Welcome to Notes from the Writing Desk, a monthly-ish newsletter with new writing, works in progress, creative prompts, and the odd thing I’ve been reading, noticing, or, inevitably, failing to finish.
In this issue: I’m sharing the story I wrote for the Swift and Vanessa Salon, opening up the editing process behind it in a paid post, thinking about whether writers really make pearls alone, celebrating finishing the first draft of my novel, and asking when you do most of your reading.
New Writing
Here’s what’s new on the website since the last newsletter. I love hearing your thoughts, so let me know what you think.
Amanda Durkan
This is the piece I wrote for the Swift and Vanessa Salon held in Celbridge, Co. Kildare, last month. It follows a woman who, because of a cancelled flight, takes the long way to her sister’s wedding in Osaka. Along the way, a series of encounters challenge the cynical outlook she has been carrying with her.
Amanda Durkan
This is a paid post that shows my editing process for The Long Way to Osaka. While I liked the first draft, there were definitely things to improve. Because I would perform the piece, I had to be mindful of the words and phrases that might cause me to stumble when reading aloud. You can see the edits in place, and my comments explaining why I made them.
From the Notebook
It is, after all, the dab of grit that seeps into an oyster's shell that makes the pearl, not pearl-making seminars with other oysters.
— Stephen King, On Writing
There are some interesting ideas in this quote: that imperfections are where beauty comes from, that an outside influence is necessary for art, and that writing groups or seminars can only take you so far. I agree with some of these ideas, but not all of them.
There’s the old adage, “write what you know.” Your own experiences—wounds, calluses, grit, and all—can be rich sources of inspiration. You have a unique lived experience, and it informs your craft. Of course, writers don’t have to have experienced everything they write about. This is true, particularly for sci-fi, fantasy, or anything speculative. But appropriation is also a point to consider. Whose story are you telling, and why? What care, responsibility, or consideration does it ask of you?
Your peers can also inform your craft. How you react to their work is an experience of its own. Having a support network of like-minded individuals while undertaking the predominantly solo activity of writing may be key. It is comforting to know you’re not the only one stuck, or that there are others struggling to find motivation to write, or that their ending isn’t quite working for them, just like yours isn’t. Hearing how others have interpreted a prompt, or their story’s humour and unexpected turns, or the darkness they’ve woven into a character is enriching.
Making pearls in isolation is hard. Pearl-making seminars might be less efficient, but oyster support groups are needed.
Work-in-Progress
I have finally finished the first draft of my novel. It’s been a long time coming and had been a goal for years, so it’s lovely to be able to say that.
I started it before the pandemic, and I have been working on it, one chapter at a time, on and off since then. I am reading it now from the start, taking notes on what needs to be changed, and, let me tell you, there’s a lot. I don’t know whether my writing has improved since I started, or whether the distance has helped me see it with fresh eyes, but I can really see things to fix. I have entire chapters that I’ll be dropping, whole characters too. It’s going to be an undertaking and a half.
I think I’ve also learned about the main character through the process of writing the story, so some of their motivations, particularly at the start, don’t really make much sense anymore. It’s a very interesting experience to come back to a piece of writing after so long. It almost feels as if someone else wrote it; I don’t think I am the same person I was back then.
Writing Prompt
If you’re a writer yourself, have a go at this prompt. It’s low pressure and just for fun — write as much or as little as you like.
You are employed as an AI bot and have to respond reasonably to the most ludicrous human prompts. The humans must never know that you are sentient. What is the first response that almost gives you away?
Reader Poll
Last issue, I asked: how close do you like to feel to a character’s inner life? The options were: very close, close, balanced, distant, external, or it depends on the story or genre.
The winner was: Very close. Most readers wanted to be deep inside a character’s thoughts and feelings as they happen.
As a reader, I also like to get deep inside a character’s head. I want to know what’s going on around them too, but filtered through their eyes and coloured by their beliefs.
This issue’s question is: When do you find you do most of your reading?
- While travelling
- Just before I go to sleep
- Just after I wake up
- Whenever I can find a spare moment in the day
- Other
What I’m Reading
I have just finished Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. I enjoyed it very much. It’s dark, sharp, and in places, unexpectedly funny. It follows an author experiencing writer’s block, and a gay man who unwittingly becomes her muse. A core question of the book is about appropriation, and who can tell what stories. The characters are all experts at lying: to themselves, and at times, to us as readers. Much of the story happens between the lines. Definitely check it out!
That’s all from me. See you at the next one!
