Thursday, August 21, 2008
GONZO NOVELISM <---not a word :-)
Have any of you ever had the cajones to try and write a novel? I was going through some of my old works last month and discovered/remembered that I have written four different novels that have a chapter or two completed, and then they just stop. (Terrible grammar in that last sentence. I think a participle is dangling? Helen?) I'm thinking it's because I just started writing, and never put together an outline. Sort of gonzo novelism; not really knowing where the story was going or even if where I began writing was the beginning. Needless to say, the moment fizzled and they were tossed by the wayside. Or rather, the hard drive. I was thinking about maybe posting one here and have The Guild toss some ideas around, and then I remembered I wrote a novella in high school with two other people in this gonzo vein. Each of us would write a chapter, and then pass it on to another author. They would read over what went on, and continue the plot, so it unfolded with each new entry. While the book was rather juvenile in content, the concept was and is still intriguing to me. Maybe we could write one of those? Just getting the ol' ball rollin', as Seth would say. Wouldn't he? THOUGHTS! NOW!
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4 comments:
I just realized I mentioned Jax and Seth, but not Dan, in my post.
Sorry, Dan.
Hey, Dan! How are you, dude?
Alrighty then.
I would love to see something you've started. I don't know if I consider fiction my strong suit, but I'd love to help you with yours.
Well, that's fine. No prob, Will. I find my ability to move in and out of people's memory slightly amazing; guess it's just one of those hidden talents of mine.
But, on to the matter at hand. I find myself in you predicament a lot...or at least used to. Being that I'm not putting my English degree to any use at all career-wise, I figured that I should probably do something English related. So I actually started on a novel. Not the way that I used to back in the day, by just sitting down and typing, but actually putting down on paper a place where I wanted my writing to go. Like you Will, I am a fan of fiction, and that is what I aim to write. For some reason, when I started writing on a computer, I had a hard time seeing the fruits of my labor; I could see it on the screen, but in order to touch it, move it, feel it (literally), I had to print it out and just didn't like the finality of a printed page which held content that wasn't actually final.
So, I've actually started writing on paper (notebooks, to be more precise) things and ideas that I want to incorporate into my novel. I write about the places I'm going to write about, how they came into being; the characters, their backstory; about the cultures and ideologies.
And I have a messenger bag with a pack of pencils and pens in which I can carry them around. It gives a tangibility to the things that I'm writing about. I can look at it, erase it, cross it out, turn the page that has been smudged due to my constant revising. I actually feel like a Writer now. My work is real, I feel it's weight on my shoulder.
I just didn't have that with digital copies.
I find that rewarding.
But that's just my two cents.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Good idea Dan. Thanks for putting that out there.
Liam. I really like that idea. We could each start a different story. Then rotate the stories. At one time we would have four stories going around the circle. If we could rotate something like once a month, I think we could be productive here.
I suppose we aim for 10-20 pages per chapter, just so one person doesn't take too much domain on a novel. It will remain shared that way.
Thoughts??? cont'd...
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