It probably began a long time ago in high school. I took a creative writing class and Mrs. Fife had us write a short story, and I enjoyed it. I penned my first novella that school year using a typewriter. It ended up being 80-pages and it sure was fun. But oh boy...was it awful lol. If it were animated...it would be some horrible Japanese anime with melodramatic acting, huge swords, and silly sexual tropes that would come across to an adult as being childish.
Then I tried again in college. I worked on a fantasy that involved a Dungeons and Dragons character that I must have kept plugging away at for about four years. I never ever finished it but it was probably 500 pages of typed garbage. Seriously...I had so many pages of taverns and just random monsters and meaningless sword fights, and some dragon showed up once but not for any reason really. Then I made up some twin guy who was evil and somehow the brother of the protagonist. Why? I have no clue. It just seemed like he should have an evil twin. I never plotted anything...I just wrote for the sake of writing which I realize now is called pantsing. Anyway...pantsing is a terrible way for me to write. There's just no structure and a story can balloon to 500,000 words with no end in sight.
All in all, I have five novels/novellas that should never ever see the light of day. And that's my "Origins" story.
Reading this made me smile. I bet we all have folders of jumbled stories that were fun to write, but are horrible. Still, it's all about the love, right? Thanks for sharing, Michael.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds much like my own story!
ReplyDeleteA similar story to my own writing origin. I have not posted it yet, but enjoyed reading yours.
ReplyDeleteI'm a total pantser, but that's how I roll. I think mine started in high school as well. But I didn't get into it til much later when I started playing Dungeons and Dragons. And what's a D & D story without bar fights and a random dragon? Oh and don't forget the "mysterious stranger" who walks up to you and asks if you're "looking for something to do..." hehe!
ReplyDeleteI think we all have a few stinkers in our drawers...I mean lousy manuscripts, not bad gas. It'd be fun to have a blogfest of our worst line or scene from our stinker manuscripts. Enjoyed your story.
ReplyDeleteI'm still chuckling at the "horrible Japanese anime!" Interesting how many of us have included D&D in our influences.
ReplyDeleteThose make for the best stories, though. Lol
ReplyDeleteI have writings that will never see the light of day, too.
Pantsing always sounds like a double entendre. Really I think you should let those old stories see the light of day. Everyone has terrible stories they've written so what's to be ashamed of?
ReplyDeleteI have tons of dumb stories that will never leave my scrapbooks. I still love them though. They're what helped me get to where I am today.
ReplyDeleteI can see you writing a 500,00 page novel!
ReplyDeleteAnd I've got about four unfinished novels that should be chained inside the desk drawer for all eternity.
I see you in an almost empty room surrounded by stacks of paper that grow ever higher as you pound away on a typewriter, never quite reaching the end.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds a bit like me.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, down with pantsing!
Thanks for sharing the story. The thing about those 'five novels/novellas that should never ever see the light of day' is they each have helped you become a better writer. I posted excerpts of a story I wrote in sixth grade, which reminds me of your 'random monsters and meaningless swordplay' (i.e, it's a mishmash of stuff - it was a pseudo-horror story).
ReplyDeleteHere's the big question: Why did you take that creative writing class in the first place?
We all have to get through stuff like that before we can start telling coherent stories. I'm glad you quickly recognized the weaknesses. I read somewhere, it may have been an interview that Cindy conducted, where the interviewee said they knew their work wasn't very good, but they needed to practice so they were writing novels and self pubbing them. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should have an evil twin. And sword fights are never meaningless. =)
ReplyDeleteGreat story. I'm glad you shared it.
Ha ha, you must be a Gemini---evil twin. It is really great to hear that I am not the only one writing from the seat of my pants :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you on writing garbage. I think sometimes you have to grow through the garbage before you write something worthwhile. I do anyway! Great stuff Michael. :)
ReplyDeleteThere should be an evil twin in every story. Mwahahaha.
