I am not citing anything here because I am lazy and because the power of google is extremely, well, powerful.
Through one of your eyeballs you have read, or will read after you google it, that Chuck Palahniuk never sits down to write until he has an entire chapter or pretty close to one, in his mind. He said somewhere that (I'm paraphrasing) staring at a blank page was just too depressing? boring? Maybe it was in the Ariel Gore book, How To Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead? If he is stuck he likes to clean (?!) and work out (?1?1) and if all else fails, go to a dinner party to fish for ideas. (Seriously, google, it's really fascinating. You can probably find it at the cult . They have all things chuck and other fun interviews. It's where I first heard of Ariel Gore and everyone knows how much I love Ariel Gore. It was through her book that I first became interested in Murakami and Ayun Halliday (Who just came out with the Zinester's Guide to NYC* (I dislike words that end in "-ster" but I make an exception because I just have to like everything she comes out with))).
Where was I going with this before that mega parenthetical aside? oh, right.
Your other eyeball reads writers, nearly most, who say that it is important to write everyday. Not in the mood? Write. "Nothing to say? Write. Raging diarrhea? Write on the toilet. While I do agree with the latter group i also think Chuck is right. I think sometimes, if I just try to write without a plan or at least a general idea of where the scene is heading it comes out crap. Then I find myself embarrassed in front of myself.
What's your way?
*This link will take you to the Zinester's page on Microcosm publishing, its a great little publisher and through them you can also get Burn Collector #1-9 ( I kept buying them and giving them away. Popular little book.)
**Judging by this post I am a literary pimp, lacking direction, thoughtfulness and insight.
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I am a person preoccupied with options... and dirt.
FAQ's
What is the Dirty Ballerina?
A: The Dirty Ballerina is a collection of words, drawings and meanderings that fell out of my head and onto a page. (In the real life paper version there will be things that fell out of other people's heads sometimes.)
Who is the dirty ballerina?
A: Me.
Why do you get to be THE dirty ballerina? What makes you so special?
A: Because I said so and because that's me in the tutu.
Do you even do ballet?
A: The last time I did ballet was when that picture was taken 22 years ago.
*I'm going to stop here before it gets ugly and say that everyone has a little dirty ballerina inside of them. The next time you pour coffee down the front of your fancy outfit or trip and fall in the mud stop for a minute and look at yourself. Are you laughing? There she is...
Thirty in Thirty
As an assignment to myself and to push myself to learn about deadlines I am writing a blog everyday for thirty days. The only requirement I have is that I cannot blog about blogging. Most of it may be crap but I'm doing it anyway, so there.
Just Remember
My grandma always says, never let the truth get in the way of a good story. I always say, the truth is better than anything you can make up. I also tend to listen to my grandma as she's pretty smart. So, if you pop up, or think you pop up in anything I write you might be right, but then again, you might be wrong. All memory is fiction essentially, right?
6 comments:
I am a combination of both sorts. I am a planner, I plan before sitting and writing, and also the "fly by the seat of my pants" sort...plus I sit and WRITE every day, at least a bit. I began blogging almost two years ago to give myself something to show I am being consistently productive. This year has been an almost total fail in that respect though....weeks go by before I post. Ugh. On my novel, my WIP, I find myself working out scenes when I am in the hay barn....or trudging along hauling my hay cart to the horse pasture. Thinking. Always thinking of what is going to work. I spent the last weekend at a writer's workshop taught by Bob Mayer in beautiful Whidbey Island WA. Love that area. Anyway, Bob is a good teacher and I came away inspired. Of course once I got home, care-taking my mom and son, plus the ranch has once again intervened and I have only blogged once and am embarrassed to say I have not written one page since then. Oh brother. Glad to see you are back here blogging, enjoy the weekend ! Pam in Northeastern California, in the desert where it snows:)
Lit pimp? ha!
do you wear a feathered hat a la Shakespeare and green tights?
Fine, you can wear whatever color you prefer.
welcome back, C.
Hi Clementine,
I’m aligned with Chuck Palahniuk’s writing process…
I normally don’t write what I feel or think immediately, I let them sink in and percolate within until I feel I have ‘something to say’ -- a point of view or a concrete emotional core.
I noticed that whenever I let those unwritten words simmer within and filter them before translating them into an actual text, a more evolve way of Consciousness comes in. Or at least, when my topic is a bit dark, somehow a sense of positive reflection shines through. Mostly bittersweet yet optimistic nonetheless.
Writing for me these days has fast become a form of meditation, a deeper awareness of what goes within. When I truly Listen Within before I write, it’s as if my Higher Spirit has found a new portal for revelation. It’s still in its primal stage, but I feel it.
Anyway, that’s too much blah from me :) ;)
I slightly agree that you are a sassy literary pimp (love your recommendations!) but I vehemently disagree that you are lacking direction, thoughtfulness and insight in this post or even in your past writings, musings and what-have-you…
I can feel your passion for writing and I am sure that a lot of your readers can see the diamond in the rough writing talents that you posses. Keep plugging away!
Looking forward to your future book :) :)
--Nerissa
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Are you a crazy person pretending to be Clementine Ford or is that who you really are.... I don't even know why I'm on here does it bother you that people can just go from doing one thing and then end up looking up shit about you on the net. Weird stuff.
The mention of Murakami got me interested. I was so into him back in 2007. He's great for quoting. My all time favorite is: "I've long forgotten the smell of the summer. It all used to be different: the panting of the sea and the hoots of distant boats, the twilight breeze and shy expectations. Now the summer feels like a dream, as if the tracing paper slid off the original: a millimeter here, a millimeter there and the image is all wrong."
Has been getting me ever since I read it..
I can't believe you actually answered me if I hadn't drunkenly bookmarked this page I would have never seen it. Sorry if I offended you by doubting your identity, a crazy person might pretend to be Clementine Ford, because crazy people do crazy stuff like that....
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