I have a couple upcoming interviews, which I’m excited about as the authors are pretty well-known–but I’ll hold off on saying who until I know for sure these folks have time to finish the questions I sent. Both authors have had a profound influence on my own wannabe writing style.
I blogged recently about incorporating running into the novel I’m currently writing, which I want to do still, but I’ve also gotten hooked on the ideas of dark ecology and weird fiction. I’m trying to go back through my novel to rearrange some concepts, but it’s very hard to do without just starting from scratch. So, once again, my writing is on hold until I complete a different framework. It’s exciting to come closer to the type of writing that I want to do–which matches the type of reading that I am doing now and also matches my perspective of the world: a world of pretense and show, self-centered behaviors, quick fixes, and so forth. I’m more interested in what’s underneath, what is biological and weird?
It’s also related to the type of running I’m doing now and will describe in my novel. Dark ecology refers to feeling the pain and discomfort, not separating it from its nature by presenting a romantic illusion. Runners get a high from endorphins released during exercise, but running is never really all that comfortable. There’s always something to overcome: various pains, being out of breath, feeling hot and sweaty, etc. Running hills and falling and getting rained upon are things to deal with. Same with nature. Nature is never a carefully presented photograph where things are put into place. Nature comes with creepy crawlers; it’s not tree-lined streets.
Combining this dark (not meaning despair–but meaning real) ecology with weird fiction opens up worlds of potential story ideas that are palpable, eerie, mysterious, and suspenseful. It’s so appealing to me, not just as a faraway concept, but something I want to do. Something I want to live.
I’ve got some concept art in mind for part of the cover and licensed this through CanStock photo but am not sure I want to use this particular image.
