Literary Speed Bump
Posted on | December 27, 2009 | 5 Comments
Many of you have been following Geoff on his 30-Day Challenge journey, supporting him with compliments and, sometimes, criticism. Yes, the criticism has been supportive. That is something which is often very difficult for writers to accept, especially a beginning writer. When I began writing stories, I wanted people to read them and say, “wow! That’s really good! Write more and more and hurry!” Sometimes there were people who did say such things to me. However, those people were usually my mom. But I went off on a tangent, there. This entry isn’t about accepting criticism, it’s about literary speed bumps. “What’s a literary speed bump?” I hear you cry. Fair enough. This blog (I don’t like the word “blog”, but not nearly as much as I dislike “tweet”, unless it’s coming from a little, yellow bird, so I’ll use it. Reluctantly.) is a literary speed bump.
Geoff has been doing a great job sticking to his commitment not only by writing and posting a blog each and every day, but by writing ones that are both informative and entertaining, and that’s not easy to do. I have no doubt Geoff will complete the challenge and, knowing him, will finish in the “grandest of fashions”. Every day, uninterrupted, Geoff has rolled out a new blog: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3… up to Day 19, so far. Smooth as silk. (See, Geoff? I did read your blog on cliches!) You’re all getting comfortable with knowing that when you visit www.tipsonwriting.net/blog you’ll get the next chapter in the series. It’s a comforting feeling being comfortable. That is until Steve barrels along like a clinking-clanking, black-smoke-spewing, metallic green 1972 Chevy Impala and decides to slam on his brakes and screech to a rubber-burning halt smack dab in the middle of Geoff’s field of silk! A literary speed bump. And, yes, tires can screech and smoke in a field. I saw it in a movie!
If any of you have read Geoff’s and my book, “Weeping Willow Volume One: Welcome to River Bend“, you know exactly what I mean. Oh, if you haven’t read it, go order it now, then come back. It’s really good. Ask my mom. Anyway, in Weeping Willow, Geoff and I sometimes, well, often interrupt the story with our comments, usually jarring readers from their comfort zone. We break the fourth wall. We don’t do this to intentionally shock the reader, rather to give them some insight into our writing process. Some readers love these asides, others hate them, and some like them sometimes, but not as often as we use them. The point is (yes, there is a point) that you will not please everyone. That’s okay. I’d rather have people hate what I’ve written than be indifferent to it. Just not too much hate, though. Men cry, too. Write what you want to, not what you think others will expect from you.
So, without further ado, I’ll let Geoff finish his 30-Day Challenge, uninterrupted. Maybe.
~~~~~Steve Mancini
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December 27th, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Thanks for the interruption! Several people have asked, “So where’s Steve in all this 30 day blog challenge thingy.” Well, now we know.
And thanks for your confidence. And your words of wisdom. Perhaps I’ll do a whole blog about “write what you want to, not what you think others will expect from you”.
.-= Geoff´s last blog ..Wage War on Christmas – A Warped Holiday Story =-.
December 27th, 2009 @ 5:14 pm
Thanks for the speed bump.
Does this 1972 Chevy Impala have a name?
Finished my week smelling..this was a great exercise. Now I am doing hearing.
Sheila
.-= Sheila Atwood´s last blog ..Optin Campaign – AWeber Gives Top Of The Line Service =-.
December 27th, 2009 @ 2:43 pm
Sheila, Steve doesn’t name his cars. He had a Jeep once named Bob (because it sounded like a trumpet player we both once cringed at) but I think I gave it that name.
And no one here has yet figured out why my orange Ford Station Wagon was named Stanley.
And I’m really glad you’re still doing the “finger exercise”. How has it been?!?
.-= Geoff´s last blog ..Wage War on Christmas – A Warped Holiday Story =-.
December 28th, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
You know, Sheila, I’ve had plenty of cars that should have been named, but I think I would have felt bad after I drove them into the ground. I did have a Buick Apollo that looked like I should have been in the Volunteer Fire Department, though.
I’m glad you’re done smelling, too. Especially with the holidays and all. ;-}
December 29th, 2009 @ 8:37 am
Everyone of my mother’s cars were named Ginny – I think it is an Old South term and related to the cotton gin.
I can still hear her saying “Come on Ginny” as she pumped away at the gas pedal of a 1949 Ford Station Wagon.
My current car is named Max. He is a turquoise Subaru station wagon. Kind of reminded me of Max in “Where The Wild Things Are”.
I have loved doing the “Finger Exercises”. Christmas was a good time to do smell. I would sometimes amaze myself at the smell descriptions I would come up with.
Thanks you guys.
Sheila
.-= Sheila Atwood´s last blog ..Emails Optin- AWeber Does It Again =-.