Saturday, January 23, 2010

My biggest problem is that I write panoramic. MGM style, big scale.
I don’t do the close-up.
By the time I get to zoom in, the word count is done, khatam and its time to close shop.
And I write Indian. Which means I expect a reader to know backstories, cultural stuff like honor killings and the caste system.
I have a thick skin for “no’s” and getting thicker.
That, or write about the familiar, write for the firang reader-- which seems such a sell out.



10 comments:

AmitL said...

All is fine..jema majaa aave te karvaanun..first,write for yourself,then for the other angles..the financial parts will click auto..:):)

Anonymous said...

The biggest problem is not writing panoramic - it is the lack of patience with details. :-)

Wish you lots of patience and good luck.

austere said...

amit- that is what I thought as well.

anon-great suggestion, thank you. would you have a name? I don't bite, y'know. have you read anything I've written?

norrbu said...

True Austere di. But those are insightful. Also, who are you writing for? Why?

austere said...

Who am I writing for and why... what a tough q, norrbu.
If I were a hypocrite I'd say I write for myself, the world be damned.
BUT I write to be read.
So lukkha, this thirst to be read!

So if you don't know the back story culturally, am I supposed to spend 50 out of 250 words explaining it, the pace and tautness of the story be damned?

Dunno!

kaolin fire said...

So if you don't know the back story culturally, am I supposed to spend 50 out of 250 words explaining it, the pace and tautness of the story be damned?

The ideal would be enough hints of context throughout that even if we don't get it to the full depths, we still get it, yanno, "enough". No idea what magic exists to determine that. :/ Personally I would err on the side of mystery. It's easier to get hooked on that enough to ask for more hints--than to get hooked on the stuff around an infodump and ask for it to be removed, emotionally, imo.

GUD wants to be challenged... :)

austere said...

kaolin fire- I've taken the plunge, and await a verdict.

kaolin fire said...

Fingers crossed. :)

shiv said...

Write for the sake of writng, for expressing yourself... not to be read... and you are sure to be read..... austere, we are there to read...

PQ said...

Each has his own style right...i find mine extremely simple. I've wanted to write with more sophistication but I end up not enjoying what I write then...so guess I'd be myself, coz it makes me feel happy.
I'd suggest stick to your unique style...great people have to hear a lot of crap before they are recognized...an yes until you get the bigger audience...we are always there