Your drip-writing is always laced with just enough narcotic that I’m left needing more!
I love that you long to write and only write. I can feel the longing and temporary satisfaction in every one of your sentences. May life afford you more and more time for the sweetness of the blank page so we can all be filled by it.
"The street would become a seething mass of the inebriated and the drugged, the organisms of a drowned city. It would teem with those that clung to false hope, that the hurt of each day could be obliterated by submitting to the night." Oooo. Powerful image! I have been on this street...in my nightmares.
"pans ready to receive the flesh of fabricated meat." Eeuuw. Ick! Perfect.
You don't need to tell me what is in that box, Nathan. I have a good imagination and you have set it free. I prefer micro-stories that don't explain everything, that don't give me all the details. It is like the writer trusts me. That being said, if there is more, I am ready.
Thanks, Sharon. Love your thoughts. I too am a fan of being given just a little bit of information and then being left to ponder myself as to what a situation may be.
Quite visceral, the short-short story form, or vignette—whatever its called. You managed to, in so few words, create quite the compelling atmosphere and character!
I like the vignettes! Funny how you confess to us that you don't know what's in the container! A lot of times when I'm drafting, I'm not sure where things are going either, or it arrives as I write or a week later when I go back to it (or year sometimes). I don't know that it's a bad thing. A lot of TV shows are written that way, which always surprises me. They write the episode, often as a group, then see how it goes then decide where it's going.
Happy to be privy to your practice space. Hope your week is less obliterated by work soon.
Thanks Kate (and please note, your latest piece is TOP of my list. I've just wanted to find a quiet moment to get to it and I've been working for most of this afternoon :-\), I'm happy that you're OK with being privy.
I find that fascinating about TV shows. I've always wondered if that was the case with LOST and how it started so strong and intriguing but in some ways (*cough* final season) they didn't nail the finale.
Letting things arrive as you write or later on is one of the magical joys.
Nathan, you are a supreme world builder. You have a way of creating such tactile worlds that never existed before your fingers struck the keyboard. I love the open description of the city transitioning from day to night. Write more, man. Maybe you should aim to get laid off like me. It's amazing what you can do with some free, unstructured time!
Haha, I so respect and love that you were able to take your laid off state and turn it into something so constructive with your writing. I worry that if that happened to me I'd be a crippled mess! (But, it would give me lots of time...)
I love your vignettes. This reminded me of Pulp Fiction, where they open the briefcase but we never know what its glowing contents are. I used to hate not knowing, not being told, in stories, but now I appreciate the invitation to be more fully involved.
Intrigued by the world already. Loved this line: “It would teem with those that clung to false hope, that the hurt of each day could be obliterated by submitting to the night.”
I tried Neuromancer, I really did, but just couldn't find my way into it. I did, however, greatly enjoy Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Just as I enjoyed your vignette today.
You jacked in just long enough for a vibrant morsel dripping with creds! Great vignette, Nathan. The joy of reading Neuromancer for the first time! Happy to hear you liked it.
I devoured all three back then. Looking forward to the show on Apple TV. Looks like Callum Turner will be taking that Case, I mean playing as Case, point in case. ;)
You might not have been able to write as much as you would have liked this week, but even within the first paragraph or so—a hemidemisemi-fragment!—of this piece, I knew exactly where we were (yes, which the subtitle also told me, but I accidentally skipped over that in my eagerness to dive in). I marvel at your ability to evoke a world so quickly with such precision, to make it feel natural and yet also seed it with mystery.
I hope you will have more time to write more soon. Do not worry: your readers will be there!
Vignettes can be fun! They're all about what you don't spell out on the page, which I like a lot. As for Neuromancer, I read it a while ago but found it over the top & pretentious... and then I loved Do Androids Dream etc! Have you read anything by Neil Stevenson? I admire him a lot, Snow Crash is similar to Neuromancer in tone & Anathema is sort of an intellectual SF novel. He comes up with the best ideas!
Stephenson has been high on my TBR pile for a long time but for some reason has never quite made it to the top. Thanks for the rec. I'm keen to read some and I've always heard good things.
The scene is perfectly captured, Nathan - once again you're a walking masterclass in how to the little drips turn into an ocean. Please DO write a post about Neuromancer!
I too have had ten days ‘obliterated’ by obligation when all I long to do is write… I’m exhausted with the work and the longing and fail dismally at producing anything as ponderous and evocative as this!
As always you draw me in and then leave me precariously searching for the rest… loved it!
Your drip-writing is always laced with just enough narcotic that I’m left needing more!
I love that you long to write and only write. I can feel the longing and temporary satisfaction in every one of your sentences. May life afford you more and more time for the sweetness of the blank page so we can all be filled by it.
Thanks, Kimberly. You always say the nicest and most inspiring of things 🤗
It's true. A good dealer only gives you a taste. Bah!
Yep. Drugs. Seconded.
"The street would become a seething mass of the inebriated and the drugged, the organisms of a drowned city. It would teem with those that clung to false hope, that the hurt of each day could be obliterated by submitting to the night." Oooo. Powerful image! I have been on this street...in my nightmares.
"pans ready to receive the flesh of fabricated meat." Eeuuw. Ick! Perfect.
