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ellaofoakhill · 3 years

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My Thoughts on Boxes

Something has kinda been bugging me the last little while, that I like to think a lot of people can relate to. We live in a society that, generally speaking, likes putting things into boxes; we like analyzing and sorting and organizing. And there’s nothing really wrong with that in and of itself--frankly, I could stand to do a lot more of it in the more practical aspects of my life--but such a system only really works with things that easily fit into discreet categories, and the things that aren’t or can’t be easily sorted are either forced into a box where they don’t fit, or left adrift without any real place to be.

In particular, I’m talking about fiction. You have numerous genres that multiply by the day, and the age categories that stories within those genres are deemed suitable for. And don’t get me wrong, there are lots of practical reasons for those categories; they make advertising and the organization of bookstores and libraries dramatically easier, and for most stories, this system works great, with each finding the audience most likely to derive benefit from reading it.

But--again, solely my opinion here--this may have produced stories that are a lot flatter than stories written in previous eras (which had their own problems, I will NOT get into that today). By flat, I don’t mean boring, or a failure of the story. I mean that the story feels like it was changed to fit into the category it most closely matched. In the most egregious examples, I feel like things were either added to a story that did nothing for it besides make it fit its box better, or taken out that were either integral to the story or added a depth and breadth to it that improved the work overall, even if that made it harder to sort.

This makes me think of the Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch quote, “Murder your darlings”, but completely opposite to what he was getting at. The general interpretation is “Even if you like a given piece of writing/painting/sculpture/etc., if it does more bad than good for your work, you need to remove it for the sake of the art.” What I feel is happening is “You need to change your story so it fits the target demographic, no matter what it looks like at the end.” The former serves the story and its spirit; the latter sacrifices the story for... I don’t know, ease of advertising, perhaps? Certainly financial gain is involved there.

So my first argument against this jaded, greedy way of thinking runs thus. Look at the stories that are now considered classics of Western literature: look at Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice; look at White Fang and Call of the Wild; look at Dracula and Frankenstein; look at The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia (no, I couldn’t resist throwing in two classic fantasy titles, and no, I won’t apologize for it). If you haven’t read these stories, you probably should. Yes, they have problems that mark them as products of their time, but every last one of them has one thing in common: none of them were written with a box in mind. We’ve thought of lotr as a fantasy staple for so long that we’ve forgotten that, prior to its popularity, fantasy as a genre wasn’t really a thing. There were fairy-tales, yes, and stories with fantastical elements, but a genre of story with precise conventions? Not really.

Let’s zoom in on Tolkien’s work, for a moment. Look at his world and its origins, and it draws heavy inspiration from Old English and Scandinavian myths and legends. Look at his characters, in particular his four hobbits, and he drew from his love of the English countryside, his respect for the common working man (Sam, the gardener, literally carries Frodo, the wellbred young gentleman, on his shoulders in the final leg of their gruelling journey to the Cracks of Doom), and his horrific experiences in the First World War. Hilariously enough, a big part of the reason he wrote the stories was as a self-justification for his indulgence in and lifelong love affair with language invention (look at the huge appendices at the back of The Return of the King and tell me I’m lying!). Read his work and any and all interviews with him, and a “genre box” seems clearly to have never crossed his mind.

Putting aside the genre box for a moment, let’s talk age categories. The Hobbit was a story he invented for his children, and it does show. Look at the Lord of the Rings, and it is clearly at a higher level of reading comprehension, and written for a more mature audience; there’s less silliness, though he keeps the wonder at this wild, magical world. But where to put it? The hobbits run a spectrum from basically teenagers (Pippin) to almost middle age (Frodo is in his fifties when he embarks on his journey to Rivendell), yet they’re clearly his protagonists, though we also see some narration revolving around Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, all of whom are adults, though the latter two are somewhat younger for their respective races, whereas Aragorn is in his eighties (this being offset somewhat by the fact that he lives to over two hundred, but I digress...). We’re told today (falsely; VERY falsely) that the main character(s) should match the age of their target audience. Where does lotr fit, then, in terms of age category?

The answer you’re looking for is: not really very well anywhere; at least, not according to modern convention. As for my personal experience, I could and did read both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion at age thirteen. I consider myself a fairly intelligent young man, but I was varying degrees of lost when I read those. When I re-read them as an adult I was fine, but that isn’t to imply that teens shouldn’t be reading lotr, far from it. There’s nothing in them content-wise one wouldn’t reasonably expect a teenager to handle, and there’s a lot of good, powerful story and commentary in there that’s relevant to this day.

My point is, the age category doesn’t really matter. If I may shamelessly plug my own work for a moment, when I was first writing tftem, and even as I’m editing and publishing it now, I wondered and still wonder about this age category business. There is nothing in these stories I’d consider inappropriate for kids, and anyone above the age of about 8, with perhaps a slight stretch to their vocabulary, could comfortably read every story beginning to end. Further complicating matters, my beta readers ranged from 8 to almost 80, and most of the spectrum in between. They all liked it; whether they liked it for the same reasons is moot.

Which leads me into my second argument against boxing and categorizing stories. The boxes aren’t very reliable. If I may change media for a moment, cultural convention says, as an adult, there is only a narrow sleazy strip of cartoon entertainment I should be watching and enjoying. That tiny slice of the cartoon pie is the only slice I avoid like the plague. Yes, there are stories that don’t appeal to me because they’re too simplistic, or are problematic in ways that I find repellent, or just aren’t executed very well, but aside from things aimed at toddlers and the aforementioned “adult” cartoons, any cartoon is fair game. Give me an interesting concept, or a fascinating character, or hell just give me a good laugh or line of dialogue or beautiful fight scene, and I’ll give it a try.

My point is (yes I had one, and no, believe it or not I didn’t forget it), don’t write or draw or create with a box in mind. You will murder the spirit of your darlings. The box does not exist to define what you, the writer, are allowed to do, or what you should do. At best, the box exists in hindsight, once the work is done, to tell your prospective audience whether your story was written for them. And even then, lots of fantastic stories don’t sit well in boxes. Some of them actively rip the boxes to pieces. Lotr is a story that transcends boxes, and as a result has many layers and rabbit-holes and nuances that you can pick up when you’re ready to appreciate them, however old you are. In many ways, it’s ageless.

I didn’t write tftem to emulate Tolkien, nor even as an homage to him, or C.S. Lewis, or anyone else. But I did want to write a similarly ageless story, a story that could be read and appreciated a hundred years from now, by an audience of eight-year-olds or octogenarians. Why did we ever start moving away from stories like this? They were the foundation of stories for as long as stories have existed on Earth. People are still reading and marvelling at The Epic of Bloody Gilgamesh!

Tl;dr: don’t try to force your stories into boxes; they suffocate. Write what you enjoy writing; chances are it’ll live longer.

#writing #my posts #the box must fit the story not the other way around #on writing #on publishing #tolkien #lotr #my thoughts on the industry and its flaws

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thesunnyshow · 4 years

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Name: Cece

Writing Blog URL(s): @dreamsaboutnct

What fandom(s) do you write for?: NCT & WayV

Age: 17

Nationality: German

Languages: German, English and a little bit of French

Star Sign: Aries

MBTI: Virtuoso (istp-t) mind

Favorite color: Pastel pink and purple

Favorite food: Bell pepper filled with rice and tomato

Favorite movie: The Halloween movies / Wonder

Favorite ice cream flavor: Strawberry

Favorite animal: Pigs

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering?: Tea! I really dislike the taste of coffee

Dream job (whether you have a job or not): Dancer

Go-to karaoke song: Let it go - Disney Frozen

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?: Mind reading

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose?: The time before there was the Internet and much technology

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you?

