Self-Forgetfulness and Delight--Keys to Writing Well (and most everything else in life)

INKBLOTS, resuming our men's writing group, four of we old-dog regulars and joined by David one of my former students. I led off with a brief thought from Alan Jacobs, author of The Narnian, who said this: “Lewis's mind was above all characterized by a willingness to be enchanted, and it was this openness to enchantment that held together the various strands of his life, his delight in laughter, his willingness to accept a world made by a good and loving God, and (in some ways above all) his willingness to submit to the charms of a wonderful story.” Jacobs in his biography of C. S. Lewis reflected that "those who will never be fooled can never be delighted, because without self-forgetfulness there can be no delight." Which makes me recall Jesus' words about how essential it is that we be child-like to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

We talked about typesetting using Word rather than InDesign, the later requiring us to learn a new program... us old dogs. Not going to happen. David, author of Beyond Tweeting (read my interview with David) led off with reading an excerpt from the forward, and then chapter

one. I like how David makes this for the reader not the author. John asked David to explain what tweeting actual is, and things like hashtags. Track a topic or theme. Though you cannot own the hashtag so you could end up with your tag meaning something and connecting with some big distortion of your collection point. Bob brought up the question of whether Twitter monitors and censors tags or tweets. "How can we use twitter to sell books?" asked John. David pointed out how important it is to provide value for those following on twitter, not just about blasting the cyber world with your promotional plans. Use saferwhois.com to search for domain names so your searching doesn't get picked up by those who buy up domain names then sell them. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the way to maximize your position on the searches. David is helping us big time here. 

This morphed into a discussion of old dogs and new tricks. This has been fun. David, thank you for all your helpful insights into marketing and social media. I thought it would be good to segue to our usual creative writing readings. Dougie Mac leading off with an episode from his Monte Casino yarn set in WW II. As he summarized the historical context of this conflict, I can see it in my mind's eye, having been there with my family just a few weeks ago. Modern technology fails us. His computer just died. 

Bob took up the baton with one of his Bible study guides, this one on the Psalms. Bob read his rough draft introduction, a sweeping summary of David and his writing of various Psalms, and how they are relevant to the reader today and in every generation. That led to a discussion of greed, how exactly, I am not sure. Which led me to recalling Tolstoy's short story, How Much Land Does a Man Need, a well-crafted yarn that shows the destructive nature of greed, show casing a protagonist who is killed by his own avarice. 

John reads from his Russian yarn, after working on his protagonist's character who needed to be a bit more realistically flawed at the beginning so she has somewhere to go from there. Dougie Mac didn't feel like she was significantly flawed. Don't overuse 'beautiful' or 'exciting.' Have her catch herself for making the simile about heaven. You told instead of showing us her reaction to her own reference to heaven. There is a good deal of description of elegant clothing, but I didn't feel like I could actually see it. How about using more comparative image, figurative language, imaginative comparisons? You used beautiful a dozen times or more. Mouth watering is too cliche and needs another image. Could you give us more metaphor of what the dancers and their fine clothes looked and felt like to her? I like how she flashes back to dancing with her father; give us more of this kind of imagining on your protagonist's perspective. You drew me in with the shooting that she does not understand. The rag doll image is probably overused. I think you could play up her thinking it was all a play, just an act, when it was murder. As she thinks back on pricking her finger on the thorn of a rose, have her begin to acknowledge that it was real and her recollection was a desperate effort at escaping it all. This is getting better and better. 

Which made me recall a Lewis-ism. "Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was

'terrible,' describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was 'delightful'; make us say 'delightful' when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers 'Please will you do my job for me.'"

David recalled a short story he wrote for a British Lit class in college, from the point of view of Helen, clever, imaginative perspective, employing a modern-world slangy syntax. Melodrama, which actually works pretty well with Greek tragedy, which has probably inspired more soap operas and country western songs than most classics professors want to admit. Having written this fiction piece for a class a couple of years ago, David cringed at some of his own writing in it, though it clearly shows the promise that is beginning to be fulfilled with his writing and his teaching/consulting for Microsoft.

Though I haven't worked on it for over a month (what a month it's been), I read from a chapter in War in the Wasteland. Once I can see my way more clearly and get some logistics planned out for future history tours and for the Oxford Creative Writing Master Class I'm planning out right now, then I can get back to writing. There are jolts that enervate creative writing, and ones that stimulate it. Still trying to figure out which kind this one is. A fine evening with 'Blots. Thank you gentlemen for your friendship, support, encouragement, and for just being a big 'Blot in my life. 

INKBLOTS--Sindbad to the Trenches of WW I

As WW I ground on boys were conscripted to fight

Five of us this evening, crackling fire (though spring and some sunshine, still a bit chilly after the sun sets). We discussed for an extra half hour at the leading edge our Inkblots venture plans in the cooker. Many details to hammer out but good discussion and progress. Bob Rogland leads off with chapter six of Sindbad and Selassia, which I had the privilege of reading in its entirety several years ago. My adult daughter says this is his best book yet.

