All of us can dream up some pretty ugly scenarios.
Depraved, disturbing, deranged. I’d wager you could come up with some horrific scenes with some downright criminal activity. Stuff you’d feel you could never put to paper. So, how is it that some authors can actually write that stuff and not be thought of as insane?
For my latest work in progress I’ve decided to abandon some of my social constraints and write of gawd-awful acts and heinous behavior. Immolation, horse stomping children, murdering a pregnant woman, soon the dismemberment of a “bad dude.”
Holy Hell Batman! That’s some nasty shit. Are you sure you want to have your name associated with such wickedness? Are you sure you want your editor/mother (78) to read of such unspeakable cruelty? What will she think of you now? Disturbed? Perverted?
Frankly, I don’t know. But, I figure if I can visualize it, then so can others, and if it fits the story, then so be it.
But, day-yam, that’s some corrupt sewage leaking out of my brain.
Have you written content you know others would find disturbing? Did their consternation and potential ostracization influence your writing?
Anonymole - apocryphal agitators 
Hi A.Mole,
I think someday you will arrive at your understanding of writing. I haven’t gotten there yet. I think I am part way, but there is still a tickle at the back of my throat that makes me cough. When you get there, let me know. I want to understand what you finally conclude. It’s an interesting journey and only a few people take it. My feelings are that most successful writers finally stop contemplating the whole mess and just focus on how they feel about the words they write that day. Part of this disinterest is the realization that most of what anybody writes is eventually forgotten and the so-called authors are hardly ever read. Every time I go to Latin America’s largest English library, I am reminded of how short term and dusty everything is. Anyway, just keep writing and maybe the infinite monkey will get into your fingers. That’s my plan anyway. Thanks. Duke What did you think of the Kaufman?
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Looking forward to when I’ve reached some level of quality where I feel I can ignore the noise and just write. I guess there’s always the inkling that my words will be welcome by some someday; ergo, the quality pursuit. Which flows counter to the “ignore the noise — just write” theory. Maybe when I’m good (enough) I’ll be happy with my own writing. Maybe that’s the key. Until then, “what d’ya think?” still leaks from my lips.
Kaufman? Verbose. In touch (to his externals), which seems to be a critical component which I’ve somehow overlooked. Self-aware, which is also something that I’ve missed, that is, with and during the writing process.
The mechanics have been so damn hard for me. Getting to here, hopefully, will allow me to consider the more refined parts of writing well.
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Hi A.Mole,
I try to write nice things. I really do. But then somehow it changes. Thanks. Duke
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(chuckling) I’m sure you do, Duke.
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No, I really do, but then I read it and it just doesn’t make sense to me. I started Malverde Days that way. People were happy, talking about nothing in particular and life was going along just fine and then it all changed and as it got darker, it seemed correct, honest. I think this song started me to change the book. For real. It reminded me of a German girl and a Japanese girl and then I sort of collapsed into all of the shit down here. Thanks. Duke
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Got your email started reading. You got aprx 44 pages, looking good so far. When did you start?
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A month or more ago. 13k words.
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Great so far!
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Rapid progress too!
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People,perhaps,often want to feel better about themselves. Simple messages,positive ones.This can mean avoiding complexity that involves a re-imagining of oneself – which may bring to mind an awkward look in the mirror.Whilst hell is other people,as Sartre said, he also said mankind can’t stand too much reality.
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My posting here is not an invitation for PH to shit all over me, but, this subject is relevant. What I’ve learned by “researching evil” is that I can not make up a scene horrible enough to outdo reality. It’s insane what I’ve learned. Want to know about evil? Start by reading “The Rape of Nanking” and move on from there. And, yea, if I try to write evil scenes, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and feels dirty. But sometime it’s good to expand your boundaries…’cause whatever you can imagine has probably been done. Sad but true. My imagination cannot even begin to encompass the scope of true evil that actually exists in this world. It is way beyond even Stephen King. ‘Nuff said. And, Anony, are you posting this story on another blog or sharing with the world?
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It’s hard to consider, but I agree with your assessment. Heinous human behavior knows no bounds. It’s the association I question, though. But it’s not stopping me. Sherrie (mom) seems to have accepted that we’re no longer writing for 13 year olds.
I sent you an invite to read/edit a week or so ago. Might have gone into spam. Will send again.
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Send again will check spam. Thanks
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Or put link in Google Docs I’ll obtain immediately. Thanks.
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You can post the link here. In the comment section of my new post, just up. On Goog Docs. Anxious to read. I do get a lot of junk email so it probably went to trash. Waiting…
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The world is fucked up enough, I think, so Ivote for fairy tales. Plus the graphic novel people have it in spades over the descriptors.
Get a new editor. Love your, mom, but, some of, your, shit, is ate, up with school teachery, commas. An, shit. There’s a PHD in Rhetoric in the next room. Correct is not for me. Also, according to Elmore –
“You have to listen to your characters.”
“Don’t worry about what your mother thinks of your language.”
“Try to get a rhythm.”
I find this an unusual discussion for a man who thinks it’s a stretch for a 10 year old to talk street…
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The future is grim, as will be the characters.
If you think my commas are like camel fleas, you should read what the Immortal Works editor did to my WIP. A bomb wouldn’t disburse them.
All the street talk I’ve ever heard or read feels choreographed. Maybe if I hung out on the street where folks actually talk like that, I’d feel differently. The only one I remember was a fellow giving sermons from a milk crate down on One Bush, San Francisco. His lines were probably memorized.
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There are a lot of “sheltered” people in the world.
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A tent in the woods, preferred.
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