Go Write!

I had a great time with History Exchange 2016, but it occurred to me even while I was writing for it that I was putting a great deal of energy and time into an endeavor that, practically speaking, had no immediate benefits for me other than personal enjoyment. I spent a lot of time on the Web and pulled a dozen books from the stacks at my school library for research, and even bought a book that my library didn't carry. (No regrets though, it was awesome in its own right.) All this for writing that I would not see one red cent for! Economically speaking, this is madness. I guess that's how hobbies work, though.

Beyond just spending spare time, though, I find myself always figuring writing time into my future plans. I mean, I became a lawyer on the hope that it would give me the financial security and spare time to write, though things didn't quite work out that way. My change in course to academics, while in keeping with my aptitude, was also driven by my constant need to leave some room in my life to write while making a living on the side. In a way it's working out so far: I don't make much money but I do make a decent living while having the flexibility to pursue my impractical passion. As my responsibilities grow, though, I'm going to have to make further choices, and I have a feeling I'll always hold back a part of me to have that space where I can keep writing.

Do you find yourself holding back or making sacrifices, whether of time, money, opportunity and so on, in order to write? Do you think you might do so in the future?

I am back from my travails and, as promised, here is my make-up public post for last week.

Let's try something a little different: Are there any books, fiction or non-fiction, that you would like to see adapted to other media, like a movie, TV show, or game? If you want, feel free to add more detail. Why do you think this story would be good for that medium? What might some of the difficulties be? Do you have ideas about how to make the adaptation work? Any thoughts about who might play the characters?

One book I can think of off the top of my head is Idylls of the Queen by Phillis Ann Karr. It's an Arthurian murder mystery starring Sir Kay, who has to solve a murder to save Queen Guinevere who is accused of the act. A surly Kay and jaded Mordred make a great, entertaining detective duo, and Morgan Le Fay plays a prominent and spirited supporting role.

This is one of very few modern works of Arthuriana to star Kay, my favorite Knight of the Round Table. I love the way Karr portrayed his character, a decent and flawed man who makes sharp, wry observations of some of the worst aspects of Arthur's court. With Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot almost totally absent the other characters get to shine, and Karr captures the feel of a medieval court in a way I've never seen in the genre.

If I ever write a movie script I would like to adapt Idylls. Some of the snippets I loved from the book play out almost like a trailer in my head:

- The murder victim leaning against Kay at table and Kay being irritated at the intrusion until he realizes the man is dead;

- A hard-faced Kay telling Mordred, "Get out of the water and arm yourself." (Or something along those lines. Don't have the book on me.)

- Kay confronting Morgan Le Fay about her attempts to reveal Guinevere;

- Kay and Mordred dueling in thigh-high water, throwing up splashes as they hack at each other;

- Mordred screaming in rage and pulling a dagger from a tabletop to lunge.

As for actors, I have no idea. Probably some obscure method actors with theater backgrounds.

To members: Sorry I completely forgot about this week's midweek Open Chat. I was going to space it out from the last one, and then I got absent-minded, and now it's a bit too late. I'll resume next week, and schedule a post in advance so I don't forget.

To everyone: Let's talk about criticism, specifically criticism of your writing. Some questions to get you started:

- How do you generally respond to negative feedback?
- What's a piece of critical feedback that was painful to you?
- Did criticism help you, and how?
- What was an unhelpful piece of criticism?
- Have you make any changes in response to negative feedback?
- What do you think constitutes helpful negative feedback?
- Giving criticism can be as tricky as receiving it. Do you have any techniques for giving effective criticism?

Feel free to answer one or more of these questions, or to relate any other anecdotes or thoughts about critical feedback.

We'll cheer ourselves up next week with the flip side of this post, positive feedback, so stay tuned for that!

Do you have any quotes or advice, whether directly related to writing or not, that you find uplifting, thought-provoking, or otherwise helpful in your writing?

I'm a bit of a quotes hound, and lately I found this bit  from an interview to be inspirational for my own project:


This gave me a big confidence boost because I'm writing about a real-life figure who lived too long ago (1st century B.C.) and about whom too few sources remain to write a proper biography. I fully acknowledge my project is a novel and not a biography, but it's heartening to think that I'm telling the story of my heroine's life in my own way.

Here's another part from the same interview that resonated with me:


There's something comforting about the thought that stories are durable across time and will outlast the destruction of bodies, evidence, and last words. You can steal the breath from a person but not their words; their words will be freed of their confines and float on the winds of the world until someone hears their music and breathes them into life again. In this way stories, no matter how crushed and silenced, will swirl around and around until they are heard. I would like to believe this is true.