Comments on: Hearts & Guns 1

By: kjbishop

kjbishop — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:38:45 +0000

Ing, I don’t know about you, but I get a pacifying, satisfying sort of pleasure out of playing with titles, particularly when the work’s stuck or, even better, when I haven’t written so much as a first sentence. There’s a sense that the title alone, once thought of and mentally caressed for a little while, creates a whole work in a virtual place somewhere beyond mortal ken… I have one title, ‘The Brass Gardens of Winterhouse Street’, to which I’ve never been able to attach the slightest wisp of story. But I’m convinced it’s a lovely, haunting, surreal yet perspicuous novel, with a predominantly lavender cover.

By: Inger

Inger — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:36:32 +0000

Enjoyed catching up on yr blog K – in bed and poorly is perfect opportunity to see what’s up with you. Sounds like writing mojo is flowing (helped along by the power of vegemite!). I like the story titles very much. I know what you mean by creating expectation in a title that’s hard to live up to. The title of my thesis changed at least 5 times before it was done…

By: kjbishop

kjbishop — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:18:16 +0000

Kirby – “think the kernel ideas mostly work. It’s the execution I’m not pleased with.” – That’s pretty much where I am, too. I can see flow issues, all kinds of weak spots, dialogue that’s just too gothic and mannered (although I thought it was cool at the time I wrote it, and if I recall right, was deliberately going for that effect). I don’t tend to judge the ideas themselves, really. Often they’re rather nebulous, but I’ve had enough good reactions to nebulous ideas that I don’t worry too much.

Colin – just finishing them would be a fine thing in itself. I’ve also found that coming back to stories after a few years shows up inconsistencies and plot holes that I didn’t catch even with several revisions near the time of writing.

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:11:18 +0000

Going over old stuff is great.

Recently i was given a computer with a whole bunch of files left on it. after veiwing all the files that i found some old stories of mine that my friend (previous owner of the computer) had recorded as sound files after hearing some of my old plots i gave up sleep and typing into the wee hours of the morning.

i have compared them against the old files that i had written for these plots scenes and other twisted mental manifestations.

Thus far with between 2 and 10 years of seperation from these old writtings i have been able to advance the stories and fill in the “plot” holes.

I don’t plan on doing anything with them other then just finishing them.

By: Kirby Crow

Kirby Crow — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:29:23 +0000

Some work, some don’t. I’m finding that my style has changed a lot since I wrote some of these. I’m more…what’s the word? I’m definitely harder to please in my writing. I’ll get halfway through an old piece and go “oh this is rubbish” and clip 5k words from the story. I think the kernel ideas mostly work. It’s the execution I’m not pleased with.

I’ve set a really modest word count per day, so I’m not worried about not finishing the collection, but some days (like today) it doesn’t pay to get out of bed. I fully believe in throwaway-days, where you open your eyes and realize; “Today is the day where nothing can be accomplished”, so you order pizza and watch movies.

By: kjbishop

kjbishop — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:45:13 +0000

Kirby – oh, awesome! Are you finding that you want to rewrite them quite a bit, or do they still work for you as you originally wrote them?

Laurie: Kai of the Brunnen G says, “The dead do not plot.” How this relates to me I’m not sure, but he definitely says it…

By: Laurie

Laurie — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:36:35 +0000

Plot! What is this “plot”? I have never heard of it.

By: Kirby Crow

Kirby Crow — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:54:48 +0000

It’s great that you’re going over your old stuff, discovering that there’s life in them yet. I’ve been doing that lately and uncovered enough for a novel-length collection of horror stories. Who knew? I may call it Poison Apples.

(let’s not say plot; have I ever written a plot?).

The P word scares me. I know I’ve actually written them but I’ve probably mentally suppressed the process out of sheer trauma.