From Cube to Outback
Storytelling stuff worth sharing
Hello friends—
Those of you who had any interaction with Hurricane Debby over the last several days, or who are bound to get rained upon over the next few, I send all wishes for safety and as little damage as possible.
My beloved Rebecca and I came through ok. No overt damage to hearth or home. Biggest stress was waiting for lulls in the deluge to let the pups outside to pee. But I have friends and students who didn’t fare nearly as well. We offered what comfort and assistance we could. In the face of powerlessness, all we can do is reach out to each other.
So wherever you are, and however close you are Debby’s path, I hope you are safe, dry, and able to reach out to those who aren’t as lucky.
Storytelling Tip o’ the Week
The only car I ever bought new was a Nissan Cube back in 2010, and I’ve been driving it ever since. Even the last two years with no working a/c. In Florida!
Well, this week I finally upgraded, to a well-loved, pre-owned 2013 Subaru Outback. Its color is… slate? And it’s a 6-speed manual! I’d forgotten just how much dang fun driving stick is. Strangely enough, the other two Subarus I’ve driven over the years were also sticks.
Anyhow, the swap out has been a surprisingly emotional experience. There is something in that pivot moment of an upgrade that is both bittersweet (the letting go) and joyous (the moving on.)
Two days ago—the day I knew I was picking up the Outback—I drove the Cube to the gym, and on the way back, I had the sudden realization that this was the last time I would ever drive it. After 14 years of service, this kooky little purple car, which had shuttled me to who knows how many rehearsals and classes, and had moved me from St. Louis to Sarasota… this funky Cube that could park in the tiniest of spaces while providing six-foot-three me oodles of head room… this boxy weird perfect vehicle that I drove off the lot with the odometer reading a fresh-smelling 000008 miles… our time together was ending.
And as excited as I was to get all my accumulated car stuff swapped over into the Outback—and to have a/c!!!—boy oh boy I tell you what… the sheer scope of 125,000 miles and 14 years discombobulated me for a bit. As I parked, I squeezed the steering wheel, and listened to that familiar puttering engine, and let the stories in those seats linger for one moment more.
I turned the key. The engine stopped. The highway is still out there.
Here’s the tip: you always, always, ALWAYS have something to write about. And if you can zoom in on those pivot moments, those moments of change and transformation? You’ll immediately inject your story with stakes, pathos, depth, and forward momentum.
Because history never stops. You get to choose the parameters of time you want to write about. The Queen is dead; long live the Queen, am I right?
Goodbye, Cube. And hello, Outback.
Quotable
I tossed a Mark Twain at you last week about the importance of editing, and thought that speculative fiction writer C.J. Cherryh put another nice spin on it.
It is perfectly okay to write garbage – as long as you edit brilliantly.
― C.J. Cherryh
In all my writing classes, we start with a 7-minute timed writing. I slap a prompt on the whiteboard, give a quick explanation, and push GO on the timer.
I also always say, “Write fast, write messy. Don’t stop. Just write.”
They create a furiously scribbled first draft. They almost always feel like it’s garbage. But they also, as they rewrite during the week, always find the little nugget of gold inside.
Draft one… it’s for you. From the gut. From the heart.
Draft two… that starts being for the reader. From the head.
Book Event next Thursday!
Dan Landon is back from his book launch tour across New York and New Jersey. And since I published him (yay Ibis Books!), I’ll be joining him at the Senior Friendship Center next week on Thursday, August 15, at 5pm, as part of the Joyful Journeys Author Series.
Dan will read a little excerpt from his newly published memoir FROM THE BACK OF THE HOUSE: Memoir of a Broadway Theatre Manager. He’ll do a little q&a. I’ll sell you a paperback and he’ll scribble his autograph on it for ya. And if the last event is any indication, there will even be cookies!
Sign up for this FREE event at Eventbrite.
Thanks as always for reading, and have a great weekend!
Jason “6-Speed Stick” Cannon
Always great information and advise. I'll be there on Thursday 8/15.
EE