Thursday, September 27, 2007
Last story almost done
Last night and this morning—okay, early this morning and early this afternoon—I rererereedited my latest story. I think it is getting pretty good now. Yes indeedy, polished to a sheen, almost. Maybe just a few bits of dirt stuck along the edges.
Some books I like, in no particular order
Neuromancer
Man, I have just not been able to put this down lately, for some reason. I just really like the asymmetry of it, I think. The way it starts off as a tense chase sequence short story, then shifts into a film noir set up. The episodic second section, the character and atmospheric sequences from the third. And then the almost real time focus of the fourth section. Also, I just love love love Molly. One of the best characters ever.
Slaughterhouse Five
I was just thinking recently about this book, that its basically just super reliable. I really can't so anyone not liking this book for anything other than political purposes. Its storytelling is almost objectively good.
Gravity's Rainbow
Been rereading this, slowly, off and on recently. And I do mean slowly, as in that's the pace I read at. It's bizarrely become easy to read for me recently, when before could only get about 10% of what was going on. But now I am actually following it. It has the lit fiction tendency of more describing characters a states and showing them ruminating and reminiscing than just showing the fucking action already, which is the approach I prefer, but one it's terms its remarkably good at sucking me in. And the vitality of the prose is nice too. I think the main reason I picked this back up is I read a shitload of Gibson interviews and—surprise!—he's a fan too!
Neverwhere
Just the best villains ever really. Up there with Molly. I like to fantasize sticking Croup and Vandemar in other stories/mediums, delight in the damage they cause. Unstoppable Inhuman Common Thugs. Why didn't someone think of that sooner? "I'm afraid we have no redeeming qualities." Sweet.
Crying of Lot 49
What a nice compact, short, sweet little book. And not that much Navel-gazing. Well, more navel-gazing than V. but nothing interesting ever happens in V. and at least here interesting things happen in the navel-gazing. And the plot is excellent: off-kilter and of ambiguous import. I feel like I hold myself back from rereading this one, just because I know it would be over so soon, and I have other stuff I am trying to read. Or something. I don't really know why I deny myself. Maybe I am afraid I will just assimilate it into my being, and just know it my memory. I bet if I gave myself the chance, it could happen.
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
The most reliable of all my childhood fantasy literature. The ones I keep rereading. Because they are so much fun.
Ulysses
I think I have read Part I four or five times. Only book where I don't mind starting over, though I got through it all once. There is a lot in this book, and I am still trying to get my head around it, every so often, but whatever is there is really interesting. I think Joyce is the only author I have read, in fact, is the only author, who is the objectively good. If you don't like it, you're wrong. Doesn't mean he isn't frustrating, or that I don't kind of wish we had three more Ulysses instead of one Finnegan's Wake, but still, the guy is good, there is no way around that. I mean, other writers are maybe arguably better, from a certain perspective, but they all have faults. Joyce is completely in control, and unlike, say, Nabokov, he also has heart. Only writer with both technical and thematic perfection. Little hard to get, though.
Man, I have just not been able to put this down lately, for some reason. I just really like the asymmetry of it, I think. The way it starts off as a tense chase sequence short story, then shifts into a film noir set up. The episodic second section, the character and atmospheric sequences from the third. And then the almost real time focus of the fourth section. Also, I just love love love Molly. One of the best characters ever.
Slaughterhouse Five
I was just thinking recently about this book, that its basically just super reliable. I really can't so anyone not liking this book for anything other than political purposes. Its storytelling is almost objectively good.
Gravity's Rainbow
Been rereading this, slowly, off and on recently. And I do mean slowly, as in that's the pace I read at. It's bizarrely become easy to read for me recently, when before could only get about 10% of what was going on. But now I am actually following it. It has the lit fiction tendency of more describing characters a states and showing them ruminating and reminiscing than just showing the fucking action already, which is the approach I prefer, but one it's terms its remarkably good at sucking me in. And the vitality of the prose is nice too. I think the main reason I picked this back up is I read a shitload of Gibson interviews and—surprise!—he's a fan too!
Neverwhere
Just the best villains ever really. Up there with Molly. I like to fantasize sticking Croup and Vandemar in other stories/mediums, delight in the damage they cause. Unstoppable Inhuman Common Thugs. Why didn't someone think of that sooner? "I'm afraid we have no redeeming qualities." Sweet.
Crying of Lot 49
What a nice compact, short, sweet little book. And not that much Navel-gazing. Well, more navel-gazing than V. but nothing interesting ever happens in V. and at least here interesting things happen in the navel-gazing. And the plot is excellent: off-kilter and of ambiguous import. I feel like I hold myself back from rereading this one, just because I know it would be over so soon, and I have other stuff I am trying to read. Or something. I don't really know why I deny myself. Maybe I am afraid I will just assimilate it into my being, and just know it my memory. I bet if I gave myself the chance, it could happen.
