 COLIN HOWE
Author
GR: select 5 cards to describe the experience of writing.
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[black card] Chapter 4. It's about this point that I begin to hit the wall and start to write less and less each time I sit down. I can spend a little too much time staring into a black void waiting for something to occur to me about what is going to happen next. This is the time that it becomes critically important to reorganise my desk, wash the car, the dog, the cat, make some phone calls, change the filing cabinet. Generally it's a good time for finding distractions to avoid doing any actual work. |
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This card signifies the fact that things eventually begin to come together. Strange as it may sound, once all the characters have a good idea of what their role is and where they are going it's a flawless demonstration of teamwork. Each character plays the role that they have been given, the plot evolves and strategy develops sometimes on a play by play basis. At this point I'm just the coach, throwing some strategies at them and letting them do all the work. Also like the Coach, I'm out of shape and struggling to keep up. Usually end up with sore hands trying to type fast enough to transcribe everything that's going on. |
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This card signifies the general chaos that confronts me about half way into a book. There are generally too many things going on in my head when I write. The characters start to take on a will of their own, plot lines evolve into far too many tangents and at some point I want to give up and move on to another book that's much simpler and less hectic. This is also the point though that allows me to explore some different angles and ideas and eventually, like the picture, they all become unified under the one common cause. |
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As you may have guessed writing is a bit of an up and down thing. You can't write a book overnight [unless it's a very short book or you stay up really late]. Commitment is paramount. Any writing venture is long term. Sometimes things go smoothly and both the book and I get some value out of the relationship. At other times it's best if one of us sleeps on the lounge. If the commitment wasn't there then I would give up at either "Black" or the "Protest March" points which would leave me with a dozen or so unfinished manuscripts. Hmmm, that probably doesn't bear to close an inspection. |
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This card actually has two meanings for me. Firstly it is a metaphor for my stories. My work should look impressive, have good foundations, be well known and respected and have longevity. It should also have plenty of rooms to explore, some hidden secrets to be discovered, and a place that people from all over the world would like to visit. It also shows the type of house I will buy with the money that I will make from my writing career [perhaps I should have picked the "fantasy" card instead].
Note: actual CCS images are colour. These images are shown in monochrome for reasons of copyright.
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