Writing a story at KMC
The SF writing thing at KMC was a 'writing competition'. I'd woken up just an hour before that, and as has been the case on all mornings this last month - I had the sniffles, a sore throat and every word I uttered was burpy, and hurt the throat. Very high Esonophil (sp?) count, I'm told. No time to think, and I didn't feel like going. Still went, though.
Walked in expecting a seminar, and food for thought, and was informed that I'll get one hour from the moment I take the sheet of paper. Still groggy, it didn't register. It was when someone said 'writing competition' that I understood. The idea plain was parched for once, so I used two basic, and previously used premisses to rehash an old story:
1. Death is the only complete freedom
2. Not everyone wants freedom.
The last premiss is debatable. It was in Gone with the wind (ugh) that I had come across the idea that there were some "African Americans" who didn't want freedom from slavery, and were quite comfortable as they were: comfortable with familiarity and vary of losing the class distinction that they enjoyed. How about a situation where a race is so accustomed to slavery that they just can't live in freedom. They don't know what it means to be free and are afraid of making their own decisions because just don't know how to do anything. Where herd mentality is a part of the races psyche. I changed a lot of things, added a little more masala, reduced the dramatics and the dialogues. Changed the names and the setting, and the characteristics of the new planet. Of course, the basic premisses remained the same.
Time to think of new ideas, now. As Rhymebawd put it, I didn't seem to be having fun while writing 'The Haircut'. I didn't. I don't think one gets ideas by just starting writing - beliefs are important, and they define the story. I have been accused once of using stories as just platforms for voicing opinions, but thats the way it sometimes is.
Writing on paper, hurriedly, was an interesting experience. I started coming up with new, and suprising ideas; have mostly relied on word processors (okay, computers) for the last three years. I might switch to paper now. Anything to make me write...and I guess I need to have fun writing.
Walked in expecting a seminar, and food for thought, and was informed that I'll get one hour from the moment I take the sheet of paper. Still groggy, it didn't register. It was when someone said 'writing competition' that I understood. The idea plain was parched for once, so I used two basic, and previously used premisses to rehash an old story:
1. Death is the only complete freedom
2. Not everyone wants freedom.
The last premiss is debatable. It was in Gone with the wind (ugh) that I had come across the idea that there were some "African Americans" who didn't want freedom from slavery, and were quite comfortable as they were: comfortable with familiarity and vary of losing the class distinction that they enjoyed. How about a situation where a race is so accustomed to slavery that they just can't live in freedom. They don't know what it means to be free and are afraid of making their own decisions because just don't know how to do anything. Where herd mentality is a part of the races psyche. I changed a lot of things, added a little more masala, reduced the dramatics and the dialogues. Changed the names and the setting, and the characteristics of the new planet. Of course, the basic premisses remained the same.
Time to think of new ideas, now. As Rhymebawd put it, I didn't seem to be having fun while writing 'The Haircut'. I didn't. I don't think one gets ideas by just starting writing - beliefs are important, and they define the story. I have been accused once of using stories as just platforms for voicing opinions, but thats the way it sometimes is.
Writing on paper, hurriedly, was an interesting experience. I started coming up with new, and suprising ideas; have mostly relied on word processors (okay, computers) for the last three years. I might switch to paper now. Anything to make me write...and I guess I need to have fun writing.
Writing on paper, hurriedly, was an interesting experience. I started coming up with new, and suprising ideas; have mostly relied on word processors (okay, computers) for the last three years.
This completely reminded me of a recent 'exercise' I had to undertake at work - It was called the 'imagination exercise' and I was shown a set of 6 pictures + a blank sheet and asked to writre 80-100 word stories based one each within an hour.
Your statement took me there...with the exception of the fact that I don't write-write anyway!
...oh and the stories that happened are another thing altogether.
also:
Not everyone wants freedom.
interesting thought that and applies in the context of many women + women's issues too.
the paper thing is bothersome.. especially if you have an iterative style of writing, which i did at some point. i started using a word processor when i was 12, and i just dont understand how people write significantly large things on paper... also, this word processor predilection lost me more writing contests than i care to remember...
stop wondering how to write, and write!
shreya
Smits:
That's a very common exercise, while writing. I think it's the lack of time to write that does it. Post the stories, na. Or something similar.
Hmm...never thought about it from women's pov. True, I think. This also reminds me of a forward I got recently about two women going into a shopping mall selling men. Will mail it to you. Makes one wonder about why they'd want freedom in the first place. :P
acrosticbard:
does your handwriting suck? mine does. It bothers me everytime I see the way I've written words on paper. That I'm a hobbyist graphologist doesn't help. "Hey! Am I lying to myself?"; "Hey! I'm becoming sarcastic, now?" Self analysis is such a bitch.
I've never been able to understand the writing on paper thing either. I type much faster that I write, and without looking at the keyboard - which means that my mind moves on to the next thought sooner, unlike in case of writing where it hangs on until I finished with the 'penning it down'. That makes me conscious of the fact that I am writing, and kills the process. Sometimes, icons on the screen do the same thing.
Shreya - I'll just post some crap I wrote a couple of days ago. Bah.
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