In Bruges, The Minnewater, Fernand Khnopf
48,127. Paul over at A Writer’s Cosmos has another astute post on the fine art of writing, titled “patience” and he says, Don’t rewrite something that isn’t written yet. My goodness. That’s what I’ve been doing! Constantly rewriting what I’ve not yet written. Such folly. It’s what keeps this little gopher from sticking her nose out of the hole, forgetting that the back door is open and her rear is sticking out already.
I keep getting snagged on the tips of nails in the storyboard, but I’ve promised myself no more. I’ve been writing A Lamentation of Swans every day this week, focusing only on the scene at my fingertips, and ignoring all those tiny nail points. I’ve got the hammer tucked away and will bring it out in due course. But first comes the creating, and I agree with McKee–writing first, researching what’s needed and only what’s needed, and writing more suits the way I like to work. The times I’ve made the most progress are when I’ve known what I was writing about, when the story material becomes pregnant with the details I’d learned, figured out, synthesized in my mind so that I stopped stumbling about on the path of narrative; the words came and scenes shaped up. Those nail points stopped being painful pricks and did their job properly, holding things together. Patience makes the novel grow. For me, anyway.
By the way, saw 3:10 TO YUMA last weekend. Loved it. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe were fantastic–no exaggeration. Bale’s character dripped desparation; Crowe’s was magnetic. They were excellent. Tension begins at the start and continues straight through. A reviewer commented that the end was muddled. No it wasn’t. It was astounding and clear as daylight. (I may rent the original if I can find it; I think it ends differently.)
Glad the weekend is here. d:
