Students are to post reactions (minimum 250 words each) to the
assigned listening/reading linked below. Students are encouraged (but
not required) to additionally respond to other student reactions.
KELLY LINK Monster Librarian Interview: Kelly Link is the author of the young adult collection Pretty Monsters. She has written two other collections, Stranger Things Happen and Magic for Beginners. Her
novellas and short stories have won a variety of awards. Neil Gaiman
called her "the best short story writer out there, in any genre." She
co-founded Small Beer Press with her husband, Gavin Grant, and edits
the fantasy zine Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet. Click heading to read the interview.
KELLY LINK NPR Interview: Author
Kelly Link says her short stories are inspired by what she calls "night
time logic." In fiction that strives for realism, she says, everything
has a place. Everything makes sense. It's kind of like dream logic, she
tells NPR's Audie Cornish, "except that when you wake up from a dream,
you think, well, that didn't make sense. Night time logic in stories,
you think, I don't understand why that made sense, but I feel there was
a kind of emotional truth to it." Click heading to listen to NPR interview.
THE WEIRDEST STORY IDEAS COME FROM YOUR OWN OBSESSIONS by KELLY LINK: "One
of the most useful pieces of writing advice I've ever come across was
something Kate Wilhelm said. To roughly paraphrase, she suggests that
every writer indirectly collaborates with her subconscious — she calls
this collaborator your Silent Partner — who supplies you with ideas that
you then turn into stories."Click heading to read the rest of the essay.
THE SPECIALIST'S HAT by KELLY LINK:
"When you're Dead," Samantha says, "you don't have to brush your
teeth." "When you're Dead," Claire says, "you live in a box, and it's
always dark, but you're not ever afraid." Claire and Samantha are
identical twins. Their combined age is twenty years, four months, and
six days. Claire is better at being Dead than Samantha. Click heading to read the rest of the story.
27 comments:
One of the things that stood out to me was Kelly Link saying that she can imagine “being all” of her characters, which is something I also relate to; I don’t think I could write a character I couldn’t imagine myself as. I also like how she accomplishes the task of writing by continuously finding different strategies for getting work done. This is something I can definitely incorporate into my own routine, since I have recently started to avoid writing by washing dishes and vacuuming, which is getting a little ridiculous even for me. It makes sense that as the avoidance strategies evolve, so should the productivity strategies. Similarly, I agree with her thoughts on refining and encouraging the kinds of ideas you like from your subconscious. In the past year, I started using the default Voice Memos app on my phone for recording ideas anywhere and anytime–especially right before falling asleep, when I’m most likely to forget them. This has been absolutely instrumental in generating and developing story and poetry ideas.
“The Specialist’s Hat” did end abruptly and oddly, as Link and the interviewers mention a few times about her short stories in general. I understand why she would want the story to have a quick and “final” ending, but otherwise it is not my favorite. Maybe I don’t understand the ending because I do not read a lot of horror/supernatural fiction. I did love the imagery, which felt incredibly real even with the use of only a few words.
“[Samantha] can see the fringe of the mothy blue rug, and one bed leg, and beside it, Claire’s foot, swinging back and forth like a metronome. Claire’s shoelace has come undone, and there is a Band-Aid on her ankle.” (The Specialist’s Hat)
Link’s word choice is simple, and the way she leads the reader through Samantha’s point of view here and throughout the story really feels like a child’s perspective, including all the exaggerations and brutal reality and make-believe that children think about. It made me doubt myself about whether the Specialist, or the magic of the Specialist’s hat, was real or imagined. I also admire her ability to introduce her characters with an “indelible detail,” as the Prof. mentioned last class: the particular grays of the twins’ eyes, and Mr. Coeslak’s nose hairs, for example.
I haven't heard of Kelly Link before, but from reading these interviews, I relate a lot to some of the types of things she enjoys and many of her writing styles and techniques.
In Kelly Link's NPR interview, I relate to how she describes dream logic. When you're experiencing the dream, it just kinda works when you're in the fictional world, but when you wake up, you gradually come to your senses and realize that it was all mainly nonsensical. Several of my ideas for writing come from my dreams, albeit with some adjustments for realism based on their respective types of stories.