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
The most reliable of all my childhood fantasy literature. The ones I keep rereading. Because they are so much fun.
Ulysses
I think I have read Part I four or five times. Only book where I don't mind starting over, though I got through it all once. There is a lot in this book, and I am still trying to get my head around it, every so often, but whatever is there is really interesting. I think Joyce is the only author I have read, in fact, is the only author, who is the objectively good. If you don't like it, you're wrong. Doesn't mean he isn't frustrating, or that I don't kind of wish we had three more Ulysses instead of one Finnegan's Wake, but still, the guy is good, there is no way around that. I mean, other writers are maybe arguably better, from a certain perspective, but they all have faults. Joyce is completely in control, and unlike, say, Nabokov, he also has heart. Only writer with both technical and thematic perfection. Little hard to get, though.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Where to?
I've handed off a copy of my latest story to Anne, and am awaiting her opinion of it as is. This means I should probably either start working on my next story, or go back and work on the first, cleaning up the ending. I am leaning towards the latter. I don't feel like I am allowed to move on yet, somehow, and I kind of don't feel like working on that particular story. On the other hand, I do kind of feel like working on the fourth story, but I don't really want to jump the gun.
I started readings some of the what's been written so far of the third story. I don't know what to make of it. I have this sneaking dread that I might have to completely rewrite it, start over, that the story is tonally all wrong, or at least the method of telling it, the diction, is wrong for the character. On the other hand, I kind of like the tone of it, whether it fits the character or not. There are a lot of errors. Perhaps if I clean up the errors, iron out the sentences, it might become closer to the piece that I envision.
I need to come up with better titles for these blog posts. Maybe a system or something. Or just dates.
I started readings some of the what's been written so far of the third story. I don't know what to make of it. I have this sneaking dread that I might have to completely rewrite it, start over, that the story is tonally all wrong, or at least the method of telling it, the diction, is wrong for the character. On the other hand, I kind of like the tone of it, whether it fits the character or not. There are a lot of errors. Perhaps if I clean up the errors, iron out the sentences, it might become closer to the piece that I envision.
I need to come up with better titles for these blog posts. Maybe a system or something. Or just dates.
Finally!
Well, I finally got around to editing that last thing, which I had been putting off for a while. I am not sure if it is completely done, but I think I have reached a point where I want feedback before I go any further. I guess this means I need to go back and do the edits on the last story that I know I need to do. Still, maybe tomorrow I will just dust off that third story and start working on that instead, or at least get the juices flowing on it again. I really hate editing. And typing things I write in notebooks. Still, I really do need to go back and edit that last thing. Humbug.
I'm rereading Neuromancer, by William Gibson, right now. Molly's awesome. I bought a copy of Mona Lisa Overdrive, which I am putting off starting until I finish this one. I can't wait. Been reading a lot of Gibson interviews lately too. Interesting talker. Lots of interesting takes on things. I like him. It's always nice to think that an author isn't a prick.
I'm rereading Neuromancer, by William Gibson, right now. Molly's awesome. I bought a copy of Mona Lisa Overdrive, which I am putting off starting until I finish this one. I can't wait. Been reading a lot of Gibson interviews lately too. Interesting talker. Lots of interesting takes on things. I like him. It's always nice to think that an author isn't a prick.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Collaging in the future
Shit, what is it today, Wednesday? Tuesday? Anyways, yesterday morning and the night before that I wrote a whole bunch of stream of consciousness notes in my notebook that I need to edit out and cut and past and collage into a version of the main character's thoughts in the most recent story. So, I have that to do, typing, and then grueling editing to do.
Also, I rewrote a portion of the ending from the story before that, taking into account the criticisms from Anne and Boyle and the ideas about changing it that Anne and I hammered out. I got stuck though, as I think that the remaining edits will be some combination of the old material cut and pasted and collaged, and some new material, including a mention of certain integral character who shows up at the beginning, leaves and then is never mentioned again.
So, basically it seems what I have to do next is a bunch of grunt work, which I have been putting off, on account of being a lazy bastard, and this post is a way for me to expunge all that grumpy layaboutism and get off my ass. So.
Also, I rewrote a portion of the ending from the story before that, taking into account the criticisms from Anne and Boyle and the ideas about changing it that Anne and I hammered out. I got stuck though, as I think that the remaining edits will be some combination of the old material cut and pasted and collaged, and some new material, including a mention of certain integral character who shows up at the beginning, leaves and then is never mentioned again.
So, basically it seems what I have to do next is a bunch of grunt work, which I have been putting off, on account of being a lazy bastard, and this post is a way for me to expunge all that grumpy layaboutism and get off my ass. So.
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