In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* A Short Post Today
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quotes of the Day
“I distrust plot for two reasons: first, because our lives are largely plotless, even when you add in all our reasonable precautions and careful planning; and second, because I believe plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren’t compatible.” Stephen King
“I started trying to write a short story for Amanda [Palmer] … about what it was like to be me when I was 7, and it just kept going. And it turned into a book called The Ocean at the End of the Lane.” Neil Gaiman
A Short Post Today
Today is all about the “Of Interest” section. At the top are a few probably helpful posts about writing, then one that names “the 10 most inspiring, enjoyable books about how to write.”
You won’t be surprised to learn that I disagree with parts of their list, especially the last book listed. Writers should buy that book only to get it off the shelf so no other writers will tempted to buy it. Then they should drop it into the nearest trash bin on their way out of the book store.
Then I included a note from Dean regarding a crazy new challenge he’s come up with for himself.
Then finally comes a rare post from Neil Gaiman. I was a little disappointed for various reasons (moreso with the interview, which cost me two hours of my life), but you might not be, so I included it.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Genre as Story Engine” at https://countercraft.substack.com/p/genre-as-story-engine.
See (related) “On the Many Different Engines That Power a Short Story” at https://lithub.com/on-the-many-different-engines-that-power-a-short-story/.
See (related) “How to write” at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/oct/01/stephenking.sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.
See “From Stephen King to Anne Lamott: the 10 most inspiring, enjoyable books about how to write” at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/17/stephen-king-anne-lamott-10-books-how-to-write.
See “A Challenge Out of Nothing” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/a-challenge-out-of-nothing/.
See “Excellent Portents” at https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2021/06/excellent-portents.html. See the interview with Neil and Amanda Palmer. (They even sing.) The interview contains nothing about writing specifically, and it left me with a real sense that I’m very glad I’m me. (Althought at about 1:32:00, an audience member asks “Where did your love for writing come from?”)
See “Are Royalties Fair? A Publisher Weighs In” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/are-royalties-fair-a-publisher-weighs-in/. Per usual, nary a peep about publishers buying all rights and the value that adds to their company.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 400 words
Writing of WCGN: Assignment: Brownsville (novel)
Day 1…… 2890 words. Total words to date…… 2890
Day 2…… 3178 words. Total words to date…… 6068
Day 3…… 3124 words. Total words to date…… 9192
Day 4…… 2977 words. Total words to date…… 12169
Total fiction words for June……… 21752
Total fiction words for the year………… 476241
Total nonfiction words for June… 5220
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 111450
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 587691
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 9
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… 1
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 62
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
Disclaimer: In this blog, I provide advice on writing fiction. I advocate a technique called Writing Into the Dark. To be crystal clear, WITD is not “the only way” to write, nor will I ever say it is. However, as I am the only writer who advocates WITD both publicly and regularly, I will continue to do so, among myriad other topics.
I got stuck in the Strunk and White trap for a while. I am so much freer now.
Yup. All strictly conscious-mind stuff that will bog a writer down faster than lead boots in thick mud.
This part stood out to me in the Stephen King article:
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A strong enough situation renders the whole question of plot moot. The most interesting situations can usually be expressed as a What-if question:
What if vampires invaded a small New England village? (Salem’s Lot).
What if a young mother and her son became trapped in their stalled car by a rabid dog? (Cujo).
These were situations which occurred to me – while showering, while driving, while taking my daily walk – and which I eventually turned into books. In no case were they plotted, not even to the extent of a single note jotted on a single piece of scrap paper.
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Sounds like he’s dropping a character with a problem into a setting and then writing off into the dark, don’t it?
Hi Matt, yup, and that’s exactly what he does. And the guy is mega-prolific. He doesn’t worry about critics either. He writes one, puts it out, then moves on to the next one. When an interviewer asked which three books he would save (or were his favorites), one he named was one Lisey’s Story, which was badly panned by critics. Also see Neil Gaiman’s quote about starting a short story, and it running to a novel.