{"id":107383,"date":"2024-06-21T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/townhouse\/?p=107383"},"modified":"2024-06-21T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T08:00:00","slug":"playing-chess-with-pigeons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/playing-chess-with-pigeons\/","title":{"rendered":"Playing chess with pigeons\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We had a nice exercise on Feedback Friday last week \u2013 all about finding the romance between him and her, when one of the two is not present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week we\u2019ll be dealing with mystery \u2013 more about that below. But as of July, we\u2019ll be devoting ourselves, for six weeks, to a complete course in writing a novel. Every week, there\u2019ll be a (roughly half hour) video from me guiding you through particular aspects of writing. Each week, I\u2019ll give you a task. Then we\u2019ll all meet on our regular Feedback Friday form to upload our tasks and exchange feedback. The modules will cover: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 1 Planning <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 2 Character <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 3 Plot <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 4 Prose <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 5 Tools (points of view, etc) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 6 Self-editing <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a Premium Member already, you don\u2019t need to do anything at all \u2013 you\u2019ll have access to the material automatically. That said, if you want a plump little video from me to plop into your inbox trussed up like a fat little partridge with bacon on top, you can register for the course here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not a Premium Member, you won\u2019t get the course videos (or feedback from me), but you can join us here. (The cost is as little as \u00a312.50 \/ about US$16 per month.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okie-doke. Enough of that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pigeons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I came across a great phrase the other day, from someone frustrated by a particular issue \u2013 they said it was like \u2018playing chess with pigeons.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you think: OK, I\u2019ll get a ready for a game of chess. I\u2019ll brush up my knowledge of openings. I\u2019ll play a few practice matches. I\u2019ll push for territorial advantage early one, maybe get slightly ahead in terms of pieces, then I\u2019ll move in for checkmate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You go to the park, lay out the chessboard \u2013 and find that your opponent is a pigeon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you make your move. Perhaps the pigeon starts by making a few somewhat random-n-wild moves of its own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get ahead in the game earlier than you had expected. And yes, perhaops, you find yourself picking up pieces from the ground and resetting them on the board perhaps a little more often than if you were playing a FIDE grandmaster. But you make allowances. This is a pigeon, after all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then \u2013 ha! \u2013 you still have your queen and both rooks. You command one file completely. The pigeon\u2019s king is trapped behind its own pawns. You are ready to move in for the kill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You make your move and say \u2018Check!\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pigeons flaps its wings and knocks over a piece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You put the piece back where you think the pigeon maybe intended to move it and \u2013 another move. One more and you\u2019ll be ready for mate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At which \u2013 the pigeon flaps its wings, knocks everything over, pecks crisps from a litter bin, craps all over the board, and flies away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So: have you won? Or not won? Was this even chess at all? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I really don\u2019t want to exaggerate, and there are plenty of really great author-publisher interactions and loads of really excellent author-agent relationships, but \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, there are also far too many episodes where authors \u2013 trying really hard to play a disciplined and professional game of chess \u2013 discover that they have ended up playing with a pigeon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n