Longing − 4 June, 2008
While sitting in a café this morning, sipping a cappuccino and eating an apple turnover, I read another Raymond Carver story. It is a story that was filmed in the movie “Shortcuts”. The story is structured differently than the vignette in the film. Yet the visuals from the film were still vivid in my mind. Much of what was on screen is described in the story by a third person that was not even present during the events that took place.
Midway through the story, I felt the undeniable urge to write. Raymond Carver has that effect on me. I’ve wanted to pick up my fiction again, but even with the voice recognition software, I’ve been concerned that it would be awkward to try to write fiction. The process is not nearly as fluid. Editing is more cumbersome. I had thought that I would wait until I’d had more practice writing nonfiction using voice recognition. But because my desire this morning was so intense, I thought, why not give it a try anyhow?
I noticed that the last modified date of the story I was writing when carpal tunnel syndrome struck is May 23. That’s a long time to be away from a story. I must reenter the mind space of that story. But I already had a plan for the next few scenes. At the very least, I could pick up with those scenes. I have been meaning to take notes on Carver’s short stories, but until I got the voice recognition software, I could not even consider it.
Now that I’m so eager to begin writing again, I will try to remember some of what I’ve learned from the short stories. But I intend to go back to the stories and take detailed notes. Without notes, the most powerful lesson I’ve taken away is Carver’s use of details to make his stories more vivid. I have already been using that technique to some degree. But observing how important it is to make the story come alive, I will pay more attention to that facet of storytelling.
Unfortunately, over the next two days, work and a doctor appointment threaten to interrupt the unbroken time I was hoping to have to concentrate on getting in shape and writing. But, then again, medical leave is not the same thing as vacation. Up until the time I got the voice recognition software, my medical leave felt kind of like a vacation. But once I got the software, I wanted to do nothing more than train it, and learn how to use it with the applications upon which I depend. The more I use the software, the more wear and tear I save my wrists.
Midway through the story, I felt the undeniable urge to write. Raymond Carver has that effect on me. I’ve wanted to pick up my fiction again, but even with the voice recognition software, I’ve been concerned that it would be awkward to try to write fiction. The process is not nearly as fluid. Editing is more cumbersome. I had thought that I would wait until I’d had more practice writing nonfiction using voice recognition. But because my desire this morning was so intense, I thought, why not give it a try anyhow?
I noticed that the last modified date of the story I was writing when carpal tunnel syndrome struck is May 23. That’s a long time to be away from a story. I must reenter the mind space of that story. But I already had a plan for the next few scenes. At the very least, I could pick up with those scenes. I have been meaning to take notes on Carver’s short stories, but until I got the voice recognition software, I could not even consider it.
Now that I’m so eager to begin writing again, I will try to remember some of what I’ve learned from the short stories. But I intend to go back to the stories and take detailed notes. Without notes, the most powerful lesson I’ve taken away is Carver’s use of details to make his stories more vivid. I have already been using that technique to some degree. But observing how important it is to make the story come alive, I will pay more attention to that facet of storytelling.
Unfortunately, over the next two days, work and a doctor appointment threaten to interrupt the unbroken time I was hoping to have to concentrate on getting in shape and writing. But, then again, medical leave is not the same thing as vacation. Up until the time I got the voice recognition software, my medical leave felt kind of like a vacation. But once I got the software, I wanted to do nothing more than train it, and learn how to use it with the applications upon which I depend. The more I use the software, the more wear and tear I save my wrists.
