Thu 20 May 2010
Writing, Boundries, and Starburst Jellybeans
Posted by polerin under My head is a bowl of goldfish on Caffeine and MoonPies.
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So, as many have realised before me, this blogging thing is hard. Generally I have several ideas that are banging around in my head at any one time, and flesh them out in my head, on twitter, or through discussion in person. This is still true right now, but I’m having trouble expressing them in this format, or even the more familiar (to me) essay format. The post about the Rep. Joe Towns silliness is a good example of this: I know there’s a meta-narrative I’m trying to coax out of the incident, but I’m having trouble framing it correctly.
A significant part of this difficulty is likely that I’m just plain out of practice, which is why I’ve taken out the part of my brain that is responsible for formulating coherent long form arguments and taken it to Davis Cookware to get polished and sharpened. Unfortunately, they are running a few days behind so I’ll have to do with the cobwebs and these short practice posts until they get around to it. It should also help as a writing discipline exercise, working to keep my writing short and on point.
Y’see, one of the few things I know about fiction writing is that drama is a product of confinement. Keeping characters confined and keeping the story within strict boundaries helps focus the story on the core ideas and conflicts. I have the feeling that blogging is much the same way. Many of the bloggers I really enjoy reading seem to have a very good sense of narrative, and how to connect the ideas in one post to another, but keep each one separate, focused, and clear. These are the things I need to harness in my life in order to make my way through the day instead of being run over. Narrative is the path that we walk, drama generates interest and is the motive force, and starburst jellybeans are my rations. This blog and its posts are simply the tool I’m using to follow that path and contribute something to the world around me.
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