Haha, surnames ey? I must be in trouble. I'm trying to get some stuff done but I'm finding it a bit of a slog. I'm trying out some actual dangerous writing/personal stuff at the mo, so we'll see how that goes. I don't know if I like the mask slipping. How's things with you?
Happy New Year dude! I'm alright, been a bit rough recently but I'm on the up. How's tricks?
I'm trying to work on some longer stuff at the moment, but it seems endless, so maybe it's time to try some shorter stuff. I'll have a look through some older stuff and see if I can find anything...
I'm enjoying your stuff btw, I've got a ton of catching up to do though!
Hope you're back match fit, mate. I'm alright thanks, no worse than anyone else anyway.
What sort of thing you working on? Novel? Novella? Something else entirely?
I find it impossible to stay focused on anything long, long enough to ever get far enough into it. Hence the short stories, with the aim of it all becoming a novel-length book at the end.
I always wonder if something like a writer's workshop would help with that. Like if you knew you gotta come up with a new chapter every week or whatever, and that people were following your progress.
Anyway, been checking your Substack page regularly, hoping to find something that had slipped through the email net unnoticed. I'll stay patient.
I'm exactly the same, I'm trying to write things with the long-term goal of putting them together into some sort of coherent novel-length thing (the word novel sounds a bit too terrifying), but so far most of them are loosely connected scenes. It doesn't help that there's more than one completely separate story idea, so that will end up being more than one finished thing (eventually).
I think it'd probably help if you could meet up with people, or even online, for more in depth critiques, or even just to provide a peer pressure deadline. I don't have the discipline yet to keep to any sort of schedule. Whenever I’ve done any online courses it's helped keep me writing. You seem to be doing pretty well at keeping things moving along though, I'm jealous!
Ha! I'm not doing that well! I'm also helped by the fact that I've got loads of odd bits and pieces of unfinished stuff written over the years, so it's more a case of reworking rather than brand new writing. I am forcing myself to write during my lunch breaks, as I don't really get any other free time. I'm treating Substack as my peer pressure motivation, like if I see I haven't posted anything for over a week it pushes me to try and churn something out. Most of the stuff I post on here when it first goes out is a first draft, and then I spend the following few days just going over it again and again, tidying it up. But I feel like I've hit a wall again for the moment. I've got a little one almost ready to go out, but then after that I can't see at the moment where to go next. So it's swings and roundabouts. Just wish there was a way out of the rat race, to be able to dedicate some proper time and mental energy to all of this writing lark.
I'd be happy to be your peer pressure. That's why I asked if there was any danger :D
Haha, I certainly need the peer pressure! I'm a procrastination expert. I (think) I added you on twitter so feel free to share on there. I don't know if substack has a messaging feature, so it might be easier. I've got loads of notes that I need to turn into something more concrete, so it might help to throw some ideas about. I'm also interested on how you go about writing too.
Like it. It's the sort of writing that anyone can connect with; as if you're tapping into a shared memory. Later on, after reading, you're like "Where were we going that time she was giving me shit for having my feet on the dashboard?" You gotta remind yourself no no it wasn't me, it was Matt's character that happened to. But it feels like a real memory.
Haha, thanks Kris! There was a lot of stuff going on in the background of this one, but usually when I try to be too clever with themes and such, the story doesn't work. Hopefully it reads like a story and not like a thinly veiled series of concepts. Thanks for reading.
It reads like both, to be honest. Definitely a narrative, paints a picture in the mind and walks you (or drives you) through a journey. Characters are relatable and recognisable.
At the same time, it is a bit abstract. Raises as many questions as it answers. I get the feeling Ben's in love with his best friend, but that he's accepted a long time ago that that's a no-go. They're too close. Way too close. He knows her better than anyone knows her, and likewise she him.
I also get that he's seen her go through some messy relationship(s). If only he could show how good it could be to be loved. And she sometimes thinks "If only I felt that spark with Ben. He'd be such a good boyfriend. But I don't. Fuck my life!"
This is just how it feels to me. As for the significance of the photo-taking, I feel a bit lost.
Mate, thank you so much for your assessment, it's absolutely what I was going for!
I wanted the whole thing to be about the tension between permanence and impermanence, so for me, the photos were about capturing something fleeting (footprints, river, animals) and making them permanent. I wanted it to be indicative of a mindset, so one character hangs onto things, the other doesn't. Thst is, apart from each other.
But as always this is very much appreciated. I might have to rethink some aspects so that it reads a little clearer. Cheers!
Bartle! Where have you been?! Get back to posting!!! Checking in on you.
