The Shallows of the Psyche
Monday, December 29. 2008
So I woke up this morning with a clear picture of a dream just beginning to fade, and I was able to leap out of bed and record enough of it on the Eee PC before I lost it that I might be able to turn it into a short story. The question is whether I should.
I'm dubious about the worth of dreams as seeds for fiction. They're certainly good for interesting insights into one's subconscious mind, and perhaps they're useful to provide a creative kick in the pants or a different way of thinking. Their literal contents, however, too often constitute a pile of literary offal that smells good first thing in the morning but is clearly rancid upon later review.
This one's safe to use, I think, because the story's not about the dream, but inspired by the dream, or, more accurately, by dreaming. I've wanted for some time to write a short story that explores lucid dreaming, and this idea gives me the opportunity. Also, I just reviewed the words I feverishly typed at six o'clock this morning, and at noon they still smell presentable.
The bigger issue for me right now is that I have been in "novel mode" for some time. If I want to take a break from noveling and crank out a short story, I have to switch gears. Well, perhaps now, over the holidays, when my schedule is out of whack anyway, is a good time to do that. I'll also have to catch up on Crittering, in order to get some editing help.
In the end, I'll have to accept dreaming as a valid jumping off point for my fiction. At least my meandering subconscious got my creativity to move in a new and interesting direction today, and anytime one finds oneself typing "feverishly," good things are bound to happen.
So I woke up this morning with a clear picture of a dream just beginning to fade, and I was able to leap out of bed and record enough of it on the Eee PC before I lost it that I might be able to turn it into a short story. The question is whether I should.
I'm dubious about the worth of dreams as seeds for fiction. They're certainly good for interesting insights into one's subconscious mind, and perhaps they're useful to provide a creative kick in the pants or a different way of thinking. Their literal contents, however, too often constitute a pile of literary offal that smells good first thing in the morning but is clearly rancid upon later review.
This one's safe to use, I think, because the story's not about the dream, but inspired by the dream, or, more accurately, by dreaming. I've wanted for some time to write a short story that explores lucid dreaming, and this idea gives me the opportunity. Also, I just reviewed the words I feverishly typed at six o'clock this morning, and at noon they still smell presentable.
The bigger issue for me right now is that I have been in "novel mode" for some time. If I want to take a break from noveling and crank out a short story, I have to switch gears. Well, perhaps now, over the holidays, when my schedule is out of whack anyway, is a good time to do that. I'll also have to catch up on Crittering, in order to get some editing help.
In the end, I'll have to accept dreaming as a valid jumping off point for my fiction. At least my meandering subconscious got my creativity to move in a new and interesting direction today, and anytime one finds oneself typing "feverishly," good things are bound to happen.
I'm dubious about the worth of dreams as seeds for fiction. They're certainly good for interesting insights into one's subconscious mind, and perhaps they're useful to provide a creative kick in the pants or a different way of thinking. Their literal contents, however, too often constitute a pile of literary offal that smells good first thing in the morning but is clearly rancid upon later review.
This one's safe to use, I think, because the story's not about the dream, but inspired by the dream, or, more accurately, by dreaming. I've wanted for some time to write a short story that explores lucid dreaming, and this idea gives me the opportunity. Also, I just reviewed the words I feverishly typed at six o'clock this morning, and at noon they still smell presentable.
The bigger issue for me right now is that I have been in "novel mode" for some time. If I want to take a break from noveling and crank out a short story, I have to switch gears. Well, perhaps now, over the holidays, when my schedule is out of whack anyway, is a good time to do that. I'll also have to catch up on Crittering, in order to get some editing help.
In the end, I'll have to accept dreaming as a valid jumping off point for my fiction. At least my meandering subconscious got my creativity to move in a new and interesting direction today, and anytime one finds oneself typing "feverishly," good things are bound to happen.
Ray? Come in, Ray?
Wednesday, December 24. 2008
I finally got a chance to come up for air today from the slightly-greater-than-full-time job, and I decided to begin re-reading Fahrenheit 451. I rediscovered that I have a great admiration for Ray Bradbury. And all I got through this morning during my cardio at the gym was the set of three forewards / introductions from Bradbury's pen in the latest edition.
The oldest was written in 1966, the middle one in 1993, and the latest in 2003. There is some repetition among the three reminiscences, but there are nuggets of gold in each for the budding writer. So many, in fact, that I can't cover them all in one blog entry.
I'll start with the observation that struck me most: Bradbury wrote the first version of Fahrenheit 451 in only nine days. He was speed-noveling long before NaNoWriMo had ever been conceived. Now, his first draft was only 25,000 words long. He had to add another 25,000 words or so (within another self-imposed nine-day time limit) to produce the slim volume that is the complete novel as published. But that first, shorter version was a publication in its own right: it was titled The Fireman, and it was serialized in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.