I probably would but i doubt that much would change

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken?

One horse-sized chicken because it's easier to run away from one thing rather than 100 things

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been?

The girl that just gives relationship advice without having friends

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures?

Yes, aliens and demons/ghosts

What are some small things that make your day better?

My cats, dancing and music!!

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know?

I own a bowling pin with my name on it, I got it on my 9th birthday

When did you post your first piece?

I don't remember but I think someday in may 2018

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why?

I write a lot of fluff and some angst because I feel like our everyday life is quite boring so nearly everyone could either use some fluff to brighten their day or some angst to help them cry and relieve their stress

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc?

I mostly write x reader (gender neutral) but i would also write ships if someone would send a request for that

Why did you decide to write for Tumblr?

I have loved to write since I was a little child and one day i found reactions for a kpop group and thought that would be a way to write and have a purpose.

What inspires you to write?

Mostly my own experiences or movies, sometimes I lay in bed and just think “oh, this would maybe make a nice story”.

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most?

I love writing angst and I also love highschool!au’s because i myself am still in school so i can relate to that a lot

What do you hope your readers take away from your work?

I wish they can either take a new view on certain stuff with them (like on insecurities or bullying and mental health) or just release their stress

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively?

I take a small break usually but if I am eager to keep writing i force myself to write and then it somehow works out

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful?

I don't really have a favourite piece of work but my most successful one is my nct dream reaction to their s/o asking to sleep in the same bed because they are scared of thunderstorms with around 400 notes

Who is your favorite person to write about?

I love everyone but I really like to write for the dreamies, and especially Renjun (even tho I don’t have any fics for him yet)

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose?

I think there is a difference, because fanfic writers usually try to take into account the way the idol/character behaves in real life/the show but when writing completely original content the writer is able to completely form the characters the way they want them to be

What do you think makes a good story?

For me, a good story always has a climax, because without it, it would be kind of boring

What is your writing process like?

I usually get an idea/request and write that down in my drafts so I don't forget, and then occasionally (depending if I’m in the mood or not) I will work on it. Once I’m done I read it once more to change some words I used too often. And after that I copy & paste it into Grammarly so they can check for spelling mistakes. If everything’s fine I put it into the queue.

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story?

If the story gets a lot of attention I can see that happening. I thought about writing a book many times but I’m never satisfied enough with my writing.

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand?

I live for bad boy/mafia stuff but I really really dislike stuff like yandere or those “teachers pet” kind of things.

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you?

Feedback is everything for me. It keeps me motivated and it just shows me that people actually read my work and didn’t just accidentally like it.

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)?

I don’t really feel successful, and I also don't focus on being successful. I just want to do the request I get and bring happiness to my readers.

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged?

Sometimes, yes. There is this stigma that says that all fanfic writers are cringey fangirls that don’t have anything better to do but I really don’t think it is like that. Most of us are just people who enjoy writing and want to share their work.

Do you think art can be a medium for change?

I do, a lot of artworks I see put their focus on important things going on in the world right now (racism, homophobia, the environment etc.) and since art gets posted on social media a lot I feel like it’s a good way to share knowledge and inform others.

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself?

Many times. But that's fine, my writing exists to comfort people, so I do it for others, not necessarily for me.

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times?

Usually they understand it the way it should be understood, but I don’t feel like anyone understands me. I tell a lot of lies regarding my wellbeing so I don't really know if that can be categorized as a misunderstanding but yeah, that happens a lot.

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr?

No one knows, and I really want to keep it that way.

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers?

I want to tell them that everything will turn out fine! It may be hard now but I promise it will get better! And my ask/private chat is ALWAYS open for EVERYONE!!!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there?

Just do it, I know it might be scary at first but it is a great way to improve your writing, make friends and still be a writer~

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr?

Sometimes when I take a long time for request I ask myself why I even joined when I can't do anything right but that feeling usually just passes

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey?

@panarmybelike has been really supportive. Always in my notifications and texting me, helping me with my drafts and everything!! Thank you Kai!!

Pick a quote to end your interview with:

“You're doing well. When things are hard I'll run with you, don't worry.”― Stray Kids, Grow Up

BONUS ROUND: K-POP CONFIDENTIAL

#@dreamsaboutnct #thesunnyshow #featured author #nct #wayv #episode 38

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shions-heart · 5 years

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AO3 Stats Meme

i was tagged by @jubesy 3 years ago . . . better late than never?

Go to your works page, expand all the filters, and answer the following questions!

1. What’s your first and second most common work ratings? Any surprises?

Teen And Up Audiences (42)

Mature (22)

I actually thought I had more Mature ones, so that’s kinda surprising.

2. What’s your most common archive warning? Least common? Do you consider yourself an adventurous writer?

Most common: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (77) Least common: Major Character Death (2)

I’d consider myself somewhat adventurous? I’m not against trying new things, though most “~problematic~” stuff I reserve for exploring through RP with two of my most trusted writing friends. It’s interesting to try out those things in contained, safe spaces, but I wouldn’t explore them in a public setting unless they were on the milder side that fit my larger narrative. I generally click “chose not to use” when posting fics because the archive warnings don’t apply but that doesn’t mean there aren’t warnings within the fic.

3. How many fics have you written in each relationship category? Is this more accidental, or do you have preferences?

M/M (93) Gen (14) Multi (2)

Some of my M/M could probably be categorized as “Multi” but seeing as they are M/M I generally go that route? I definitely have a preference.

4. What are your top 4 fandoms by numbers? Are you still active in any of them, and do you tend to migrate a lot?

I literally only have 6 fandoms that I’ve written for . . . these are those fandoms:

Haikyuu!! (85) Free! (10) No. 6 (Anime & Manga) (1) ダイヤのA | Daiya no A | Ace of Diamond (1) Tokyo Ghoul (1) 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End (1)

I’m active in the HQ!! fandom after a two year hiatus. Obviously, I don’t migrate much in my writing, but if I have an idea for a different fandom I’m not going to limit myself. I just don’t have ideas very often for other fandoms.

5. What are your top 4 character tags? Does this match how you feel about the characters, or are you puzzled?

Surprising absolutely no one:

Kozume Kenma (60) Kuroo Tetsurou (55) Akaashi Keiji (22) Bokuto Koutarou (20)

6. What are your top 2 most used additional tags, and your bottom 2? What would happen if you combined all 4 of these into a fic?

Top 2: Friendship (26) First Kiss (24)

(very much on brand)

Bottom 2: Smut (12) Post-Canon (11)

If I combined all four . . . it would still be very much on brand ahaha though I tend to write AUs.

7. How many WIPs do you have currently running on AO3? Any you don’t plan on finishing?

I have two WIPs right now (Igniting Fires and Finding North).

I make a real effort to always finish all my WIPs. The only one I didn’t was “poetry of the dead” the kyouhaba/kinkuni zombie apocalypse AU I was writing with Rae. I got stuck on the third part and took my name off the fic so it wouldn’t show up as a WIP on my AO3 and shame me forever ;;; (I still feel guilty/bad about it).

