, I woke and realized that part of my repetition seems to be coming from the fact that all of my characters are undergoing a shift in awareness. They are realizing that their current issues are mired in past events & psychological wounds and I'm doing quite a bit of flashbacking to show this. Literary types will tell you that this is a death-knell for a story and that a writer must keep the action going in current time. I don't know whether this is really a story killer, or whether I'm guilty of having my characters slip into memoryland, but I do know that it's very human to compare the present to the past and gain insight from the comparison.
The one thing I don't want to do is reread all of the previous stories at this point. I'd rather forge ahead with this one and fix it later if need be. No need to be thinking all of my stuff is crap just because I'm wading through some now. That'd be frosting the frog for sure.
This morning, I woke and realized that part of my repetition seems to be coming from the fact that all of my characters are undergoing a shift in awareness. They are realizing that their current issues are mired in past events & psychological wounds and I'm doing quite a bit of flashbacking to show this. Literary types will tell you that this is a death-knell for a story and that a writer must keep the action going in current time. I don't know whether this is really a story killer, or whether I'm guilty of having my characters slip into memoryland, but I do know that it's very human to compare the present to the past and gain insight from the comparison.
The one thing I don't want to do is reread all of the previous stories at this point. I'd rather forge ahead with this one and fix it later if need be. No need to be thinking all of my stuff is crap just because I'm wading through some now. That'd be frosting the frog for sure.
Labels: flashback, frost the frog, problem, repetition, story, writers, writing
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Glutton for Punishment
Why is it that when I finish a massive project, something that I'm quite proud of having gotten through, I don't bask in the glory of my achievement for a couple of days? Nooooo. I have to share my accomplishment right away and start asking for feedback. Is it good enough? Looking for approval. And, of course, I frost the frog and concentrate on the "this part is not quite right" part of the critique, because there is ALWAYS a "this part is not quite right" critique. You'd think I was a glutton for punishment, and maybe I am. Maybe I don't want to get a fat head, so I've got to have someone burst my bubble immediately. I do want to do things right, but what is right? And, can't I have my very own creation be right for a few days just as it is before others add their two-cents?
Does sharing one's creations with the world ever get any easier?
Does sharing one's creations with the world ever get any easier?
Labels: accomplishment, approval, creation, critique, frost the frog, punishment
Friday, December 01, 2006
Worldwide Corruption Index
I got an email from Gallup that ranks 101 countries on a Worldwide Corruption Index. The lower the number, the less people feel that their country is corrupt. The U.S. falls somewhere in the middle. Finland has the lowest amount of perceived corruption. And which country has the most? Drumroll please . . . . Lithuania.
My funk has lifted from yesterday. After my post, I did my best not to frost the frog, although he did get a little dab of icing. (Why am I picturing the frosting as pink?) The mood passed completely on my drive to work. When the air is particularly dry in Minnesota, all of nature's details come into sharp focus. (Is that because there's less water in the atmosphere?) Often, while I'm driving to work, I'm in my own world and put most of my attention on the road, not on the long distance. Not so this morning. The trees were sprinkled with hoar frost. The river had a coating of ice with a streaky dusting of snow. The sun filtered through the gray clouds, creating an easy glow. The air was cold and snappy. Heaven.
My funk has lifted from yesterday. After my post, I did my best not to frost the frog, although he did get a little dab of icing. (Why am I picturing the frosting as pink?) The mood passed completely on my drive to work. When the air is particularly dry in Minnesota, all of nature's details come into sharp focus. (Is that because there's less water in the atmosphere?) Often, while I'm driving to work, I'm in my own world and put most of my attention on the road, not on the long distance. Not so this morning. The trees were sprinkled with hoar frost. The river had a coating of ice with a streaky dusting of snow. The sun filtered through the gray clouds, creating an easy glow. The air was cold and snappy. Heaven.
Labels: corruption, frost the frog, funk, gallup, minnesota, nature, problem, U.S.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Funk
I'm in a funk - and not the groovy kind of funk, either. The yucky kind. Happens sometimes. It'll pass. Meantime, I'll try not to "frost the frog." This is a saying I heard from a Buddhist priest (no, not Judas Priest - BUDDHIST priest). Actually, she's a priestess, but I couldn't resist the play on words. (How bad is my funk, really, if I can continue joking?) Anyway, this Buddhist priestess was giving a talk about what to do when life comes flying at you full force and you don't know what to do. (Picture a hundred knives, point first, coming right at you.) The Buddhist would let it fly. Do none of it. But, if you feel you MUST do SOMETHING, pick only one thing. (Buddhists are cool like that - no absolutes.) The one thing you really shouldn't do in this sort of situation is to frost the frog. This means don't add to the problems heading your way. Christians, if slapped, are taught to turn the other cheek - which pretty much means getting slapped again. Buddhists don't go for the extra punishment. The first slap is enough. This asking for more punishment is frosting the frog, which most human beings are incredibly good at. I think my funk is a result of my frosting a frog. Time to stop.
Writing forces me to put the frosting away. The frog's not gonna taste any better with it anyway.
Writing forces me to put the frosting away. The frog's not gonna taste any better with it anyway.
Labels: buddhist, christian, frost the frog, funk, problem, writing