The field was far less crowded in the 1950s, so I believe it was easier for true talent to get noticed. Nonetheless, the prolific Mr. Bradbury's accomplishments are awe-inspiring. I'll blog more about his thoughts on writing (and how they coincide with my own) in the coming days.
For now, it's nearing the time to invoke the dancing sugarplum visions...
I finally got a chance to come up for air today from the slightly-greater-than-full-time job, and I decided to begin re-reading Fahrenheit 451. I rediscovered that I have a great admiration for Ray Bradbury. And all I got through this morning during my cardio at the gym was the set of three forewards / introductions from Bradbury's pen in the latest edition.
The oldest was written in 1966, the middle one in 1993, and the latest in 2003. There is some repetition among the three reminiscences, but there are nuggets of gold in each for the budding writer. So many, in fact, that I can't cover them all in one blog entry.
I'll start with the observation that struck me most: Bradbury wrote the first version of Fahrenheit 451 in only nine days. He was speed-noveling long before NaNoWriMo had ever been conceived. Now, his first draft was only 25,000 words long. He had to add another 25,000 words or so (within another self-imposed nine-day time limit) to produce the slim volume that is the complete novel as published. But that first, shorter version was a publication in its own right: it was titled The Fireman, and it was serialized in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.
The field was far less crowded in the 1950s, so I believe it was easier for true talent to get noticed. Nonetheless, the prolific Mr. Bradbury's accomplishments are awe-inspiring. I'll blog more about his thoughts on writing (and how they coincide with my own) in the coming days.
For now, it's nearing the time to invoke the dancing sugarplum visions...
The oldest was written in 1966, the middle one in 1993, and the latest in 2003. There is some repetition among the three reminiscences, but there are nuggets of gold in each for the budding writer. So many, in fact, that I can't cover them all in one blog entry.
I'll start with the observation that struck me most: Bradbury wrote the first version of Fahrenheit 451 in only nine days. He was speed-noveling long before NaNoWriMo had ever been conceived. Now, his first draft was only 25,000 words long. He had to add another 25,000 words or so (within another self-imposed nine-day time limit) to produce the slim volume that is the complete novel as published. But that first, shorter version was a publication in its own right: it was titled The Fireman, and it was serialized in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.
The field was far less crowded in the 1950s, so I believe it was easier for true talent to get noticed. Nonetheless, the prolific Mr. Bradbury's accomplishments are awe-inspiring. I'll blog more about his thoughts on writing (and how they coincide with my own) in the coming days.
For now, it's nearing the time to invoke the dancing sugarplum visions...
How Far Can I Trust Me?
Monday, December 22. 2008
I don't have complete confidence in my future self. I don't know if I can trust him.
I often find it difficult to finish things, or even to continue with habits I've established. Starting a new endeavor is interesting, it's different, it's seductive. I love to begin. But it's tough to keep going.
I look back on the past year and I'm annoyed at the opportunities I didn't follow through with. I've made plans, and they haven't come to fruition. I haven't finished 200 PC yet. I haven't kept up my exercise regimen the way I wanted to. My "to-do" list is long, and many of the items on it are long in the tooth.
Part of the problem may be that I change as a person over the course of time. What I find interesting, what I want to spend my time on, is constantly evolving. I like to think this evolution is part of a continuous maturing process, and not due to increasing laziness.
How can I keep my future self on track, and locked onto the goals I hold right now? Do I actually want to?
Well, future self, I think we both want to be published authors, and since we share the same name, we can submit the same novel. So here, take what I've got so far and run with it. See you in the history books.
I don't have complete confidence in my future self. I don't know if I can trust him.
I often find it difficult to finish things, or even to continue with habits I've established. Starting a new endeavor is interesting, it's different, it's seductive. I love to begin. But it's tough to keep going.
I look back on the past year and I'm annoyed at the opportunities I didn't follow through with. I've made plans, and they haven't come to fruition. I haven't finished 200 PC yet. I haven't kept up my exercise regimen the way I wanted to. My "to-do" list is long, and many of the items on it are long in the tooth.
Part of the problem may be that I change as a person over the course of time. What I find interesting, what I want to spend my time on, is constantly evolving. I like to think this evolution is part of a continuous maturing process, and not due to increasing laziness.
How can I keep my future self on track, and locked onto the goals I hold right now? Do I actually want to?
Well, future self, I think we both want to be published authors, and since we share the same name, we can submit the same novel. So here, take what I've got so far and run with it. See you in the history books.
