Round and Round we go

Just a small update today, something of a journal entry I suppose. I read a fantastic article/interview by Neil Gaiman about Stephen King. It's a great read, and I highly suggest reading it if you are a fan of either author, or just of writing in general. I always find it fascinating to get a glimpse into the methods of the people I admire. Another example would be the 4th Panel videos that Penny Arcade puts up about their comic-writing process. Another would be the oft rambling but always amusing blog of Patrick Rothfuss (author of The Name of the Wind, and all around wonderful geeky human being).

It was during the reading of the Stephen King piece that I found the tiniest of morsels. This morsel contained a whisper of inspiration, advising me to write again. I've mentioned before a story that I have made a number of attempts to write. I think you'll find it not in the least bit surprising that I yet again lost steam and let the story sit unfinished.

I find myself having an abundance of free time these days (thank you job market) and with this little inspiration stuck in my brain, have decided that I will finish my story before going off to Eastern Washington University in the fall. I plan to write (at least) a single page every day, whether it's good writing or the antithesis thereof, and seeing as how I've roughly 4.5 months until I leave, that gives me ample time to write approximately 135 manuscript pages, more than enough for a short story. I am excited to try and finally get this story out of my head where it's been residing for a couple years now. I'm excited to share the place and people with you and others. I hope that I won't find myself writing yet again about how I let the story dissipate, because I feel that if I don't get it out somehow, it might disappear altogether.

A Victory Nonetheless

I finally hit a stride with my writing. I haven't moved forward on my story yet but I've found a way to get the words flowing.

I heard about a situation an acquaintance went through, and after looking at it from different sides I decided it might make an interesting short narrative. So I sat down with no real structure in mind and started a guided free-write. I used the bare bones of the story and fleshed out the details and thoughts with my own personal ideas. I hit a good rhythm and before stopping to fix a spelling error, I had three solid pages of text.

It wasn't great work, and it may not have even been good. However, it helped forge a connection between my brain and the page. I'm going to make some other situational narratives and see if I can build some momentum, or even just get used to writing every day.

So far it's strictly recreational, and I have no desire to show them to anyone, but I do still think my story has an interesting setup, and maybe with some work it can be something I'm really proud of. I haven't been writing much in the way of music lately, so it's nice to have another vent with which to clear my head.

It's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Chapter 2 could be right around the corner.

In Which Our Hero Attempts to Write!

I have always been a fan of stories. Early on in my life, the stories I was obsessed with, began with "Star" and ended with "Wars."

I won a copy of the novelization of the Star Wars trilogy in the completion of a ridiculous dare to run up to a stranger, yell "hi mom!!" and hit myself with a water balloon. It's not the dumbest thing I've done on a dare, nor the worst prize I've been awarded for doing something stupid. I read the 600 page tome in about two weeks. I remember the next time I watched "a new hope" with someone I casually pointed out that the stormtrooper Leia shoots near the beginning of the movie got himself killed because he was smiling to himself and thinking of how he would be rewarded for capturing the princess. I knew this because I read the book. I felt smug and superior. I was not. I was closer to this.

My excitement and love for the book grew and I decided I would write my own story, using my favorite characters from Star Wars. How could it fail? I envisioned a bright future of fame, awards, and hot star wars girls. I was going places. The only thing I needed to do was write.

"The Jawa yelled 'help!' and ran away. Boba Fett shot him and looked angry." This is removed verbatim (not verbatim) from my story.

Ok it's been a long time and I don't know that that was exactly what I wrote, but I remember writing it, and saving it to a 3.5" disk that I very proudly labelled "star wars stories by David Logghe."

Good sense prevailed and I did not ever finish that story. I went on to start a number of different stories, some about star wars, some early attempts at a detective story (without having a real clue at what detectives do apart from sit at a desk and talk to themselves), and stupid little narratives to vent my annoyances (such as: The Cat who was also the devil).

Sadly this is a trend that has happened numerous times throughout my life. I no longer attempt to write Star Wars fanfiction, but I do find myself constantly under the binds of writer's block. Though I don't know that I can consider myself a writer when I've got a number of word documents starting with "Chapter 1" and none with "Chapter 2."

I have started another story, based on an idea I've been kicking around for a year or two. It's a simple little fantasy/sci-fi story that would probably work well as a short story but lacks the arc and polish needed for a true novel. I started working on it again a couple days ago, and found myself quickly in a spot where I didn't know how to proceed. I'm going to try to write a little bit every day, and even if it's trash maybe I can finally finish a story. That feeling alone would be pretty good I imagine.

Until then, I'm working on a new story:

My Novel: The butthead meanie that won't finish itself. Writing is dumb. The story.
by Dave Logghe.