Comments on: Leave It All On The Page http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/ Where Words and Imagination Meet Sun, 13 May 2012 01:21:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Carole http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1773 Carole Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:15:31 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1773 Putting that extra piece of yourself in there is the hardest thing for me. I admire Linda for being able to share so much of her soul. This post really strikes a chord. Congrats on earning that orange belt. Putting that extra piece of yourself in there is the hardest thing for me. I admire Linda for being able to share so much of her soul. This post really strikes a chord.

Congrats on earning that orange belt.

]]> By: Thomas Sullivan http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1769 Thomas Sullivan Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:29:04 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1769 Hair today, gone tomorrow. You keep the dead vegetable; I'll just stand around looking like a radar installation. Grass don't grow on a busy street, you know. Hate the stuff, and I do shave my head every day. Else I'd look like a Chia pet on Rogaine. Snicker. Yeah, I threw the Hemingway thing in there knowing it was semantics. That's exactly what he meant. Not to hold back invention but to deliberately leave a splice for tomorrow. OK. I am going to take your advice and pull my finger out of the dam (damn what?). But if Dutch Boy paint comes out, I hope it's bordello red and not some wimpy pastel. -- Sully Hair today, gone tomorrow. You keep the dead vegetable; I’ll just stand around looking like a radar installation. Grass don’t grow on a busy street, you know. Hate the stuff, and I do shave my head every day. Else I’d look like a Chia pet on Rogaine. Snicker.

Yeah, I threw the Hemingway thing in there knowing it was semantics. That’s exactly what he meant. Not to hold back invention but to deliberately leave a splice for tomorrow. OK. I am going to take your advice and pull my finger out of the dam (damn what?). But if Dutch Boy paint comes out, I hope it’s bordello red and not some wimpy pastel.

– Sully

]]> By: Brian Hodge http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1767 Brian Hodge Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:58:56 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1767 Dammit. I will never understand why this comment interface decides to selectively cut stuff out and splice it together. It's something to do with the arrows, but it's never predictable. Try again: @ Sully: "You and I are the same person existing in two places at once." I'm cool with that. We've already shared bicep ruptures! But I still get to keep the hair, right? That's a dealbreaker. The Hemingway thing: My recollection of his advice there was to break away in the middle of a sentence, even a word, so it would still be warm when you went back to it. "Sometimes I believe the problem is that too much floods out of me at once and that can be overwhelming to your audience." If it's there behind the dam, sure, I'd rather let it out than stand there like the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike. One can always condense it in revision. A distillate of the purest nectar... Sorry. Lapsed into 19th century mode for a second. Dammit. I will never understand why this comment interface decides to selectively cut stuff out and splice it together. It’s something to do with the arrows, but it’s never predictable.

Try again:

@ Sully:

“You and I are the same person existing in two places at once.”

I’m cool with that. We’ve already shared bicep ruptures! But I still get to keep the hair, right? That’s a dealbreaker.

The Hemingway thing: My recollection of his advice there was to break away in the middle of a sentence, even a word, so it would still be warm when you went back to it.

“Sometimes I believe the problem is that too much floods out of me at once and that can be overwhelming to your audience.”

If it’s there behind the dam, sure, I’d rather let it out than stand there like the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike. One can always condense it in revision. A distillate of the purest nectar…

Sorry. Lapsed into 19th century mode for a second.

]]> By: Brian Hodge http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1766 Brian Hodge Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:53:14 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1766 Thanks for the feedback. And the tweets! I've never had double-digit tweets before. From now on, I'm just running this same piece over and over again, every month. Different dog each time, though. @ Linda: Sounds like a draining project, and I wish you all the stamina and fearlessness you need with it. Finish it, though, and I bet you won't BELIEVE how cleansed you feel, and catharsis like that is often contagious. @ Matt: Synchronicity seems to be rearing its head more frequently again these days. Glad I could spare you the work! @ Dave: "Write what hurts" ... yeah, I'm certain I've seen that from you before. Wait, didn't you have it done in calligraphy on the front wall of the Quill & Masochism Society? @ Sully: >You and I are the same person existing in two places at once.<I>Sometimes I believe the problem is that too much floods out of me at once and that can be overwhelming to your audience.< If it's there behind the dam, sure, I'd rather let it out than stand there like the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike. One can always condense it in revision. A distillate of the purest nectar... Sorry. Lapsed into 19th century mode for a second. Thanks for the feedback. And the tweets! I’ve never had double-digit tweets before. From now on, I’m just running this same piece over and over again, every month. Different dog each time, though.

@ Linda: Sounds like a draining project, and I wish you all the stamina and fearlessness you need with it. Finish it, though, and I bet you won’t BELIEVE how cleansed you feel, and catharsis like that is often contagious.

@ Matt: Synchronicity seems to be rearing its head more frequently again these days. Glad I could spare you the work!

@ Dave: “Write what hurts” … yeah, I’m certain I’ve seen that from you before. Wait, didn’t you have it done in calligraphy on the front wall of the Quill & Masochism Society?

@ Sully:

>You and I are the same person existing in two places at once.Sometimes I believe the problem is that too much floods out of me at once and that can be overwhelming to your audience.<

If it's there behind the dam, sure, I'd rather let it out than stand there like the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike. One can always condense it in revision. A distillate of the purest nectar…

Sorry. Lapsed into 19th century mode for a second.