In the Gizmodo essay, it's also mentioned that Kelly promotes the idea of writers working with their subconscious for ideas. The method of being more open to your ideas was an interesting perspective that I never really thought about. I do often have trouble fleshing out my ideas beyond the surface level, and it was fun to find out that we shared a similar formula for molding ideas together, such as that we both like to play around and roll up balls of ideas before putting them to paper.
Some of my favorite stories that I've come up with involving crossovers with works that I've read or seen by mixing them all in my head, taking the elements that I've enjoyed from their respective franchises and melding them in a way that are still respective to the worlds and themes that they came from. Oftentimes, at least a third of the fun comes from the challenge of how to reconcile the differences between these two realities in a way that is believable to those who've also heard the stories.
Fenyan -
Kelly Link is a name that I hadn't heard of until now, so when I read the specialist's hat I was kind of blown away. I read that before any of the other articles, and I really liked how gripping it was. A lot of times, its a slog to get through something, especially when its something you need to do, but from the first line to the last I was really invested in the story. The ending, while abrupt was satisfactory in the end, though a part of me wishes there was just…more, I guess.
Something I found really insightful was when she talked about "being" a character, and how in order to write someone, she needs to imagine herself as them - initially I thought that was a bit odd, but when I thought about it, that's almost exactly the way I go about writing a character. I try my best to imagine myself as them, with their mannerisms, speech patterns and actions, hell, I spend a lot time just talking to myself in different tones while writing.
I also relate to her response when asked about writing characters who are surprised by the world - I myself also enjoy writing characters who act as if they have been living and breathing in the world that they come from, and not as a vessel to explain the world to the reader. If someone’s been in New Jersey for 10 years, they shouldn’t be surprised to a see a deer in the woods - in that same way, characters should have a baseline understanding of their world, and it shouldn’t be on the character to explain the world, rather it should be on the author to build in clues and hints into the narrative so the reader can pickup on the world without being directly explained.
Luna—
I thought Magic for Beginners sounded familiar! I actually read this collection of Kelly Link's when I was in high school and I thought it was delightful. I no longer have the book as it was lost many years ago in a flood, but I remember being quite fond of it. I remember the story about the handbag.
In the Monster Librarian Interview, I like the way Link mentions how she can imagine being all of her characters. What's that quote about how a reader can live 1000 lives? I think the same concept is amplified for a writer. There are so many characters that go into a single story. I can feel myself doing something similar when I'm working on my own projects.
The NPR Interview was very neat! I was happy to be able to listen to parts of it. The concept of writing as channeling our "night time logic" is such a fun concept. I think that, considering all of the monsters she seems to often feature in her writing, perhaps she's forever on the search for what's going bump in the middle of the night. I am also a big fan of monsters and have been ever since I was little. I remember being 7 years old and telling someone that when I grew up I wanted to meet Skeletor from HeMan. I also watched an unhealthy amount of older Godzilla movies for a pre-teen girl. I think I can relate to Kelly Link a lot from how she describes herself in her youth.
Something about the list that Kelly created of what she likes from other people’s fiction is really inspiring to me. We talked in class about how no idea is 100% original, so to be inspired by others is natural and a great starting point. Having a list of things that may inspire one’s own work is such a smart idea that I may take into my own writing since I may think of something and either forget or it won’t be as good as it could be and I let it go - who knows? If I wrote it down somewhere it might have had time to simmer in my mind to be a really strong story.
I also found her comments about horror relatable - I’m not very into the horror genre at all, but to read that an author who loves writing and experiencing horror can also barely tolerate gore in horror films was validating. It made the prospect of branching into different genres more approachable. For example, I am not a huge fan of science fiction books or movies, but that doesn’t mean with the right amount of research I can’t tackle a story in that genre - I shouldn’t let my hesitance with the existing library (that I know of) limit me from exploring what I can do with it.
