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[svetlania]

The wind from my window reminds me of England, and a lovely evening walk by a small pond. My friend's really nice car was parked just out of sight and suddenly we heard tires screech on the pavement, as someone obviously booked out of the parking lot in a hurry. My friend and I looked at each other, eyebrows identically raised. "You have it

Comments

[bobbarker]

I think it was the Russian novelist, Anton Chekhov, that said that if you see a gun above the fireplace in the first act of the play, by the second act, someone will be shot by it. I both write and play chess...(unfortunately chess is played with computers for lack of someone to play with)... Chess is about seeing things to all their possible ends. The person who sees farther usually wins. Writing a story is much the same (abet here you get into the heads of the independent minded pieces)...

I really recommend the books published by Christopher Tolkien about his father when he wrote The Lord of the Rings. The story grew and grew until it got away from him..... The world of Tolkien is so detailed and complete, but his follow up was never envisioned from the start... he took the journey much like his characters and sometimes he went to dead ends... there he backed up to a place he liked and started again.... heh... amazing. :)

[svetlania]

see a gun above the fireplace in the first act of the play, by the second act, someone will be shot by it.

I've heard the expression and I'm pretty sure it's Chekhov, too. But I think it goes more along the lines that the gun has to be used, rather than someone necessarily be killed by it :D At least, in its Russian wording.
I like that expression, but I find it a little too straight-forward. I personally would prefer to hide the gun, so that it's there, but the reader doesn't register it as a 'OMG, that gun is _so_ going to get used in the next scene'. ...Though there is something to be said for not distracting the reader TOO much, lest they walk away from the book shaking their heads: "What the hey just happened?" LOL

Tolkien--wow, yeah, that is pretty amazing! The man really worked on that thing, heh. Have you read A Song of Ice and Fire by R.R. Martin? His thing is pretty epic, too, and he's been working like the damned on it...

[venis959]

Writing for me is more like a puzzle - a maze where I'm sort of creating the path as I go. I have specific destinations that I want to reach; it's all just a matter of how to get there. In that way, it's kinda like chess. Except I'm playing against... myself? The personification of bad plot ideas? Harvey?

And, yeah, I've done the Tolkien thing, too - backing up and trying again. Often. Writing, by far, is the hardest part of my creative process.
-Dan!

[svetlania]

I play against the reader d^.^b It's fun because they can't fight back LOL

I agree, writing is so very very hard... My stories changed soooo much from their initial ideas. Yikes!

[aimeekitty]

dude, are you really from Russia originally?

[svetlania]

*nod* We left one month before I turned 16, so I was born and raised there. :) I read and speak it fluently still, though some of the stuff is starting to go ;o; I need to read more Russian books.

[aimeekitty]

that's pretty awesome!

[road_rage_bunny]

i don't write but i spell horrably badly. However i do love chess and often compair it to general life. work or play it's all about how many moves a head of the next person you can think.

That being said, i'm really not very good at the game.

[svetlania]

That's very very true, I agree! :D

I'm not very good at playing chess, either, but I really enjoy the game all the same. Hee.

[bigkittywolf]

A question--who on my list writes AND plays chess? Do you ever feel that the two are somewhat alike?

i do, rarely, but i do. since you mention it, i think they are. i didn't realize it till you mention it. but i have used the same kinda thoughts when i do write something. interesting food for thought.

[svetlania]

I'm not the only one, yay! :D