One of Those Writing Books

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1790

Abstract

le” being general narrative and “big” being some other piece, layered in.</p><p id="e155">For me, it was this working of layers throughout the whole that so stood out…just as I am about to get into the layers of my own work.</p><p id="47f2">And just as in the subtitle, he urges writers to find the moment “after which everything was different.” Solid advice. Look for that moments, or those moments, in your story. Bring (write) them right up into the light! Don’t go for the “believable.” After all real life IS always stranger than fiction… so go for the real in all its glorious weirdness. <b><i>That</i></b> piece of advice spoke to me.</p><p id="9df7">And then another piece, about not using dialogue to further plot, made me pause. After all, we’ve all been told this is one of dialogue’s duties. But not for Chuck Palahniuk. He says,</p><p id="d913" type="7">“Our lives are saved by such ridiculous moments. Language isn’t any help. Especially the words part.”</p><p id="4715">He makes writing visceral, beyond language. That means you have to read his words yourself. You’ll absorb it. And then it will <i>leak into your work</i>.</p><h1 id="6051">So go buy it</h1><p id="c8b3">Of course, order from your LOCAL INDEPENDENT bookstore, using the handy ISBN that every book comes with… in this case:<b> 978–1538717974</b>.</p><p id="b1ed">There it is. Make the call, and it’ll be on their desk within days, and you’ll have kept a few more dollars out of Mr. Bezo’s grimy mitts… Do it.</p><p id="83cb">And write on.</p><p id="fbda">Other great reads:</p><div id="ad37" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/book-review-knight-in-paper-armor-3c146780f241"> <div> <div> <h2>Book Review: Knight in Paper Armor</h2>

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You need to have on your shelf

photo: courtesy of author

The longer you’ve been writing, the harder it becomes to find a book that actually speaks to you, about this crazy-making, irrational writing thing we do — a book that is actually useful.

But Chuck Palahniuk’s Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different, is… well, something after which everything might just start to dance.

Timing is everything

I picked up this book just as I was in the throes of completing the rough draft of a novel, and “going in” to deepen and explore the whole, and that may be why Mr. Palahniuk’s ideas resonated deeply.

It does remind me of Stephen King’s On Writing in that it is a blend of memoir alongside the gleaned knowledge of craft. The descriptions of the hours of workshop evening with Tom Spanbauer— Palahniuk does credit Spanbauer with much of his knowledge — are memoir delight. As are scenes of boundary-stretching book launches. You’d best start thinking about yours now!

A few takeaways

Palahniuk talks about the nature of “texture” in prose: the power in understanding the differences between description, instruction, and onomatopoeia, and how to weave and use all three in language. And he speaks to finding more texture in working with first, second, and third person voices, and what are the effects of each.

He speaks of combining “Big” voice and “Little” — “little” being general narrative and “big” being some other piece, layered in.

For me, it was this working of layers throughout the whole that so stood out…just as I am about to get into the layers of my own work.

And just as in the subtitle, he urges writers to find the moment “after which everything was different.” Solid advice. Look for that moments, or those moments, in your story. Bring (write) them right up into the light! Don’t go for the “believable.” After all real life IS always stranger than fiction… so go for the real in all its glorious weirdness. That piece of advice spoke to me.

And then another piece, about not using dialogue to further plot, made me pause. After all, we’ve all been told this is one of dialogue’s duties. But not for Chuck Palahniuk. He says,

“Our lives are saved by such ridiculous moments. Language isn’t any help. Especially the words part.”

He makes writing visceral, beyond language. That means you have to read his words yourself. You’ll absorb it. And then it will leak into your work.