When I write, there's somewhat of a brain-disconnect. The back of my mind knows the story, and the front of my mind occasionally throws out a "Wait! Rephrase that..." but that's about all the action the front of my mind gets until the re-write.
So occasionally, I'll write eight or nine pages, and go back to check for any gross errors, just a quick scan, and have a moment where I think:
Now why in the hell did I put that irrelevant little tidbit in there?
If I can't figure it out right away, I'll leave it alone and leave the story alone for a bit, and then go back. If I still can't figure it out, I label it useless and take it out....
Sometimes though, I'll be re-reading, and the back of my mind will let the front of my mind in on the joke, and I suddenly know why I put that in, where it ties in later in the story, and what the significance is... all at once.
Does that happen to anyone else or is it just yet another example of how I'm really weird?
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7 comments:
It happens to me from time to time.
The problem I have most often is a sense of deja vu. I could have SWORN I put something in there, only I re-read it half a dozen times... and it's... not... THERE!
WTF?
A suggestion...
While it may not be your gender, Baen Books has a record of helping beginning writers (http://www.baen.com). If you submit a story to their on-line slush pile, you can get critiques for improvement. The "Universe" on-line mag has one new writer every issue. Try something short and submit it and see what happens. It can't hurt.
Snarky- At least I'm not the only one, LOL.
Crucis- Thanks, I'll look into that!
Farmgirl, when you get to the site, click on the "Bar" tab. Login/register if this is a first visit, and scroll through the forums. There are three slush-piles. 1632-Slush is for submission to Eric Flint's Grantville Gazette based on his 1632 universe. Universe-slush is for submissions to the Universe On-line mag. Be sure to read the submission notes for each slush pile.
Then, go for it!
You're not the only one.
My writing style is hard to define, but the closest descriptor is "conversational."
I write like I talk. And as you know, I put throwaway lines everywhere in conversation.
There's a comedy term called a "call back" in which you can repeat the punchline of an earlier joke later in the routine. Often it results in an even bigger laugh.
It works in writing, too.
Throwaway lines hell, if I could remember half of them, I'd steal 'em in a heartbeat!
But I was laughing too hard to turn on the mental recorder....
It happens to me all the time.
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