I talk about muses. And I've been pissed off like whoa that LKH mentions them and puts that way of writing in such a state of ill repute.
I love the idea of so completely imagining a character that they live and breathe in my mind and I can clearly imagine their pov on any given subject or situation.
I also love the to come to the end of writing something and realize that some of what I've written supports the underlying thread or hints of background someplace else and thus makes the whole story deeper. I like thinking of that as a facet of having a muse and having my subconscious ruminating on the character while I write and thus helping me add subtext.
But none of that means I've never thought that there is something inherently special and masterful and needing of skill in being a pen that tells/shapes/molds the stories of these imagined beings.
I think if LKH really felt her characters as muses, she wouldn't be able to do half the things she has actually done to them. They'd be far too loudly saying 'But that's not who I am, that's not what my history says I'd do'.
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Date: 2007-05-06 08:00 am (UTC)I love the idea of so completely imagining a character that they live and breathe in my mind and I can clearly imagine their pov on any given subject or situation.
I also love the to come to the end of writing something and realize that some of what I've written supports the underlying thread or hints of background someplace else and thus makes the whole story deeper. I like thinking of that as a facet of having a muse and having my subconscious ruminating on the character while I write and thus helping me add subtext.
But none of that means I've never thought that there is something inherently special and masterful and needing of skill in being a pen that tells/shapes/molds the stories of these imagined beings.
I think if LKH really felt her characters as muses, she wouldn't be able to do half the things she has actually done to them. They'd be far too loudly saying 'But that's not who I am, that's not what my history says I'd do'.