I often find it difficult to finish things, or even to continue with habits I've established. Starting a new endeavor is interesting, it's different, it's seductive. I love to begin. But it's tough to keep going.
I look back on the past year and I'm annoyed at the opportunities I didn't follow through with. I've made plans, and they haven't come to fruition. I haven't finished 200 PC yet. I haven't kept up my exercise regimen the way I wanted to. My "to-do" list is long, and many of the items on it are long in the tooth.
Part of the problem may be that I change as a person over the course of time. What I find interesting, what I want to spend my time on, is constantly evolving. I like to think this evolution is part of a continuous maturing process, and not due to increasing laziness.
How can I keep my future self on track, and locked onto the goals I hold right now? Do I actually want to?
Well, future self, I think we both want to be published authors, and since we share the same name, we can submit the same novel. So here, take what I've got so far and run with it. See you in the history books.
Curses!
Friday, December 19. 2008
I hate to be a what's-this-world-coming-to curmudgeon, but I'm increasingly uncomfortable with the language many people use in public.
It used to be just the occasional "hell" or "damn" that peppered some individuals' public conversations, but more and more I'm hearing people drop what was at one time considered much more serious profanity, up to and including the "F" word. Do these loudly declaiming egoists not notice the pre-teen, pre-school, pre-"R"-rated-movie children within earshot? Are they uncaring, malicious, or simply clueless?
As a writer, I understand the power of words. I appreciate the various arguments with respect to "curse words," and what they mean in a "modern" society. But I also respect the sovereignty of each family and the right of parents to make their own choices regarding what their children are exposed to. Publicly profane individuals ought to be policed by society. It's a telling commentary on the state of our society that this generally does not happen.
I don't hesitate to "hell" and "damn" in my writing, because I want to try to reflect how people actually talk. I'm uncomfortable going any farther than that in my dialogue, though. And I'm concerned, based on the conversations I overhear at the airport, restaurants, and other public places, that the relatively mild profanity I allow into my writing will soon seem staid or even silly.
Am I alone in this attitude? Do others not still cringe at some of these curse words? Is the Internet to blame for our society's increasing callousness to the traditionally profane?
I hate to be a what's-this-world-coming-to curmudgeon, but I'm increasingly uncomfortable with the language many people use in public.
It used to be just the occasional "hell" or "damn" that peppered some individuals' public conversations, but more and more I'm hearing people drop what was at one time considered much more serious profanity, up to and including the "F" word. Do these loudly declaiming egoists not notice the pre-teen, pre-school, pre-"R"-rated-movie children within earshot? Are they uncaring, malicious, or simply clueless?
As a writer, I understand the power of words. I appreciate the various arguments with respect to "curse words," and what they mean in a "modern" society. But I also respect the sovereignty of each family and the right of parents to make their own choices regarding what their children are exposed to. Publicly profane individuals ought to be policed by society. It's a telling commentary on the state of our society that this generally does not happen.
I don't hesitate to "hell" and "damn" in my writing, because I want to try to reflect how people actually talk. I'm uncomfortable going any farther than that in my dialogue, though. And I'm concerned, based on the conversations I overhear at the airport, restaurants, and other public places, that the relatively mild profanity I allow into my writing will soon seem staid or even silly.
Am I alone in this attitude? Do others not still cringe at some of these curse words? Is the Internet to blame for our society's increasing callousness to the traditionally profane?
It used to be just the occasional "hell" or "damn" that peppered some individuals' public conversations, but more and more I'm hearing people drop what was at one time considered much more serious profanity, up to and including the "F" word. Do these loudly declaiming egoists not notice the pre-teen, pre-school, pre-"R"-rated-movie children within earshot? Are they uncaring, malicious, or simply clueless?
As a writer, I understand the power of words. I appreciate the various arguments with respect to "curse words," and what they mean in a "modern" society. But I also respect the sovereignty of each family and the right of parents to make their own choices regarding what their children are exposed to. Publicly profane individuals ought to be policed by society. It's a telling commentary on the state of our society that this generally does not happen.
I don't hesitate to "hell" and "damn" in my writing, because I want to try to reflect how people actually talk. I'm uncomfortable going any farther than that in my dialogue, though. And I'm concerned, based on the conversations I overhear at the airport, restaurants, and other public places, that the relatively mild profanity I allow into my writing will soon seem staid or even silly.
Am I alone in this attitude? Do others not still cringe at some of these curse words? Is the Internet to blame for our society's increasing callousness to the traditionally profane?
Eee on a Plane
Thursday, December 18. 2008
I bought my Asus Eee PC netbook about six weeks ago, mainly to use for NaNoWriMo. This week was my first opportunity to travel with it.
