Comments on: Put that story down, you don’t know where it’s been! http://www.iain.com/2007/01/28/put-that-story-down-you-dont-know-where-its-been/ Iain's pointless writing place Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:54:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: For want of a better title… » Blog Archive » Suffering? http://www.iain.com/2007/01/28/put-that-story-down-you-dont-know-where-its-been/#comment-32 For want of a better title… » Blog Archive » Suffering? Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:08:35 +0000 http://www.iain.com/2007/01/28/put-that-story-down-you-dont-know-where-its-been/#comment-32 [...] Pooks made a comment here about my reaction to my short story, and used it to ask whether other writers suffered. [...] […] Pooks made a comment here about my reaction to my short story, and used it to ask whether other writers suffered. […]

]]> By: iain http://www.iain.com/2007/01/28/put-that-story-down-you-dont-know-where-its-been/#comment-12 iain Wed, 31 Jan 2007 19:46:12 +0000 http://www.iain.com/2007/01/28/put-that-story-down-you-dont-know-where-its-been/#comment-12 To read some writers, writing blogs especially, it seems that everything *must* be done according to a formula. I mean, I know there are some things that just need to happen in a novel (at least to be accepted by most Western readers), like setting up conflicts, pacing around the midpoint, well-defined climax etc. But then the formula goes into establishing the roles of each character so that they can interact in a predictable way - at that point, if it's really *necessary*, I've lost interest in the process. I didn't like analyzing stories like that at school, and I certainly don't feel like creating them to satisfy the analysis. The problem I have is what if "what works for me" really isn't enough, and that I need this re-construction to satisfy a publisher? If that's the case, I feel like I'm wasting my time. To read some writers, writing blogs especially, it seems that everything *must* be done according to a formula.

I mean, I know there are some things that just need to happen in a novel (at least to be accepted by most Western readers), like setting up conflicts, pacing around the midpoint, well-defined climax etc. But then the formula goes into establishing the roles of each character so that they can interact in a predictable way - at that point, if it’s really *necessary*, I’ve lost interest in the process. I didn’t like analyzing stories like that at school, and I certainly don’t feel like creating them to satisfy the analysis.

The problem I have is what if “what works for me” really isn’t enough, and that I need this re-construction to satisfy a publisher? If that’s the case, I feel like I’m wasting my time.

]]> By: pooks http://www.iain.com/2007/01/28/put-that-story-down-you-dont-know-where-its-been/#comment-7 pooks Mon, 29 Jan 2007 03:48:39 +0000 http://www.iain.com/2007/01/28/put-that-story-down-you-dont-know-where-its-been/#comment-7 Well, I don't write short stories nor do I read them much so I don't have direct experience, but what you say makes sense -- the compressed story makes every single word count in a way very unlike in a novel. So I can imagine how the slightest change can make a bigger difference overall. I've had that happen in scripts, though. Sometimes a single line of dialogue pops up that suddenly spins everything on its ear, and takes me off on a new, better direction. As for grammar, I mentioned that to a few friends who went to school with me, and we all had the same experience as you. We learned a few basics -- nouns, verbs, adverbs, ajectives. But not grammar as in gerunds and dangling participles, etc. Some of us pick it up from reading a lot, I think. Oh, thanks for the props! Well, I don’t write short stories nor do I read them much so I don’t have direct experience, but what you say makes sense — the compressed story makes every single word count in a way very unlike in a novel. So I can imagine how the slightest change can make a bigger difference overall.

I’ve had that happen in scripts, though. Sometimes a single line of dialogue pops up that suddenly spins everything on its ear, and takes me off on a new, better direction.

As for grammar, I mentioned that to a few friends who went to school with me, and we all had the same experience as you. We learned a few basics — nouns, verbs, adverbs, ajectives. But not grammar as in gerunds and dangling participles, etc. Some of us pick it up from reading a lot, I think.

Oh, thanks for the props!

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