]]> By: Thomas Sullivan http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1765 Thomas Sullivan Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:04:01 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1765 Pshaw. Quantum theory is right. You and I are the same person existing in two places at once. At least that comes through in caveat #1: "The temptation to hold back ideas." Have been fighting that all my life. And thus was born my backlog of "Anecdotals" -- a loose collection of hundreds of pages of ideas and frags. I think I took Hemingway's "Leave something in the well" too literally. Sometimes I believe the problem is that too much floods out of me at once and that can be overwhelming to your audience. Overkill is deadly to the overkiller. Passion has never been a problem for me when I'm inpsired. But that's also why I DON'T have a problem with #2. Holding back myself is not an issue...once the fire is lit. Passion is like a chain reaction in me. Hmmm. Maybe we're only half-brothers. -- Sully Pshaw. Quantum theory is right. You and I are the same person existing in two places at once. At least that comes through in caveat #1: “The temptation to hold back ideas.” Have been fighting that all my life. And thus was born my backlog of “Anecdotals” — a loose collection of hundreds of pages of ideas and frags. I think I took Hemingway’s “Leave something in the well” too literally. Sometimes I believe the problem is that too much floods out of me at once and that can be overwhelming to your audience. Overkill is deadly to the overkiller. Passion has never been a problem for me when I’m inpsired. But that’s also why I DON’T have a problem with #2. Holding back myself is not an issue…once the fire is lit. Passion is like a chain reaction in me. Hmmm. Maybe we’re only half-brothers.

– Sully

]]> By: David Niall Wilson http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1762 David Niall Wilson Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:41:24 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1762 "For myself — and from myself — I don’t want the novel, the story, that anyone could have written, given access to the same notes. I want the version only one of us could’ve written. The version pulsing with a feeling that, to the author, every day and every paragraph mattered as much as breathing." Like I have always said... "Write what hurts." This is a wonderful, wonderful essay....thank you. DNW “For myself — and from myself — I don’t want the novel, the story, that anyone could have written, given access to the same notes. I want the version only one of us could’ve written. The version pulsing with a feeling that, to the author, every day and every paragraph mattered as much as breathing.”

Like I have always said… “Write what hurts.” This is a wonderful, wonderful essay….thank you.

DNW

]]> By: Matt Cardin http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1759 Matt Cardin Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:26:44 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1759 The timing of my finding this essay is highly synchronicitous, Brian, since I've been walking around for the past two weeks with *exactly* your thesis about the necessity of "giving it all" in one's writing vibrating in my mind and soul. Seriously, it's been like a silent bass note that has colored my days. And you've articulated somewhere between 99 and 100 percent of the nuances of it. I had been planning to sit down with myself at some point and try to articulate the whole thing, but you've done the work for me. Thanks! Congratulations on your orange belt success, by the way. The timing of my finding this essay is highly synchronicitous, Brian, since I’ve been walking around for the past two weeks with *exactly* your thesis about the necessity of “giving it all” in one’s writing vibrating in my mind and soul. Seriously, it’s been like a silent bass note that has colored my days. And you’ve articulated somewhere between 99 and 100 percent of the nuances of it.

I had been planning to sit down with myself at some point and try to articulate the whole thing, but you’ve done the work for me. Thanks!

Congratulations on your orange belt success, by the way.

]]> By: Linda Lee Foltz http://storytellersunplugged.com/blog/2010/03/09/leave-it-all-on-the-page/comment-page-1/#comment-1757 Linda Lee Foltz Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:07:05 +0000 http://10.2494#comment-1757 Great post. I could really relate. My sophomore book explores my turbulent second marriage where my husband of eight years chose his best friend, a criminal hooked on child pornography over me, a survivor of sexual abuse. Shortly after he left I found myself alone, surrounded by drug addiction, cancer, and death. My Memoir is a story of understanding and acceptance, love and forgiveness, and most of all, survival. Sometimes after writing just a few short paragraphs of this thorny book I find myself totally depleted. I have often wondered if I just wasn't capable of writing this thing, but after reading your post, I now believe that perhaps it's just such a difficult and deep topic that I must reach much further inside me than I at first wanted to acknowledge. The editor I'm working with says it is compelling, and sometimes so cold it leaves her needing (if you will) emotional vitamins, other times she says it's warm and compassionate. I hope that's good? I suppose in many ways I, must be leaving it all on the page (or computer screen). At least I hope I am. Thanks for a great post. lindaleefoltz.com Great post. I could really relate. My sophomore book explores my turbulent second marriage where my husband of eight years chose his best friend, a criminal hooked on child pornography over me, a survivor of sexual abuse. Shortly after he left I found myself alone, surrounded by drug addiction, cancer, and death. My Memoir is a story of understanding and acceptance, love and forgiveness, and most of all, survival.

Sometimes after writing just a few short paragraphs of this thorny book I find myself totally depleted. I have often wondered if I just wasn’t capable of writing this thing, but after reading your post, I now believe that perhaps it’s just such a difficult and deep topic that I must reach much further inside me than I at first wanted to acknowledge. The editor I’m working with says it is compelling, and sometimes so cold it leaves her needing (if you will) emotional vitamins, other times she says it’s warm and compassionate. I hope that’s good? I suppose in many ways I, must be leaving it all on the page (or computer screen). At least I hope I am. Thanks for a great post. lindaleefoltz.com

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