Sometimes I Just Have To

by

In Today’s Journal

* Sometimes I Just Have To
* Echoes of Chandler Contest
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

Sometimes I Just Have To

In a comment on DWS’ post titled “Some Basics About Writing That I Believe,” another commenter wrote

“The hard part for many/most writers — commercial fiction or darned near anything else — is having a big/perceptive-enough writer brain to keep the necessary mileposts in sight while writing.

Even “pure pantsers” have some, unless they’re one of those just-explore-a-character’s-feelings-while-nothing-really-happens MFA graduates (if so, I don’t want to know about it and won’t read the result without throwing it against a wall). And then understanding the difference between a “milepost” and a “scenic tangent marker” — or “Burma Shave sign.”

I tried really hard to just leave it alone, but I wasn’t able. I had to respond, not because it would change the commenter’s mind, but because maybe someone else would get it:

A few points:

  1. I guess I’m what you’d call a “pure pantser,” though I personally despise the term. I’ve never pantsed anyone in my life. But when I’m writing, I also don’t employ outlines, signposts, etc. Instead, I employ Trust in myself and the characters.
  2. Most MFA grads I’ve met or talked with are so steeped in the myths they can hardly breathe without an outline that tells them how to do it. (I guess in a world of “pantsers” that would make them “plodders.”)
  3. When I’m writing fiction, I don’t “explore” anything. I take ego out of the equation, put my fingers on the keyboard, and record the characters’ story: that is, the story the characters, not I, am living.

Believing in myself and trusting the characters has led me through writing 117 novels, 10 novellas, and around 300 short stories in the past 8 years.

As Dean is fond of saying, it really is that simple.

But I also echo your sentiment, sort of: When I know in advance some plodder planned the life out of a novel and bullied his characters into some preplanned construction, I don’t bother buying or reading it. I like to be surprised when I read just as I am when I write.

So how do I know in advance a novel has been preplanned? 

The writer usually tells me when he brags about how long it took him to write the novel, implying how terribly he suffered for his art.

My point?

Some folks will listen to people who have actually enjoyed writing fiction, had fun with it, and as a result have written millions of words in authentic novels and short stories.

Others, heed the advice of novices on “writer boards” and in critique groups.

I often wonder, do those others also eschew experts in other fields?

  • Do they take their sputtering car to a carpenter or plumber instead of a mechanic?
  • Do they employ a passing farmer when they need a haircut or a new “do”?
  • Do they ring up the local cop shop to get someone to come help with the wiring on their house?

Just sayin’.

For more on this, be sure to see the first item in Of Interest.

Echoes of Chandler Contest

The Echoes of Chandler Contest/Challenge is ongoing, and stories have begun to trickle in. Submissions are open through August 2.

Don’t be left out.

  1. Read some Raymond Chandler to get a feel for in-depth description.
  2. Believe in yourself.
  3. Write a story and send it in.

For details, please read “A New Contest.”

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

How I Write Clean One-Draft Fiction

Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week: “Crisis in Human Life” Reading Dr. Mardy’s post is always a good way to learn about and inform your characters.

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………… 600

Writing of Blackwell Ops 47: Sam Granger | Special Duty

Day 1…… 3250 words. To date…… 3250

Fiction for July..………………………. 5840
Fiction for 2025………………………. 526647
Nonfiction for July…………………….. 14650
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 166280
2025 consumable words…………….. 685313

2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 13
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 31
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………….. 117
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 301
Short story collections……………………. 29

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Questions are always welcome at harveystanbrough@gmail.com. But please limit yourself to the topics of writing and publishing.