Fragments

Each day I (try to) write a ‘fragment’, which I define to be a piece of writing unattached to anything other than itself.  These fragments are often inspired by what I am reading, and may directly lead on from a sentence I have liked in a novel, or else they ape the tone of what I am reading, or the style, or the time period.  Or – they don’t, and they are simply something I write from whatever inspiration is rattling around in my brain.

I hand write each fragment in the morning as a warm-up exercise and also as a way of creating a bank of writing from which to draw from for larger pieces.  As an example, the novel I am currently working on came out of fragments #28 and #29, which were written in early October.

Fragments may have a beginning, middle, and end, or they may not.  There is no requirement.  They a generally a page in length, and as will become clear, are often linked thematically (because – they are me).

Fragments

5 thoughts on “Fragments”

    1. No, I haven’t deleted them. I just haven’t posted them yet. I don’t post the fragments in order. Also, those two fragments ended up becoming the start of a novel I’ve been working on since October.
      Also, hi! Your post reminds me that I need to read your book and write about it.
      Damian

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  2. Damien,

    I saw your reference to the novel, that’s why I asked ; )

    Also, hi!

    Which of my books do you refer to? ‘Never Mind the Balkans. Here’s Romania’, ‘Child Witch Kinshasa’, ‘Child Witch London’, or ‘Spinner the Winner’? I assume the first of those titles?

    Btw, a new edition of ‘Never Mind’ will be published soon. I have added this quotation from you to the back cover:

    Is that OK? If you send me your email address, asap, I’ll send a jpg of the cover-in-progress

    Did you get my recent tweet re-Sappho article in NYr? Interesting article. I did not know about her.

    Good luck with the novel, and congrats to you (both) on your engagement, nice photo.

    Thank you & g’day.
    Mike

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  3. Hmm.. the quotation vanished! Perhaps because it includes your website, and WP spammed it?.

    Here it is again:

    “Ormsby’s style is clever and entertaining and manages to condense a good deal into a very small word count.” Damien Kelleher www dot damiankeller dot com

    I omitted your phrase “of political criticism” because that referred only to the story ‘Democracy’. I hope this is OK with you.

    My other (edited) options from you were:

    “Ormsby highlights the inherent problems of democracy, and particularly when that democracy is newly founded.”

    “Sufficiently short and focused that almost all of its effect comes from the sharpness of the satire, and not the expected trappings of narrative fiction.”

    But i felt the first is the best, since it is as general comment. If you object, do scream.

    Thank you,

    Mike

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