Always last minute me
Posted on | June 16, 2007 | 8 Comments
I woke up this morning with a sore throat. I always seem to do this: get sick right after I’ve made it through to the end of something stressful. I also always manage to leave everything for last minute: laundry, the rest of my fiction piece, packing. I hate leaving in a rush of packing and hapazardness, but I always seem to manage to find myself there.
An inefficient overachiever, and a sick one at that.
I’ll leave in the morning tomorrow, and drive for six hours. Signing along with the radio, trying to get the directions right, and feeling like my stomach might fall out my mouth, but I’ll try not to focus on that. (Have I mentioned how anxious I get right at the beginning of things–at that cusp of unknown? I have. I know. But I really hate it.) But with all my heart I’m excited to be going, and I have questions that I’m determined to ask of the lady whose prose makes me grin, or catch my breath. But I also want to know answers from you. If you write, or read, or dream of writing, I’d love to hear your thoughs.
* Where are the lines between life and fiction. How can pieces of life, stories, characters, annecdotes become the tapestry of fiction?
* How much is enough? I’m forever writing the long piece. The piece with backstory on the backstory. I want to learn to craft a shorter narritive. Something with just enough to let the reader do the rest. How do you know when to leave off, without saying everything?
* And audiance. I don’t feel like I have a sophisticated enough sense of audiance yet. Kurt Vonnegut says “Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.” If you write, who is your one person? Who is yoru audiance. Maybe that’s my problem, I can never think of just one person.
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June 16th, 2007 @ 11:00 am
Hmmm…I think my answers to the first 2 questions require a long weekend in Soliden with you and BP and a few other kindred spirit writers to talk over and hash out. As for the last one, MY answer is pretty simple: My audience of one person? Is me.
June 16th, 2007 @ 11:01 am
ARGH. How am I supposed to tell if you’re getting my comments or not?!! *kicks the computer*
June 16th, 2007 @ 11:15 am
I have to contact my host about it. I have no idea why my comments are so f’ed up. BUT, they all get to me. Promise. Just comment. Hit “SUBMIT COMMENT” and wait. In like, 15 minutes, they show up. SORRY about this. It’s driving me crazy too!!
June 16th, 2007 @ 1:20 pm
hey! may i ask where you are headed tomorrow? a writing conference in CT maybe? if so, get in touch with me!
June 16th, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Hey Kelly rae, I’m headed to Provencetown, MA… but oh, it would be so fun to hang out with you!
June 17th, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
I am looking forward to all your posts from the conference. What a great week you will have!
June 18th, 2007 @ 1:25 am
Audience? I think of my good poet-friend whose work I admire the most. I think of her because she has critiqued me the most and I’ve read some of her earliest stuff. When you have a kindred spirit in writing, that becomes a good audience. She’s also a similar reader to myself, so lizardek’s comments about “me” makes complete sense. After all, you often want to write what you would *like* to read.
I am more of a poet, though I do work in fiction and have a novel in-the-works (ha). I think there’s a fine balance–don’t over tell the story or you will lose your audience. Ask yourself: is this absolutely needed to move the plot/story along? It’s so hard to “kill your darlings” as one writing instructor called it, but there you are.
Have a wonderful time at your conference! Bask in all that writing company!
June 18th, 2007 @ 8:43 am
Oh heavens…I’m with Liz on this one…I need some time to formulate my opinions! But, I will say that I am always inspired by real life events…I want to write stories built on family lore, or cultural events – that’s what inspires me. It doesn’t have to be a big thing – really just a rough idea of a person or situation. Of course I believe in listening to the story and going where it dictates – I don’t so much believe in outlines and character plots – seems so planned! Oh, I can’t wait to hear what you learn this week.
As for commenting, I just refresh until I see it -