As part of this project, I'll be also doing a weekly blog entry to track the writing process, and how the catharsis project is evolving. Here be the first entry.
First story, Bundle, went up last week, and I must say I didn't actually factor in the idea that anyone would actually read it. But I went out on the weekend and a friend of mine made an oblique reference to "Tracy" and I was like, "who the shit are you talking about?" and it turns out he totally read the story. Some kind of feedback loop would be good, rather than just discovering later on that people are reading it. Must consider.
I've just written the first draft of next week's story, which will be called 'Rain.' For the purposes of these first few stories, I'm not really allowing myself any prep time, and literally just plucking at an idea and slamming words into my keyboard. It's a very different process to the way I write screenplays - which involves a lot of work before ever opening Final Draft - and I'm hoping it'll lead to some interesting stuff, or at the very least a new perspective on working. Giving myself one session of proof-reading / editing as well, because it occurred to me that sometimes when I do "vomit-passes" like this and just "spew" words onto paper in a manner akin to "chunder", it sometimes doesn't make any sense and has carrot in it gross. So, yeah, a little bit of editing seems in order. Nobody uses paper anymore.
Both stories taking pretty similar forms first up, although this one has a bit more direct action, with two characters interacting with each other. That was a late decision after I started writing it, and it felt right. I think it's going to be important to introduce new elements every time to avoid stagnating.
It's interesting what this stream of consciousness writing throws up, although I'm not sure how unbridled this stuff really is - I'm forcing myself to be dark and weird, so there's definitely still some contrivance. I think I'm going to have to shift tones throughout the year, and drastically shift forms too.
Rain is way freakier than Bundle, or at least is trying to be way freakier. Maybe that means it'll be less freaky. We shall see. Doubt I'll be able to gain anything from the stories themselves until I've got a few in the bank and some distance on the earlier ones. The process, thus far though, has been positive / fun / exciting / not as exciting as when Eddie Betts kicked that goal from the pocket by the Hill on Saturday night against North.
Football reference complete. Over and out.