Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Idea-less.

I need an idea!

I want to start working on something long, maybe a novella length piece of writing. I have all of this writing energy to purge. But I have been in school for a couple years and a got programmed to think in short stories. That’s all fine and good because they are bite sized and easily submitted to journals and lit mags and such, but I enjoy working on something longer. I like the way that it allows you to become kind of obsessed. The working out of plot kinks and dialogue starts to happen all of the time. It keeps the back part of your brain always whirring. I like that.

I want the book to feel like the cover of Radiohead’s “Hail to the Thief” album, though I’m not sure what that means.

But the problem is that I need an idea. I have a bunch of little ideas. I have bits and pieces. I have some of the words and I can feel some of the rhythm of it, but I don’t have that spark that has to be in the center. The hot little jittery mass around which all of the rest of it is going to orbit. I don’t have that yet.

I’m sitting here with all of these notebooks with little pieces of something in them, but I can’t figure out how they all gel.

And the fact that I don’t have the idea makes me feel all unwriterly. Although at least I’m not one of those guys who is dripping is sticky ideas but with no desire to write (I’m talking to you most screenwriters. Yeah, I said it.).

Anyway. I am just going to sit here for a little while and try to tune into something. I suspect that this will end up being a frustrating evening. Good times.


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1 comment:

Jose Morales said...

"I want the book to feel like the cover of Radiohead’s 'Hail to the Thief' album, though I’m not sure what that means."

Not sure either, but holy fuck does it sound pretty bad-ass. Here’s hoping you get that epiphany that makes it all click.