While recovering from (minor, but still anesthesia-involving) surgery is probably not the best time to analyze one’s own writing techniques. Nevertheless, Tylenol with codeine is our friend; and so, apparently, is introspection. Look out.
A few days ago, I finished a story. "Drink Down" will appear in Not One of Us #34; it's 7300 words in length, its primary musical influences are PJ Harvey's "Yuri-G," the Dresden Dolls' "Sex Changes," and the folksong "The Bird in the Bush," and it's a love quadrangle involving the moon. This is not the unusual part. In stories of mine, people fall in love with the supernatural—or at least it obsesses them—all the time. It's probably a sort of trademark by now.* What's unusual is the time-frame. It took me from June 30th to August 8th to write "Drink Down," or from April 9th if you count one fragmentary scene, with some portion of the story written or rewritten almost every day. Most of my stories are completed in a matter of days. Some are all-nighters. Occasionally a story, starts, stalls, and is picked up some days, weeks, or months later; but once re-started, it's oblivious burn all the way.** I am not sure I have ever before written a story that took up such a constant and extended period of time as "Drink Down," or underwent so many revisions in-progress.
(Cut for potential spoilers, although I'm not sure it’s possible to spoil one's own work. Similarly, I'm not sure one can write fanfic about one's own characters. Thoughts?)
( Read more... )
A few days ago, I finished a story. "Drink Down" will appear in Not One of Us #34; it's 7300 words in length, its primary musical influences are PJ Harvey's "Yuri-G," the Dresden Dolls' "Sex Changes," and the folksong "The Bird in the Bush," and it's a love quadrangle involving the moon. This is not the unusual part. In stories of mine, people fall in love with the supernatural—or at least it obsesses them—all the time. It's probably a sort of trademark by now.* What's unusual is the time-frame. It took me from June 30th to August 8th to write "Drink Down," or from April 9th if you count one fragmentary scene, with some portion of the story written or rewritten almost every day. Most of my stories are completed in a matter of days. Some are all-nighters. Occasionally a story, starts, stalls, and is picked up some days, weeks, or months later; but once re-started, it's oblivious burn all the way.** I am not sure I have ever before written a story that took up such a constant and extended period of time as "Drink Down," or underwent so many revisions in-progress.
(Cut for potential spoilers, although I'm not sure it’s possible to spoil one's own work. Similarly, I'm not sure one can write fanfic about one's own characters. Thoughts?)
( Read more... )
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