It's sweeeeeeeeEeet.
I'm writing this blog entry on it right now, as I sit at Dallas/Fort Worth airport waiting for my flight back to Orlando. I can pull it out anywhere and use it; it's only slightly more involved to use than my cell phone. My Eee is just the right size to strike the best balance between usability (screen and keyboard size are quite adequate) and portability (smaller than many DayTimers). I have Verizon Wireless broadband, so neither am I a slave to available wireless networks.
Best of all, it worked great on the airplane, even when the jerk in front of me in coach leaned all the way back. My old laptop was all but useless in that situation.
I got my Eee PC at Best Buy. It seems to be a variation on Asus' standard 900A model specifically made for Best Buy. It has 4 GB of internal static storage (like a hard-wired SD card), an SD slot (in which I have an additional 2 GB card), built-in wireless G (which I only use at home), and a serious coolness factor. It's white; everybody knows the good computers wear white.
It came with a version of Xandros installed that used almost the entire internal storage space, so I did what most people do and wiped that immediately in favor of Ubuntu Eee (soon to be rebranded "Easy Peasy," apparently). I have Firefox, StarOffice, and basic compilers. What more could I ask for? It does almost everything I need, and it weighs less than a kilo, even including the cool cover I bought for it.
Best of all, it cost under $300. As I said to a couple other tech geeks standing around in Best Buy, I "can't not buy it" at that point.
I'd be a lot less productive without it, with respect to writing. So now back to that task.
I bought my Asus Eee PC netbook about six weeks ago, mainly to use for NaNoWriMo. This week was my first opportunity to travel with it.
It's sweeeeeeeeEeet.
I'm writing this blog entry on it right now, as I sit at Dallas/Fort Worth airport waiting for my flight back to Orlando. I can pull it out anywhere and use it; it's only slightly more involved to use than my cell phone. My Eee is just the right size to strike the best balance between usability (screen and keyboard size are quite adequate) and portability (smaller than many DayTimers). I have Verizon Wireless broadband, so neither am I a slave to available wireless networks.
Best of all, it worked great on the airplane, even when the jerk in front of me in coach leaned all the way back. My old laptop was all but useless in that situation.
I got my Eee PC at Best Buy. It seems to be a variation on Asus' standard 900A model specifically made for Best Buy. It has 4 GB of internal static storage (like a hard-wired SD card), an SD slot (in which I have an additional 2 GB card), built-in wireless G (which I only use at home), and a serious coolness factor. It's white; everybody knows the good computers wear white.
It came with a version of Xandros installed that used almost the entire internal storage space, so I did what most people do and wiped that immediately in favor of Ubuntu Eee (soon to be rebranded "Easy Peasy," apparently). I have Firefox, StarOffice, and basic compilers. What more could I ask for? It does almost everything I need, and it weighs less than a kilo, even including the cool cover I bought for it.
Best of all, it cost under $300. As I said to a couple other tech geeks standing around in Best Buy, I "can't not buy it" at that point.
I'd be a lot less productive without it, with respect to writing. So now back to that task.
It's sweeeeeeeeEeet.
I'm writing this blog entry on it right now, as I sit at Dallas/Fort Worth airport waiting for my flight back to Orlando. I can pull it out anywhere and use it; it's only slightly more involved to use than my cell phone. My Eee is just the right size to strike the best balance between usability (screen and keyboard size are quite adequate) and portability (smaller than many DayTimers). I have Verizon Wireless broadband, so neither am I a slave to available wireless networks.
Best of all, it worked great on the airplane, even when the jerk in front of me in coach leaned all the way back. My old laptop was all but useless in that situation.
I got my Eee PC at Best Buy. It seems to be a variation on Asus' standard 900A model specifically made for Best Buy. It has 4 GB of internal static storage (like a hard-wired SD card), an SD slot (in which I have an additional 2 GB card), built-in wireless G (which I only use at home), and a serious coolness factor. It's white; everybody knows the good computers wear white.
It came with a version of Xandros installed that used almost the entire internal storage space, so I did what most people do and wiped that immediately in favor of Ubuntu Eee (soon to be rebranded "Easy Peasy," apparently). I have Firefox, StarOffice, and basic compilers. What more could I ask for? It does almost everything I need, and it weighs less than a kilo, even including the cool cover I bought for it.
Best of all, it cost under $300. As I said to a couple other tech geeks standing around in Best Buy, I "can't not buy it" at that point.
I'd be a lot less productive without it, with respect to writing. So now back to that task.
« previous page
(Page 3 of 3, totaling 12 entries)