7.20.2002

Bored? This is me, blathering about work. You can skip it.

This last week at work has been one long episode of deja vu from high school. They call it a training class, but really it's just a roomful of smartasses staring at a markerboard in the front of the room. The question/answer sessions were more intelligent than I expected, and usually resulted in the honest answer of "I don't know. I'll have to take this back with me."

The first two days were informative; the last three were practical. By Friday, I was down to writing a first draft of a short story. It's a Weird Tales story. We'll see.

"Things You Don't Want But You Have to Take."

Writerly trick recently learned and there applied: details. The details you use in a story aren't just there to add realism. If all your details do is add realism, you don't need them. Details serve multiple duties: they either reinforce or contrast characters and plot; they foreshadow; they focus conflict; and yes, they provide realism. They should be as essential to the plot as the plot itself. They shouldn't go on and on and on....