Post by Afton
Personally, before this post, I did not know who Kelly Link was; when I first saw the image posted with this post, I was intrigued. One because the hat being word looks like a twisted amalgamation of the sorcerer's hat from Harry Potter, and it feels like it'd be worn by a boss in a FromSoftware (Creators of Dark Souls and Elden Ring) game. The post that most intrigued me was titled "The weirdest story ideas come from your own obsessions." As someone who loves horror and writes horror stories and implements my characteristics and lifestyles on characters, I really relate to this title. While Link's stories mainly revolve around fantasy, mystery, or sci-fi, it was cool to see how their process worked. One line that stood out to me was, "As you begin to recognize the kind of ideas that are going to turn into the kind of stories that you want most to write, your subconscious gets even better at fine-tuning the kind of things it provides, as well as faster at giving you useful material." And I completely agree; while I have an initial idea of what I want to create, sometimes, as I'm writing, my brain just goes on autopilot because it knows what and how the story wants to go; this mainly happens when I write things I'm passionate about. But when it comes to essay questions in most standard English classes throughout High School and even in College, it was hard to think out the flow of a paper, but when I get to use my creativity and I have no restrictions that's when I do my best.
The beginning interview Kelly Link did with Kirsten Kowalewski reminded me of my childhood. I used to and still am very observant of my environment and the people around me. Link said to Kowlewski, “You spend a lot of time thinking about why people are the way they are. You imagine unlikely scenarios in which you might be friends with the people who are making fun of you.” I remember back in K-12 I used to create so many what ifs of having good times with my bullies or haters. Mainly, because I believed that there was no need to not like somebody, especially if the person never did anything to you. I guess you could say I was already making short stories without realizing it. I also related to the part where she said that she could see parts of herself in any character she creates. When I create characters for my stories they have a piece of me inside of them. It was cool to know that someone else writes like I do.
Her idea on “night time logic” completely makes sense to me. Ideas for stories and poems constantly enter my mind during the night. It feels like a blessing and a disguise because I’m grateful for the ideas, but I hate the fact that I have to get out of my warm comfortable bed and write it down. I believe night time to be peaceful and quiet, so I am assuming that is the reason why those ideas come to me. I like the fact that she said to embrace the things you are drawn to as a reader, even if you think you shouldn’t be drawn to them. I felt kind of embarrassed a few years ago to like the genres and content in books that I read, but I am embracing them more now.
I do have to say listening to your subconscious mind or intuition generally brings unexpected beneficial ideas. These results have surprised me, especially when writing my poetry. I tend to review old ideas that I wrote down months or years ago that seemed to be pointless or strange during that time, but then began to make sense in the current moment. I’m not one to practice writing exercises, but I guess I should give it a shot. I remember back in the English classes in grade school I took and the intro to creative writing class I took last semester introduced a lot of exercises to get me and my classmates creative juices flowing. I was one of the people who didn’t enjoy some of the writing exercises mostly because I would just sit there with a blank page or two sentences on my paper while everyone else would have tons of paragraphs.
I could say for Kelly Link’s short story “The Specialist Hat” it was interesting enough, but not my type of story in the beginning. I went back to it a few minutes later and started to get drawn into the story towards the middle. Now I can say I enjoyed it, since I finished it. When I approached the end I was craving more. I could see what Kelly Link’s readers say she does end her stories abruptly on a cliffhanger.
So, my first words after reading, “The specialist’s hat” was “that was so f*cking good.” She perfectly captures the whole “don’t reveal the monster” thing and exactly why it’s so effective. The story is just this constant building, this constant adding of small hints, puzzle pieces lying down bit by bit, words that feel odd, moments that seem to tap you on the shoulder and tell you to pay attention. That’s all it is, just this ever growing working of various pieces until it all seems to click together; but what makes it all the better is that, I’m not quite sure what I’m even looking at. The specialist is that mystery, and the actual ending puzzles you. It’s not in the way that frustrates you, or leaves you wanting more clarity, it’s not poorly written or there just to feel special (no pun intended), but rather, it makes you wish you were a detective meant to solve the case. I wanted to know more, I wanted to go back and reread, again and again and again until everything was memorized. I wanted to see this as a freaky animation by some indie creator on YouTube, and then, I wanted to read it another time.
And that’s what good horror is, at least to me. It’s slightly unnerving, its uncanny, it’s strange and yet familiar. Good horror feels like something you know so well, and yet wish desperately to never face for real.
