In Today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* Convey Everything
* Come Sundown
* A Most Unusual Day (Update)
* Of Interest
Quote of the Day
“After you learn to write your whole object is to convey everything, every sensation, sight, feeling, place and emotion to the reader. To do this you have to work over what you write.” Ernest Hemingway
Convey Everything
every sensation, sight, feeling, place and emotion—to the reader. Sound familiar?
That’s how you invite the reader in, pull him in, and let him be present in your story. It’s also how you make it impossible for the reader to discern between truth or ‘real life’ and fiction. As to the rest of the Quote of the Day,
I “work over” what I write as I go.
Hemingway did that too, but he also (with at least two novels, The Sun Also Rises and A Moveable Feast) let the manuscript “rest” for two or three months after he finished it, then went over it one more time.
I’ll go ahead and say it: If you can do that, probably so much the better.
If I tried doing that, I’d forget I’d written the novel in the first place. Plus I like to give it my best shot, then get it out to readers and move on to the next thing. There’s always another story to tell. Keep moving forward.
I’ve often wondered how prolific Papa Hemingway would’ve been if he’d been writing during this new golden age of publishing.
Come Sundown
I’ve had a country song stuck in my head for the past few days. Pretty (and sad) song, but something about it was nagging me.
If you want to continue reading this, I suggest getting the tune in your mind first. Here’s the link to the original “Come Sundown” as written by Kris Kristofferson and sung by Bobby Bare.
In the original lyrics, the first segment is a verse and the second segment is a bridge. As you listen, you’ll notice the difference in the delivery (the rising music, etc.).
I finally figured out what was bugging me about the song. It was all about what he provided for her, and there was absolutely nothing in the song about why she was leaving.
So just for fun, I let myself play. Here’s my version of “Come Sundown,” including some arrangement notes in brackets.
[Verse]
Her quiet footsteps near the bed, Lord, [background] “Mmm…?”
and I wakened from my sleep
with the soft touch of her sweet lips [background] “Ahh….”
and her tears upon my cheek,
[Verse]
and she whispered, “Babe, I’m leavin’.” [background] “Wha’…?”
No, don’t go! But I can’t speak.
“There’s just nothin’ left for me here.”
but if she leaves, my heart will break,
[Bridge]
So I staggered out of bed, Lord.
She shook her head and turned away,
and the words crawled through the fog, Lord,
“Please don’t go! Baby, please stay!”
[Bridge]
And I reached to touch her shoulder.
“No. I can’t. But you know I’ll pray,”
and the floor came up to meet me
as her taxi pulled away.
[Verse]
It’s an awful kind of Hell, Lord,
When you force your soul to leave,
but the bottle always wins, Lord,
and I’m left alone to grieve.
[Bridge]
So I cursed the sun for risin’,
but the worst is yet to come
’cause this mornin’ she’s just leavin’
but come sundown she’ll be gone.
[Bridge]
And it hurts to know it’s over
but the pain, Lord, has just begun
’cause this mornin’ she’s just leavin’
but come sundown she’ll be gone.
# # #
The point of my sharing this is to say you don’t have to ‘choose’ what literary genre you write in and you don’t have to stick with one. The deeper you get into the nuances of the language, the more agile and adept you’ll become.
If you’re a writer, what’s important is That You Write vs. what you write.
Poetry (presented in either verse or prose mode), songs, stage plays, screenplays, short stories, novellas, and novels—all of those are written using the same words, and the same best practices apply across the board: hook, opening, setting description, cliffhanger. Lather, rinse, repeat.
If you happen to be interested in this sort of stuff, take a look at The Craft of Poetry: Structure and Sound. And yes, it will also inform your fiction.
A Most Unusual Day (Update)
Since renewing my acquaintance with Hemingway, I’ve enjoyed being in the zone more than ever before.
I’ve thought a few different times the novel was going to wrap, but it hasn’t. Yesterday I wrote around 5000 more words and pre-posted four new chapters.
I’ll start Chapter 29 this morning, and when it’s finished I’ll pre-post it to go live on September 1. Writing this one’s been quite a journey, and I’m thrilled it isn’t over yet. (grin)
You can read the novel free from the beginning here. and a new installment will go live today (Chapter 13).
Of Interest
Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week: Marital Miscommunication