U of J: Orientation
U of J Creative Writing Course List:
Orientation
101, Basic Technique
201, Advanced Technique
301, Theory
401, Practice
Welcome to Jon University. TENES NVNC TENEBERIS. In this inaugural semester I’m offering a course in creative writing. I don’t normally preside in such an officious manner (fun though it may be), but I don’t see any sense being shy when offering advice on the brightest burning star in my sky.
The following advice is one part from me, nine parts from my peers, my lessers and my betters. In art very little is true or false. I deal in useful or useless. Put each piece of advice to the test for yourself, and, as I’ve done, keep what’s useful and discard the rest. The proof is in the pudding.
For those of you who prefer a set of credentials to knowledge that speaks for itself, I’ll give you a short bio. I write. You may read a few of my stories here and here. I am a published author. Just like Umberto Eco or the Olsen Twins. I read, I critique, I travel. If I were stranded on a desert island the five books I’d bring are the collected works of Shakespeare, Kitab-i-Iqan, Blood Meridian, a Chinese / English dictionary, and a blank book to write in. A blank book with many, many pages. If I didn’t have a pen I’d twist my hair into a nib and use my blood for ink.
I’ve divided my advice into four courses. 101, Basic Technique. 201, Advanced Technique. 301, Theory. 401, Practice. But first, a few points to give us a foundation, a context in which to orient ourselves:
- The best fiction convinces us it’s real. Coleridge said poetic faith is the willing suspension of disbelief. That means the reader forgets he’s a reader. Whether he reads to escape, to understand or to explore — this is his business. Our business as writers of fiction is to help him experience, if only for a while, something that does not exist outside the imagination. If we write well, he will finish our story and say, “Oh wait, that didn’t happen to me, it’s just a story.” If we write poorly, he’ll realize this before he’s finished. His suspended disbelief will reengage. He might even quit reading. For lack of a technical term I call this a hiccup, and it is our enemy.
- There are no good or bad writers. Just different stages of development. Each of us starts off writing poorly. Some of us choose to develop from there, others choose not to. That’s right, improvement is a choice. The term “body of work” is no coincidence. A body has lovely parts like eyes and curves, but it also has less attractive parts like armpits and an asshole. You will write armpits. You will write an asshole. It’s important to admit it and move on. Otherwise you’ll end up paralyzed, either by fear of failure or because you mistake poor early attempts for failed attempts. It is not a failure to write an asshole. Imagine a body without the ugly parts. It’d just be a face and cans and gams floating around in the air and what good is that.
That said, forget the idea of classification. Each part is equally important in that without it a body of work is incomplete. Give each story the care and attention it deserves. Make it as good as you can now. The next one will be better.
- Let me be clear about my position on the Rules vs. Exceptions debate. It is essential to learn the rules. It is wise, most of the time, to follow them. It is on occasion legitimate and powerful to break them. Any idiot could lie and call himself Spartacus — it’s doing it at just the right time, in just the right way, for just the right reason, that makes it an act and a measure of greatness.
Next week the class will be 101, Basic Technique.
Also, any suggestions for a mascot or a logo? I don’t think I’ve yet got the readership to run a contest. I’m going make a separate little zone on the website for these articles, maybe make a free PDF / lulu print version available.
~J
Tags: advice, boogie down, inaugural, u of j
June 15th, 2010 at 6.19 am
I’m glad that the boogie down tag was included or I never would have found this delightful post. The Spartacus line is brilliant.