And that’s just good writing. The ability to capture that complexity is a gift to writing, and something that feels almost exclusive to genres that find the fantastical part of their nature; fantasy, horror, and sci-fi. Oftentimes, stellar world building is just finding- not new things- but seeing how old things, familiar things, change. She does just that, taking ordinary houses, and ordinary hats, and ordinary girls (even if they are a bit eccentric) and finding ways to make them that slight bit off.
I had never heard of Kelly Link before, but after reading The Specialist's Hat, I would love to read more of her work. I loved this piece and the way it revealed just enough with the right pacing. Although I was slightly confused by the end as to what happened, there was so much imagery and so many metaphors and little clues that I felt that I understood what the author was trying to show. Even though the read took me a little while, I had to urge to reread it just because of how interesting I found it. I found it slightly unsettling but still having that sense of childhood wonder since you were sort of in the twins' heads. I love how she paced the information. The information dumps were short enough and spread out enough that I didn't lose focus. I also love how she didn't reveal too much while also not keeping anything too unclear. The story was very unique, original, and fun, and I personally really enjoyed the way it was written.
I like the point brought up about how when she was the less popular kid, she tended to observe the popular ones, and even though later on the mindset was no longer, she still remembered these feelings. In addition to the “be observant” point that we’ve all learned through all kinds of writers’ interviews, I admire the most how teen fiction or children’s book writers can recall the troubles and thoughts that they had and are pretty universal but are later considered trivial by adults because most people have out-grown them. It’s pretty intriguing that she has this method of writing on “nighttime logic,” which makes more sense the harder I think about it. It could be where the creativity rises – just follow the first instinct, the most natural, unrestrained thoughts without trying to rationalize it, and then write along; perhaps that could be a perfect enough story. I like her opinion about the genre stories, too, and about how it’s okay to write something with formula and then try to come up with something that goes against the conventional logic, and I think I kind of felt it too that sometimes for all kinds of story there are some fixed strategies and there shouldn’t be any shame for anyone to use them. Another point I often hate to admit is that it seems publishing stories does need some sort of connection… although there is, of course, the prerequisite that you need to have the talent first.
Kelly Link is completely new to me. I haven’t actually read any of her work but it is interesting to see these snippets of her through these articles.
It was interesting reading though her NPR article. It made me realize something that I hadn’t before. The fictional stories, books and whatnot operated on a causality similar to dream logic. The only time I really had that feeling of dream logic working was when I was high. Things happened in a way where things came together neatly or with a purpose or atleast it felt like it did. It’s something that I never considered though with fiction for some reason. Despite the fact it was such an obvious thing that I could figure out. I think the reason why it never occurred to me was because I wasn’t presently experiencing the causality. The characters were. I was technically experiencing it through them but there was this almost I want to say dissonance that came from intaking the information through text and images. However for my dreams and my little trip there was no such dissonance.
Kelly Link's approach to capturing the darker side of being a teenager in her collection "Pretty Monsters" resonates deeply with me. As someone who felt like an outsider during my teenage years, I find Link's ability to tap into the complexities of teenage emotions incredibly powerful. Link's personal experiences of feeling like a "weird girl" with unconventional interests and experiences mirror my own, which makes her stories feel authentic and relatable.
I appreciate how Link draws from her own observations and emotions from her teenage years to create multidimensional characters who struggle with issues such as self-delusion, self-absorption, and social alienation. Her stories feel genuine because they reflect the messy, sometimes painful reality of adolescence. Link's ability to infuse her writing with empathy for all her characters, even the ones who exhibit cruelty or selfishness, adds depth to her stories and makes them compelling.
Moreover, Link's openness about her writing process and influences provides valuable insights for aspiring writers like myself. Her approach to writing, characterized by continuous revision and a willingness to experiment with narrative techniques, is both inspiring and reassuring. It reminds me that writing is a process, and it's okay to take time to find my own voice and style.
Overall, Kelly Link's "Pretty Monsters" offers a unique and thought-provoking exploration of the teenage experience. Her ability to blend elements of fantasy, horror, and magic realism with authentic portrayals of adolescent emotions makes her stories both captivating and memorable. As a reader and aspiring writer, I look forward to delving deeper into Link's work and continuing to learn from her craft.
