So it's been proposed. Underway. Sort of like an early hiatus. I'm going to write a novel.
Sounds like a pretty ambitious idea for a kid just finished 13 years of education, with little to no experience whatsoever in the big jungle they call real life. In fact, each step of his own longevity is a carefully molded experience aimed to transition the child into an adult. This transience, they call adolescence.
So what facts did i end up learning about life? Add a shot of Chuck Palahniuk and Richard Price. Nothing too C.S Lewis, mix in the jaded experiences of teen angst, introversion and enough smutty jokes to make a crystal clear beverage clearly aimed to fuck social discourse harder than absinthe.
Maybe, just maybe - i might give nary a reader a slight tingle around the neck area with that.
That is to say, contemporaries these days might be asking for messed up shit. We're living in a society where we've become so desensitised, nothing effects us any more. We need something that'll make us feel. Make us think. Make us want to REACT. We need our fight clubs, our coke cartels and enough drug abuse to make ourselves feel much better about our slowly declining lifestyles. It's a trend, the heroic epics of The Odyssey or even Gilgamesh would be remembered - as a memory. Instead, you've got the daft nihilism of Tyler Durden - that's the statement.
I'm cool with that. I'm cool with the notion of racism; of entire holocausts centred toward the righteous and economically healthy; of sexual effigies where not even a dirty word is left out of a sentence; hell we need subversion against society; of situations so screwed, that you can't help but compel yourself to read on. On a personal level, I find it much easier to devour words of hate, distaste and bitter angst than of Austen-like proportions (much easier as in enjoyable, not more preferable).
Ultimately, it's my own opinion. My own bias based upon what I deem as enjoyable, what 'sells' will invariably affect the ways in which I write. Which brings me to my next problem. With that, the illustration of a father's child rearing ways surface. There is no definite consolidation that the father's child will grow up a good kid. Despite the father's own efforts, his work, his careful balance - the kid could turn into a societal menace. Herein, lies the problem. Perception. I can take criticism, within good reasoning and justification; but in when writing a novel, it changes.
My perception of a screw-up may be someone's own perception of weightless gold. Hell, 'at first you don't succeed, try and try again'. But like the mental psyche of a child, you can't just alter the composition suited to your needing. Or maybe you can, maybe it just takes a hellava lot of skill and effort which I've none of or am i even remotely qualified to at the moment. (read: 18 year old introspective youth. Not Hank Moody). If that's the case, no matter how hard I'll polish it, a turd will still be a turd.
In terms of perspective, here be two pieces of wise words, the first from my ever-intelligent, ever-sexy and always spoken about(insert whipping noise here. Go on, I know you want to) girlfriend and the second from a person who has probably a lot more experience in the fields of literature than I have:
"If you're going to write a book, make a name. Your first book is supposed to sell, appeal to the mass markets. Not about anything niche, nobody wants that - not until they realise who you are and how well you craft your writing" - Cathy. Always the intrinsic one, bringing down a feathery-headed boy to reality. I always adore this sort of neutrality and long-term objective mentality she's got. (make more whipping noises. I dare you.) Either that, or she just wants her name written on the front jacket of an international bestseller.
"You think shock value is important? Find meaning first." - Jonathan.
Hence my hiatus. My pseudo-writer's block. ideas and no direction, motivation, yet nothing tangible. Ready, yet procrastinatory. I need more time. I need more ideas. I need more opinions. I need a tape recorder. I need sources. I need to link my ideas. I need to shut up and get something started.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
How did you and I manage to grow such collossal egos?
I know you think yours is larger, but thats the whole thing, right?
Ok, to the point: you're doing a marvelous job here matey. When Jilarra has to look up words in the dictionary, you know youve done good. Perhaps you should look some up too, to make sure you are using them in the right context. But, meaning aside, you sound darn impressive, so "10/10 for style".
Catch you later.
Post a Comment