8. BONUS: Top 4 Pairing Tags. Still love them?

Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou (49) Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou (12) Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru (11) Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto (8)

I still love them all, though I don’t write for MakoHaru anymore ;;; (after MakoHaru is KyouHaba at 7 fics, which I feel like more accurately reflects my tastes these days. Only need one more KyouHaba to tie with MakoHaru so I guess I gotta work on that ;P)

9. Tag 5 people!

@emerald-psyche @newamsterdame @pulveremcomedesligulas @wildkitte @crollalanzaa if y’all want to!! no pressure of course~

#about me

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raging-violets · 6 years

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Riley: Fanfic Writers Appreciation Day (2/2)

And now for my fic recs! Again, in no particular order! (If I don’t mention your fic, it’s not because I don’t like it or that I don’t find it good enough to be recced, these are just the ones I’ve been reading lately. Trust me, I have a list of fics that I’m working to read around my work schedule and my own writing schedule).

A couple of fic Recs:

From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea - By @missjanuarylily - So, for those of you who don’t know, I used to love the Percy Jackson books and the first Percy Jackson movie. (Before I realized how the movie could’ve been better, lol). But Jan does an amazing job with adding an OC to the story that just fits and makes you wonder why they weren’t originally there. Lia isn’t just an OC and isn’t just the ‘OC is related to this character trope’ she’s her own person and she’s great fun to read. I highly recommend.

Honestly, any of the Diana Cassidy stories - by @hennigshelleys. Now, you need to read them in order, but even if you went in blind (or ‘series blind’ as I put it, rather than fandom blind) you’d still enjoy the stories. Diana gives an interesting interactionw ith all of the characters within Riverdale and it’s a fresh story that’s enjoyable to devour each chapter as they come up. Believe me, the best part is the way the characters are written, so in character and real despite whatever twist and turn is thrown at them so I can see that they truly would act the ways they’re written.

[Smeared_Mascara is online] - by @curious-fools-howl-to-the-moon I’ve seen this across my dash a lot, not only because I see curious-fools a lot for the support she gives each OC author, but because I loved teh edits for Smeared Mascara. I looked up the fandom, saw it was Stephen King related, and it is now on my list of new shows to watch. However, this fic is already giving me an idea of how things go and I just LOVE the fact that this OC is perfect. And I don’t mean Mary-Sue perfect, I mean perfect for me to read and find to be very enjoyable. There have been OCs over the years that I just didn’t enjoy as much (it happens, and I’m sure there are some that don’t enjoy mine) but Delilah is fresh and I grin every time I read her.

Guilt by @darknightfrombeyond. I knew nothing about Being Human going into Day’s story (other than what I looked up on wikipedia to make some aesthetics and stuff for her) but with Guilt, I also feel like I don’t need to know much. Everything with Guilt is what you see is what you get and I see an amazing story and get that. Ash is a great OC who instantly captivates you with her voice. But that’s not the point I want to highlight, I was to highlight how Day makes every chapter end on a cliffhanger that makes you want to read more and more and more. Not mention, her story really taught me how to write action and emotion within action and that helps as my main story focus is an action/adventure focused story. Please go read, it deserves a lot more attention.

Homecoming by @siriussblackx. This only has two chapters so far, a prologue and a first chapter, but I’m already in love with it. Noelle is awesome and I like the fact that it already starts from the POV of it being with the Serpents rather than starting Northside then to Southside. (Lol, I sort of just called myself out). She’s been a bit worried about posting her story and really doesn’t need to be. I think what we’ve seen so far is great and that there’s nothing but more good thigns to come.

Never Be The Same Butterfly Kisses by @isaaclahys Girl, that twist, though! Lol. I can’t say too much more than that for those who haven’t read and I don’t want to spoil. But, please, check this out. It’s a great AU (may not be the best way to categorize it, but you get what I mean) that I’m sure will continue to be amazing as it goes on.

@ceruleanmusings and @knocking-down-hesitation both deserve more attention than what they’re getting on their stories. Cerulean writes enjoyable stories filled with enjoyable OCs, as well as writing the canon characters so well that with everything that happens within said stories makes sense to the characters’ personalities and reactions to them. She takes a lot of tropes and cliches turns them on their side so they’re not done the same way each time. In particular, I feel her Teen Wolf story Underneath It All (as well as The Mark of Sage because I love anything The Flash) deserve some more attention. With each fandom she writes characters that make sense to be in that fandom and I can’t wait to see how things move forward). With Knocking, she writes canon so well that I’m amazed each time. I’ve constantly said to her I don’t know how she can simply enjoy canon characters (I do in some fandoms, but more often than not, I haven’t, personally, found any fandom I’ve enjoyed where I didn’t feel the need to create an OC for it) and then continue to write them so well in whatever plot she comes up with. I especially enjoyed Locked Up Abroad (on FFN and Ao3) which deserves a LOT more attention. It’s a different idea, it’s fresh, and I love the show, so seeing it turned into a fic for Legend of Korra is really creative and intuitive.

Last but not least, the second half of this blog: Rhuben of @purple-and-red-ribbons. So, the thing is that she can take fandoms that she’s even slightly interested in and make amazing fics for. (Already looking forward to the Criminal Minds one). The characters are always spot on, and the OCs she adds (not ignoring the ones we actually share, lol) are always so different. Bo, for example, is already one I’m more interested in seeing due to the expansion it’ll give some minor characters as well as interacting with larger ones. The story that she has coming in, where she’s not as popular as the others but sees things from her own POV is a really interesting take on Riverdale. Not to mention the writing style for it we’ve seen so far has been fresh and filled with personality. Averey, for The Flash, I think, brings in a fresh POV to The Flash as well, also giving more attention to Cisco (sort of calling myself out on this as well). Averey brings a lot of humor and fun and heart with her character that I feel the show has been missing (don’t get me started on season 4) that I think works so well that the moments written like this are better than the show on numerous occasions.

#fanfic writers appreciation day #fic recs #authored by: riley

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theseadagiodays · 4 years

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May 25, 2020

Orchestrators of Attention

Hayati Evreni’s Persistence of Covid

I typically have a very vivid dream life. Whole evenings of movies with characters I’ve never met and settings I’ve never seen. It’s one of the reasons I so love to sleep. Every night, I have an imagined altered reality to look forward to. And most mornings, to keep the stimuli of these vistiations fresh, I regale Geoff with a detailed recollection of these colorful fictions. But last night my reverie was disturbingly similar to my waking life. Zoom calls with real music students that I’ve been teaching. The delivery of our commissioned fence mural, which is actually scheduled for this Wednesday. It’s like so much else during this period, where everything seems to be bleeding into each other. Days to Weeks. Work to Home. And now, even the treasured boundary between my subconscious and conscious life has been compromised.

The fluid nature of perceived time in our current reality is problematic in so many ways. We are animals who’ve found real comfort from the compartmentilization of our lives. Separate spaces for every endeavor, from offices to gyms to libraries. We mark time in dozens of essential ways, with calendars, outfit changes, meal routines, holiday celebrations, happy hours - most all of which have dramatically changed during Covid. This weekend, I read the best explanation for why we find the circular time that has been foisted on us so difficult. Man Booker International Winner, Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights is part travel-fiction, part-memoir. Each vignette is a musing about the human propensity to wander. Here, she explains why perhaps only those of us truly tied to natural cycles, like growing seasons, can thrive in circumstances like we face today.

