The Madness in the Method
My writing method. My weekly roundup.
Dear Look on the Write Side-ers,
Welcome back for round two of the newsletter! Thank you for joining me last Tuesday for my inaugural newsletter, and then again on Saturday for my essay on why I write.
If you’re enjoying Look on the Write Side and know someone else who might enjoy it too, please feel free to share.
This week we’ve got a short essay on my writing method and my weekly roundup.
The Madness in the Method: How I Write
If you asked most people who know me, they would likely tell you that I am an organised and methodical individual. I like order. I like creating systems where everything has its place and process. It makes me feel the warm fuzzies when I see a system working seamlessly and it brings me a sense of peace when I see everything exactly where it’s supposed to be. But when it comes to writing, I’m like an entirely different person.
There is no method to my madness, only madness in my method.
I rarely plan a story. I find if I do, then my writing just isn’t up to par. The characters are bland, and the story feels prescribed. Instead, I like to discover the plot and characters as if it were happening in real-time and I were a voyeur watching it unfold. Of course, this brings with it a whole new set of problems. Sometimes, the next part of the story I’m working on refuses to reveal itself. Stories can be stubborn things. Not unlike their creators.
I’m also very likely to be working on half a dozen stories at once. It’s rare that I will only have one piece of writing on the go. While this works for me, it does mean that I go extended periods without having a finished piece of writing and then suddenly I have a stack of stories sitting on my desk waiting to be introduced to the world.
I like to work on multiple stories at once because it allows me to continue writing even when a story has decided to play a game of hide-and-seek with me. It’s even better when the stories I’m working on are all different genres because it helps my writing remain fluid.
Not all the stories I begin writing are ever finished. Most of them sit on my computer only partially formed. I leave them there, incubating until one day they are ready to join the world. I recently went through a hard drive with a bunch of old stories on it. There’s one that I keep coming back to. It might be time to gently knock on the door and see if it’s ready for round two.
As I mentioned in my essay last Saturday, the way in which I approach my writing has changed. I focus on value and no longer pay heed to the number of bylines I have. I’ve written many stories recently, but most of them I’ve had no desire to send off to a publisher. I am simply enjoying the process of creating. If I come across a publication which I think might be a good fit for one of my stories, then I send it off. I no longer write with a specific publication or theme in mind. My work has improved since doing so. I’ve found that the possibility of publication stifles my creativity because I am trying to force a story into the publication, rather than allow my story to just be.
If you look at my computer right now, you would see that there are seven stories open in various stages of the writing process. Some are almost ready to be shared. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks. A few of these stories will be available exclusively on my Substack.
Weekly Roundup
What I’ve been reading:
Review: The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen
The past haunts the present. Old secrets are uncovered. All is not as it seems.
The Daughters of Block Island is a hyperpostmodernist meta gothic story. It follows the lives of Blake Bronson and her sister, Thalia Mills. Thalia receives a mysterious letter from Blake introducing her as her sister. The letter was posted the day after Blake dies. Thalia travels to Block Island in pursuit of the truth of Blake’s death, to find out why her mother hid Blake’s existence from her and unravel the mysteries of Block Island and White Hall.
This is the first time I’ve read Christa Carmen’s work, and I enjoyed this novel immensely. It is fast-paced, and I found myself unable to put it down. The novel is self-aware, as are the characters. It is meta-gothic, meaning the novel knows it is a gothic novel, and the characters know they are in a gothic novel. No spoilers, but I loved the ending even though I wasn’t surprised by it. But I think that’s the point. The reader is supposed to know the rules of a gothic novel and anticipate what is coming.
I will be reading more of Carmen’s work in the future and have already added a couple of her novels to my wish list.
What I’ve been watching:
I watched Ted Danson’s new show on Netflix - A Man on the Inside - and while I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it. I thought I would, but there was just something missing for me.
It was evident the creators of The Good Place were involved. Perhaps that’s why I was expecting more out of it. The show tried to give depth to the reality of a residential aged care facility, but I didn’t think it went deep enough. There was a subplot about Ted Danson’s character and his daughter acknowledging they don’t have a meaningful relationship and wanting to rectify it. There was discussion on loneliness and loss. We see characters dealing with significant medical issues and there is even discussion on dementia and how those living with dementia are ‘othered’.
But everything felt a bit superficial. I wanted more. I think the show’s biggest problem was that it tried to tackle too many big issues in only eight thirty-minute episodes. This is something that I’m noticing more and more of with the rise of streaming platforms. Sure, more complex issues are being discussed, but the format doesn’t allow enough time to show the nuances of the issue in any deep and meaningful way.
The best bit about this show - the cast.
Odds and sods:
The Australian Federal Budget is being announced today.
The Big Question Is…
How is the budget going to respond to the US tariffs? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Problem…
There is more than just the overspending problem with NDIS, it simply has not worked in the way it was supposed to ever since its inception. It is overly complex and severely inconsistent. Curbing the spending isn’t going to address the core issues.
Surprised By…
With the constant squabbling that has been happening in Australian politics for the best part of the last decade, I have been surprised by recent agreements on the budget. Extra funding for Medicare to incentivise bulk billing, reducing the cost of PBS listed prescriptions, and the $150 energy bill relief extension - all good things. Seeing both sides of Australian politics working together a bit more in recent weeks makes me slightly hopeful about the future. Like many Australians, I’m tired of seeing the constant arguing and disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing. It’s time to see some collaboration and meaningful change. Let’s see how long it lasts.
Look Out For…
Off-budget items.
Any thoughts and feelings on this list? Anything you’ve read, watched, listened to, or anything else you’d like to share? Let’s chat in the comments.
I hope you have a magical week.
Lauren Elizabeth
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The madness in the method was an interesting view on creativity versus formula writing.