Snow, my writing faults, and Miles Davis
May. 14th, 2004 07:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geovikiIt's a sunny Friday morning, after yet another bizarre snowy Thursday. Nothing as strange as snowflakes on a sunburn from the 87 degree Sunday before. I believe aliens are messing with our weather and don't try to talk me out of it!
I woke up with an unusual song in my head: Skid Marks on My Heart by the Go-Go's.
My fic is taking me longer than I had planned, so forgive me for making it seem like I'm drawing it out to torture people or to make a big fuss over myself. That isn't my intent. It's just that my beta editors have given me such useful and terrific suggestions that I would be an ungrateful wretch not to take the advice. Plus, the story is now improved. Um, plus 10,000 words longer. So it's back out for re-review.
I am trying to decide which is worse: not knowing one's writing faults, or knowing them and not being able to cure them. Well, okay, knowing them is probably better. And on the plus side, I know my strengths: I'm good with plot. I'm good with logic and organization. Sometimes, I'm good with dialog (but other times not).
But I have no subtlety. I'm bad at building an amorphous atmosphere and making gentle suggestions that someone like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
helenish excels at. My writing is rarely beautiful. And I'm absolutely terrible at filling in the richness of detail in talking head scenes. I know what the scene needs to have the characters say, but what do they do, how do they look, how can I show that? Hard.
I never get to write science that way. Scientific writing is full of repetition and dry facts. Nuance has no place in my scientific writing, so it's been drummed out of me.
I've allowed myself an indulgence in my fic, though -- I've included quotes to begin chapters and scenes. I pull them mostly from the music I've been listening to, music that catches my ear and makes me twist its words fit the fic. It's indulgent, and I will keep them regardless, because I know they'll provide a touchstone for me as I look back on this time in my life. I know they won't mean as much to the reader. Sorry. Consider it my in-lieu-of-payment for writing. :)
I've been into heavy music listening. For me, music provides a compelling link to time, one that I've noticed over many years. For example, I'm listening to Miles Davis right now, which reminds me of a period in the 1980's when I listened to mostly jazz, almost constantly. In fact, I saw Miles live at Red Rocks amphitheater during that time (An odd concert, actually. He had absolutely no connection with his audience. In fact, he played with his back to us for most of the evening, as though to say, "I'm Miles Davis. Isn't that good enough? I don't need to entertain you more than this music I'm playing.")
Today is my daughter's last day of public school education. She's such a straight arrow. She's never skipped a day of class in her life, and she's going to do it for English today -- but she talked to the teacher ahead of time so he'd not be offended!
When I graduated high school, the two big current songs were School's Out and I'm Eighteen by Alice Cooper. Oh, and We've Only Just Begun by the Carpenters.
C'mon, you do it too, right? I mean, if I start up Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow," do you think of Bill Clinton, too?
And do you know the rest of this lyric? "Gimme an 'F', gimme a 'U'..."
I'd be so intelligent if I'd devoted half the brain cells to useful things as I have storing all the lyrics to every song from the 1960's and beyond.
"We can act if we want to. If we don't nobody will.
And you can act real rude and totally removed, and I can act like an imbecile."
I woke up with an unusual song in my head: Skid Marks on My Heart by the Go-Go's.
My fic is taking me longer than I had planned, so forgive me for making it seem like I'm drawing it out to torture people or to make a big fuss over myself. That isn't my intent. It's just that my beta editors have given me such useful and terrific suggestions that I would be an ungrateful wretch not to take the advice. Plus, the story is now improved. Um, plus 10,000 words longer. So it's back out for re-review.
I am trying to decide which is worse: not knowing one's writing faults, or knowing them and not being able to cure them. Well, okay, knowing them is probably better. And on the plus side, I know my strengths: I'm good with plot. I'm good with logic and organization. Sometimes, I'm good with dialog (but other times not).
But I have no subtlety. I'm bad at building an amorphous atmosphere and making gentle suggestions that someone like
helenish excels at. My writing is rarely beautiful. And I'm absolutely terrible at filling in the richness of detail in talking head scenes. I know what the scene needs to have the characters say, but what do they do, how do they look, how can I show that? Hard.I never get to write science that way. Scientific writing is full of repetition and dry facts. Nuance has no place in my scientific writing, so it's been drummed out of me.
I've allowed myself an indulgence in my fic, though -- I've included quotes to begin chapters and scenes. I pull them mostly from the music I've been listening to, music that catches my ear and makes me twist its words fit the fic. It's indulgent, and I will keep them regardless, because I know they'll provide a touchstone for me as I look back on this time in my life. I know they won't mean as much to the reader. Sorry. Consider it my in-lieu-of-payment for writing. :)
I've been into heavy music listening. For me, music provides a compelling link to time, one that I've noticed over many years. For example, I'm listening to Miles Davis right now, which reminds me of a period in the 1980's when I listened to mostly jazz, almost constantly. In fact, I saw Miles live at Red Rocks amphitheater during that time (An odd concert, actually. He had absolutely no connection with his audience. In fact, he played with his back to us for most of the evening, as though to say, "I'm Miles Davis. Isn't that good enough? I don't need to entertain you more than this music I'm playing.")
Today is my daughter's last day of public school education. She's such a straight arrow. She's never skipped a day of class in her life, and she's going to do it for English today -- but she talked to the teacher ahead of time so he'd not be offended!
When I graduated high school, the two big current songs were School's Out and I'm Eighteen by Alice Cooper. Oh, and We've Only Just Begun by the Carpenters.
C'mon, you do it too, right? I mean, if I start up Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow," do you think of Bill Clinton, too?
And do you know the rest of this lyric? "Gimme an 'F', gimme a 'U'..."
I'd be so intelligent if I'd devoted half the brain cells to useful things as I have storing all the lyrics to every song from the 1960's and beyond.
"We can act if we want to. If we don't nobody will.
And you can act real rude and totally removed, and I can act like an imbecile."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 07:35 am (UTC)and nothing dates you better than songs...i mean, you can get someone's age to the year just by what they remember listening to, right?
LOL about your daughter...that's so sweet...and is it still skipping if she notifies the teacher???
no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 06:00 pm (UTC)Dating me by songs? Hmmm. The very first song I ever remember was "Sugar in the Morning" which is a last-gasp Andrews Sisters tune. I also remember Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife. And Frankie Avalon. But I have my birthdate in my LJ info, so you mustn't cheat!
I've been in an 80's mode lately. Maybe because I missed a lot of the end of that decade as a new mom.
Steely Dan is in my car CD player. The Clash in in the downstairs stereo. Got the B-52's also.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 06:21 pm (UTC)as for pre-arranged skipping...when my students tell me it's not like it isn't an absence, but i'm much more willing to let them know about an upcoming test or to mail them the handouts etc. LOL about you not thinking she's actually skip... Is she graduating this year? My kids are all crazy about being done soon and college and all...it's very sweet :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 06:41 pm (UTC)Yes, today was my daughter's last day as a senior. God, feel old much? And we waited for kids until our thirties...
And are you a teacher? My daughter wants to be one, too. She's headed off to a terrific teacher's college here in Colorado in the fall.
Oh, do tell me your musical interests. I'm in the mood. I like to hav a few glasses of wine and peruse the local Barnes and Noble for great music. I'm currently oscillating between world music (Brazilian and Celtic, and South African), '80's stuff, and miscellaneous women. And Motown. Where I'm from.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 07:34 pm (UTC)Boys. I'm learning about boys. They are the great mystery, IMO.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 07:37 pm (UTC)also, when i look at friends with girls, i always feel like i have the easier task :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 08:22 pm (UTC)