Sedentary people prefer the pleasure of circular time, in which every object and event must return to its own beginning, curl back up into an embryo and repeat the process of maturation and death. But nomads and merchants, as they set off on journeys, had to think up a different type of time for themselves, one that would better respond to the needs of their travels. That time is linear time, more practical because it was able to measure progress towards a goal or destination, rise in percentages. Every moment is unique; no moment can ever be repeated. This idea favors risk-taking, living life to the fullest, seizing the day. And yet the innovation is a profoundly bitter one: when change over time is irreversible, loss and mourning become daily things.

So, given that most people in modern society are far more aligned with the nomad/merchant class, it makes sense that we are sentenced to this inevitable grief once our “Just Do It”, “Follow Your Bliss” plans get derailed off-course. This analysis does not provide any solutions. However, I do think it absolves us of a certain culpability, so that we can stop blaming ourselves for feeling bad or for not handling the new norm as well as we should. Meanwhile, I think it can still be helpful to look for coping mechanisms, and I’ve found some from Jenny Odell, the unintended Queen of Quarantine who I crowned such after the cogent messages from her 2019 book, How To Do Nothing, came to be the perfect precepts for our time.

An avid bird-watcher, walker and observer, Odell is a proponent of slowing down to make space to notice. She calls her book a “field guide to doing nothing as an act of political resistance to the attention economy.” Her suggestions serve as antidotes to the distracting and fractured nature of attention that the limitless connectivity of our plugged-in lives demands. So, while most of us are still highly connected online, there are so many other ways in which we’ve become uplugged from life as we knew it. And I think she is suggesting that, perhaps, instead of seeing this as disconnection, or as an untethering, we can appreciate the space that this is creating for us to develop subtler forms of attention.

Odell describes herself, and all artists, as “orchestrators of attention”. She sees artists as curators of objects and ideas, re-imagined in ways that allow us to see things differently. I certainly turn to artists and writers to help me do this. And ironically, it is a circular journey of a different sort that brought me to her wisdom in the first place. Lately, I’ve found myself in a strange intellectual fractal. A quest for philosophical nuggets that has me spinning inside a loop of similar thinkers.

I regulary subscribe to BrainPickings, the source of many such nuggets. And that’s where I found Victor Frankl’s Yes to Life quote (from March 28 in this blog) about “the power to choose our response”. That newsletter also quoted Rebecca Solnit (Hope in the Dark), who I checked out further on Krista Tippet’s podcast, On Being. Looking at older episodes of this show, I found an interview with Ezra Klein (Why We’re Polarized), whose podcast just featured Jenny Odell on May 8th: On Nature, Art, and Burnout in Quarantine. https://www.vox.com/podcasts/2020/5/8/21252074/jenny-odell-the-ezra-klein-show-how-to-do-nothing-coronavirus-covid-19 This inspired me to purchase her new book, with its page 9 quote of none-other-than Solnit, again, this time from her book, Paradise Built in Hell. Back down the Solnit rabbit hole, I found another Frankl reference in this book, now from Man’s Search for Meaning. And so, the perfect circle was complete.

May 26, 2020

Unproductivity

Labyrinth project by Emily Carr university mentor, Kitty Bland, and student, Mary Rusk - https://www.ecuad.ca/news/2020/kitty-blandy-and-mary-rusak-find-focus-during-pandemic-with-meditation-pathway

Circular time makes me think of labyrinths. Mandalas of pathways that lead to nowhere, whose hypnotic ellipses draw our single-pointed focus towards the simple act of walking. I have always loved these places of reflection. And I find it erroneous that the term labyrinthian has come to refer to complicated places where we get lost. Because I feel that I actually find myself in such places. The only thing lost is a false sense of destination as the purpose in life.

Odell subscribes to a similar viewpoint in How to Do Nothing. Rather than a plea to escape reality, quit our jobs, or shrug our responsibilities, her book is an invitation to question what we perceive as productive. I think our current reality has many of us doing this. My morning walk has me literally “stopping and smelling the roses” each day, as I’ve seen so many others do during this altered time.

So, while it has encouraged me to see normally overprogrammed-teens watching sunsets and families chilling for endless hours on front lawns, I have also observed a pattern of apology amongst my peers, when they acknowledge having been “less-productive than usual”, during this period. So, I’ve taken to meet this only with permission. This is something I’ve increasingly given myself ever since my excessive drive, as a flutist, left me with a chronic overuse injury that was a wake-up call I’ve only recently been able to truly appreciate.

After this major uninvited “halting” of my career, I became acutely aware of how often people answer “How are you?” with “Busy.” Particularly artists, who have perhaps been undercompensated, underemployed and underappreciated for so long, it feels like being “busy” is a badge of honor that implies their work is in-demand. So, I get it. But still, I have made a point, since this realization, never to answer that question as such. Busy is not an emotion. The truth behind the word - feelings of anxiety, overwhelm and fear - are perhaps too telling to reveal. Because admitting them might mean we have to shift something. They might force us to slow down and stop busying ourselves, which is maybe the scariest thing of all. Because then, we have to face who we truly are when we are not “doing”.

To track my own “doing” during quarantine, I’ve been particularly careful about limiting my screen time. So, I check it weekly. But it was only this week that I finally went to the second page of the iPhone screen time data, where I found a strange categorization of time. It breaks it down into Productive, Creative, Social, Entertainment, Reading and Educational use. However, what they place in each category runs quite counter to what happens to be true for me now. Photos are listed as a Creative pursuit, however many of my hours have been frittered away deleting unnecessary shots (attempts to capture moments that might have been more mindfully spent camera-free). So, this endeavor doesn’t feel that creative to me. Whats App is marked as Social but, of course, it’s now become the arena for some of my most my productive work, since I’m using it as a teaching tool. And Notes is in the Productive category, even though, as a self-admitted list-addict, my worst time-waster is making and remaking these itemized scrolls intended to render me more efficient, when I can’t even imagine how much “productive” time I must have lost just writing them.

So, we all have something to learn from this clever street artist, whose balloon art gives us an important reminder.

May 27, 2020

Covid Art Museum

So far my “efforts” to do nothing more (as ironic as that sounds) have gone swimmingly. I deliberately cancelled one of my Zoom calls this week, two other meetings conveniently got cancelled for me, and I was left with many more hours to spend spontaneously. Some of these involved lying in the grass eating gelato. Others watching passerbys from my front stoop. And one I spent biking the new “slow street” circuit in Vancouver, which has been designated a car-free zone to create more safe, physically-distant space for cyclists and pedestrains to roam. That even our roadways are now on a diet from their usual busyness, seems to me a beautiful metaphor.

Of course, some of this time also involved digital daydreaming, as I prefer to romantically call surfing the web. But using the intentional lens of seeking artistic responses to share on this blog makes even this indulgence feel more guilt-free. So, this week, it landed me on a very cool Instagram page, full of visual reflections about this time (digital illustrations, photographs, sketches, watercolors and more). In fact, it’s where I stumbled upon the balloon art, above, which evolved into my entire week of blog entries. Quite a few pieces reference circular time in some way (above). And a remarkable number of them depict doing nothing (below). Jenny Odell is clearly on to something...

https://www.instagram.com/covidartmuseum/?hl=en

May 28, 2020

Hidden Symphonies

Udo Noll, a Berlin-based media artist and founder of Radio Aporee, a digital global sound map, documented before and during the pandemic

The music of my environment has always captivated me. In fact, I dedicate almost an entire chapter of my novel to birdsong. I love the voice memo feature on my phone, which I use like an auditory camera, as I travel. I’ve learned that this is not a habit many people share. Until recently, that is. Because it seems that suddenly, we are all beginning to listen more. Now, with less traffic, quieter commercial corridors, and other colluding factors, there is left an amazing amplification of the soundscapes which always existed behind the din.

