on writing a book: the idea dream-fairy and why she's a bitch

[lagilman]

Woke this morning to a number of dreams slamming around in my head, labeled "idea one" and "idea two" and other things like that. But woke up badly and they all went out the dream-window before I could grab and sort them. Extreme frustration and why there should be a rule about how to wake up writer-types, damn it.

But things started to slip back in about half an hour later, and I started to get wild with the idea-energy. Madly typing up thoughts as they expand in my head, and wishing my usual idea-bouncing buds were avilable to run this through with me. I think it's really strong and neat and true, that it works with the existing action and has all sorts of interesting resonance, but it could also all be shite.

Hate living with a non-reader. Specifically, a person who does not read fiction. All the best intentions, but by the time I explained it to him and what I needed, the manic energy would be gone and with it the purity of the idea. And there's no way to explain that to him without it sounding insulting, but it's true. Anyone else out there got that problem? How, other than running around in circles snapping at your tail, do you deal with it?

Comments

On dealing with non-writers....

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

A Kathi rule of living with and loving mundanes:

Never, ever explain a new idea in detail of any form to them. They will process it totally differently, strip it of the essence that attracted you to it in the first place, tell you why it doesn't "logically" work--and then, after two exhausting hours, you'll say something in an offhand fashion that finally pulls it together for them, and they'll say, "Oh, that will work." And walk off.

And you must not kill them, because you love them.

I tried it several times with my ex, and the result was always the same. Or they try to talk you into variants of what was successful before (in another culture, perhaps) not seeing that it's just a clone, until the character speaks in his/her own voice. Save P for business suggestions, advertising suggestions, even research suggestions, since he loves non-fiction--but don't burden him with the creation of fiction. Because either his mind works differently than a fiction author--or he is an embryo fiction writer, but needs to discover that on his own. The mind shift hasn't happened yet.

I'm learning a new variant of this with W--he has researched and attempted fiction before, as did his father (father did pure D western--actually very good, I've heard, except for one fatal flaw--no ear for dialog/accent at all.) W is more into Tutor mystery. But he's still at the point where I'll say "Well, I need to explore Philadelphia now, since it was the center of culture in the Americas at that point" and he'll say "Oh, you told me months ago it was going to be NYC." Well, it's not polite to say "I didn't know then that Philly was a part of it" (although I do) or even "I write fiction, I write fantasy--I can change my mind"(I don't). He's still a little concrete. But his narration, description, and plotting shows great promise.

But he's an intensely private man. He will not give emotionally in his characterization. I consider it a big problem--but if he wants to persevere, and finally realizes this--he has to decide whether to conquer it, or write with me, and I'll make the characters breathe.

Could you ever see your non-fiction-man writing fiction? Or is the idea overwhelming?

And yes, I have also found the dream fairy to be a grade-A fill in the blank. In my case, she won't hand it to me in a dream unless I wake up at the tail end of the dream and immediately start writing. I used to keep a pad by the bed for that--as I heal, we'll see if that nudging trick still works....

Re: On dealing with non-writers....

[lagilman]

Everyone writes differently. Perhaps the most useful thing I learned as an editor was to adapt to different styles needs, when giving feedback. Well, I hope I did it well, anyway!

Could you ever see your non-fiction-man writing fiction?

That would be a pretty resounding no. Words don't give him joy (a thing I so can't comprehend he might as well be an alien creature, but that's a different rant entirely).

Peter's idea of reading is Businessweek and Wine Spectator and The Wall Street Journal All fine outlets I dip into myself. But there hasn't been more than that, reading-wise, in many years.

So it's damned impossible to explain anything of what I do to him. I've tried. I've really, really tried. But it just leaves us both frustrated and me without any useful feedback. :-(

Re: On dealing with non-writers....

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

So it's damned impossible to explain anything of what I do to him. I've tried. I've really, really tried. But it just leaves us both frustrated and me without any useful feedback. :-(

That's what friends are for...especially writing friends! %^)

Were these dreams related to your current work, or something to record for a later story?

Hang in there--hope it's a good writing day--

[writerkatie.livejournal.com]

Mine does read. But that doesn't change the impossibility of using him as a sounding board for first draft. He'll spot little things ("Ford didn't make the Fairlane until nineteen-whatever.") and get totally sidetracked.

Equally dangerous is to sketch out an idea. I'll have a kernal of an idea, and mention it to him, and he will run with it in the least workable direction possible, diametrically opposed to your entire thrust. And I have to explain why that won't work for my story, but feel free to write your own...

Actually, Alfreda's whole description sounds hauntingly familiar. Especially the not killing part.

Katie