I’m ambivalent towards myself, or at least I’m ambivalent about writing about myself; and no this isn’t going to turn into an about page. I think we learn a lot of things from reading high quality work, but on the same token I think we learn even more from reading lower quality work. From this we can figure out what not to do, and learn from mistakes before we even have a chance to make them.
One thing that I saw a lot during my examination of the various crap that’s floating around the web is that the first person is a delicate thing that can easily be used to create complete crap. What ends up happening is that rather than create the impression of a fictional world and story, the author isn’t removed from the story and it seems very false and autobiographical, even when the author doesn’t intend for it to be.
Additionally, it’s far easier to write “I think, feel, act and breathe like this,” rather than work on writing something thatís more removed and distant. Using I statements is a crutch that too many authors, in my opinion, rely on without reason, and so their choice of narrative person isn’t based on what’s going to make the story most effective, but what’s easiest to write.
For these reasons, I’m don’t like writing fiction, or more properly haven’t yet gotten to a point where I’m comfortable writing fiction in the first person. I think that the second half of the next novel project will be in first person, perhaps the whole thing, but I’m not sure at this point. I think distance and a level of experience with third person can give the proper amount of skill and ability to successfully pull off a story in first person.
On the other side of the coin, writing non-fiction in first person can have a very nice effect that can make some essays personal and hard hitting, but it can also make an otherwise effective piece of prose completely pointless. Because I’m writing so much stuff for school, and because I tend to err on the side of perfection and cautiousness, it’s become hard for me to write in first person, morso in non-fiction than in fiction, but itís a problem in both.
Also my normal mode for non fiction is this pedagogical air about writing that I haven’t been able to shake. Maybe it’s Robert’s fault for roping me into that column three years ago, but it probably runs deeper. I really don’t mean to try and teach and correct everything but it seems that that’s just what comes out.
I’m stopping now while I’m ahead. Or something.
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http://www.strangelittleboy.com/Kerr’s pictures, words, thoughts. Amazing. Noteworthy. Cute. Worthwhile. Funny. Insightfull. Need I continue?
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tagged: interwebs
Cycling through our, at the moment, not-so random, random quote generator are two somewhat fitting quotes. One by Alfred Kinsey that basically says nature exists as a continuum and that as humans we try and force a wide spectrum of divergent elements into neat little categories. Usually these categories represent polar opposites, and if we’re lucky, a middle ground, which is really incapable of describing much of any thing. Kinsey was talking about human sexuality, and while he did a lot to change the perceptions of sexuality, he wasn’t able to fully circumvent the human desire to categorize itself and its world. A seven point scale is better than a three, two, or even one point scale, but there are so many varieties and possibilities that just about anything would somehow fall short.
Chris added another quote from the breakfast club that conveyed a very similar message, but approached this problem from a completely different perspective. It said, basically, that we see things as we wish to: in the simplest, most convenient terms, when in fact we are individuals comprised of multiple traits and behaviors.
Things exist in shades of grey, between the darkness and the light (I’ll any non-Chris person a hug if the can figure out that allusion and drop me an email), and we as humans force everything into categories of black and white because it’s easy, because it gives us power, because it makes us feel safe and in charge of a very scary world. The biggest problem with this is, of course, that things don’t exist on the planes of total lightness, and total darkness.
I don’t have any answers, unfortunately, but then we wouldn’t have much purpose in hanging around here if we did.
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http://www.greyexpectations.com/Noah Grey’s new site. Its amazing. Its cool. Its new. Check it out
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tagged: interwebs
Noah Grey is at it again. He’s come up with a new sort of photo journal site called Grey Expectations. This is the kind of photojurnal site that he’s so good at running.
I don’t care if this is a blogwhore-ish kinda posting, Noah deserves the notice, so look at his stuff soon, you won’t be disappointed.
For record keepings sake this is the second link to Noah’s new site. I feel special.
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I learned about the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia, two hours after the fact, and I fighting quite frightening. I don’t know what to say. I’m afraid for the lives of the six astronauts that are surely casualties of this accident.
Additionally, I fear that this may mark the end of the space program, and I think that may be the largest causality of this event.
This isn’t to say that the seven lives (which would make the causality total from the space program still under 20), quite the contrary, and the loss life as part of space exploration is unacceptable; however, no human endeavor with the possibility for gains is without risk, and thatís something that everyone involved with the space program must make peace with.
But that is in the realm of the future. As for the present, surely we need time to collect ourselves, and we have all the time we need.
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