i’ve read a very interesting essay. i’m not yet entirely certain what i’ve learned. my brain is sizzling. i’ve intuitively known some things about writing and this essay kinda reinforces them. i’ve known about repetition. and some of the acoustical forms. then there’s learning about other various forms of consecution–structural, thematic, and acoustical. structural consecution is something that is referred to often but in simpler terms such as “unpack the sentence” and “each sentence leads logically to the next”. difficult to understand. this essay, however, uses examples that clearly show what each form means and i’m grateful.
i’m not certain if this is something to keep in mind while writing first drafts, even third drafts. i would think that trying to consider all these forms while barfing out the story would totally screw with me, although repetition and some of the acoustical stuff comes naturally. it’s something to look for in the editing process–when you analyze the story and figure out what it’s about. next time i’m looking for meaning in my 5th draft of a story, i’ll use some form of consecution analysis.
the structural forms are kinda difficult because you have to figure out what you’re stating as desire. this is often a problem for me. for instance, i recently had to insert what Phil wants when he goes out into a weird night in Bali. so, i said he was going out in search of dinner. he does eat cake at the end of the story and realizes something important about his ex-wife. but it’s nebulous, you know? especially for me.
do you have any fucking idea what you’re doing?
here’s the link for the essay: http://numerocinqmagazine.com/2013/02/04/the-consecution-of-gordon-lish-an-essay-on-form-and-influence-jason-lucarelli/