I've never heard of Kelly Link until I read these pieces, and I must say I'm quite intrigued by her process of using observations and past experiences in her writing. She stated that in her youth, she was often a very awkward and introverted person who often observed others around her and think why they act the way they do. This is something I often find myself doing when my head is a bit eempty of thought. Sometimes I observe people around me (or anything about my surroundings in general) and think a bit about their nature or how could a novelist describe them or my surroundings. Its an example of how even the smallest of things we don't really think about can serve as inspiration.
When writing her stories, Link says that she imagines herself as the characters. I believe that this technique is something fiction writers must do, because in my mind, if you can't imagine yourself in the characters shoes, it could be hard to write them and especially if you want to tell the story from a first person view, not very fleshed out. This reminded me of how I usually use first person view when doing some of my own writing, since I want the inner thoughts and thought process of my characters to be known.
One thing I really liked about the gizmodo article on her was the list of things or elements she liked from other people's works. This is actually something I've started to do recently. I've been making an ideas list on my phone listing down anything that I can get inspiraton from, whether it be anime or a scenic view or any sort of weird or fascinating stuff. I really like this approach, since you can always come back to it and it ensures you always havev ideas at hand. Her words on the subconscious' role in writing is quite accurate. When we write something that we are passionate about and when we have an idea that we like, sometimes the story just "writes itself", in a way. That's why when looking for ideas for inspiration, I want to use stuff that I find myself really attached to.
Oz:
This was the first time I've heard of Kelly Link.
The first link I clicked (and was intrigued by) was "The Specialist's Hat". I appreciate her slow, gruesome reveal of the enemy. It didn't feel forced, in fact, it felt perfect. I especially appreciated the ending, which led me to wanting more, so much MORE; but it was perfect in that way because it doesn't tell us too much, it tells us just enough, and it creates enough suspense for us to assume the best—or the worst.
Their writing style is casual but clearly steamed through; they care enough, but they seem to talk to us, the reader, as though we are a friend.
Yamato pointed out in the Gizmodo article "stealing" (stealing used very loosely) things you like/appreciate from other writers, and honestly, in a way, I feel that's the only way You Can Actually Improve. You read; you have to read a lot. And when you read a lot, you subconsciously pick out what you like and what you don’t like about writing, and you put what you like in your back pocket. It’s not Stealing. I’m not saying have Harry Potter open while you’re writing a story because J.K Rowling made a lot of money—or another reason beyond my control—but writing comes with time. And patience. And a lot of reading. A LOT.
I appreciate the normalness of her characters; yes, Kelly’s writing fantasy, sci-fi—a genre where reality is warped—but I still feel I can connect with the characters, with the setting, with /some/ of the conflicts, because their story was a reflection of humanity. And I appreciate that.
I knew I should’ve been prepared for the odd ending of The Specialist’s Hat given her interview but nothing could stop me from asking “Wait, where’s the next page? What’s supposed to happen next?” But the more I thought about it, the more I considered the amount of intention and consideration that goes into the ending. Link has a way of drawing you in to the narrative motion of the story yet completes her stories in a way that’s so unlike the “story formula.” Honestly, I wish more writers did this. It forces you to reread those last lines, piecing together a present and lay them down to consider the future, rather than providing some vague idea of the it—it works wonderfully within the short story medium. I also enjoyed the fact that she” stumbled” into writing, I have this irrational fear that because I didn’t start writing when I was five that I’m never going to produce anything great; yet here Link is, an award winning author and a well-practiced short story writer and it all starting in college. While I find her origins encouraging for my own identity as a writer, I’m still in awe that her life in one way or another is focused on her craft especially when she discovered it later in her life. I absolutely loved her writing advice and her take on the “silent partner”, I know I gravitate toward certain themes and ideas but I think I could make more of an intentional effort to incorporate more of what I’m drawn to into my stories. Tell me, Silent Partner, what story will I tell next?