Bob has a straightforward narrative style, no affected syntax or over-wrought verbosity from Bob's pen to cut through. Inspired by the Arabian Knights, this yarn has an imbedded critique of Islam. It may be difficult for me to entirely be unbiased here because I so much enjoy Bob's humor, and I appreciate just about everything about him as a person, as a creative genius (I'm not really exaggerating, though some will not believe me when I say it), and as a no-nonsense Christian man. Bob writes in first person from the point of view of the intrepid Sindbad, a Muslim who engages in congenial debate with Selassia, a Christian slave from Ethiopia. 

John suggested more dialogue than Bob took advantage of. And he said he would like to hear Selassia's prayer. Patrick asked if Bob had read the original Sindbad. Doug suggested more description of posture and description of tone of voice. Bob reads it with engaging inflection but will this be conveyed in the words on the page alone to readers on their own. We ended up having a discussion of Islam and the Koran, wherein there is confusion about the Trinity, the Koran explaining it as Jesus, God, and Mary. And no personal relationship with God in Islam. And Christians don't believe in justice enough, too much grace in Christian gospel. Though Muslims depend on their works and God being mercy, but an arbitrary mercy, ironically without justice, because there is no substitute, no atoning sacrifice for sin. Allah is just being arbitrary in passing over sin. Selassia could point out that Islam actually is weak on justice, though it claims the opposite.

I read the first chapter of War in the Wasteland (working title) set in World War I, and received helpful feedback from the men. Here are my rough notes from their comments.
Germany was an army with a country, England’s driven to fight, France determined to recover Alsace… More context as to why they are fighting this war (but do I want to do this here, or save for trench talk later). Why are they here? Too much on the down side of the war. Make more tension with having him feel enthusiasm, a drive to fight. Needs more of Nigel’s patriotism, his commitment to fight. Needs more itching to put Germans in the ground. The war was the outlet for young men’s violent nature. Whereas today we suppress young men’s violent desire to fight. In early 20th century England encouraged boy fighting unlike today. Focus young men’s aggression toward the enemy, the Germans. Nigel feels too much like a 2015 character, Patrick commented.

Patrick read from his zombie apocalypse yarn. Patrick catches his own editorial issues, another great benefit of reading aloud. Slab of meat, in this context does make the stomach crawl. Let us hear that the butcher used a high and whinny voice, and is that the best way to convey his tone. Omni is an omnivore. We fifty-and-aboves, though we admittedly don't get this genre, do appreciate and have high regard for Patrick's growing skill as a writer, and we appreciate him attempting to prepare us for the Aztec human sacrifice joke allusions coming in this episode. 

INKBLOTS--Exploding with new ideas for 'Blots!

This our first time back together for some time--too long! Great to be back with these fine gentlemen--seven of us tonight (Pastor Carl gets the prize for the most dedicated--he drove 90 miles one way to get here just for 'Blots. We are honored). We discussed at length, with what appeared to me to be mounting enthusiasm, prospects for Inkblots in the future. More to come on that score. Over Storyteller Pinot Noir (thanks to John Schrupp's exquisite literary taste in wine) and a Cline Zinfandel, we rehearsed some of the writing projects we have been or are working on (I shared a bit about my latest mania, World War I novel, set in France in the Western Front, my protagonist a lens to teen atheist CS Lewis. If you think I'm being a bit over-hyperbolic employing the word "mania" just ask my gloriously patient beloved wife).

Patrick is writing a collection of short stories, highly symbolic, weird, intriguing, first-person zombie narratives. Post-apocalyptic yarns designed to be stealth means of exposing the fallacy of irreligious secularism, and adorning a biblical redemptive view of the nature of reality in a horrifically broken world. Patrick did his first 'Blots reading probably two years ago or more, a vast tome of philosophy, the size of multiple volumes, in all likelihood, accessible to but a handful of terminally degree-ed academics. Now he has hit on a genre that has become the vehicle to convey much of the same complex content but with intrigue, humor, imagination, and skill. None of the rest of us are writing anything so accessible to the postmodern 14-24 year-old, that comes in the side door (or is it through a hole in the roof?) with biblical truth, as far as I can tell.

Young Atheist CS Lewis after WW I

Carl commented on the awesome vocabulary Patrick uses, but wonders if he has overdone it in places. Protagonist is human but pretending to be a zombie for his own self preservation. John pushed back on why the protagonist would be walking about in the forest, where he was susceptible to zombie attack. Patrick took it well and said he had not actually considered needing a reason; we talked about all fiction being contrivance, but it is contrivance that appears so real it doesn't seem to be contrived to the reader. Dougie Mac commented that Patrick didn't seem to have the witticism that his other writing has been so full of; I had to agree. It is always hard to tell when we just get a ten minute snippet, but I think it didn't have the refinement (Patrick seemed to feel the same way given his comment when he finished reading, something about it being a bit rough still, and hadn't looked at it for a while). John mentioned Voyage to Alpha Centore, intriguing book he is reading that reminded him of what Patrick is writing, a critique and expose on modern secularism.

Adam has been reading lots of PG Wodehouse lately. Previous material Adam has shared with us was a delight and reminded us of Agatha Christie. This feels like a macabre Victorian-esque yarn, steam punk-ish feel, though I admit that I am not a reader of the genre and know only little about it. Adam reads like an actor, which he is, so a delight to get the nuance of inflection as he reads. This is a witty fun piece. Adam is spare on attribution, because, in my opinion, he is used to reading from a stage script. I suggested attributing more early in the story, and as characters are well developed and their voice known to the reader, scale back then on attribution. It is Wodehouse-ian with banter and turns of phrase, Patrick felt it sounded like cliches in places.

We returned to our opening discussion and parted with some assignments for research and planning for the future of Inkblots. Stay tuned.

INKBLOTS--Guest Appearance tonight

Indian War 1855-1856

INKBLOTS May 22, 2014
A special evening here at 'Blots. My former student, Alisa and her husband Justin, have joined us for the evening. Alisa has written a number of full length fiction manuscripts but has yet to be published. Though she writes regularly for newspapers and journals, she continues to pursue her dream of  having one of her novels published--they deserved to be, in my opinion.

Alisa leads off with a reading about a girl who is out of round with her sisters and the rest of the family, a bit of a rebel, who isn't interested in the social life of the well to do family, doesn't care about all that. It's set in the 1940s. Jessany is resentful of her older sister who is pregnant out of wedlock, with a naval officer Jessany does not like. Good job setting the tension, but maybe a bit of overwriting, too much telling about the tension. You created it already, so no need to tell us there was tension. We had trouble seeing the room this scene was set in but that was described in a previous section. This is a big family saga, spanning thirty years or more. Four hundred pages, single spaced. Big. Is this two books, or three?

We talked about showing and not telling, and how easy it is to paste on a telling because we're not sure if we actually showed effectively enough. We also talked about creating longing for redemption in the reader, not everything perfect fantasy, but a deep desire for things to be put to rights. Mary Lynn Robertson's Gilead and Laura Hildebrand’s Unbroken came up; those who had read Gilead say it is awesome, no dialogue, all inside the character's head. John absolutely loved this book, best book he's ever read (that's the end of our friendship). Alisa likes the music of the 1940s and listens to the era as she writes.  Alisa's manuscript The Emblem (set in Rosaline, WA) about African Americans in the 30s, she became fascinated with this mining town and its troubled history (called Nigger Hill, WA back in the day--tragic).

John reads next. Russian revolution era novel, Huguenot governess, named Viret. Hung her head ever so slightly—can you show us this more than tell it to us? This is a bit too cliché, predictable, what we expect to hear, which makes it less effective. How about another mannerism that conveys this; she has the habit of twirling a lock of her hair tightly in her index finger, pulling until it brought the water to her eyes. Prayer just bounces off the barn roof, good image. Enter a puppy, with names that has some significance to the big story? Or not. I find it helpful to ask myself with every episode I write, is this essential to the story; does it add to my big picture, allude to future plot movement, help develop my character or the larger theme of the whole? This helps me to know if what I am writing is needed or am I just filling space with some clever or exciting episode but one that is not really moving the plot forward.

I read from chapter eight of my Indian War novel. A chapter wherein my protagonist listens in to the conversation of two privates at Ft Steilacoom, speculating on the mounting tension to war with the Nisquallys and Puyallups, and the likelihood of widespread blood shed if it comes to war. The regular army soldier doesn't think much of the militia, which William Tidd will join in the next few chapters. 

Alisa is going to read another passage from a new manuscript she has just gotten launched into. We asked her to read twice so we could hear the wider range of what you are writing these days. This from a manuscript idea that is super fresh, just started in the last days, based on a soldier who had just returned from war, PTSD feature. The Stronghold. Story begins as the plane touches down on the tarmac, seeing the American flag, a can of Coors snatched up and guzzled. Hugh not entering into the bravado and celebration, withdrawn, something pressing on him, jabbing him in the ribcage. Good description of the rolling hills and the rest. His recollection of the carnage of the battlefield in snatches, effective. Surprised at the water standing in his eyes. We learn in flashbacks of maimed comrades, and of shrapnel tearing into his own flesh. You do a great job of describing place. What did the high pitched chatter remind him of? Could it flash him back to something from the war, the chatter of villagers moments before the air strike, or something like that? You really have drawn us in. I stopped typing for a stretch, when you were having your protagonist meet the woman who is guarding him from his younger brother. Intriguing encounter. Put her nighttime instruction to the children in actual dialogue. Just written two days ago. Wow.

Give him a mannerism that connects to his wound, twitch in his leg, breaking into a cold sweat, door slams and he has the overwhelming urge to dive under a table. Start the story with his encounter with the attractive young woman. Maybe he watches her for an hour, sitting in the corner of the waiting area, with flashbacks to his combat episodes, ones that weave into the waiting room, the shouting of children, and always the woman, her voice, the way she walks, his fascination with her, and her growing discomfort at this solitary war vet sitting in her waiting room. This is an intriguing beginning and you need to keep writing on it. Great having you with us tonight.