Jibber Jabber - Q3 - 29

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

The shower is productive time for me. For some reason, my mind wanders quite freely in the shower, so there are lots of A-HA! moments - which tend to send me dripping and dashing for the kb with the water still running. The other thing that often goes on in the shower - no clue why - is that I rehearse dialogue scenes. Yes, I talk to myself in the shower. In voices. And dialect.

Exactly! When I can't hear anything or anyone except the white noise of the water, it's easier to hear the characters.

[s_c_baker]

Another "I get some of my best thinking done in the shower" group member here.

Also: walks. A brisk pace and a notebook can't be beat. (Didn't Hemingway write standing up? Must've been on to something there.)

[morshana]

Used to be driving for me, but I do so much less of that nowadays.

[s_c_baker]

Used to be driving for me, but I do so much less of that nowadays.

Before I moved to Los Angeles, I liked driving. Now I hate it. Smooth drives (without lots of stop-and-go/freeway-road-rage-receiving) are beneficial still, though.

[Kary English]

I can't write in my head while I'm driving or I run red lights w/o ever having seen them. Do not ask me how I know this.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

There are drives where I have to write in my head. Or program. Or plan a game. Or something. When I know a long route too well, I find it hard to keep alert without a little something in the back of my brain. I know, that sounds wrong: the extra thinking ought to be a distraction. But if the route becomes too routine, I stop paying attention. I can go miles and realize I don't even remember them minutes later, like my brain just went on auto-pilot. But if I have some small mental task to hold my attention, I never slip into that auto-pilot mode.

And trust me: in Michigan, auto-pilot mode is bad. When I worked in California for an insurance-related company, I found an industry study on car-deer accidents. They said that in California, an average of 1 car in 1,400 will hit a deer in a given year. In Michigan that year, it was 1 in 72. And I personally have racked up 6 car-deer collisions. (And I don't even hold the family record!) So anything that keeps me out of auto-pilot is a good thing.

(Of course, on my Idea Pile is a story about car-deer accidents. Write what you know, they say!)

[Kevin Ikenberry]

There are drives where I have to write in my head. Or program. Or plan a game. Or something. When I know a long route too well, I find it hard to keep alert without a little something in the back of my brain. I know, that sounds wrong: the extra thinking ought to be a distraction. But if the route becomes too routine, I stop paying attention. I can go miles and realize I don't even remember them minutes later, like my brain just went on auto-pilot. But if I have some small mental task to hold my attention, I never slip into that auto-pilot mode.

And trust me: in Michigan, auto-pilot mode is bad. When I worked in California for an insurance-related company, I found an industry study on car-deer accidents. They said that in California, an average of 1 car in 1,400 will hit a deer in a given year. In Michigan that year, it was 1 in 72. And I personally have racked up 6 car-deer collisions. (And I don't even hold the family record!) So anything that keeps me out of auto-pilot is a good thing.

(Of course, on my Idea Pile is a story about car-deer accidents. Write what you know, they say!)

I hit two in the span of ten months, Martin. Yikes.

My ideas tend hit me when I'm trying to go to sleep. Makes for a lot of late nights either laying awake and thinking about them, or dragging myself out of bed, writing them down, or on occasion sitting down and typing until the wee hours.

[Patrick S. McGinnity]

I couldn't hit a deer even when I was hoping to, so I had to take up hunting. As for ideas, walking is my time. I walk to and from work, and talk stories and ideas around in my head (and quietly our loud) the whole way.

[s_c_baker]

I can't write in my head while I'm driving or I run red lights w/o ever having seen them. Do not ask me how I know this.

Who said anything about "in your head"? I keep my notebook out and, at red lights, jot down (usually illegible) notes to use later. (Dangerous driving habit? Maaaaybe.)

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

My ideas tend hit me when I'm trying to go to sleep. Makes for a lot of late nights either laying awake and thinking about them, or dragging myself out of bed, writing them down, or on occasion sitting down and typing until the wee hours.

That doesn't happen to me often; but recently I had one story that refused to let me sleep. Every time I would try to sleep, new dialog would come to me, and it was too good to pass up. I had to wake up my laptop and write it down. And then I tried to sleep again, and it repeated. On the fifth try, I gave up and just finished the story.

Two other oddities about that story:

1. It started as a dream. My dreams are seldom logical, and I seldom remember them. This one I remembered, and it was very logical. It didn't have an ending; but prior to that, it had three strong, complete scenes from a character's youth, adolescence, and adulthood, as well as a unifying element behind those scenes. When I figured out the fourth scene and the reason behind the unifying element, I had my ending.

2. It made my mom cry. I never intended it. I never even made the connection she did. When I was young, my family went to the zoo with all the cousins. 11 or 12 kids and 6 adults in 2 cars. They lost track, and I got separated, and they actually left without me. I went up to the nearest adult, told them I was lost, and was enjoying ice cream by the time my family came screeching back to the zoo. I've long since forgotten that incident; but I now realize my mom hasn't forgotten, and is still troubled by it 40 years later. So when my opening scene involves the main character wandering away from a petting zoo and almost getting run over by a truck... Well, that scene hit her a lot harder than it hit me.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

I couldn't hit a deer even when I was hoping to, so I had to take up hunting. As for ideas, walking is my time. I walk to and from work, and talk stories and ideas around in my head (and quietly our loud) the whole way.