Before Covid, a long tradition of deep listening has been cultivated by various sound artists. American composer, Pauline Oliveros founded the Deep Listening Institute in 1985 (originally called the Pauline Olveros Foundation). Here, she invited musicians to improvise and record, in particularly resonant and reverberant spaces like caves, to inspire extra-sensitive responsiveness.

In the 70’s, Canadian composers, Hildegard Westercamp and Murray Shafer, started the World Soundscape Project (https://www.sfu.ca/~truax/wsp.html), which recorded Vancouver’s sonic landscape to illustrate the negative effects of noise pollution, ultimately resulting in more positive guidelines for urban acoustical design.

Acoustic ecologist, Gordon Hempton says that silence is not the absence of sound, but rather the presence of everything. In the short documentary, Sanctuaries of Silence, he offers tools for seeking silence amidst noisy urban life.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUxMdYhipvQ

But his suggestions probably never could have predicted Covid, which has achieved this result with alarming swiftness. British sound artist and field recordist, Stuart Fowkes has been tracking the soundscapes of this disquieting time on his website, Cities and Memory. https://citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds/

Here, you can click on one of 3,000+ global coordinates and listen to everything from empty flagpoles, and ticking radiators, to kites flying. Anyone is welcome to contribute, using #stayhomesounds. And this is my own addition to the catalogue:

Bullfrogs mating: https://youtu.be/ZoKT-RlDfs8

The New York Times, has tracked the music of the pandemic in another interesting way. Measuring by decibels (below), they compare the soundscape of a normally busy Manhattan street, before and during quarantine. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/22/upshot/coronavirus-quiet-city-noise.html

Pre-covid nights sound more like quarantine days, averaging around 64 decibels.

Another bi-product of the pandemic is a trend towards birdwatching. The world’s attention was brought to birding this week, due to an unfortunate racist incident that occurred in New York’s Central Park. Christian Cooper was drawn to the park because of the orioles and yellow warblers he could find there. While birding, he politely asked a woman if she would kindly put her dog on a leash. When she refused, he insited and she proceeded to call the cops. Cooper was armed with little more than binoculars and a camera. But apparently, his crime was being black. The woman was white. Luckily, he caught her ridiculous cry for help (“I’m being threatened by an African-American man.”) on camera. The video immediately went viral and resulted in her being fired from her job. Graciously, he remarked today in the Times, that this punishment did not fit her crime, and while he wants to hold her to account for her racist behavior, he doesn’t believe that “her life needs to be torn apart.”

Whatever her fate, if this time inspires deeper listening for you, let’s hope your soundscape walks are far less eventful than his was.

May 29, 2020

Covid Shuffle

Brooklyn’s usually bustling Fort Greene Park, during the pandemic

From the beginning of social distancing, I have been quite fascinated by the complicated choreography we are collectively participating in. I would give anything to be an eagle, looking down from above, just to witness the maze of interwoven patterns that our sidewalk dances create. And I am not the only person interested in this do-si-do.

If you search “six feet apart” on YouTube, you can’t imagine how many musicians, famous or otherwise, have composed new songs with this exact title (IE. country singer, Luke Combs, teen pop star, Alec Benjamin). It’s just one of many things that illustrate the uncanny global resonance that is happening right now, even while there are still vast differences between the ways people experience this pandemic.

Personally, I’m partial to this rap, written as a PSA for UNC Health, by The Holderness Family, a modern-day Al Yankovich-style parody band comprised of former FOX sportscaster, Penn Holderness with his wife and kids. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XjfCeY4D2QI

Deeper into this search, I found another music video, by a different family band in LA, called Haim. These three Grammy-nominated sisters have written the song, I Know Alone to express how quarantine living has felt for them. Meanwhile, they appropriately dance to their lyrics six feet apart.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.vulture.com/amp/2020/04/haim-i-know-alone-video-album-release-date.html

In the dance world, old colleagues of mine, from Flagstaff, Arizona, will host a virtual Festival that starts this Friday, May 29th, featuring original socially-distant choreography from movers all over the Southwest. Fittingly, it’s called the Six Feet Apart Dance Festival.

https://canyonmovementcompany.org/cmc/upcoming-events/

Documenting the Covid shuffle in a very different way, Toronto geographer, Daniel Rotszdain created a “social distancing machine” to demonstrate just how difficult a genuine 6-foot radius is to maintain in public space.

And finally, this hip hop dance compilation, made in 2019, could be the anthem for our times.

MC Hammer’s Can’t Touch This - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJskIJGEsd8

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secondscratch17 · 7 years

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I’m cheesy af so not sorry if y’all are lactose intolerant:

In 2011, the summer right before my senior year of high school, I got to spend a few days with my cousin Courtney in California. Courtney is the polar opposite of me; she’s the popular cheerleader, exuberant, bubbly, but has a really small comfort zone of a circle when it comes to how extreme her tastes are. So when she said to me, “I’m making you watch Teen Wolf with me,” I instantly scoffed. This show is called Teen Wolf? I thought. It’s going to be so ridiculous and contrived and cheesy. Courtney doesn’t like dark, gory, or scary, or anything of that sort, but this was all the way back during Season 1, in which Teen Wolf was not dark or gory or scary. I was already preparing to roll my eyes, but to say that I was pleasantly surprised was an understatement. We’d missed the pilot episode and started with episode 2 of Season 1, and I totally was readying myself for all things cringe-worthy, but instead I was instantly drawn in by the inclusion of mythology (which I always had a fascination with), impending darkness, and above all its humor. I was so taken aback by how likable the characters were, despite them being young and naive teenagers. The one thing that sealed the deal? They played a My Chemical Romance song in the episode, and my inner emo kid was over the moon (no pun intended). That was it. I loved it.

I watched all of season 1 on my own, all the while screaming at Courtney my speculations of who I thought the Alpha was. I even made my mom watch it with me, and by the last episode of the season I was more than hungry for the next. Here was a great show that had the perfect mix of everything--darkness, violence, folklore, romance, genuine relationships and bonds between the characters, villains that had depth, and above all an intriguing plot line. Season 2 was even better. I couldn’t believe how much it improved from the previous one, and I was so disappointed when Courtney told me that she had stopped watching because “It got too dark for me.” Fair, I guess, but the following seasons made this one look tame! My favorite character was Stiles, but I couldn’t help not to be enamored by Isaac. The best season, in my opinion was the third. I can remember watching the episode before the season 3A finale on my last night at home before leaving for Unity. I remember calling virgins “blood sacrifices” because of the plot events in Season 3, and at the time I still was one!

I can actually categorize events of my life and pair them with seasons of Teen Wolf. Season 3A, my favorite one, was during the summer where I was preparing myself for college. Season 3B, I remember, was during my second semester at Unity. I would have Skype dates with my friend Alyssa, who I had made binge watch with me Seasons 2 and 3. Derek was her favorite. At the time she was struggling with depression and seeing a counselor. I had wanted to help, and that scene where Scott goes with Stiles to get his scan for dementia really hit home for us, because we put ourselves in their shoes and we both knew that we would be there for each other in situations like that, just like they did. Season 4 was during that summer after my first year at Unity, when Daniel and I had to be long-distance then. I remember season 5 aired during the start of my senior year at Unity. This is now my second year out of college.

