Dreams are not always good sources of inspiration. Very soon after beginning work on the novel mentioned in the previous posts, I realized that neither Hemingway nor Joyce nor Stein would make very good detectives. They all led very mandarin lifestyles, each in their own way. Hemingway ’s boyish admiration for men in uniform would have made him more likely to leave a murder investigation to the Paris police. Joyce was going blind and Stein rarely left her salon, so the idea of these two tromping around Paris trying to solve a murder is ridiculous. There’s also just way too much research involved. I would have to immerse myself in the time and place with about six months of solid reading before I could even begin to start writing. I don’t have that kind of time to invest in a project that ultimately would be, as I said initially, absurd.
I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed anyone (I doubt that I have). I’m going to think about serializing one of the other projects I’ve been working on instead. I also want to keep at the essay idea. Any suggestions for topics?
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March 16, 2008 at 10:00 pm
tania
Edmonton Transit: Why? Who built it? What possible use could it have as it is?
March 17, 2008 at 7:20 am
kirtvocals
I believe that AOS has already tackled this topic: http://flann4.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/buses-and-cars-why-im-still-driving/
I have never enjoyed “sloppy seconds”. Also, I know very little about ETS as I hardly ever use it. My few experiences have been quite positive in comparison to the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Metro Transit. I could write extensively on the evils of my home town’s transit system, and of public transit in general. However, I feel that it is my civic and perhaps planetary duty to encourage people to use public transit, not discourage them. I imagine that sooner or later Stuff White People Like will get around to “Complaining About Public Transit”. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Got anything else?
March 17, 2008 at 9:19 pm
devon
I want a mystery. I was happy with the idea… although I don’t care particularly about the writers or the time period. I can recognize why they/it were/was important, it just doesn’t make me squeal. Can you write a mystery set in a time/place you don’t need to do six months of research over? Please?