Podcast Notes:
The I Ching is a collection of poems that you consult with sticks. There are numbers on the sticks that correspond to poems. You throw a stick, and then read the poem.
Philip K. Dick actually consulted the I Ching when he was writing “Man in High Castle” to determine plot twists and developments.
So…they;re using the I Ching to come up with questions about writing, and then answering them. Not sure how many notes I can take on this one 😛
Brandon thinks both writing for yourself AND writing for an audience are valid. Do what feels right to you.
Audiences like a combination of the familiar, and the strange. Don’t have *too* much of either one.
Brandon thinks most stories are genre mashups, in fact. Howard thinks that those GENRES now are the intersections of other genres where there was a sweet spot of combination.
Be careful about naming your characters and how that can telegraph their future. Ie- Mount Doom. Or Darth Vader (“dark father” in German)
Wesley uses Twitter to come up with his character names, Mary uses her spam email folder
“The Man in High Castle” by Philip K. Dick is book of the week. His first(?) novel?
“Kill your darlings” is commonly very, very misunderstood. Don’t go through your manuscript and take out the things you love. EVER. It’s about identifying something in your story that doesn’t fit, and it isn’t necessary, but you LOVE it…take it out, and save it for some other story.
Professional jealousy is a REAL thing. Everybody deals with it. It will happen to you. At ANY level.
It really is important to celebrate the success of your peers – not only is it a happier place to live in, but you will remain friends with these people who can help you. And they will. And you must help others in return.
And at the end of the day…being a writer because you love writing will trump monetary success or professional jealousy
Writing Exercise:
From the I Ching: Competing fiercely to become Spring’s queen, the garden flowers blossomed to their full beauty. Who will win the golden crown of glory? Among them all, only the peony stands out.