The article that caught my eye was on night logic, which I’ve typically seen referred to as dream logic. It was interesting to see how she described it as a way to have something make sense while also being completely illogical. Dream logic is a fun thing to play around with magic systems, since it lets you make clever thematic solutions without having to worry too much about pesky things like the laws of physics. I really liked how she described it as emotional sense. I’d never seen it referred to that way before but it just kind of clicked in my brain, like, oh that's what that was! Dream logic also offers a level of uncanny to your magic system, free of charge. We expect things to follow a certain set of rules, regardless of what those rules are, so magic that plays off emotion or shifting logic is something that can leave a reader either off balance. Or alternatively, let them follow along much faster, once they start adapting to the stories rules, as night logic tends to be more intuitive than rational.
She also talked about romance writing as a way of figuring out what you're drawn to, which I very much agree with. It's not necessarily the same things you're drawn to irl, but what you can romatise in fiction can tell you a lot about what ideas you might enjoy playing with, in all kinds of contexts. If you can write a good love story about something, I feel that's probably a sign you were already obsessing over/ had a lot of thoughts on a subject. It's also such a specific lense with which to view something, through loving eyes, and I just think it's neat.
I have never heard of Kelly Link, but I loved her idea of "night time logic." Where she attempts to perfect realism by telling a story the same way one would recall a dream. I have tried this form of writing in the past, but my favorite way to incorporate it is to just write up my dreams and adjust the story if needed. In her article "The Weirdest Story Ideas Come From Your Own Obessesions," she explained how she thinks we have a Silent Partner when we are writing that is our subconscious, and I am not sure I fully agree with her. Although I do think our subconscious helps us think, and it could supply us with ideas, I do not think it plays as big of a role as Kelly Link thinks it does. Our subconscious is on at all times, but that part of us cannot properly live if we do not feed it the information it needs, which can be stories, real life interactions, reactions to events, etc. All of the actions/things we experience in our environment help form what we think, which is the real silent partner since it shapes any future ideas we have because the future is almost always indicated from the past. Lastly, I wonder how much of her consciousness thinks of the beer press she started with her husband, and how she translates those rather simple experiences and much of the new knowledge, she gains from these experiences, to express new ideas in her writing.
As both an editor and a writer, I am very interested in what Kelly Link does for a living. I like the idea of always working around books and want to look into editing and publishing. In “The Weirdest Story Ideas Come From Your Own Obsessions”, she gives writing advice and strategies that resonate with me, especially the concept of the Silent Partner, which is essentially a person’s subconscious who supplies ideas that then turn into stories. Most of my ideas are directly informed by my own experiences– and like she says, when I am too picky and turn my nose up at all the ideas coming from my Silent Partner, eventually my SP simply stops offering any at all. That’s when I claim to be in a dry spell. Another thing I’ve noticed in myself is that a lot of times I DO have ideas– bursts of creative ideas and energy that can last me 1-3 days– and I’ll have fully formed sentences and ideas and characters in my head and simply not write them down. I’ll let them simmer in my mind as I go about my daily to-do list and not take advantage of the moment. This discourages the SP just as much as directly rejecting ideas. That’s a personal goal I’ve set for myself- when I have an idea, when I’m in a flow, to just put everything aside and go with it. As for the short story “The Specialist’s Hat,” I really enjoyed her use of numbers. I like how she developed that fixation throughout the story, and towards the end I was itching to know exactly the depths of numbers’ importance in the story.
I’ve never heard of Kelly Link before this blogpost, but I’ve taken a fondness for her. Starting by reading her interview, I enjoyed the way she spoke and her insights on writing among other things. I historically am interested in how writers, especially fiction writers, speak or write about themselves or an aspect of their lives that’s important to them. It says a lot about a writer in the ways they describe what’s inside of them, as opposed to outside. Based on her interview alone, I would definitely have brunch with her. I was inspired to look up her picture after reading, and seeing her smiling proud as a middle aged woman with bold green lipstick was a lovely surprise. I hope one day to be a middle aged writer in green lipstick.
I wasn’t particularly captured with The Specialist’s Hat for a reason I’m not very sure of. However, I did enjoy the writing style. I’m a sucker for creepy stories with children protagonists. I may just not have been in the headspace for a short children’s story, since my days lately have consisted of heavy collegiate texts. Her article, however, on overcoming writer’s block and coming up with fresh ideas definitely grabbed my attention. A big deterrent in writing fiction for me is the notion of ‘what could I possibly write that hasn’t been written already?” And thus I conclude that nothing I could do would answer that question and subsequently give up. I found her exercises to be really savvy, and I’m definitely tempted to try one or more of them out for my own work, and any work I may do for this class.