ReplyDeleteI can relate. I have four novels in my drawer. Two need to be burned but the last two aren't so bad. One is actually good, even though agents disagree.
ReplyDeleteMy writing habit began in second grade when we were not allowed to interupt elders, but some how they allowed themselves to get angry at us, even as we were speaking. To this day, when some one does not listen I write to bring my point across.
ReplyDeletePS
ReplyDeleteI do not interupt my kids or grandkids.
I would not interupt Indy (our dog) untill it stops barking either.
That's great you kept writing. The excerpt you posted here is stellar.
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny that most writer's write crap when they start. I haven't read am entry where someone wrote a best seller out of the gate.
ReplyDeleteYou ain't seen garbage until you've seen MY early literary attempts. Godawful stuff, and there's lots of it since I got an early start by writing my first stories in grade school.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! It's always fun to hear people's early writing stories. I think all writers have a collection of trunked things somewhere. I know I do.
ReplyDeleteI guess it isn't so weird that so many of us start us writing before we know what the heck we're doing. I know pantsing isn't for me either.
ReplyDeleteWell...
ReplyDeleteThere is a very definite D&D influence it in House, but it was very deliberate and meant to show just another slice of the 80s.
I threw away a few of my own stories that I just pantsed myself. Just went on and on an on.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was an exercise in humility AND futility, it was still a labor of love and something that taught me a lot about writing a novel.
It ain't that easy!
That's so awesome. Somewhere buried in a closet at my parents' house is my own D&D inspired novella written in my high school creative writing class.
ReplyDeleteEven before that, though, I remember disliking the fact that my favorite movies and comic books ended. So I wrote up stories to make up for that.
what a good post!
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com
I've "seen" you around Leigh Covington and Cassie Mae's blogs, and finally made it over, via the Campaign! I love your Origin story. I've been reading everyone's posts, even though I'm not participating, and it's been very interesting to hear how other people got started writing "for real".
ReplyDeleteI wrote hundreds of short stories as a teenager but plotted none of them. I did map out my two unfinished novels though.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an RPG :)
ReplyDeleteI started writing on a typewriter, too.
I found you on the science fiction group on campaign builder. Its nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteI too have had some stories that seemed without end. I'm getting better at it however.
Your quote at top from Slipstream is gripping.
Holy crap... I'm seriously laughing here... Looove the evil twin bit... Hahaha... I would pay good money to get my hands on your old manuscripts... I bet they're awesome. :D
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read how you started writing. I would bet everyone's first efforts aren't very good.
ReplyDeleteI used to have the opposite problem. It took me a long time before I could write anything novel length. In high school, I used to write fan fiction. It was easier than inventing characters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
I love D&D. :) It's great that you worked on a novella in high school. I did some small things back then, but nothing that long.
ReplyDeleteGreat story! D&D has inspired me a lot too. I've seen it mentioned quite a few times in this blogfest. Makes me want to play again, if only I had the time!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool... do you pull out your five stories and read them occasionally?
ReplyDeleteI only made it through 100 blogs yesterday, so I missed yours, but I'm glad I caught it now. I had a 500k book myself once. Good times.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter how many projects we've thrown underneath the bed, what matters is the one that will someday accomplish what we've set out to do! Great ORIGIN story! :)
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love those creative writing classes?Great to meet you through this blogfest!
ReplyDeleteyour newest follower,
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
All that pantsing was practice. I'm glad you realized what works for you and kept writing.
ReplyDelete...but you obviously went on to do way more than stuff that "should never ever see the light of day" didn't you?
ReplyDeleteYeah; but I bet you learned a lot about the discipline of writing in all that. You have something to look back on - and perhaps you could develope some of those "scenes" into short stories, or novels.
ReplyDeleteAction is hard for a lot of people to write. Now that you have the action down, and the setting, it should be easier to add the plots :)
........dhole
Typewriter! Sounds good to me :-)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind many pages of taverns...
Nice! thank for sharing your story, you inspired me!!
ReplyDelete