Teen Wolf opened my eyes to a lot of things because of the issues they touched on and expanded on: mental illness (specifically dementia), criminal justice, the police system, domestic violence, classic literature, and of course lacrosse. I really appreciated how inclusive they were to their cast and didn’t limit themselves to just white heterosexual actors. Teen Wolf broadened itself to showcase people of color and the LGBTQ community, both of which were welcomed graciously. Representation matters.

There’s something to be said and praised for when one can relate to things that don’t (or shouldn’t) exist. Despite a good majority of the cast portraying supernatural creatures, I related to the characters on a human level. Even the ones that weren’t. I never thought I would have commonalities with a kitsune, but I did because she was bumbling, clumsy, and unsure of her potential, just like me. I never thought I would relate to a beta werewolf, but I did because of his family struggles, insecurities, once-low confidence, and his unfaltering desire to please, just like me. I never thought I would share similarities to the son of a police sheriff, but I did because of his quick wit and second-to-none loyalty. These are supernatural creatures. Creations of folklore. A work of fiction. But I saw myself in so many of them and I put myself in their shoes and I felt for them and I understood them. And for the way they were adapted on screen, I felt like they understood me too.

I have made so many friendships just because of this show, in those moments of validating discovery we all know that make you say, “Oh my gosh, you watch _____ too? What did you think of--” People that I didn’t have anything common with before? We bonded over the show. And I’m grateful for it.

With all the unexpected twists, turns, let-downs, and accomplishments in life, it’s always comforting to have a constant. A solid, consistent hold or security. And during these past six years, Teen Wolf was one of my constants. There was always another new season to look forward to. There was always a new plot to scrutinize, always a new villain to hate. Teen Wolf was a constant in my evolution from this scared 17-year-old kid that had no idea where she was going into a 23-year-old adult that still has no idea where she is going, but is one step closer to getting there. So much has changed and at the same time, nothing has changed. But Teen Wolf was there for me.

I would like to thank the producers, directors, and writers of this show for their original vision and unique take on what was once just a cheesy 80′s movie. I also want to thank my cousin Courtney for bringing me into one hell of a supernatural journey, even though she abandoned me halfway. Thank you to everyone that’s sat with me and watched an episode and had to listen to my psychotic rants about it. Thank you to the crew and to the cast--new, old, major, minor, recurring, and permanent--for their strength and dedication to the project and to us fans. It paid off. And it shows. Thank you for your portrayal of these absolutely incredible and lovable characters. Even the bad guys that I wanted dead. Thank you for showing me that it’s okay to put your heart into things that should be fiction. Thank you for teaching me that I can believe in myself, no matter what. Thank you for teaching me that enemies can become allies, that “innocent until proven guilty” isn’t always effective, that trust is earned not automatically granted, and to always lend a hand to someone that needs it. Thank you for showing me that fangs and claws doesn’t make someone a monster, that humans can exist without a shred of humanity, and that it’s never too late to join the right side. Thank you for teaching me that there is no such thing as “impossible.”

Because “impossible” is exactly the word I would have used had someone told me that I’d still be invested in this show, six years later. So thank you, Teen Wolf. Thank you for all the times I have screamed at my television or laptop to the point where I’m worried that my neighbors would file a noise complaint, thank you for all the times you made me believe I was an FBI agent delving into folklore and re-analyzing every episode to predict the next one and was still knocked off my feet, thank you for all the times where I’ve almost ripped out my hair or brought my hands to my mouth in an attempt to stifle my shrieking, thank you for breaking my heart over and over again and touching every single one of my emotions, thank you for the buckets of tears, thank you for the endless laughter and the genius quotes that I still use today.

Thanks, Teen Wolf, for the most extraordinary six years I could have ever imagined. It’s so hard to say goodbye.

#teen wolf #cheesy #i mean like heaps of extra blue cheese #sorry not sorry

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hybridartifacts · 7 years

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An Interview with Shervin Kiani, author of 'Sati and Doghu'

I gather you first started writing when you were 8 years old. What was it that first inspired you to first start writing, and what is it that inspires you to keep on writing now?

I was around seven years old when I was read Gordon Korman’s Macdonald Hall books at school.I remember the excitement of listening to a story being narrated with such joy and clarity, and I remember sitting with an audience of kids my age that werein rapt attention. I was read to as a child, of course, but that was the first time I remember wanting to read the stories for myself, which was a big step because these were “big kid” chapter books.

And then I was fortunate enough the following year to get another teacher who was an even bigger bibliophile—who not only read a wider range of books with even greater relish but kept a large and eclectic selection of books for the class, everything from Superfudge to the The Vampire Lestat. On Christmas, she even let us choose one to keep! That’s really where my love of stories just burst right open. I had her for three years, grades four to six. The more I read, the more I wanted to tell stories of my own, and in grade six I got the opportunity with a creative writing project. I wrote and illustrated two full length stories, which my kind teacher then laminated and bound and sent to the school library where it was prominently displayed. I was so proud, having achieved something like that all on my own! I’ve been writing ever since, and that experience, that feeling of accomplishment and self-worth, is what drives me to keep going.

I created the cover for your book, 'Indigo Eyes' and was struck by the way you combined the familiar and the fantastical in it. The way you used the character of Peter, a child, to first introduce us to the story meant it felt like the magical was a part of the ordinary world, because he accepts it so readily. He is also close to the age you started writing. Is there a connection for you there?

It’s hard to look back at Indigo Eyes, my first book, and not cringe at all the flaws. It tries to be too many things at once, and there are extreme characters and extreme scenes which I wouldn’t write any more, but they are products of the confusion and turmoil I was going through at the time, and earlier, during my University years. So yes, there’s a connection, a lot of similarities I share with the major characters, for better or worse. They are never whole representations of me, always refracted pieces.

With Peter, specifically, there was that latent potential which he needed to recognize and explore in order to grow—and that theme appeared again in Sati and Doghu.It’s a pretty standard archetype with a child protagonists that crops up again and again in fantasy stories. Using a young protagonist…well, from that perspective magic and wonder can happen without restraint. The reader who must see it through innocent eyes, accept and be awed by it through those eyes. The Hobbit, The Golden Compass, At The Back of the North Wind, The Neverending Story…just to list a few great books.

You sent me a sketch for the cover to work from. Do you still draw and paint as well as write?

Actually it was a painting that I made originally to be used as the cover, but Storm wisely said to go with a professional, and your fabulous cover art was the result. But yes, I do still draw and paint, and that all stems from that same early experience of writing and illustrating my own stories. In high school I was co-founder and –editor of the first and (possibly to this day) only literary magazinewhich unabashedly showcased my own art and writing. I was rewarded at the end of my secondary education with an award in Visual Art, received at graduation, but I didn’t pursue it further. I had these lofty and ultimately false ambitions of becoming a veterinarian and was discouraged from continuing with something I was told should be a “hobby” and nothing more; this included writing fiction too, of course. But once I realized that veterinary medicine wasn’t my calling—in fact, it was the appeal of James Herriot’s vet stories at the root of that ambition—I dedicated myself to writing and having my books published, and art did then become a hobby for me, a lovely pastime.

Which speaks the stronger to you creatively and why - pure fantasy or magical realism?

