Writers Question.

[clayhornik]

Suppose you're writing something that's inspired by a news story... say "probe on Mars discovers microbes," and you've gotten ten, fifteen pages into it and another story runs: "oops, no microbes- they were scratches on the lens."
So.
Should you, and by you, I mean me- should I continue writing, in hopes that the microbes WILL be found?
Or should I just chuck it?
The "microbes" aren't even pertinent to the story past the first few pages. Just something to get me to Mars.
Once I'm on Mars, the story kicks off. I just need to get there.
For the record, it's not about microbes or Mars.
In the mean time, I'm going to work on a short story. It's not about Mars either.

Comments

[kayrey.livejournal.com]

Write it!
And take no prisoners.

[boyfacedgirl.livejournal.com]

continue.

[theorgangardens.livejournal.com]

yeah, or you could say that the news story retracting the statement of 'microbes' found on mars...is a cover. The government, or whatever, suddenly felt the need to hide it.

And I thought I was the only one

[1stcyborg.livejournal.com]

I struggled with this when working on my first novel. After about two weeks I realized that the lack of gritty political realism ripped directly from the headlines made the work what it really is FICTION. A story stands on its own merit and needs no real world basis. Plus, people who are good writer, and I do mean you, write great stories, so run with it.
Hey next time I'm dragging you to Suffolk for golf and we can get lunch at Amory's!
Cheers!
1stcyborg