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The bit that you skip #316: Clannad – Theme from Harry’s Game
Today’s post is one of the few examples of a page one rewrite not working at all. The story outline I mentioned yesterday was re-visited a few times, and I got as far as writing a couple of pages. Then trashed them, and repeat ad infinitum. Once the out-there mystical storyline went off the rails…
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The bit that you skip #315: Enya – Exile
File it under “you couldn’t leave it well alone, could ya?” As mentioned yesterday, I had this character, a sort of Nega Stu version of myself, and by the end of the last novel in a semi connected trilogy (phew!), he had a “nice” ending. As soon as I entered the workforce, I found myself…
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The bit that you skip #314: Offspring – All I want.
(okay…yeah yeah yeah yeah!) Sometimes the hardest thing I encounter when writing is giving a satisfactory ending to a character. I believe this is a common occurrence. I can’t remember all the times I’m fully invested on a novel, and looking at the page number I start stressing out. “How is this ending in just…
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The bit that you skip #313: Passengers – Slug
After Zooropa, U2 had no direction, no purpose, no ideas left. The band had no brush to paint a new picture, and just a blank canvas. Brian Eno, having worked recently with U2, proposed they should loosen up. Eno had done the same for James in 1994. While recording for Laid, James used to jam…
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The bit that you skip #312: Shipping News – Axons and Dendrites
I’m torn between choosing which version of this song I love the most. The original one, recorded for Flies the Fields, has a clarity that makes its ambiance both meditative and pessimistic. The live version from One less heartless to fear has that same eerie disposition, with the added power of being displayed for a…
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The bit that you skip #311: M83 – Where The Boats Go
I was at a very low point in my life in 2007. I was in a relationship, but it was long distance and it was starting to affect us both. I was supposed to move to Sheffield in September, but the University of Sheffield was using a Mexican company to handle all entries and paperwork…
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The bit that you skip #310: Rage Against The Machine – Bulls on Parade
When Rage Against the Machine hit MTV, I didn’t like them much. Freedom is a good song, but somehow it just didn’t click with me. I eventually checked out the album at a listening station at the local record store, and it just wasn’t what I wanted or needed. A couple of years later, Bulls…
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The bit that you skip #309: Matchbox 20 – Rest Stop
As I mentioned before, Matchbox 20’s 3 AM was an inspiration for a whole novella that I ended up abandoning. The reasons are not complex, and although I’ve tried time and time again to salvage it, I can’t find a way. It happens to some ideas, and I’ve been guilty of being an “idea guy”…
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The bit that you skip #308: Lit – Zip-lock
I’ve got a visual obsession with music. I sometimes hear a song and imagine it could be perfect as the “credits song” of a movie or tv show. Or maybe for a trailer. I had a list somewhere in my house and maybe one day I’ll write about that. I certainly don’t plan to work…