Hmm, that’s a difficult question to answer. I grew up reading mostly pure fantasy. There was even a few years in my teens when I rejected anything but fantasy as a genre, until I clued into the fact that “fantasy” is a massive umbrella term that covered a lot of what in school was deemed as literature. At the time, it was reasonable to read, study and learn from The Tempest, but the novels I was reading were just scoffed at as fantasy—sort of what Victorian writers of fantasy fiction must have experienced when their novels were classified under Children’s Fiction. The same I found was true of horror fiction. Hamlet, if you place it in these diminishing terms of genre, as I see it, is a gothic horror story.

Not to get into a diatribe here, but I’ve always disliked and rejected labels because of this. When I tell people I’m a writer, the inevitable follow-up is, “What do you write?” And no one is content with the desperately accurate reply, “Fiction.” It must be labelled and categorized, which is how it’s marketed.

Okay—sorry, it turned into a little diatribe anyway. Back to the question. It wasn’t until University, where I took courses in Linguistics and World Literature, that I began to really expand my reading taste. And creatively speaking, it’s neither pure fantasy or magical realism, but a mixture of the two and many others that influence me. I know it’s a frustrating answer, but I can’t be more concise than that. Typically, I don’t read the sorts of books that I’m working on at the time. Presently, for example, I’m working on the sequel to Sati and Doghu, an Arabian Nights-flavoured fantasy story, and I’m reading Capote’s Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Tusa’s The Nuremberg Trial, and Hammett’s The Big Knockover, to name but a few.

On the subject of the mundane verses the magical, you recently moved house. I find changing where I create my art can disrupt and even stall my creativity for a while until I settle in and find somewhere I feel comfortable working. Do you need a particular sort of space to write and has moving disrupted that or can you work anywhere?

In truth, it took me a while to adjust, too. Moving is such a big stressor, and moving into your first house, as we did, is rather daunting. I’m still trying to catch up after all these months. I need a certain amount of physical- and head-space to work. It’s easy enough to get into that mental frame of mind…it’s just the procrastination that gets in the way. But the physical space is very important for me. I need absolute solitude and quiet. I’m fortunate enough to have that now, but there have been many periods in my life where I had to painstakingly block-out all the distractions around me. I read long ago how Harlan Ellison did that in the army, writing after a grueling day of training. For painting I can listen to music or audiobooks; but writing, like studying had been for me, must be done in privacy and silence.

How do you feel the mundane and the magical influence and affect your writing generally?

The magical is what I draw from the mundane. I find it impossible to cope with life without an intense level of imaginative revision in my head. I’m always daydreaming. Even when I’m reading, I sometimes have to stop and let my mind finish wandering before I can continue. I love levels and complexity in art. I find I don’t often write straightforward fiction for that reason. The fantastic lends itself to the .

What led you to write your new book, 'Sati and Doghu' and how would you describe the book? Sati and Doghu was originally a novella I wrote quite a long time ago. It was after Indigo Eyes, and I wanted to write something different, something a lot less extreme and for a wider audience. Indigo was always meant to be a cult novel, something to polarize readers and draw a strong reaction, even a negative one. Sati and Doghu has an entirely different agenda.

The idea for the story came in a dream. That’s very unusual for me, because my dreams are usually so distressing and convoluted. I remembered this one clearly the next morning, and I wrote it down, just a sentence or two. Something like: a boy and a coyote, running in the desert—where? The boy was trying to escape something, but he was also being drawn to something else, somewhere else. And I knew their names. Sati and Doghu. And that’s all I knew, and I wanted to find out more. Then I left it. And, as stories sometimes do, it just played out little by little in the back of my mind until I knew enough to put it on a page.

I brought the story out originally in a short story collection, which I sent to Immanion Press. My editor at the time, the author Sharon Sant, suggested I flesh it out into a book because she really wanted to know more of the story.It was the exact same suggestion my wife gave me years before, but I was onto another project and didn’t really want to devote so much more time into a novella. Eventually however, I took the advice, and the rest is history.

I would describe Sati and Doghuas a magical adventure story, inspired by The Arabian Nights formula of nested stories, and about these young characters who are all breaking free of something destructive in their lives and finding their own way in the world. The title makes it sound like a boy and dog story, but Sati’s relationship to Doghu is much more than that. And you have to read it to find out what.

It is the first in a series. How do you feel about writing a series and how many books do you currently plan to write for it?

As Sati was a novella that was later expanded into a novel, I never really intended it to be part of a series. I had a vague idea of events to come, so to speak, but I didn’t set any of this down. I like open-ended stories, stories that live on past the page. It wasn’t until I began the revisions with my current editor at Prospective Press, Jason T. Graves, that I noticed all the loose ends. And it wasn’t until Jason suggested a sequel that I even seriously considered it. I’m working on the sequel now, but I had to put aside another book I was working on to do so, which I’m eager to get back to. But who knows. Some characters, like actors, have to and need to be center stage, and there’s always so much more to tell.

Get Sati and Doghu from: Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk Amazon.ca

My Review of ‘Sati and Doghu’ The book is an excellent read. I tend to be a bit wary of buying books online having found a fair few that were just badly written and failed to be engaging, but ‘Sati and Doghu’ is not one of those. It took a little while to get into it’s stride, but when it did I found the characters interesting and likeable and found I was hooked. The way their back-stories are interwoven works really well. Magic in the world is fascinating and original. You are not given heavy handed explanations of everything which can alas be a tendency with all too many fantasy books, instead you are given the space to gradually build a deeper understanding of the setting and characters as the story unfolds. While it is marketed as Young Adult Fantasy it is actually very readable if you are older as well, partly I suspect because it does not try to lead you by the nose. Young Adult Fantasy as a genre has been producing some very good new writers with fresh voices and Shervin is definitely, for me, one of them. My only problem with it is that I will have to wait for the next book!

#fantasy #fiction #young adult fiction #young adult fantasy #fantasy art #shervin kiani #peter hollinghurst #hybridartifacts #wrting #creative writing #authors #sati and doghu

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d-and-s-are-bord-blog · 4 years

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NIGHTMARE ALLEY [1947]

WATCH ONLINE >> Nightmare Alley [1947] www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F9A4C226B31C2373 ****

Nightmare Alley [1947] @ American Film Institute Production Date: 19 May–late Jul 1947; addl scenes early Oct 1947 Premiere Information: New York opening: 9 Oct 1947 >> DETAILED NOTES SECTION >> EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=… *************************************************************************************

NIGHTMARE ALLEY By WILLIAM LINDSAY GRESHAM New York: Rinehart, 1946 MOVIE Tie-In Edition: Triangle Books, 1947 N.Y.: Signet Books, 1949 #738 – Cover By James Avati N.Y.R.B.: 2110

*ALL* Editions – Including KINDLE www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Alley-William-Lindsay-Gresham/dp… AND www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Gresham&tn=… AND www.goodreads.com/book/show/548019.Nightmare_Alley *************

MOVIE Tie-In Edition: Triangle Books, 1947 www.amazon.com/Nightmare-alley-William-Lindsay-Gresham/dp… ****

NEW Edition (New York Review Books, 2110): Nightmare Alley By William Lindsay Gresham, introduction by Nick Tosches – *Links* to buy www.nybooks.com/books/imprints/classics/nightmare-alley/ AND www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781590173480 ****

Cult classic ‘Nightmare Alley’ resurfaces more macabre than ever Baltimore-born writer William Lindsay Gresham could be seen as an heir to Edgar Allan Poe By Michael Sragow, The Baltimore Sun – [email protected] articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-04-16/services/bs-ae-night…

" It’s time for Baltimore to claim William Lindsay Gresham as one of the city’s literary native sons and a proper heir to Edgar Allan Poe — and not just because he was born here in 1909. He fits the funk-art aspect of this town as well as James M. Cain or John Waters…

…"Nightmare Alley" is about a geek — but the word means something vastly different in the carnival of this novel than it does in teen comedies, where it serves as a synonym for "nerd. " For the denizens of Gresham’s not-so-greatest show on earth, the geek is, in Tosches’ words, "a drunkard driven so low that he would bite the heads off chickens and snakes just to get the booze he needed."

