symbolic 18: k.i.s.s.
I just finished Breakout, Richard Stark's new Parker novel, last night. I sat up for awhile afterward thinking about simplicity. Stark's Parker books aren't weighty tomes by any means and therein lies a great deal of their charm. This latest probably doesn't add up to more than 60,000 words, nor does it need to. Parker's entire existence has been spent giving people only the information they need and Stark's writing style reflects this sparseness. Story is the motivating factor of the work and the lush turn of phrase isn't part of the necessary framework. Stark breaks the book down into four sections and puts Parker in a situation in each section where he has to break out of something. He links these four events together and bang! he's got a book. It's deceptively simple and works because Stark doesn't try to be too clever.
Back in the days when I was younger and Richard Marcinko's Seal Team books weren't such an exercise in ego onanism, I used to enjoy his over-the-top exploits. The books were always exercises in how shit can go wrong and, throughout them, Marcinko urged his teams to adhere to the basic rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Over planning leads to paralysis and all that.
Breakout is simple. Take characters A, B, and C. Put them in Situation X. Add complication Delta. Stir. See what shakes out. Survivors are added to Situation Y along with complication Beta and character D. Stir. Shake.
I don't over plan; I think that much is woefully obvious. But I'm pretty sure I over extend myself. I take on more elements than I need. Events become too dramatic, involving too many characters and too much history, and they end up spanning huge chunks of physical space. I should write a book that takes place entirely in an elevator car. Nicholson Baker's Vox is an extended phone conversation and one of its amazing accomplishments is that it manages to pull that conceit off.
As a deity, I'm over-taxed. I'm Atlas, trying to lift the world myself, when all I really need is a fulcrum and a lever. Or, in this case, a knife.
The connection to Area 51 and UFOs? Gone. The plane in the lake? Gone. The sonic weapon? Gone. The events of the prologue? Gone. The complicated personal history of Jacob's that I put in place to distance him from his family? Gone.
This feels really good to do, by the way.
This is a story about family history and about secrets. It's doesn't need to involve the world. Play it close to the chest, one hand at a time. Characters A, B, and C: Jacob, Liz, Travis. Situation X: Serena's death. Complication Delta: Jacob's father. Stir. Let's see what shakes out.
writing
This is a reasonably comprehensive list of my published work, both virtual and physical.
THE MISFIT LIBRARY
I am Nine of Thirteen, one of the members of the Misfit Library, a writing collective which puts out a quarterly journal of our respective work. We are scattered across the globe and determined to change the face of the planet one story at a time. The link above will take you to Misfit Central where you can acquire copies of the journal as well as read exclusive online material.
SYMBOLIC
I wrote a column for OPi8.com's Transmit blogs: journals of the new dark underground. SYMBOLIC tracked the novel I was working on, referencing the process and the research materials which mad up the backbone of the work. In addition, SYMBOLIC busied itself with ruminations and considerations on the nature of language and communication. And a wee bit of mythology. The first 100 entries of SYMBOLIC can be found here on this site as well as at OPi8.com.
LITERARY REPRESENTATION
I am represented by Scribe Agency as my literary agents. Please contact these gentleman if you have any queries about my work.