A.M. Jenkins's Blog, page 19

No, wait, altruism is the wrong word. I don't know what t...

No, wait, altruism is the wrong word. I don't know what the right word is. Altruism would be writing to make the world more beautiful or nicer or whatever. I don't do that. I don't know what you call it when you write for the sake of the writing itself.

Ironically, the only time I might possibly be called altruistic about writing is in the mercenary side, when I'm writing for cash. Those are the pieces that will go into classrooms and some poor book-hating kid will be forced to read them again...

On the other hand, I heard from a writer friend that an e...

On the other hand, I heard from a writer friend that an experimental project WF has been playing around with for a long time has gotten a good response after being brought out into the light of day. This is a project that WF has labored on for personal satisfaction, knowing there was a good chance it might all be for naught, business-wise. So that was cheery news.

Interesting discussions lately with writer friends re. altruistic vs. venal/mercenary outlooks. I think some writers believe you're...

I always think spring break (or fall break or Christmas b...

I always think spring break (or fall break or Christmas break or summer break or any school holiday, for that matter) is going to be a gloriously long expanse of computer time. And then every single year--every single holiday--I get behind with my writing work; I get behind schedule deadline-wise. Blah.

Blah, blah, blah.

I also decided that the former GN has no chance at all in this publishing climate, and it's not right anyway, it's got serious problems that aren't going to be worth sorting ou...

No time for my own writing at the moment, but I did sneak...

No time for my own writing at the moment, but I did sneak in a very wee tiny bit yesterday, anyway--probably not more than 50 words, but they were really good ones. Or at least the idea behind them was good. It needed to be written down.

I'm beginning to wonder if I only want to work on my own stuff because I'm not supposed to. I suspect that if unlimited time opened up to work on this latest ms, I suddenly wouldn't feel like it anymore and would have to force myself to get started every time....

I've been thinking a lot about process, and the differenc...

I've been thinking a lot about process, and the difference between this new WIP and the swordfighting WIP. As I get into this new WIP I'm keeping an eye peeled for anything I'm doing that might help me with the latter.

There are clear differences in the way each has developed (so far). The sf ms started as more of an experiment in plotting my way through a book. I started with an "inciting incident" (I hate that phrase) and went from there. I figured out who the people were, why they were ther...

Belatedly got one w-f-h assignment sent in today (two mor...

Belatedly got one w-f-h assignment sent in today (two more pending, and packets start up again on Monday). Today I had enforced writing time in the library, and wrote I don't know how much, maybe 2-3000 worth of new stuff on the dystopian ms. I know the MC, the problem, the theme, at least five other characters by personality and function in the story, and a whole bunch of scenes or snippets of scenes that need to happen.

I find this very annoying, because I have worked my you-know-what off on...

note to self: re. gender diff. (warning: crude)

Son #2: Hey, [son #1:] just texted me.

Me: Oh? What'd he say?

Son #2: He said, "You need to wipe your butt. I can smell you all the way out here in Lubbock."

Me: Well, when you text him back, you tell him I said "Don't make me have to come out there and whup you."

Son #2: (puzzled). Why would you want me to tell him that?

Me: Because when he's 300 miles away and hardly ever gets to see you, he ought be texting you loving messages of brotherly kindness.

Son #2: But that's what this was.

Here's what interests me about this new WIP: the idea of ...

Here's what interests me about this new WIP: the idea of mercy, compassion, empathy. Why are those inherently good things? What if they're liabilities and have a direct, negative impact on your own survival? Why would it be a good thing to have them, in that case? Is there something about them that deserves being nursed along, even when there's no apparent upside to having them, and many clear downsides?

Was thinking about The Hunger Games. I haven't read the second one, only the first. One th...

Note to self: reread Elie Wiesel's Night

I need to get a copy of my own, too, at some point. But I guess the library will have to do for now.

I do not have time to work on this dystopia* ms. It's stupid to work on it. It's bad, bad, bad to work on it. But by g*d, I'm going to do it anyway. Just for a little while. Just an hour or two this morning. Even with two w-f-h deadlines tomorrow--in a few hours, I'll be good and close that file and open the ones I'm supposed to be working on, and behave myself. And meet the deadlines, even if ...

Note to self: let it go; do your work.

Put other crap aside. Deal with it later. For now, do your work.