Writing and the pursuit of passion
Jun. 22nd, 2006 11:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pjthompsonQuote of the day:
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
—James D. Nicoll
Writingness of the day: Epiphanies are good things. I like them. I realized through a recent review (thanks—you know who you are) that sometimes I confuse tension with conflict. It seems glaringly obvious to me now, but the obvious isn't always obvious when you're sitting too close to the screen.
This conflict/tension confusion isn't a problem in my novels so much. They pretty much have the classic A must do B or C will happen structure, or A must overcome B in order to prevent/attain C, etc. But this is definitely a problem in my short fiction. My stories always seem more about, "Some characters are hanging out in an interesting setting and something gets them all scared/unhappy/excited/smiley, and then everybody goes home."
Not quite that bad, but almost. It's rare that I have that problem-solving kind of structure. There are perfectly fine short stories out there that don't have a problem-solving structure, some that I love with a muchness, but the thing is: I haven't written any of them. I don't feel bad about that, except in a generic way, a sense that I should feel bad and do something about it. I'd like to write better stories. I'd like to sell some short fiction. But short stories aren't my passion. And therein may lie the real reason I suck at them.
Not all things are for all people. Not every novelist can or wants to write short stories. That's just a fact of life. I'm not entitled to write good short stories just by the fact of being a writer. They aren't my passion. Short stories must be worked for, sacrificed for, and they require different muscles than novels. I probably could learn a lot trying to develop those muscles, but I'm not sure I will ever burn hot enough to write good short stories.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying I don't care, but I don't feel mopey about this, it isn't an "I stink" low self-esteem moment, it's just something I'm being honest about with myself and whoever else might be listening.
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
—James D. Nicoll
Writingness of the day: Epiphanies are good things. I like them. I realized through a recent review (thanks—you know who you are) that sometimes I confuse tension with conflict. It seems glaringly obvious to me now, but the obvious isn't always obvious when you're sitting too close to the screen.
This conflict/tension confusion isn't a problem in my novels so much. They pretty much have the classic A must do B or C will happen structure, or A must overcome B in order to prevent/attain C, etc. But this is definitely a problem in my short fiction. My stories always seem more about, "Some characters are hanging out in an interesting setting and something gets them all scared/unhappy/excited/smiley, and then everybody goes home."
Not quite that bad, but almost. It's rare that I have that problem-solving kind of structure. There are perfectly fine short stories out there that don't have a problem-solving structure, some that I love with a muchness, but the thing is: I haven't written any of them. I don't feel bad about that, except in a generic way, a sense that I should feel bad and do something about it. I'd like to write better stories. I'd like to sell some short fiction. But short stories aren't my passion. And therein may lie the real reason I suck at them.
Not all things are for all people. Not every novelist can or wants to write short stories. That's just a fact of life. I'm not entitled to write good short stories just by the fact of being a writer. They aren't my passion. Short stories must be worked for, sacrificed for, and they require different muscles than novels. I probably could learn a lot trying to develop those muscles, but I'm not sure I will ever burn hot enough to write good short stories.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying I don't care, but I don't feel mopey about this, it isn't an "I stink" low self-esteem moment, it's just something I'm being honest about with myself and whoever else might be listening.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-23 11:47 pm (UTC)