September 30th, 2009 / 12:44 pm
Craft Notes

The news teaches me something about writing.

lewis_criedToday, the Russians launched a clown into space. He’s the first space clown, ever. The clown paid $35 million to go into space, where he intends to publicize the world’s dwindling supply of clean water.

From a news perspective, this story is just full of hooks. First clown in space. Paid $35 million dollars. Millionaire clown. Buying your way into space.

It’s just—well, the clean water thing. It’s one hook too many. His clean water awareness mission is entirely buried by the fact that he’s the first millionaire clown to buy his way to the international space station. He’s going to be a sad clown. Swimming in polluted water.

I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve read that seemed to me to be a bunch of quirky ideas thrown together, as if the writer was hoping one would really stick. I can’t tell you how many times those stories have been MY stories.

Don’t do it, everybody. Don’t bury the point with your ideas. They’ll tempt you. They do that.

(Prize for the first commenter to identify the image above. And not just who it is. Why it is appropriate, too.)

18 Comments

  1. Sean

      That is some dude who back-talked Russell Crowe

  2. Sean

      That is some dude who back-talked Russell Crowe

  3. alec niedenthal

      jerry lewish in the legendary and unseen holocaust-themed “the day the clown cried”

      thanks internet

      give me a prize

  4. alec niedenthal

      jerry lewish in the legendary and unseen holocaust-themed “the day the clown cried”

      thanks internet

      give me a prize

  5. Richard

      Well, it’s Jerry Lewis, from The Day the Clown Cried, a film about a clown imprisoned in a nazi camp. The film was never finished or released.

  6. Richard

      Well, it’s Jerry Lewis, from The Day the Clown Cried, a film about a clown imprisoned in a nazi camp. The film was never finished or released.

  7. Matthew Simmons

      Yep. Email me at giantblinditems

      at

      g

      mail

      dot

      com

      and we’ll send you something.

  8. Matthew Simmons

      Yep. Email me at giantblinditems

      at

      g

      mail

      dot

      com

      and we’ll send you something.

  9. alec niedenthal

      haha. are you serious? that isn’t really necessary.

  10. alec niedenthal

      haha. are you serious? that isn’t really necessary.

  11. Matthew Simmons

      Completely serious. I have more books in my home than I know what to do with—lots of galleys, etc.—and am happy to part with them.

  12. Matthew Simmons

      Completely serious. I have more books in my home than I know what to do with—lots of galleys, etc.—and am happy to part with them.

  13. Richard

      crap, guess i was slow to pull the trigger

  14. Richard

      crap, guess i was slow to pull the trigger

  15. justin

      The space clown got off work at 3pm and checked his email. There were no emails in his account. The space clown looked out the window and listened to the binary sound which were coming from out of the planet he was nearby.

      The space clown tried to log into facebook.
      The space clown rolled off his bed and fell sideways onto the floor.
      The space clown looked at the wall.

  16. justin

      The space clown got off work at 3pm and checked his email. There were no emails in his account. The space clown looked out the window and listened to the binary sound which were coming from out of the planet he was nearby.

      The space clown tried to log into facebook.
      The space clown rolled off his bed and fell sideways onto the floor.
      The space clown looked at the wall.

  17. Merzmensch

      the emptiness

      red nose reflected
      in the roundish Earth
      behind this damn thick window glass

      what if this planet becomes a red nose
      one day?

      the emptiness

      “look, the star is falling!”

      emptiness
      silence
      absence

  18. Merzmensch

      the emptiness

      red nose reflected
      in the roundish Earth
      behind this damn thick window glass

      what if this planet becomes a red nose
      one day?

      the emptiness

      “look, the star is falling!”

      emptiness
      silence
      absence