Pfah! In your parts of Michigan, you should hit one every month or so!

[morshana]

I can't write in my head while I'm driving or I run red lights w/o ever having seen them. Do not ask me how I know this.

Who said anything about "in your head"? I keep my notebook out and, at red lights, jot down (usually illegible) notes to use later. (Dangerous driving habit? Maaaaybe.)

That's why I used to keep a tape recorder in the car... =)

[dantzel]

I do the same thing, Jeanette! Except I use the voice memo function on my phone. I've started several stories this way, and I began planning my children's fantasy novel as i moved from Idaho to Texas this summer.

[Corbin Maxwell]

Another "I get some of my best thinking done in the shower" group member here.

Also: walks. A brisk pace and a notebook can't be beat. (Didn't Hemingway write standing up? Must've been on to something there.)

As far as I know it wasn't Hemingway but Thomas Wolfe. He wrote using the top of his refrigerator.

[s_c_baker]

Another "I get some of my best thinking done in the shower" group member here.

Also: walks. A brisk pace and a notebook can't be beat. (Didn't Hemingway write standing up? Must've been on to something there.)

As far as I know it wasn't Hemingway but Thomas Wolfe. He wrote using the top of his refrigerator.

Must've been tall. I think I've heard similar stories about a few writers. (Maybe Nabokov? )

Indeed, it seems to be "oddly common": http://ficfaq.com/2011/04/30/odd-writing-habits-that-worked/

[Corbin Maxwell]

Another "I get some of my best thinking done in the shower" group member here.

Also: walks. A brisk pace and a notebook can't be beat. (Didn't Hemingway write standing up? Must've been on to something there.)

As far as I know it wasn't Hemingway but Thomas Wolfe. He wrote using the top of his refrigerator.

Must've been tall. I think I've heard similar stories about a few writers. (Maybe Nabokov? )

Indeed, it seems to be "oddly common": http://ficfaq.com/2011/04/30/odd-writing-habits-that-worked/

Yes, supposedly Thomas Wolfe was pretty tall. I don't know about Nabokov. I haven't studied him yet. Probably won't because when I read the first page of Lolita it grossed me out and I had to put it back on the shelf.

[Kary English]

And it was probably a short refrigerator.

[Corbin Maxwell]

And it was probably a short refrigerator.

I suppose it probably was at that.

[Patrick S. McGinnity]

Yes, supposedly Thomas Wolfe was pretty tall. I don't know about Nabokov. I haven't studied him yet. Probably won't because when I read the first page of Lolita it grossed me out and I had to put it back on the shelf.

You are missing out on what I consider to be one of the finest novels in the English language. Sure, he's a pervert, but Hannibal Lector is a cannibal, yet people love him (as a character) too. Humbert Humbert is an amazing character, but it is the pacing and the actual construction of that book that floors me every time.

[Corbin Maxwell]

Yes, supposedly Thomas Wolfe was pretty tall. I don't know about Nabokov. I haven't studied him yet. Probably won't because when I read the first page of Lolita it grossed me out and I had to put it back on the shelf.

You are missing out on what I consider to be one of the finest novels in the English language. Sure, he's a pervert, but Hannibal Lector is a cannibal, yet people love him (as a character) too. Humbert Humbert is an amazing character, but it is the pacing and the actual construction of that book that floors me every time.

Yes, I'm sure I am missing out. I'm a big fan of classic lit; it's almost all I read. But not every book has to be read. There's quite a few I won't be getting to before I die. So I think I'll pass on the child molester book. That first page gave me the creeps. Or maybe I just need to suck it up and read it one day.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Yes, supposedly Thomas Wolfe was pretty tall. I don't know about Nabokov. I haven't studied him yet. Probably won't because when I read the first page of Lolita it grossed me out and I had to put it back on the shelf.

You are missing out on what I consider to be one of the finest novels in the English language. Sure, he's a pervert, but Hannibal Lector is a cannibal, yet people love him (as a character) too. Humbert Humbert is an amazing character, but it is the pacing and the actual construction of that book that floors me every time.

Sorry, that actually LESSENS the appeal for me.

To explain why, I have to explain that for whatever reason (I've never analyzed it), Piers Anthony is one of only two authors whose work I simply cannot put down. (The other is Harlan Ellison.) Yes, even the Xanth books. Even the BAD, SILLY Xanth books. Something about his style just compels me to keep reading.

So one day I made the mistake of starting Bio of a Space Tyrant. Let me say right now that I found the politics and the science ludicrous. I found the plot unbelievable. And I found the characters -- even the "protagonists" -- rather loathsome. The BEST I could say was that some of them were sad, broken individuals I could maybe pity a little bit. But mostly I found them singularly unlikable. Rape, incest, pedophilia, necrophilia, drug abuse, pandering, extortion, corruption, piracy, murder... You name a perversion, it was in there. And those were the "good guys"!

