Russell Cruse
  • Home
  • The Rothko Room
    • Writing The Rothko Room
    • The Rothko Room Characters
    • The Council
    • The Real Rothko Room
    • Rothko Room Covers
    • The Rothko Room Music
    • The Rothko Room Puzzles
    • Locations in The Rothko Room
    • Waifs & Strays >
      • Churchill
      • The Origin of The Council
      • The First Meeting of The Council
  • Books
    • Head Count
    • The Circling Song
  • Weblog
  • Comments
  • Ukulele Stuff
  • Weblog Selections

It's Alive!...No....Wait...

4/12/2011

2 Comments

 
I’ve just concluded an experiment.  When I began “The Rothko Room”, my aim was to create two major story strands and unite them satisfactorily by means of a third.  I began each story as though it were a separate tale and, although there were characters hinted at in one, they became realised only in the other.  In this way, I felt that I might be able to construct an entire imagined, yet plausible whole. A common thread runs through each and at 30,000 words of one and 22,000 of the other, I am almost at the point where I can begin to draw the threads together in the final 20,000 or so.

I was a bit worried a couple weeks ago, when I lopped about 17,000 words out of the pair of them but I can now announce that  the experiment has been a complete success.

So I’ve decided to abandon the idea altogether and concentrate only on one of the plotlines. Why?  Because the stories come together “satisfactorily”, not “beautifully” or “elegantly” or “marvellously” but “satisfactorily”.  The art does not, as they say, disguise the art.  As I say, I’m pleased with the way each tale works and the way in which common threads have been sustained but it is too obviously a work of artifice – a conceit; a gimmick.  I honestly believe I can make a very good story out of one, and another – perhaps even a sequel – out of the other.  So today, I resolved to abandon one.  Cast it adrift for many months and hope that it’s still alive when I return to it.  It will be a difficult choice, since I hate both the bastards with equal venom. 

You can catch up with this week's excerpt and perhaps you can guess whether is stayed or was cast into outer darkness.  

2 Comments
Reggie
4/12/2011 05:17:58 pm

Wow, how much time and energy did you throw away there Russ?
Now THAT is dedication to your art mate.
Nice post, as always matey.
Reg

Reply
Eric link
5/12/2011 02:54:20 am

Have you seen the movie, Babel?

It does this pretty well.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Follow this blog

    RSS Feed

    UK Amazon Kindle Forum's group-authors-bookshelf book montage
    UK Amazon Kindle Forum 222 members
    Somewhere else for those who hang around on the official Amazon Kindle Forum to slouch around.

    Our group-authors-bookshelf shelf



    View this group on Goodreads »

    Archives

    November 2015
    August 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    A Clockwork Orange
    Alice Cooper
    American Literature
    Andrew Mitchell
    Anthony Burgess
    Blogging
    Book Cover
    Cover Design
    Crossword
    Eastwood
    Editing
    Emperor's New Clothes
    English
    English Language
    Films
    Frazier
    Gary Barlow
    Godfrey Bloom
    Homeless
    Homeless Man
    Homophones
    Internet Down
    John Farris
    Julian Fellowes
    Kelsey Grammer
    Language
    Left-Wing
    Literary Fiction
    Lord Mcalpine
    Mark Rothko
    Nomophilia
    Nomophobia
    Patrick O'Brian
    Pleb
    Politics
    Prejudice
    Pretentious
    Promoting Literature
    Publishing
    Raimi
    Reliance On Mobile Phones
    Richard Matheson
    Self-publishing
    Semiotics
    Spin
    Twitter
    Without The Internet
    Writing


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.