When discussing genre theory in class last week for fiction it got me thinking about some stories I wrote years ago that I thought weren’t really good because I didn’t realise the writing styles I was using. When I talked about Intertexuality in one of my posts below (http://book-unfinished.blogspot.com/2010/03/chicken-and-egg-story.html) I pulled out all my old pieces and read them again. Although I laughed a lot at how simple my language was at the time it was really nice to sit back and think how far I have come in my writing! I used to have a lot of problems with writing, yet I loved it so much! The idea, the blank paper, and trying to get them to combine is both challenging but rewarding when the task is done. So when I had to write for an hour in the exercise last week with genre theory I wondered what I could do with my old stories, if I were to re-write it. It’s hard, because the story I did end up using is my baby, I’ve re-written it so many times but I never had the theories and techniques to make it something worthwhile, but I knew the story itself was interesting enough. It has always been floating in my mind somehow, but I never thought to write it again recently. Perhaps I thought deep down that it seemed childish, when I wrote it so long ago. But I pushed the thoughts out and started writing…When I got home from the class I kept writing, and then I sat on two pages, thinking the same as all of my exercise pieces “that will do, I’ve finished the exercise now.” On the public holiday I let Ben read it, and got an answer I didn’t expect. I was tossing up whether to finish it and submit it to a journal, or even just hand it in for my next assignment, but I didn’t expect his suggestion to turn it into a book!
The world and the characters are so dense, the more I pulled it apart, the more I realised I needed thousands of words to really tell the story. Even when taking it to critique class, I still didn’t have the confidence, I was nervous because I thought they would tear my baby apart. Tell me it’s got potential, but I’ve got so far to go. But even my friends told me it was worth it.
Sometimes all you need is a push from someone. I guess what I’m trying to say, apart from the fact that I am indeed in the process of writing a novel that maybe we think too low of ourselves, and it just takes that one person who cares about you that much (like my Ben!) to tell you its worth something - your time, your energy, and your thoughts. You need people who can be a critique (like a critiquing class!) and to really push you into reality. Tell you “yes, write a novel!”
The best sentence I’ve heard all day!
Now a writer and always yours,
Jinx xx
P.S I'm thinking the picture is a little cheesy, but kind of fits anyway, yes?
So, like, let’s not be controversial and be safe and put nobody on the cover and just have bloody writing. People will like that…and let’s not forget to use the worst colour ever to put on a book jacket, WHITE!
