Category: writing
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Quick Thoughts after Writing Fiction
My father-in-law told me a story years ago about how he was drafted, and all the boys in the surrounding towns had to report to a recruiting office in Luling, Texas. When they were asked if there was any reason that they could not serve, a rising wave of young men blurted out that they…
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Characters Are Plot
In two out of the past three days, I sat down and forced myself to write a story from beginning to end. Forced myself to start anyway. Both times as soon as I got going the narrative travelled it’s own path and I just did my best to keep up with it. They were rough,…
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A Ramble on Writing Violence
I spent the morning writing a story from start to finish. It began as a fairy tale, an old woman and her granddaughter living in a secluded cottage in the woods, blah blah blah, then it devolved into rape, torture, insanity, and murder. Afterwards I went on a run and couldn’t figure out what was…
The Whale Belly 