Supplementary stuff for Stone Overcoat
Townes Van Dog
Ah, hello, Dear Reader. How wonderful of you to stop by again. I accept that the lure of a dog photo might be the only reason you visited, and these are the things we have to do.
I have a pair of items I’d like to share with you, and then I’ll be out of your hair.
I wrote Stone Overcoat over the Labour Day weekend in year 1 of the plague while participating in a unique writing challenge called 3-Day Novel Contest. It is, essentially, a marathon for writing. I don’t know if I would call it fun, necessarily, but it’s as fun as a marathon can be, I think. The thing isn’t about fun. The thing is a challenge, and the goal is to meet the challenge. Can you win? Sure, anyone can win, but it’s no goddamn walk in the park. Included in the 3 days of writing, one also needs to find time to eat, sleep, walk the dog, cling to shreds of sanity, and also edit. Typically, I think I read, the winning manuscript sits around 100,000 words, so you’re writing at least the 100k, and then editing it down to whatever the final number ends up being. It’s a real chore, if I’m being honest, and, like I said, probably doesn’t fall under the category of a good time. However, if you love a challenge, it’s do-able. And it isn’t about winning, though that’s a nice perk. If you want to push yourself, push your ability to think straight, and really commit to bringing something to life, YOU CAN DO IT. In fact, anyone can do it. ANYONE can write a story, just the same way as anyone can run a marathon, or anyone can lift weights, or anyone can do yoga, or anyone can learn how to play a guitar. ANYONE can write a story, and EVERYONE has a story in them to tell. Don’t let anyone ever tell you any differently. Telling a story can happen in a million-and-one ways—don’t think it can’t. Don’t worry about grammar. Don’t worry about spelling. Don’t worry about format and syntax; I barely even know what syntax means. People will shit on poor grammar and poor spelling until they get told not to, which, usually, is when something using atypical grammar and atypical spelling blows up and becomes the hot thing, then everyone is onboard. Funny how that goes, isn’t it?
I also have a variety of brain issues, and that’s complicating for everyone involved. However, one of the superpowers that I was gifted is that my brain pulls ideas from abstract places and translates them into something else. For example, when I hear music, my brain starts working on a story. I start to see and hear people and things and the music becomes a character in and of itself. I remember as a kid walking home from school listening to a cassette player and later a CD player and seeing a scene unfold in my mind; I have a particularly vivid memory of this occurring while listening to Dai the Flu on a walk home. ANYWAY, in preparation for Stone Overcoat, I built a playlist on Spotify, and here it is for you to enjoy:
