.

[MillieDynamite]

I've seen it. Love the Simon & Garfunkel song.

Well, The Bronx can be kind of depressing. I mean, poor people have to live somewhere. And Anne Bancroft - you've got too hands, tap your keyboard and look her up. But then, you've never seen The Graduate, I suppose? Just because it was released in 1967 doesn't mean you are relieved of your obligation to know about it.

 

[gunhilltrain]

If you really want her full biography:

 

[gunhilltrain]

I've seen it. Love the Simon & Garfunkel song.

I think there are three or four such songs? Most of them existed before the movie. The one is used at the beginning and partially at the end.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yeah, this thread has spiraled out of control. Back to our regular topic. We had one, didn't we?

 

[ChloeTzang]

Yeah, this thread has spiraled out of control. Back to our regular topic. We had one, didn't we?

Oh we did, and I was just looking at it and thinking hey, this applies to my "Hammered" story. I've written the ending, but it's nothing like what I'd planned when I started, and neither is the story itself. It just evolved on its own as I wrote it, and a lot of that was my protagonist's character driving her behavior and thus the story. Weird how it goes sometimes.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Oh we did, and I was just looking at it and thinking hey, this applies to my "Hammered" story. I've written the ending, but it's nothing like what I'd planned when I started, and neither is the story itself. It just evolved on its own as I wrote it, and a lot of that was my protagonist's character driving her behavior and thus the story. Weird how it goes sometimes.

"Spiraling out of control," has a negative connotation, while "changing direction" doesn't. The OP seems unhappy with whatever has been happening to his stories, but he hasn't told us exactly what is bothering him. Too many subplots? Too many characters?

 

[gunhilltrain]

Dead serious.

Any particular reason for going in that direction? A couple of times when I considered adding violence to stories, I changed my mind. I'm not sure why, but they would have become "crime stories" and I may not have a knack for those.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I honestly don't know. It just happens. Sometimes I edit it out, other times I want to see where it goes and keep writing.

I currently only have three erotica stories that involve serial killers. (I've swapped the others to non-erotica stories or nixed the serial killer after letting it play out for a little while..)

I guess we all have certain tropes or themes that show up in our work. True crime stories are somewhat interesting to me, but a lot of it has to do with the way the police and court systems deal with it. (Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter would probably fit into that category.) Unlike Hannibal Lector, most real serial killers, beyond their extreme acts, are not that interesting as people.

 

[SimonDoom]

I've never had a story spiral out of control but I'd like to experience it at least once.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I think there are three or four such songs? Most of them existed before the movie. The one is used at the beginning and partially at the end.

Yes, but the one I was thinking of was Mrs. Robbinson.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yes, but the one I was thinking of was Mrs. Robbinson.

The weird thing is that the song was originally going to be called "Mrs. Roosevelt," but it was changed for the movie. I think they were working on it before they knew it was going to be used by Mike Nichols. The song's plot, apparently about a female alcoholic (I think), does dovetail with the movie plot. The entire song isn't heard in the movie, but various non-lyrical bits of it were recorded. In here, whatever is heard is not from the album version, and it cuts out for about a minute. I like that bit on the Bay Bridge (it might not even be Hoffman driving, but a someone else paid to do it).

 

[gunhilltrain]

I've never had a story spiral out of control but I'd like to experience it at least once.

I've had my life spiral out of control, but somehow I recovered each time. Sometimes it was my own fault, which I wished I hadn't experienced.

 

[SimonDoom]

I've had my life spiral out of control, but somehow I recovered each time. Sometimes it was my own fault, which I wished I hadn't experienced.

A completely different issue! I'm much more in control of my stories than I am of my life. There may be a connection to those two things.

 

[gunhilltrain]

A completely different issue! I'm much more in control of my stories than I am of my life. There may be a connection to those two things.

I know, I was kidding I think, but not doing it very well.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

While writing is easy, at least for me, it isn't what I'd call hard. Life, on the other hand, is hard. But it being hard, makes it far more enjoyable than if it were easy. Not that we think that in hard times. While my husband and aren't poor, we aren't rich either, and several times, money has been an issue. Those difficult times, have made me enjoy the good times all that much more. The fact we can help our son in his education is a blessing.

I've had my life spiral out of control, but somehow I recovered each time. Sometimes it was my own fault, which I wished I hadn't experienced.

 

[MillieDynamite]

But you are going to make him pay it back. My Pops helped me with the classes I took. Maybe I should pay him back. I don't think he made my adopted siblings pay him back for anything. And he has never asked me to pay him back for anything, either. However, I see why it might build character if we all did that.

While writing is easy, at least for me, it isn't what I'd call hard. Life, on the other hand, is hard. But it being hard, makes it far more enjoyable than if it were easy. Not that we think that in hard times. While my husband and aren't poor, we aren't rich either, and several times, money has been an issue. Those difficult times, have made me enjoy the good times all that much more. The fact we can help our son in his education is a blessing.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Yes, we are. And yes, you should.

But you are going to make him pay it back. My Pops helped me with the classes I took. Maybe I should pay him back. I don't think he made my adopted siblings pay him back for anything. And he has never asked me to pay him back for anything, either. However, I see why it might build character if we all did that.