In Their Own Words

This summer, I’ve been trying a lot of different experimental styles of writing. Today, while jumping through different Twitter pages, I came across a contest for stories told exclusively in dialogue. The pieces I read were from Bartelby Snopes, and were some very thought-provoking stories. I don’t think I’m going to enter any of the pieces I tried myself, but I’d love to explore this format a lot more.

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Small Fights

“You made a Starfox reference before I could even finish.”
“I was only trying to make you smile. Is that what it all comes down to? The sex?”
“No, but it would be nice if you to consider my feelings in bed, too.”
“It’s not my fault. I just can’t be around that much.”
“I’m not implying that it is.”
“Yes you are. This is exactly what this is about. It isn’t like I’m out with the guys or some shit.”
“No, it’s just… I’m having an affair.”
“What!?”
“Okay, maybe not.”
“You can’t just bend the truth like that.”
“You do it.”
“When have I done it?”
“I’ve only seen you like once this week.”
“When did I lie to you, Stacy?
“Here we go again.”
“I think we should see somebody. You know-professionally.”
“But we’re only in high school.”
“You always have an excuse.”

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First Micro-Fic

The ending of The Dead Zone bothered me. Maybe as a reader I shouldn’t hope for the protagonist to receive some degree of cosmic justice. Either way, I’m very happy with the way the story itself played out. The pieces all fell into place smoothly, though not necessarily in a very cheerful tone. I recommend this book if you’re looking for a good thriller. Now I’m onto Chandler’s The High Window. I’m not a big mystery reader, but this was recommended by a friend, and I found it at a thrift store for a very cheap price. It’s really short, too, so it’s not like it will take too long to get through.

Hannaford’s produce department is slowly eating my soul. Though, it’s providing me with some laundry money for the upcoming semester. Which is… 24 days away!?

Earlier today, onefortyfiction.com posted a piece I submitted, ‘Thought Control,’ as their twit-fic of the day. I’m really psyched that they did decide to run it, and I do want to submit more to them in the near future. If you want to read it, it’s also archived here: http://www.onefortyfiction.com/archives/thought-control

Also, I stumbled upon this video.

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The Short Story

This is an older interview with Stephen King, but I feel like what he’s saying about writers approaching novels before they learn to write short stories is really important. I’ve heard other famous writers mention this when asked to give advice to new writers.

However, I do encourage everyone to find the path that’s right for them.

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Dead Zone Days

I’m currently reading Stephen King’s The Dead Zone. The first fourth of the book has been a nice ride, and I hope the pace continues. One of the characters just broke out of a four-year coma, only to find his mother coping with mild insanity, the girl he loved remarried, and his father having the ‘I was kinda hoping that you died’ talk with him. I’m hoping that the book takes a more cheerful turn for him.

On the way to Wal*Mart, a friend dropped a comment to me about going to school in Vermont, where I will be making absolutely no connection towards my future career. It’s not a very reassuring thought, but is the nurturing isolation of Mount Anthony potentially cutting me off from the real world? I have a tab in my Firefox browser for most of the major cities in the US, linked to their ‘Writing Adds’ page on Craigslist. This is how I obtained the mini-internship, but I rarely find any listings where I can actively do something. Though, this is how I did discover Instigatorzine. I would like to pursue the Writer’s Market more for my future short story submissions. I like to think that I’m ‘getting my shit together,’ but every day the road ahead grows darker.

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Money Saved

I’m finishing up a short story tonight, partly because I’m anxious to jump onto the next idea, but mostly I really want the satisfaction of finishing it. Secretly, I think it’s because my friend told me I’m a lazy writer. It’s not too thrilling that most literary reviews don’t take submissions between May and August, but I plan to have some fiction ready to send around when September 1^st hits. I may also want to post something on here for public viewing. Having seen it done before, I might add separate pages to this up top with some of my work.

