New Creativity Plans (That Probably Won’t Last Too Long)
Do you remember my weekly freezer column?
Yeah, I didn’t think so. As I predicted it was probably the ultimate doomed-to-fail column of all time. I’m still thinking about it every time I open my freezer, so in my heart it’s still life.
Whatever.
I got myself a copy of Judith Hermann’s ‚Sommerhaus, später‘ yesterday. I had heard about her before. I knew the critics loved her. Both her books are collections of short stories. I’m not such a great short story fan. I like them, some I love, but I prefer a novel to a short story. I just do.
Up to now I have read three of her stories and although they are good I’m just not touched. And I want to be touched. I think the best word describing how I feel about her style is the German word ’spröde‘. Here are the three translations my online dictionary suggests:
1) brittle
2) rough
3) demure
Now you go choose the one that fits best describing a style of writing, because I honestly don’t know. (And please tell me which one it is, because I want to learn.)
The style is simple and somewhat distant. The stories are about relationships, everyday things. It’s not even boring, it’s just…
Honestly?
The thought that went through my head while I was reading again and again:
‚I could do that.‘
I’m not overly convinced of my writing abilities. I did write a couple of short stories and altogether three very bad novels when I was between 15 and 18 or so. I still think that about three or four of my short stories aren’t even that bad.
I’m not considering myself a brilliant writer and since I have never had anything published, how could I?
I’m a style-digger. I dig style. I don’t care so much about a story when I love the style. You might never hear my complain about a story, but you may hear me complain about style. I can be deeply in awe of writer’s and thinking ‚I could never have written that.‘ That gets me.
These stories of Judith Hermann I read so far. Not so much.
So, not to give the impression that I’m just a big complainer and really self-convinced I decided to start a new blog and start writing short stories again. I don’t know yet how this blog will look like. I have no plans despite the mere fact that I want to write fiction and put it online.
One minor change (or major maybe) will be that I will write both in German and in English.
These are the plans. I wonder if they are as doomed-to-fail as the Weekly Freezer was. (But maybe the WF is a phoenix. It might rise again from its ashes.)
Current mood: A little bit tense for no special reason.
Listening to: Nothing.