The Torruption

Here is a g-chat transcript from a conversation I had with my sister, Tori, this morning about this blog:


Me: So, from whose perspective should I write from today and about what?
Sent at 11:01 AM on Thursday

Tori: Keep it from your own perspective - it's a baby blog.

Me: But I don't want to. I want to write characters!
Sent at 11:05 AM on Thursday

Tori: But no one will want to read about your characters if they don't first understand you.
I think you should work on building a strong identity for Quinn as the blog is called Quinnterruption.
Sent at 11:07 AM on Thursday

Me: But I want to write characters - which are all part of me.

Tori: Wtf? Who are you? Bob Dylan? Get over it - tell one of your favorite stories about yourself.

Me: Stupid! Overdone!
Sent at 11:09 AM on Thursday

Tori: Well don't make it stupid obviously - you call yourself a writer so tell it like one - Sedaris style.

Me: "you call yourself a writer" - bitchy? Yes, I think so.
You think coming up with characters and then creating a viewpoint on a subject is easy?
Sent at 11:11 AM on Thursday

Tori: No and I don't think writing a blog worth reading is easy either so start by creating a firm Quinn main character - it's most challenging, but the whole thing falls apart without it. You could do "Thoughts on Red Rockets:" and launch into story about your new dog and hilarious puppy school fiasco and then post photo of Bear.
Sent at 11:13 AM on Thursday

Tori: I know it feels generic and overdone to tell stories about yourself/ dog/ life but it's not like you are on a safari through Africa or have anything particularly crazy to post about - this is your life: you're unemployed, you live in KC and you have a dog. What is interesting about you is how you think about these things and what is entertaining is the way you write about it. The characters will develop as you work on this but forcing them will ultimately make them suck.
Sent at 11:17 AM on Thursday


So despite all plans to avoid myself, I am now trying to conjure up ways to develop this Quinn character more. Since this blog currently has one reader (Tori) I should probably follow her advice and reevaluate my delusions of grandeur and originality, which undoubtedly stem from the sadly unoriginal realities of my life—or as Torruption so aptly put: "this is your life: you're unemployed, you live in KC and you have a dog."

Blogony - From The Real Quinn

For months I've been agonizing over this blog: What will it be? What should I call it? What is the theme? Purpose? Direction?

I still can't really answer these questions. But I am okay with that. 'Quinnterruption' doesn't need to have an end goal, all it needs in order to exist are interruptions.

There will be a series of characters who will post on this blog. Of course, these characters are essentially me. These are the people who roam around in my head and interrupt my thoughts and scream at me to put them down on paper. (I realize this makes me sound schizophrenic, but I'm not. I'm just a writer. I think the two are commonly confused.)

Here are my momentary goals for Quinnterruption:

1.) Expect nothing (don't conform).
2.) Learn to see it for what it is (i.e., a place to write, freely).
3.) Write everyday (no excuses).
4.) Don't be serious (because, seriously, everyone else is).
5.) Enjoy it, you interrupting cow--Mooooooo!

Okay so there are five, well really four since number five was just filler, noncommittal, uncompromising goals that I can live with, at least until tomorrow.