Last night I was at Barnes and Noble just browsing the shelves and I found myself picking up five different books, and then announcing that I was going to purchase each one. However, I didn’t spend a dime. I have no clue where that willpower came from. Though, I really do want to pick up Darwin’s Bastards before the summer ends. It has both Coupland and Gibson—what more could I ask for?

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Strangers

I’ve broken the book-a-day pace that I’ve been on since returning from the cape, but I don’t feel too guilty about it. Right now I’m in the middle of Alan’s Lovecraft collection. I feel that I have a lot to catch up with in both the literary and horror cannons. This upcoming semester does not look promising in terms of time to free read—or write for that matter.

Recently, I’ve just read Camus’ The Stranger for the first time. It’s short, but says a lot about our search for the meaning of life, and how we convict each other socially. The scene with the trial is set out to prove that the protagonist is guilty of being a criminal and harboring dark intentions, than it is to prove that he’s guilty of murder. It reminds me a lot A Fraction of the Whole, a contemporary book by Steve Toltz which was given to me early this summer. The trial of The Stranger really irks me because it’s an example of society attempting to understand this man’s life based on universal truths—which I don’t believe in.  It’s ironic, because two years ago I would have agreed with the Objectivist A=A. How can we establish a concrete awareness for all of existence? Perhaps I’m tainted with the allure of postmodernism, but I feel that as individuals we will only ever know the truths we establish ourselves. I think the closest we will ever be able become to one another is through our stories.

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Pacing and Pay Day

When you read a story, how do you like the pace of the narrative? Do you favor Dan Brown’s  14-hour novels, or do you want something that gives you a glimpse into months, or even years of the character’s lives? I’ve been jumping back and forth this summer between the classics and the more contemporary literature, and I personally see that a lot of modern writers focus on short moments in time. The pacing, however, is what really interests me. Dostoevsky will have plot changes almost by the page, while Dean Koontz will do more with description, and you have to wait a chapter or so to really know anything. As a writer, what should the pacing be in my stories? And should I stick to the 80/20 of description/explanation?

Would you read a novel about people who work in a grocery store with mild elements of the supernatural?

I’ve got the ‘internship’ position with this online outdoors publication. I’ve yet to see any new articles, but I’m actually excited to read some more of their stuff. Ironically, the reason why I didn’t want to join the school newspaper was because I hated editing. However, this is turning out to be really fun.

I think one of the reasons why I haven’t set up direct deposit for my seasonal position is because it gives me an excuse to see the money in my hand. Today I picked up my check and noticed a significant increase due to the amount of hours I put in the previous week. It felt incredible, though still a part-time position.

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Micro-narratives?

I’m 50 pages into Odd Hours and I’m not too sure that I like where the plot is going.

Last night, while scouring the internet for publications and quirky literary blogs, I came across this site called Nanoism. They publish stories that take up less than 140 characters—roughly the same size as a Twitter update. I read through the archives they had and found that I really liked almost every one which I had read. Needless to say, I immediately submitted something. I really like idea of sharpening a theme down to a concise point. If literature has the epics, then we should also take into account the micros. One of my only concerns is that wouldn’t some of this fall into the realm of a prose poem? Either way, I believe this is something writers should look into.

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Snippet

The produce department is going swell. I’m working with some interesting people. I’m still not getting enough writing done, though. I turned twenty last week and realized that aging is very depressing.

Just a snippet.

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Shitty Prompts?

The underclassmen here at SVC are hosting a creative writing contest. Last night I was with some friends in the graduating class this year, and one of the things we were discussing was the content of the freshmen’s prompts. The general consensus was that people thought they were a little ridiculous, and nobody wanted to participate. As a response, one of the professors made it mandatory for them. I can see why you might not want to make time in your busy schedule to write a story based on, “you find a dead body in your room.” However, we were all freshmen at one point, writing terrible prompts that got little participation. Maybe it’s time to pay some dues? Either way, it’s an excuse to write a story.

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