Pleased To Meet You

“The solution is understanding. If you don’t understand the world, then there is nothing you can change besides yourself.” - Hank Green


This is the third time I've written a first draft for this essay. The first time, my premise wasn't specific enough. The second time, I didn't have a clear premise. This time, I have a premise and it's specific, but it's too specific (either that or I'm too concise) so I'm ready to write a conclusion but need another page and a half.


So I was reading something on Neil Gaiman's website about how he believes books have genders, not necessarily determined by that of the main character. I thought it was very interesting. However, I don't know what the gender of The Clockwork Experiment would be and it's much to early to do anything with Ishaera because it needs so much of the literary equivalent of plastic surgery (plus it's still in the metaphorical womb) that no one will recognize it when its done. Ergo, I'm not going to talk about that. I mention it only because it made me think of the thing I am going to talk about.


Last spring, after I took my Creative Writing exam but before I got it back, I was sad that I wasn't going to get it back. I wanted that synopsis, query letter, and first chapter. 
I sat down with a piece of paper, thinking that I could just write the chapter again. After all, if I wrote it that way once, wouldn't writing the same thing again produce close to the same thing? I was the same person, with the same brain and the same intent.
It didn't work. Not only did the writing come out drastically differently, but the words simply wouldn't flow, which led me to the conclusion that despite being the same consciousness inhabiting the same body that was sitting here a minute ago, I'm a different person than I used to be, so any writing I do won't turn out the same.
So I don't know any of you, really. I just know people very similar to you.


On an entirely unrelated note, I watched Stardust Wednesday night, and I loved it. The only parts I thought were stupid were the unicorn and the fact that he became king. Of course, I saw that last one coming from the moment it was announced that the king was dying, but it bothered me anyway. I have a theory the act of becoming king makes awesome characters become decidedly less so. Take Aragorn, for example. (Movie Aragorn, anyway. Just assume I always mean Movie Lord of the Rings Thing). He morphed from "Awesome Ranger Guy" to "Boring King."
Captain Shakespeare...he was so cool.
I definitely intend to get the book out of the library as soon as I've read the one about West African Spirituality I have out now. No time for more than one book at once, at the moment.