Writing Project #1 - Literacy Narrative

My encounter with The Undefeated.

Cover of Men without Women

Like I said before, I have a strong background in writing for marketing and advertising. However, I tried many times in the past to write fiction, but it has been hard to do so. I usually can’t find the right theme, or the right plot or the right arch for the characters. And for me it is also really hard to find the right structure to craft a comprehensive narrative.

A couple of months ago I found a short story that helped me in a great way. The story is called The Undefeated and it was written by Ernest Hemingway and it is featured in his short story collection entitled Men without Women, published in 1927.

The Undefeated is about a Spanish bullfighter named Manuel who recently got out of the hospital and is desperately looking for work. A promoter reluctantly hires him for a lower class type of Corrida that was going to take place in the following evening, and he enlists the help of an old friend to be his picador.

I fell in love in this story the first time I read it. Hemingway is a true master in composition, he writes like a reporter trying to describe the news using poetry. His vast passion for Spain and his deep knowledge of the country’s culture makes you feel like you are present at the scene as the plot develops. But the most interesting part of the story is that is so easy to read and easy to get. Yet in its simplicity you can still find several layers that makes you feel that the story is way deeper than it seems at first glance.

I took The Undefeated and used It as a model for writing a short story of my own, trying to find a formula that will allow me to tell a good story that is both exciting and comprehensive. If my version of The Undefeated works, I am going to start writing other stories, with other characters, in other times, hoping to find the right formula for a good reading experience. If all those stories works, I am going to put them together in a short stories book and try to publish it myself.

So, I did what Hunter S. Thompson did with the Great Gatsby. I took the story and re-write it all over again trying to get a grasp of its qualities, sense of rhythm and composition structure. However, unlike Mr. Thompson, I wasn’t going to write the same thing all over again. So I took The Undefeated and changed the location, the time and the sport. Instead of being placed in Madrid, I moved the city to an undisclosed Latin American capital. Instead of being set in the 20s, my story was going to be set in the current times. Instead of being about a bullfighter, my story was going to be about a boxer. Characters, names, dynamic, and everything else I copied from Hemingway.

Hunter S. Thompson 1937 – 2005

The experience was a blast. Not only did enjoy writing The Undefeated as a contemporary boxing story, I have showed it to some friends and they loved it too. At some point of the process I discarded for complete the original story and my version went on its own way, telling a story that was different, original in its way but clearly inspired by a previous great work of fiction. In my version of The Undefeated we get to know a bit more about the characters morals and personal agendas, we are shown a different place in a different time but the eerie feel of the place remains the same, we go deeper in Manuel’s downfall and understand more about his attitude and why he takes the decisions he takes. We also dwell more about the pointlessness of violence but its relevance in shaping a masculine identity.

I haven’t finished yet, but it is almost there. I have yet to decide what to do with the main character at the end. In Hemingway's version, is not clear if the protagonist lives or dies at the end of story. I know that in my version of the story that outcome will be clear, but I still haven’t decided if he lives or if he dies.

While I take that decision and decide whether my version of Manuel lives or dies at the end, I have found inspiration for several other short stories. I hope to get to those after I finish with The Undefeated first.

But in the meantime, the mission was accomplished and I used Hemingway for my own help and productivity, I am glad about my encounter with The Undefeated because it gave me a new perspective and a new technique in how to approach my creative writing. It also gave me a sense of renewed security about my talent as a writer. Is like a walking down the path holding hands with the masters.