I have never heard of Kelly Link before, her work is completely new to me, but I found “The Specialist” very interesting, and I really liked her NPR interview. I like that she draws a distinction between dream logic and night time logic, because it’s not something that I’ve sat down and thought about before but now that it’s been laid out in front of me, I feel like I know exactly what she means. The irrationality of the logic in both dreams and in our thoughts or perceptions late at night are things I feel like we acknowledge very easily, but there’s always the understanding as well that dreams are often incoherent and undeniably unreal. Things feel like they make sense in a dream, until you wake up and think about it, but at night, sometimes the logic still feels reasonable or justifiable, even when it’s just as ridiculous as a dream. I feel like “The Specialist” captured that feeling very well for me, especially in the naivety of the young girls who were just listening to their babysitter. They didn’t believe the words of the babysitter blindly and accept it as logical reality immediately, but they allowed themselves to be convinced and didn’t try to rationalize further once given proof—and once they had proof that she could be trusted, and she was like them, they were willing to listen to her. That layer of irrationality to their logic and understanding of the world, the willingness to accept some things and question others, really reminded me of the interview, and I thought it was a very cool way of telling a story.
I never heard of her before this but from the readings here she seems to be really interesting! I love how she talks about how much she feels like 'becoming her character' which is something I really relate too! "The specialist" was really good because I love how they emphasize the feature of being a kid believing what your'e told. I also love her writers block piece-it feels so tough to write and not feel the pressure of being original or being creative. It's tough getting away from the pressure of having to be 'new' or 'exciting'. What i've learned is to just throw up on paper (not literally), and allow yourself to just be creative without a wall holding you back. Allow yourself to just be creative without fear of judgement!
Kelly Link's interviews struck a lot of interest with me. Not hearing about her previously, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about her writing going into the reading. However, I was able to relate to how she connects with her characters and finds inspiration from her dreams. Like her, I often get story ideas at night, even if it means getting out of bed to write them down. Her advice to embrace your reading preferences, no matter what they are, resonates with me as a writer. While I've been unsure about writing exercises in the past, Link's words make me reconsider. As for her story "The Specialist Hat," I wasn't sure at first, but I got into it as it went on. Even though it ended suddenly, I found myself wanting more. Overall, Link's insights remind me of the power of imagination in storytelling which is really powerful for a writer to do for me personally.
I really envied The Specialist's Hat by Kelly Link; I've always wanted to blur the lines between who the reader could really trust, and who it would be more fun to trust as the reader. I originally thought it was more fun to just follow along with the narrator, who seemed to be a very lyrical narrator (what with the interspersed paragraphs of prose or poetry). I also liked the word-play that was present in The Specialist's Hat, where capitalization and spelling mattered. Also, as for the N.P.R. interview, I had a good time listening to it while reading the summary below the "play" button. I think out of all the websites I visited for this blog post, the N.P.R. one was one of the most user-friendly ones. That and . I always appreciate when an author has their own website and knows how to market themselves. On the other hand, the Gizmodo website was so user-un-friendly that when I printed out the article for ease-of-reading, it made it harder to read because some of the words got cut off. I had to go back to the mobile website to read the cut-off words. I also printed out the advertisements that came with the gizmodo article. I did not mind that the ads did not get rendered correctly. I feel like I'm getting off track. Maybe I'll talk about the interview. There were a lot of "K"'s in the names of the interviewer and interviewee. I also don't know why, but Kelly Link's name seemed mis-spelled at the onset, but it is actually the standard way I would have spelled "Kelly" and "Link." Now I really am grasping at straws.
Never once heard of Kelly Link before but I really liked the way she described "night time logic." I personally really like playing with dream logic in my writing, so I resonated with this one more than the other readings. Writing stories with dream logic is always really fun because it doesn't have to make total sense - it just has to make someone feel something. Link's storytelling is really interesting to read too like "The Specialist Hat" where I just wanted more by the time it was over.
