Pentimento
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 12:34 pmWell, the brain fog seems to be lifting. I might have to go back more to my original idea of the tea master, pastiche or not. He really wants to be that guy. He might do something bad to me if I don’t let him.
And I’ve done something I’ve never done before — stuck one of those pseudo-historical quotes at the start of a story e.g. “And in the Summer of ‘69, Thorfin the Raven Feeder slew a mighty horde at the Pass of Wind, and got the girl and the clap, after which this story transpires…”
It always struck me as a clunky way to start a story, but it’s a smaller clunk and less intrusive than bringing in expository dialogue and interior dialogue later on. I could always go the “no fucking context at all” route, but I think this story wants just a modicum of context. And hey, everybody else does it.
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I actually find those bits very useful in terms of writing; it sets the tone, or tells me what I want to accomplish for that chapter, things like that. One short story I used ‘Sucker Love’ from Placebo, keeping the song in my head the entire time; and ended up with a psychotic, obsessive, violent and selfish love story, as per my intentions…
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Oh, I love epigraphs. I’ve got a few of them for this story, too. What I mean is those little potted histories that come from fictitious sources — or did you also mean those? (I have a chronic touch of the dumb…)
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:45 am
Brain fog is a terrible menace to society and it should be obliterated. (I liken it to having my skull stuffed with dirty, wet wool.)
That said, omg, so looking forward to a new Gwynn story.
December 3rd, 2009 at 2:54 am
I had written a 900 page story that opened with the line of “Fuck this” I only did it because i couldn’t think of a better way to start. Now if only i could find the cd i burnt it to
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 am
Laurie — it feels like a foretaste of senile dementia. Lots of “what am I doing now?” and “what’s that thing called?” Wet wool indeed.
I’ll probably be begging for beta readers when it’s done.
Colin — that’s a great opening line. In fact, you could just follow it with a few blank pages…
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Good luck! Go, go, go!
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I’m going, I’m going! ;D (Thanks for the luck!)
December 5th, 2009 at 2:07 am
(New commenter but longtime lurker/lover of The Etched City, hello!)
“And in the Summer of ‘69, Thorfin the Raven Feeder slew a mighty horde at the Pass of Wind, and got the girl and the clap, after which this story transpires…”
Can you please write this story? I think it would be hilarious if you started with something as violently self-explanatory an epigraph as this, and then turned the story into something relevant, yet having nothing actually to do with barbarians, thews, or smiting. Or, y’know, just write the story literally.
Continued good luck with the Gwynn story, and hooray!
(Also, I had emailed you a while back inquiring as to the Ecchi no City password, but never got a response. Mistaken for spam?)
December 5th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Um, I could try! If my mind comes up with something…
Thanks, and I’m sorry, I didn’t get that mail. I don’t know why it would end up in spam, but it must have. Will mail you.