The Strange and Wonderful World of Catch 22
Currently reading: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Feeling: Seriously amused
OMG, this book is made of win! It is so completely, utterly, fantastically filled with a ridiculous number of colourful, silly, and seemingly endless adjectives and adverbs that it would make any editor cringe. Or fall off his or her chair laughing. And I love it!!!
The characters (with names like Major Major Major Major [Major Major for short], Doc Daneeka, and Milo Minderbinder) are hilarious in their utter ridiculousness, which is compounded by the story's randomness and the "Catch 22" situations which had me wiping tears of mirth on multiple occasions. It has a M*A*S*H feel to it, mixed with the randomness of an episode of Seinfeld. :D
In writing news, it is hard to craft a (good) story, with meaningful characters, in 4,000 words or fewer. I am convinced I have too much story to fit within the confines of the contest guidelines (word count currently sits at 4,500ish), but I shall persevere. Worst case, I don't submit to this short story contest and I write a slightly longer story, with meatier characters, and submit to magazines.
Meanwhile, I shall go back to reading Catch 22.
UPDATE: Okay, the novelty of the adjectives and adverbs (and repetitive stories) in Catch 22 wore off long before the story ended. I finished the book, but not without wondering why he didn't just ... stop. I felt it went on far beyond its entertainment value. It took ridiculousness to a whole new level, which I enjoyed, but then it kept going ... and going ... and going. *sigh* Still, I couldn't put it down, because I felt compelled to finish it. Overall, a good book, all things considered.
Feeling: Seriously amused
OMG, this book is made of win! It is so completely, utterly, fantastically filled with a ridiculous number of colourful, silly, and seemingly endless adjectives and adverbs that it would make any editor cringe. Or fall off his or her chair laughing. And I love it!!!
The characters (with names like Major Major Major Major [Major Major for short], Doc Daneeka, and Milo Minderbinder) are hilarious in their utter ridiculousness, which is compounded by the story's randomness and the "Catch 22" situations which had me wiping tears of mirth on multiple occasions. It has a M*A*S*H feel to it, mixed with the randomness of an episode of Seinfeld. :D
In writing news, it is hard to craft a (good) story, with meaningful characters, in 4,000 words or fewer. I am convinced I have too much story to fit within the confines of the contest guidelines (word count currently sits at 4,500ish), but I shall persevere. Worst case, I don't submit to this short story contest and I write a slightly longer story, with meatier characters, and submit to magazines.
Meanwhile, I shall go back to reading Catch 22.
UPDATE: Okay, the novelty of the adjectives and adverbs (and repetitive stories) in Catch 22 wore off long before the story ended. I finished the book, but not without wondering why he didn't just ... stop. I felt it went on far beyond its entertainment value. It took ridiculousness to a whole new level, which I enjoyed, but then it kept going ... and going ... and going. *sigh* Still, I couldn't put it down, because I felt compelled to finish it. Overall, a good book, all things considered.
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