I was told that one of the pieces I’m writing was, “So you.” While I think it’s awesome that I’ve become productive enough to have a style, or themes people can associate my work with, it was really discouraging to hear that I need to write outside the box. However, one of the problems that I’m having with this is that I myself need to understand what it is that I’m beating to death. Most of my stories are about communication, and with this new non-fiction piece I’m prepping for workshop, my direction doesn’t look like it’s going to change.
So it leaves me with this: I’m going to step away from communication and narratives where human beings try to establish common ground. My writing will be taken in the opposite direction—it’s all about confusion now! I’m going to try to develop characters that pass each other on the road, never meet, and go on to live through abusive situations or without any sense of self or direction. While I’m in the process, let’s just wipe out the struggle all together! Okay… I’m a little bitter.
I guess it wouldn’t hurt to revisit a lot of my old stuff and try to pick out some key themes, settings that I beat to death, and other frequent occurrences.
Stage Fright 