Thursday, July 26, 2007

Ghost Story

I'm about 3/4 of the way done with a first draft of The Fun Ghost Story, a.k.a. as the Newly Disturbing Ghost Story. I set out to write a fun, charming, light ghost story with a ten-year-old protagonist and it's become a darker, creepier story with twelve-year-old protagonist. Funny how that works out, huh? Usually it's best to get out of a story's way. I'm hoping to finish the first draft today. Next up: title.

I bought three new CD's for my most recent rejections: Guns-N-Roses Greatest Hits, Velvet Revolver Contraband, and Plain White T's All That We Needed. I'm listening to GNR now; there's just something about that music that brings out the angry teen in me. It's definite "turn up" music, you know, you hear it and you just have to crank it loud and sing at the top of your lungs.

Saying that makes me think of one of my friends in high school. He defined his music in two catagories: "turn up" music or "leave the fuckin' knob alone" music. He would get on me because he felt I was too liberal with the "turn up" distinction. I'd turn up Billy Joel, REO Speedwagon, Nirvana, and the Police; he'd say leave the fuckin' knob alone. He turned up Pearl Jam. I think he'd approve of cranking GNR. I wonder what he's doing now.

I cleaned out my filing cabinet last night and found another rejection from ... I dunno ... 2005? I actually got a little nostalgic.

3 comments:

kate.innuendo said...

Nirvana deserves turning up.

I referred to one of those bands you bought as "White Cotton Undershirts"....because I couldn't remember what their name was one day.

Kelly Swails said...

Ha, funny. :) I'm listening to the disc now; it's nice in an "Ok Go" kind of way.

Patrick M. Tracy said...

Kelly,

Good job on your ghost story. I think you're right. If you try to impose your will on a story that's getting ideas of its own, it usually doesn't turn out well. The story generally says something like, "Fine, then. I'll just suck. How do you like that?" Stories are really passive-aggressive that way.

For me, the "turn up/leave it alone" scale is always changing. I do have a lot of horrifyingly evil stuff on hand in case I have any aggressive tendencies, however. I can afford to waffle on the mainstream stuff. Still, I think that most disks have some definite place on the scale that spans from, "I'm already sleeping" to "This makes Slayer sound like your mom."

Anyway, hope you're well. Enjoy the GnR. Nothing like the stuff from "Appetite for Destruction" to being out the teenage hooligan in you.