... four stories hit the post yesterday ...
May 15, 1999
11:08 a.m.
I'm really glad to see some things going well for John Sullivan. From my perspective it looks like he's been working his butt off, and deserves every piece of good news that comes his way. Congrats on the sale, John--and the Clarion billet, and the praise from Nancy Kress.   The sweeping story continues to progress, mushing lazily into shape like some weird cloud that's forming into something that might someday be a tornado. It's developing a lot like "Out of the Blue" did (the one that will be in this year's WotF antho). Every morning I stick my nose into it, and every morning it plays coy with me. It hides, you know? The characters move, but their motivations are still settling out, which drives new plot. The story makes me get my brain into a specific mood before it reveals anything to me, then one-by-one the episodes unfold. Like yesterday morning: I went downstairs and read through a section, trying to reacquire the root or the "feel" of the main character and trying to decide why he was doing what it was I needed him to do. By this, I mean my first draft has him taking an action that hasn't been supported by characterization, yet. I found the character amid a scattering of parts--which, damnit, was definitely not where I had left him at all. But the situation seemed right, and Bwana be danged, when my character talks to me this strongly, I figure I ought to listen a little. So I wrote him amid a pile of parts, which led me to another little plot twist, which brought in another piece of a bit character, which gave me a revelation as to the main character's motives for being amid the pile of parts to begin with--which, low and behold, brought me a fuller understanding of why the character was doing what he was doing in the first place.
It's actually quite a bit of fun. Like going easter egg hunting, but not knowing how many eggs there are en whole. The anticipation is sometimes excruciating, then just when you give up hope you find one, and the joy carries you onward into the chase. This reminds me of the "Easter Beer Hunts" that a guy I knew used to run every spring . . . but that, is another story for another time. Cutting the grass this afternoon. And cleaning the grill out. Who knows, maybe I'll do the cooking tonight! Have a good day, okay?  I thought you said writing kept you sane? Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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"To have life in the universe, you need a rare conjunction of many coincidences." Michio Kaku Hyperspace pg. 258 |
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