And damn me, I was compelled to read it, all the way through, thanks to Anthony's engrossing style. But once I was done, I felt dirty for a week or more.

So now the idea of a well-told tale of depravity revulses me. I would rather not start it than take the chance of getting caught up in something like that again. (Though that hasn't stopped me from trying other Anthony books, most of which I enjoyed.)

[morshana]

Yes, supposedly Thomas Wolfe was pretty tall. I don't know about Nabokov. I haven't studied him yet. Probably won't because when I read the first page of Lolita it grossed me out and I had to put it back on the shelf.

You are missing out on what I consider to be one of the finest novels in the English language. Sure, he's a pervert, but Hannibal Lector is a cannibal, yet people love him (as a character) too. Humbert Humbert is an amazing character, but it is the pacing and the actual construction of that book that floors me every time.

Sorry, that actually LESSENS the appeal for me.

To explain why, I have to explain that for whatever reason (I've never analyzed it), Piers Anthony is one of only two authors whose work I simply cannot put down. (The other is Harlan Ellison.) Yes, even the Xanth books. Even the BAD, SILLY Xanth books. Something about his style just compels me to keep reading.

So one day I made the mistake of starting Bio of a Space Tyrant. Let me say right now that I found the politics and the science ludicrous. I found the plot unbelievable. And I found the characters -- even the "protagonists" -- rather loathsome. The BEST I could say was that some of them were sad, broken individuals I could maybe pity a little bit. But mostly I found them singularly unlikable. Rape, incest, pedophilia, necrophilia, drug abuse, pandering, extortion, corruption, piracy, murder... You name a perversion, it was in there. And those were the "good guys"!

And damn me, I was compelled to read it, all the way through, thanks to Anthony's engrossing style. But once I was done, I felt dirty for a week or more.

So now the idea of a well-told tale of depravity revulses me. I would rather not start it than take the chance of getting caught up in something like that again. (Though that hasn't stopped me from trying other Anthony books, most of which I enjoyed.)

Have you read the Gap or Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R Donaldson, then?

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Have you read the Gap or Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R Donaldson, then?

As a matter of fact, no. I tried, I really did; but I could barely get started. The only Donaldson I was ever able to read was the story that started with In the Mirror of Her Dreams. That one I quite enjoyed: though it still had its elements of sadism, the protagonist was very sympathetic.

[morshana]

Have you read the Gap or Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R Donaldson, then?

As a matter of fact, no. I tried, I really did; but I could barely get started. The only Donaldson I was ever able to read was the story that started with In the Mirror of Her Dreams. That one I quite enjoyed: though it still had its elements of sadism, the protagonist was very sympathetic.

I enjoyed "The Mirror of Her Dreams" and "A Man Rides Through" as well, though I found the protagonist's passivity really annoying after a while. Haven't read The Gap and I couldn't get past the first few pages of the first Thomas Covenant book. I do want to give myself a challenge, however, and read The Gap someday.

EDIT: I should add that it was the content that might be challenging, not the actual reading. My husband reads some horror and said he had a hard time reading The Gap series.

[george nik.]

I have read Thomas Covenant trilogy because a friend kept raving about it, but I found it rather tedious and boring, plus the idea of a protagonist doggedly believing that everything he experienced was hallucination rather put me off badly.
I've read one book of Piers Anthony but I found it so uninteresting that I never bothered to continue the series.
There are a lot of books I really couldn't put down, but most of all Roger Zelazny's Amber series (exclusively the Amber series, I think, because I never liked any of his other works). I started the last book of the first pentalogy before I went to sleep and I continued reading until I finished it in the morning (I was a student, then, so I could afford such deeds).
I also love Michael Moorcock, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. LeGuin, Robert Jordan...no, the list is too big, better stop here.

[DavidK]

So, it's the FIRST here at Oz ... I've written about half of my Q3 story. I'm determined to get it done WAY before the end of the time period and write something else after that .

When do we re-start the 450 word crits?

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

Mine is ready to submit, but the submission page is still locked down.

[Solanavi77]

Right after I submitted my Q2 story, I began work on my Q3 story. I have the rough draft done, I just need to revise it. I also need, well, want, a first reader

[Alex Kane]

You guys are over-achievers. This thread shouldn't even exist yet.

In all seriousness, though, I'm looking forward to writing my Q3 entry next month. In the meantime, I need to write my submission for Tom's Mirror Shards Volume 2.

[Martin L. Shoemaker]

You guys are over-achievers. This thread shouldn't even exist yet.

My latest just came back from F&SF. It's 14,000 words. I already have 2 in the queue at Analog, and 1 at Asimov's and 1 at Universe Annex. At this point, it just seems like WotF is the next place for it. Either that or Tor.com. And if it takes 6 months to hear something back from WotF, that's still faster than Tor.com.

And Dustin gets the blame for this thread!