I saw a bumper sticker on a Chevy truck today that rocked me:
Get in, sit down, shut up and hold on.
I love it. I'd put that on my business cards, if I had any. Every word encapsulates my ambitions as a writer:
Get In: I want to catch your attention, pull you in, hook you on my ride.
Sit Down: I want you to like my ride, enough to get comfortable, go with me and see what's down the road.
Shut Up: I want to shake you up, surprise you, shock you if I can, take your breath away, leave you speechless.
And Hold On: After I've done all that? I want to crank it up even more. I don't want you to let go until we cross the very last line.
This isn't a new idea for me. Back when I taught online workshops, I described a novel as a vehicle for the reader. My idea of a great book is always one that invites the reader to come along for a joy ride, in the middle of the night, to places you're really not supposed to go. Those are the kind of novels I love to read, so no surprise that I'd want to write them.
What would the bumper sticker on your current ride say?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In my current mood mine would be of of two that I've seen.
ReplyDelete1. Don't follow me, I'm Lost
2. Wheeeee!
perhaps both.
On the car: Yes, it is as fast as it looks.
ReplyDeleteBook: "The dialogue is witty, the pace is fast and the result is hilarious." (That's what a review said yesterday. I'll take that for a bumper sticker any day.)
Help, I'm locked in the trunk!
ReplyDelete(except here in the UK we'd say 'boot' rather than 'trunk', but that's just the way it is, two nations divided by a common language and all that.)
"Harken to the siren song of steel"
ReplyDelete"Come to the grocery store with your ol' granny, hon. Please?"
ReplyDeleteYeah - it's got serious pacing problems. But it's for NaNo, so that's okay for now.
"Don't blame me - the voices in my head are the ones in control today."
ReplyDeleteFor those afraid of writing sex scenes,
ReplyDelete"If This Van's a -Rockin', don't Come A-Knockin'"
"This life has been a test. If this had been a real life, you would have been instructed where to go and what to do . . ."
ReplyDelete'Bring Out Your Dead!"
ReplyDeleteI'm working on a siege, you see . . .
'Duck!'
Same siege, different day.
"I'm not on the phone. I'm talking to my characters."
ReplyDeleteWe often have long chats in the car. I used to hope that people who drove by and saw me talking would assume I was singing along to the radio. Now I figure they assume I have a headset plugged into the cell.
Off topic (sorry), but I just want to congratulate you on making the Internet Writing Journal's list of best author blogs.
ReplyDeleteYou can find the list here:
http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/authorblogs/
Mine?
ReplyDeleteThe way I drive walking would be faster.
I bet that truck belonged to a woman (after my own heart).
ReplyDeleteHmm... a bumper sticker that encapsulates what I'm writing. Probably something like:
ReplyDeleteWarning: Danger ahead. (Black sticker with a sizzling bundle of dynamite).
Or,
Psychological Thriller ahead, enter at own risk.
The writing bumper sticker that sums up how I squandered 2005 and how I feel going into 2006 is:
ReplyDeleteIf you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.
I live in my own little world, but it's okay...Everyone knows me here.
ReplyDelete