Reddit mentions of How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Novel

I was joking there, with my reply :) I do, however, think using that language inaccurately equates image production in text-based literature to that in cinematography. This becomes especially mis-applied when discussing literature with a non-standard POV (say, a fake literary critique).

I also firmly believe that it's fine to describe how characters think and reason about their situations. While I agree that relying on this can be dull, there are many examples of literature that takes place entirely in the main character's mind. See or "The Depressed Person" by David Foster Wallace or "Axolotl" by Julio Cortázar or (one of my personal favorites) "The Secret Miracle" by Jorge Luis Borges for some canonically accepted examples of what I mean.

As for what inspired my writing, it was, alas, not r/writingPrompts. I was reading a (weird) book called How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Novel, which is about a single father that raises his son who is a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle. I felt that one of the most underdeveloped "quirks" of the novel is that its version of smoking is that people smoke their fingers. And it's just kind of referred to as that, without much more development. And I felt bad leaving it that underdeveloped.

Also, I mustn't forget to say this: A sincere thanks for reminding me that the word "bandage" exists. I'll probably leave the Band-Aid section in, but I'm definitely using that word most of the time.

Best wishes and happy writing in whatever medium that may be, u/motherf-----!