Comments on: How Not to Write a Story https://lindarushby.com/2020/05/07/how-not-to-write-a-story/ Blogger, traveller, poet, indie publisher - 'I am the Cat who walks by herself, and all places are alike to me' Tue, 12 May 2020 15:16:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 By: Linda https://lindarushby.com/2020/05/07/how-not-to-write-a-story/#comment-22 Tue, 12 May 2020 15:16:56 +0000 http://lindarushby.com/?p=510#comment-22 In reply to Trevor Clifton.

I love reading fiction, and I’d love to be able to write it – from the time when I learnt to read, it was the one thing I really wanted to do with my life.
But… some of us have talent, ideas, inspiration, imagination, and some of us… don’t.
Not to mention hard work, perseverance and self belief – which are all even more important and almost harder to find.
So, I write spontaneously, whatever comes into my head, and I’ve resigned myself that that’s just the way it goes. If I try to do anything else my brain goes into paralysis and I can’t write a word.
But if I ever manage to spontaneously produce a story with a satisfactory ending, I’ll let you know.
Until then, I’ll just keep on writing this daily drivel.

]]> By: Trevor Clifton https://lindarushby.com/2020/05/07/how-not-to-write-a-story/#comment-21 Sun, 10 May 2020 20:15:51 +0000 http://lindarushby.com/?p=510#comment-21 I could ramble on a bit.
I don’t ‘do’ fiction either, often, but what about Christ’s parables? do they mean anything to anyone? are they true? and would they be less meaningful if they weren’t?
Most of us laugh at jokes which are almost all made up short, short stories, and why would you laugh if the joke didn’t portray a believable scenario? and if you laughed it was worth the telling.
I often think that I’ll never bother to read anything fictional again, ever. Then I think of David Copperfield and Crime and Punishment. Their settings were real I’m sure, so they do have value if only in telling us how life was where and when they were written. I would think that their characters were authentic too, so do they have historical value?
Many societies have affectionate terms for friends and teachers which translate as ‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’ or ‘brother/sister’, In Nepal, for example, it is an honour to be called uncle or aunty or teacher or even, if great respect for someone older is intended, father or mother. I think our own ‘aunty’ and ‘uncle’ – although perhaps less formal than in other societies, and sometimes excuses for more appropriate titles – are usually respectful familiarities, they wouldn’t endure otherwise.
So go on dreaming or mind-wandering or mentally meandering, it happens anyway so we might as well enjoy it!

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