Blustery morning...

[greygirlbeast]

We have some serious weather sweeping across Connecticut towards us. The wind outside is wonderful. I have the office window open just a crack, letting in the fresh, storm-scented air.

Yesterday was a good writing day, just not as good as the three days before it, those three rather exceptional days. Yesterday, I did 1,052 words, and each one

Comments

[robyn_ma]

'We have some serious weather sweeping across Connecticut towards us.'

At least your weather will be serious. We'll be getting the silly weather (Tropical Storm Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel).

[sovay]

We'll be getting the silly weather (Tropical Storm Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel).

Don't forget Hurricane Where-the-hell-is-Bermuda.

[corucia]

FYI, here's a nice little science article about one of my favorite organisms - the waterbear. In a hibernation state, it can survive vacuum and hard radiation.

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080908/full/news.2008.1087.html

Thought you might find it interesting,

David

[maetrics]

hmm...2 replies in as many days...not a good sign...

Just my observations, not speaking from experience.

I believe it's not about the right way of writing a book, but more about quality. Quality, however is subjective, so I'll retreat back to my perfect mathematical world and let someone else worry about that one :)

Sadly people are distracted by money and success, which often requires one to cater to the lowest common denominator, to think about quality.

Should you be able to be able to gain success, money, and quality in the same book. Then you truly are gifted. I think though, most people start with money, then go for success, and then sometime before they die create their Magnum Opus.

[greygirlbeast]

Sadly people are distracted by money and success, which often requires one to cater to the lowest common denominator, to think about quality.

I would say this diverges into an entirely different issue, which would be motivation. Motivation is not necessarily tied to the issue of good writing vs. bad writing, and certainly not to the issue of whether good writing can be learned. Yes, lots of people set out for success and money and so write lousy books, but...the problem is compounded by the fact that sometimes people set out for success and money and write good books. Also, we must not assume motivation. Unless it has been plainly stated by an author, the issue of an author's motivation is very difficult to treat. Unless Author X specifically tells us sheheit is merely gold-digging, we can, at best, extrapolate for the available evidence (as I sometimes do) and devise an hypothesis regarding motivation.

[maetrics]

Well, I didn't mean it negatively. I would hate to think anyone would do anything, especially write a novel, for money and money alone. But the reality of the matter, is we all have rent/mortgages to pay. So, unless the person is a starving artist or leisurely wealthy, I would say that survival is an implicit motivation

[jtglover]

It's terribly anti-egalitarian of me, I know, to claim that most people cannot write, and that most people cannot be taught to write, and it goes against the grain of the whole "writing as craft" camp, but there you go.

...but who says the "writing as craft" camp is right? :) If they were, America's bookstores would be stuffed to the brim with the output of a zillion MFA-spawned geniuses. Of late I tend to think about the question of excellence in writing (...the question of such annoying details as value judgments in writing aside...) as "what kind of excellence." Many books I enjoy in their own right as fine representatives of their type, but which don't hold a candle to [X FAMOUS BOOK].

[greygirlbeast]

...but who says the "writing as craft" camp is right?

Not me. I thought that was a matter of public record.

[jtglover]

I don't remember you talking about it per se, but that, uh, would seem to be in line with the general gist of your journal.

[stsisyphus]

Not that you need the trouble, but I made a brief comment of "The Z Word" today.

[greygirlbeast]

Not that you need the trouble, but I made a brief comment of "The Z Word" today.

Rather interesting, all in all. But I think the thing with "The Z Word" is that, had it gone on much longer than it did, it would quickly have become tiresome. Or that's how I felt about it.

[stsisyphus]

...had it gone on much longer than it did, it would quickly have become tiresome.

Hmm. That's quite possible. The ABBA bit couldn't have carried much farther, thats for sure. I didn't mean to suggest that there was anything wrong with the characterization, btb; just that I sort of wanted more. I couldn't see this going novella length or anything like that, maybe just a few more days of writing on it is all.