Use Your Difficulties (to Make Great Art)

Woke this morning thinking of my team at work and how the last six months has made us feel like a squad of soldiers trying to survive the AI wars. My next thought slotted a missing chunk of the new book into place. I have a protag with a squad, and now I have starting personalities to work from.

One of the squad members betrays team. Now I know who that is ?. Most importantly, I have the angry, cynical protag’s emotional starting point as a bitter conscript and her end point as a hopeful realist just trying to help the team survive. You use what you know ?. Finalized past/present structure

Michael Caine said an acting teacher of his gave him advice to “Use your difficulties.” I loved this idea because it transformed my thinking about both the things I am bad at and the bad things I’m going through. “Going through the shit? USE it.” Aye-aye.

Another reframing: just think, if I didn’t have a day job, I would not have the book I’m going to finish next!! Which is gonna be Ah-Maze-Ing!!!

See? Framing!!

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Brutal. Devastating. Dangerous. Join an investigation into a cruel and heartless leader … crawl through filth and mud to escape biological warfare … team up with time-traveling soldiers faced with potentially life-altering instructions. Kameron Hurley, award-winning author and expert in the future of war and resistance movements, has created eighteen exhilarating tales giving glimpses into […]

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