You don't need to tell me what is in that box, Nathan. I have a good imagination and you have set it free. I prefer micro-stories that don't explain everything, that don't give me all the details. It is like the writer trusts me. That being said, if there is more, I am ready.
Thanks, Sharon. Love your thoughts. I too am a fan of being given just a little bit of information and then being left to ponder myself as to what a situation may be.
Quite visceral, the short-short story form, or vignette—whatever its called. You managed to, in so few words, create quite the compelling atmosphere and character!
Thanks, Bethel, appreciate the comment :)
I like the vignettes! Funny how you confess to us that you don't know what's in the container! A lot of times when I'm drafting, I'm not sure where things are going either, or it arrives as I write or a week later when I go back to it (or year sometimes). I don't know that it's a bad thing. A lot of TV shows are written that way, which always surprises me. They write the episode, often as a group, then see how it goes then decide where it's going.
Happy to be privy to your practice space. Hope your week is less obliterated by work soon.
Thanks Kate (and please note, your latest piece is TOP of my list. I've just wanted to find a quiet moment to get to it and I've been working for most of this afternoon :-\), I'm happy that you're OK with being privy.
I find that fascinating about TV shows. I've always wondered if that was the case with LOST and how it started so strong and intriguing but in some ways (*cough* final season) they didn't nail the finale.
Letting things arrive as you write or later on is one of the magical joys.
Nathan, you are a supreme world builder. You have a way of creating such tactile worlds that never existed before your fingers struck the keyboard. I love the open description of the city transitioning from day to night. Write more, man. Maybe you should aim to get laid off like me. It's amazing what you can do with some free, unstructured time!
Ah Ben, you're too kind. Thank you.
Haha, I so respect and love that you were able to take your laid off state and turn it into something so constructive with your writing. I worry that if that happened to me I'd be a crippled mess! (But, it would give me lots of time...)
I love your vignettes. This reminded me of Pulp Fiction, where they open the briefcase but we never know what its glowing contents are. I used to hate not knowing, not being told, in stories, but now I appreciate the invitation to be more fully involved.
Thank you, Chloe. 🤗 I'm glad you're OK with the not being told.
Pulp Fiction, what a classic! I'd forgotten they did that with the briefcase.
Intrigued by the world already. Loved this line: “It would teem with those that clung to false hope, that the hurt of each day could be obliterated by submitting to the night.”
Thanks, Stephanie. There's more "in-universe" within the Precipice link at the bottom of the post should you be tempted.
I tried Neuromancer, I really did, but just couldn't find my way into it. I did, however, greatly enjoy Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Just as I enjoyed your vignette today.
Thank you, Brian, appreciate it :)
I'm hoping to get to that book very soon.
You jacked in just long enough for a vibrant morsel dripping with creds! Great vignette, Nathan. The joy of reading Neuromancer for the first time! Happy to hear you liked it.
Thanks, Alexander. It's been an absolute blast of a joy to read.
I devoured all three back then. Looking forward to the show on Apple TV. Looks like Callum Turner will be taking that Case, I mean playing as Case, point in case. ;)
😆
Yeah, likewise looking forward to it. I'm sure they can nail the aesthetic. It's just whether they can nail the writing.
You might not have been able to write as much as you would have liked this week, but even within the first paragraph or so—a hemidemisemi-fragment!—of this piece, I knew exactly where we were (yes, which the subtitle also told me, but I accidentally skipped over that in my eagerness to dive in). I marvel at your ability to evoke a world so quickly with such precision, to make it feel natural and yet also seed it with mystery.
I hope you will have more time to write more soon. Do not worry: your readers will be there!
Thanks, sir, that's really very kind and much appreciated.
I could feel the street market and smell the pad thai
Thanks David! I could go a Pad Thai for sure!
Well, I’m done and there’s no more Precipice 😢.
I hope to have more soooon!
Blow, young man wit a horn, blow
Thanks, Tommy ;)
Vignettes can be fun! They're all about what you don't spell out on the page, which I like a lot. As for Neuromancer, I read it a while ago but found it over the top & pretentious... and then I loved Do Androids Dream etc! Have you read anything by Neil Stevenson? I admire him a lot, Snow Crash is similar to Neuromancer in tone & Anathema is sort of an intellectual SF novel. He comes up with the best ideas!
Thanks Vanessa!
Stephenson has been high on my TBR pile for a long time but for some reason has never quite made it to the top. Thanks for the rec. I'm keen to read some and I've always heard good things.
I'm also curious to know what you'll read first & how you will like it. Anathema is my favourite by far...
The scene is perfectly captured, Nathan - once again you're a walking masterclass in how to the little drips turn into an ocean. Please DO write a post about Neuromancer!
Thanks so much, Troy. But those words are too much for me haha.
It was a rapid write, but I'm happy how it turned out.
OK, if you insist... I'll consider an actual Neuromancer post ;)
I too have had ten days ‘obliterated’ by obligation when all I long to do is write… I’m exhausted with the work and the longing and fail dismally at producing anything as ponderous and evocative as this!
As always you draw me in and then leave me precariously searching for the rest… loved it!
Thanks Susie!
Obliteration by obligation. Now there's a saying!
Ahh, but you skirt the truth ... your words are always maximally evocative and filled with wondrous pondering! 😊