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C.G. Jones

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Twitter

TheLastSisyphus

Genre

Classics, Philosophy, Science Fiction

Member Since

October 2020

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/thelastsisyphus

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C.G. Jones is the author of Project: Sleepless Dream—an ergodic text told through emails, letters, memos, transcripts, and poetry. He is currently at work on a short story collection that takes place in the same world as PSD.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

C.G. Jones I have been asked more than once about where the idea for Project: Sleepless Dream came from. It is a good question, and it is a question I used to wo…moreI have been asked more than once about where the idea for Project: Sleepless Dream came from. It is a good question, and it is a question I used to wonder from authors I respected.

But I have learned something.

It is virtually impossible to say where any ideas come from. For me, I just knew that I wanted Project: Sleepless Dream (PSD) to be a sufficiently complex novel that would have the density and force to pull readers to the very end.

The major influences for PSD that I can readily call to mind were Infinite Jest, House of Leaves, and George Saunders' early stuff. The process of gathering the tools necessary to write something complex and absurd took a lot of time. It took a lot of learning, endless frustration, and several times of telling myself that I was going to give up on the whole writing thing.

The pessimistic philosophers (ie Cioran, Zapffe, Schopenhauer, and Ligotti) turned out to be a steady sounding board for my discontent. And they still are. But I eventually learned that quality art is, a lot of the time, borne out of a mind that has descended into Nietzsche’s abyss. I learned that I had to be pulled down low in order to understand what was essential in finishing a novel. To use a Biblical word, I needed to learn the value of longsuffering.

To suffer long.

I had started what I thought would be my debut novel countless times over the years. None of them worked out because I had not yet been introduced to that intellectual, emotional, and existential abyss that all the pessimists allude to. Perhaps it is not required for everyone, but I can confidently say that it was required for me. And it is only now that I am less than a year away of having fleshed out draft of my second novel.

It is for these reasons that ideas do not have any one root. They have many.

Ideas, for me, are infinitely dense seeds planted by our innate affinities in the soil of our natural disposition, and watered and nurtured by our experiences as conscious creatures in the world.

Everything takes time. So let it.(less)

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

C.G. Jones Writer's block is something that a lot of people experience—undoubtedly. One of the most common places writer's block happens is at the beginning of a…moreWriter's block is something that a lot of people experience—undoubtedly. One of the most common places writer's block happens is at the beginning of a writing project. When facing the blank page.

However, this hasn't been my experience. Writer's block—at least for me—tends to happen about halfway through a project, when there are so many different directions a story could go. It's not so much a lack of ideas or direction as it is about what direction to go in. This can be paralyzing (and often is), because, if you're a perfectionist like me, you don't want to screw it up.

A couple tips:

1.) Change up where you tend to write. Neil Gaiman mentioned this in a podcast episode with David Tennant. Sometimes what we need is a change of scenery—a break from the monotony. Our brain is a pattern-seeking organism, and it's quite good at it. Therefore, if you tend to write in the same place, your mind has already outlined the environment, over and over again—to the point where it's not being challenged anymore. Exposing your brain to new environments and patterns could be just the thing you need. This has worked for me.

2.) Keep a small journal with your ideas in it. It doesn't necessarily have to be a physical journal. Maybe it's just a matter of keeping ideas in the "Notes" app in your phone. Whether it's a word, a phrase, a sentence, or a whole scene, don't let a good idea pass you by. It's true that ideas are cheap, but they can turn into very rare (ie original) gems.

3.) Understand that a story may want to go in a different direction than you want it to. Almost everything I've ever written has veered from the general outline I had for it. This is a good thing. It means your story is alive, and it's taking on a life of its own. Though it may sound a little "out there," mentally ask your story what it wants to do. Whether you believe in the Muse or not, you will receive an answer—it just may not be the one you expected.

4.) Writer's block can also be a function of the writer not really knowing what they want to write about. It's important to have an idea about what you want to say. Whether that pertains to the plot, characters, or overall philosophy of the story. This is not to say you need to know how your story ends before you start—you definitely don't. But it could be helpful to handwrite a short character biography or plot point in a notepad. Even though I tend to type my stories, I always have a notebook next to me, jotting down details and reiterating what I want to say. It keeps me on task.

5.) Refrain from scrolling on your phone. This is something I'm still working on. In order for me to effectively settle into the world of my story, I can't have easy distractions such as a notification on my phone. And I assume I'm not the only one with this issue.

I hope these tips were helpful!(less)

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Average rating: 4.56 · 18 ratings · 12 reviews · 1 distinct work

Project : Sleepless Dream

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C.G. Jones's Blog

My Current Writing Project

With the relative success of my debut novel, Project: Sleepless Dream (PSD), I am about halfway through my next writing project: a short story collection.

The collection—which I haven't named yet—will take place in the same world as PSD. While PSD delved into the governmental part of the fictional world, the collection will take a look at some of the individual characters in Desert, Wisconsin—a sm Read more of this blog post »

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