Haha, surnames ey? I must be in trouble. I'm trying to get some stuff done but I'm finding it a bit of a slog. I'm trying out some actual dangerous writing/personal stuff at the mo, so we'll see how that goes. I don't know if I like the mask slipping. How's things with you?
Happy New Year, mate. Hope you're well. Any danger of a new story any time soon??
Happy New Year dude! I'm alright, been a bit rough recently but I'm on the up. How's tricks?
I'm trying to work on some longer stuff at the moment, but it seems endless, so maybe it's time to try some shorter stuff. I'll have a look through some older stuff and see if I can find anything...
I'm enjoying your stuff btw, I've got a ton of catching up to do though!
Hope you're back match fit, mate. I'm alright thanks, no worse than anyone else anyway.
What sort of thing you working on? Novel? Novella? Something else entirely?
I find it impossible to stay focused on anything long, long enough to ever get far enough into it. Hence the short stories, with the aim of it all becoming a novel-length book at the end.
I always wonder if something like a writer's workshop would help with that. Like if you knew you gotta come up with a new chapter every week or whatever, and that people were following your progress.
Anyway, been checking your Substack page regularly, hoping to find something that had slipped through the email net unnoticed. I'll stay patient.
I'm exactly the same, I'm trying to write things with the long-term goal of putting them together into some sort of coherent novel-length thing (the word novel sounds a bit too terrifying), but so far most of them are loosely connected scenes. It doesn't help that there's more than one completely separate story idea, so that will end up being more than one finished thing (eventually).
I think it'd probably help if you could meet up with people, or even online, for more in depth critiques, or even just to provide a peer pressure deadline. I don't have the discipline yet to keep to any sort of schedule. Whenever I’ve done any online courses it's helped keep me writing. You seem to be doing pretty well at keeping things moving along though, I'm jealous!
Ha! I'm not doing that well! I'm also helped by the fact that I've got loads of odd bits and pieces of unfinished stuff written over the years, so it's more a case of reworking rather than brand new writing. I am forcing myself to write during my lunch breaks, as I don't really get any other free time. I'm treating Substack as my peer pressure motivation, like if I see I haven't posted anything for over a week it pushes me to try and churn something out. Most of the stuff I post on here when it first goes out is a first draft, and then I spend the following few days just going over it again and again, tidying it up. But I feel like I've hit a wall again for the moment. I've got a little one almost ready to go out, but then after that I can't see at the moment where to go next. So it's swings and roundabouts. Just wish there was a way out of the rat race, to be able to dedicate some proper time and mental energy to all of this writing lark.
I'd be happy to be your peer pressure. That's why I asked if there was any danger :D
You can always hit me up.
Haha, I certainly need the peer pressure! I'm a procrastination expert. I (think) I added you on twitter so feel free to share on there. I don't know if substack has a messaging feature, so it might be easier. I've got loads of notes that I need to turn into something more concrete, so it might help to throw some ideas about. I'm also interested on how you go about writing too.
Like it. It's the sort of writing that anyone can connect with; as if you're tapping into a shared memory. Later on, after reading, you're like "Where were we going that time she was giving me shit for having my feet on the dashboard?" You gotta remind yourself no no it wasn't me, it was Matt's character that happened to. But it feels like a real memory.
Haha, thanks Kris! There was a lot of stuff going on in the background of this one, but usually when I try to be too clever with themes and such, the story doesn't work. Hopefully it reads like a story and not like a thinly veiled series of concepts. Thanks for reading.
It reads like both, to be honest. Definitely a narrative, paints a picture in the mind and walks you (or drives you) through a journey. Characters are relatable and recognisable.
At the same time, it is a bit abstract. Raises as many questions as it answers. I get the feeling Ben's in love with his best friend, but that he's accepted a long time ago that that's a no-go. They're too close. Way too close. He knows her better than anyone knows her, and likewise she him.
I also get that he's seen her go through some messy relationship(s). If only he could show how good it could be to be loved. And she sometimes thinks "If only I felt that spark with Ben. He'd be such a good boyfriend. But I don't. Fuck my life!"
This is just how it feels to me. As for the significance of the photo-taking, I feel a bit lost.
Hope this helps, mate.
Mate, thank you so much for your assessment, it's absolutely what I was going for!
I wanted the whole thing to be about the tension between permanence and impermanence, so for me, the photos were about capturing something fleeting (footprints, river, animals) and making them permanent. I wanted it to be indicative of a mindset, so one character hangs onto things, the other doesn't. Thst is, apart from each other.
But as always this is very much appreciated. I might have to rethink some aspects so that it reads a little clearer. Cheers!
Makes more sense now. Cheers.