While I haven't read any of her work or even heard of Kenny Link before, the concept of "nighttime logic" is pretty relatable, especially given how it's not meant to mirror reality in terms of how we perceive or understand it. The charm of stories written with nighttime logic is to create a stronger emotional bond with the reader, even if it doesn't make perfect sense in a logical or "real-world" context.
When finishing The Specialist's Hat, the ending was cut off suddenly and almost had me thinking that it was more an excerpt rather than the entire story. Only after reading the interview with the Monster Librarian did I realize this was intentional and to keep the story in the back of the reader's mind. It creates "what if" scenarios in their head, having the user interpret whatever they'd like for what happens next. It can feel somewhat unsatisfying to not have a story conclude with every conflict wrapped up, but having my brain come up with bizarre theories of what may happen next creates a unique continuation of the story based on my own imagination, which makes it easy for this base story to be interpreted differently by everyone asked to tell you about it. Kelly Link's ability to keep the story in the reader's mind even after they're done reading it is rather powerful in its own way, even as opposed to stories that end in a "satisfying" way.
The first article that was in conversation with Molly O’Neill spoke to me heavily. When she brought up the concept of who you’re writing for, I was inspired to go back to my own memories of being middle grade age. When she spoke about how some YA readers are looking for an escape from their boring existence, I related to that heavily. As I mentioned numerous times in class already, I didn’t read much YA in middle school, instead opting to read more non fiction, specifically biographies and autobiographies of famous musicians. A rather peculiar interest, but the goal of escapism was certainly apparent; I wished to emulate these characters. I was participating in the principle, just through a different genre. Realizing that made me more confident that I could write something middle grade, even if middle grade wasn’t highly present in my childhood.
However, Brooklyn Arden’s article defining YA did set me back a bit in my confidence. Her definitions of YA made me realize that reading autobiographies was me escaping not just a mundane suburban living, but childhood in general. I recently asked a six year old student of mine if she ever wondered what it would be like to be an adult. I expected a resounding yes, but she said no. It all culminates to me that my experience as a youth was mostly painted with me wanting to not just read about more exciting people, but I wanted to escape to adulthood. How could I focus on the experience of teenagers when I completely daydreamed of being an adult the whole time I was there?
I personally do not harbor fantasies of becoming a young adult fiction writer - or a fiction writer in general. However, the challenge of writing for a genre I’m not very familiar with has proven difficult but rewarding. I actually developed ideas for works during my time in this class that I do believe can work as YA fiction. I did this by not focusing on my lack of YA knowledge, but by recalling my own experiences as a young adult. Not wanting to be a kid can still very easily be a part of being a kid. Therefore, by trying to write for my fifteen year old self, I’m finding my way through the fog.
Kelly Link's approach to writing, as outlined in these pieces, offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative process. Prior to encountering her work, she was unfamiliar to me, but her methods and insights have left me intrigued.
Her reflections on drawing inspiration from observations and past experiences resonate deeply. Like Link, I often find myself pondering the intricacies of human behavior and the nuances of my surroundings, mining them for potential narrative fodder. It's a reminder that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places, even in the minutiae of everyday life.
Link's technique of immersing herself in her characters' perspectives is a compelling one. As she inhabits their shoes, she breathes life into their inner worlds, infusing her narratives with depth and authenticity. This resonates with my own approach to writing, particularly when crafting stories from a first-person viewpoint. The ability to empathize with characters on a visceral level is paramount in bringing them to life on the page.
The idea of maintaining an "ideas list," as highlighted in the Gizmodo article, is a strategy I've recently adopted myself. By cataloging snippets of inspiration gleaned from various sources, from anime to mundane yet intriguing observations, I ensure a wellspring of creativity is always at my fingertips. Link's acknowledgment of the subconscious's role in the creative process rings true; indeed, some of the most compelling narratives seem to flow effortlessly from a place deep within.
In essence, Kelly Link's approach to writing serves as a testament to the power of curiosity, empathy, and the ceaseless quest for inspiration. Her insights offer invaluable guidance for navigating the labyrinthine terrain of the creative mind, reminding us that the world around us is teeming with stories waiting to be told.
Post a Comment