This may be a bad thing because I'm struggling to continue my prose work. I could use insubstantial artistic justification and cite a lack of inspiration but I feel it has more to a lack of interest (more on this below). This certainly could be another setback stemming from a lack of conception as to how to develop specific characters, but my character work hasn't been hopeless. I think I may have found my greatest enemy: plotting.
Currently I've been working my 'country noir' story, and I think I have better characters than perhaps I'm willing to give myself credit for. Yet, the plot seems to be a bit thin. Maybe this is just a process but I'm becoming exasperated with a lack of infrastructure, so to speak, with my plot. Last week I had about 6 pages (out of ideally ten or more) of work, but I stopped because I find the robbery that lies within the crux of the plot doesn't make a bit of sense. Consequently I feel I need to take some time to figure out what my characters' struggles might be and then have my characters progress the plot--perhaps.
To digress, I've actually started back at writing some poetry. After last week's frustration with my story I wrote a comic poem about my disappointing walk to the Harry Ransom Center while in Austin. I feel there can be some judicious editing needed but I laid down some interesting poetry. I also looked at some of my old work and I feel a great deal of it has potential. For awhile, poetry was my focus and specifically image-heavy poetry influenced by Eastern and especially Japanese poetry. I've ventured into experience-heavy poetry, a la Ginsberg and Whitman but I feel that it is easy, especially for me, to veer into self indulgence. I think some of these poems have potential, but I think I need to get back to image-heavy poetry, which has been my strongest material, as well as lay some commentary or discourse in these poems, much like Rumi would do or Neruda (both of which I like more than Basho or Ginsberg).
It has also led me to think about what I enjoy about writing. I enjoy reading, but lately I've been reading less of classics like a good writer should be and watching 'The Wire.' I've also been reading some poetry, especially that of Thomas Hardy (and I plan to read 'Far From the Madding Crowd' soon). This has led me to reconsider what genres I enjoy the most in writing. When I was in my latter years of college I found enjoyment in writing, but writing scripts and poetry. My prose struggles have been numerous and I have worked on it, and I've got some good drafts. Yet, I'm starting to think that my prose struggles are not just my incompetence in writing prose but a lack of interest. Poetry gives me a great deal of joy, as does script writing. Part of me is thinking that I should refocus my portfolio on poetry and scripts, because I enjoy them the most and that maybe my prose isn't coming too well because I'm not interested or subconsciously I find it boring. I read a great deal of short stories, but my novel reading is subpar; typically I find reading 300 pages or more to be exhausting because I feel like it's unnecessary. If Faulkner could create an ensemble of hopelessly interesting characters in less than 250 pages in 'As I Lay Dying' then anyone can. That being said, I think I should continue trying for my prose. I'm thinking that writing from first person might be a good change of pace, as it best resembles dialogue and script writing (as far as prose concerns). I do think that my point of view work on a character in my 'country noir' story was exceedingly better, so I may start at that.
No comments:
Post a Comment