Gresham first heard about this kind of geek when he was 29 years old, waiting to return to the U.S. after defending the Republic in the Spanish civil war. The story connected so deeply with Gresham’s internal agony that he said, "to get rid of it, I had to write it out."…

He later described the novel’s gestation as "years of analysis, editorial work, and the strain of children in small rooms." He alleviated anxieties with liquor — and became an alcoholic. In the middle of this chaos, he wrote a fictional chart of the lowest depths of drunkenness that also included, in Tosches’ estimation, "the most viciously evil psychologist in the history of literature." Along the way, Gresham managed to debunk feel-good spiritualism and pseudo-paranormal trickery. But the book isn’t an Upton Sinclair-like expose. It’s a lowdown American tragedy…

Tosches, who has been researching Gresham’s life on and off for ten years, says over the phone from New York that he’s clearer on the novel’s roots than he is on Gresham’s. He hasn’t located a marriage certificate for Gresham’s mother and father, "and the Maryland State Archives has stated categorically there isn’t one for them." He knows Gresham was born on McCulloh Street and that his family moved to Fall River, Mass., when he was 7, and then to New York City. "But even though he left Baltimore at an early age, he claimed that the strongest influence on his life was his mother’s mother, Amanda, whose family, the Lindsays, came from Snow Hill, and who embodied, at least to him, the spirit of the antebellum South," says Tosches. (The Greshams came from the Piney Neck area of Kent County.)..

Everything in the book emerges from observation and authentic obsession. "He had a wonderfully perverse mind," recalls his last agent, the legendary Carl Brandt. "I remember with great fondness and amusement that he took me out to lunch once with the Witch Doctor’s Club, a group of magicians who would meet, as I remember, monthly, in a hardly glamorous restaurant." Brandt’s father had been Gresham’s magazine agent, and Brandt thinks the drying-up of the once-lucrative magazine-fiction market partly contributed to Gresham’s growing despair.

In the end, Gresham shared Stan Carlisle’s nightmare vision of life as a dark alley, "the buildings vacant and menacing on either side," and a light he couldn’t reach at the end of it, with "something behind him, close behind him, getting closer until he woke up trembling." Tosches found "a bizarre letter" Gresham wrote a few years before his suicide. "In it he wrote: ‘Stan is the author.’ "… articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-04-16/services/bs-ae-night… ****

REVIEW By Michael Dirda @ washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/12/…

" While I’ve known for a long time that William Lindsay Gresham’s "Nightmare Alley" (1946) was an established classic of noir fiction, I was utterly unprepared for its raw, Dostoevskian power. Why isn’t this book on reading lists with Nathanael West’s "Miss Lonelyhearts" and Albert Camus’ "The Stranger"? It’s not often that a novel leaves a weathered and jaded reviewer like myself utterly flattened, but this one did…

In the opening pages, set in the dilapidated Ten-in-One "carny," handsome blond Stan Carlisle stares at a geek, a supposed wild man who bites the heads off live chickens and drinks their blood. Stan, we soon learn, has been working as a magician and sleight-of-hand artist, but he’s got dreams about the big time…

Throughout these early pages, the carny atmosphere is redolent of sweat, dust, alcohol and pent-up desire. While sex in "Nightmare Alley" is never graphically described, it is always strikingly perverse or distinctly sadomasochistic…

Like many good artists (and con artists), Gresham isn’t locked into a single style: He can swiftly modulate from the colorfully vulgar conversation of the carnies to their smooth, stage-show patter, from the professional lingo of sheriffs, psychologists and wealthy businessmen to a drunk’s hallucinatory stream of consciousness…

Gresham lived a colorful if troubled life. According to the biographical note to this edition, he "lost himself in a maze of what proved to be dead-ends for him, from Marxism to psychoanalysis to Christianity to Alcoholics Anonymous to Rinzai Zen Buddhism." All these contribute to the earthy richness of "Nightmare Alley." ..

Certainly, Gresham’s book chronicles a truly horrific descent into the abyss. Yet it’s more than just a steamy noir classic. As a portrait of the human condition, "Nightmare Alley" is a creepy, all-too-harrowing masterpiece…" www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/12/…

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The Book You Have to Read: “Nightmare Alley,” by William Lindsay Gresham The Rap Sheet

" If noir is the stuff of nightmares–you know what I mean, the kind in which (according to the popular conference definition of the genre) you’re fucked from page one–then a one-off, nearly forgotten classic called Nightmare Alley is surely the biggest freak show of them all…

…Gresham’s book is sumptuous, rich, redolent, and literary. Fused with a classically tragic structure, the plot and characters roil and roll in your head, guests who will never leave. In some ways, it’s a bitter, cynical take on the Horatio Alger myth, a commentary on the Americans America left behind…

…In 1947, Nightmare Alley was fortunate enough to be made into one of the greatest of all film noirs. Starring a terrific Tyrone Power (if you don’t think he could act, you’re in for a surprise) and a strong supporting cast which included the lovely ingénue Colleen Gray, Joan Blondell, and noir stalwarts Mike Mazurki and Helen Walker, the movie is available on DVD. Rent it soon and often, or better yet buy a copy. With a crackling good script by Jules Furthman (The Shanghai Gesture, The Big Sleep), and atmospherically directed by Edmund Goulding (Grand Hotel, The Old Maid–we can only wish he’d been given more crime films), Nightmare Alley is a rare example of a movie almost as good as its source material…" therapsheet.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-you-have-to-read-ni… *************************************************

Carnival of lost souls: Nightmare Alley REVIEW By JB @ thephantomcountry

Nightmare Alley covers a lot of territory, both psychologically and geographically, crossing the US by truck, train, car, and on foot until Stan’s world seems not larger but smaller, shrinking to a blackened point. His carnival experience comes full circle, like the embrace of a family whose door always remains forbiddingly open, and some of Gresham’s finest passages evoke for us this family on the move, seductive and grotesque and leaving only cavities in its wake: “It came like a pillar of fire by night, bringing excitement and new things into the drowsy towns—lights and noise and a chance to win an Indian blanket, to ride on the ferris wheel, to see the wild-man who fondles those rep-tiles as a mother would fondle her babes. Then it vanished in the night, leaving the trodden grass of the field and the debris of popcorn boxes and rusting tin ice-cream spoons to show where it had been.” thephantomcountry.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

William Lindsay Gresham (August 20, 1909–September 14, 1962) @ Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lindsay_Gresham AND en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_Alley *******************************

Fox Studio Classics – Film Noir – Nightmare Alley – Point Of View williamlindsaygresham.com/

The film Nightmare Alley laid in copyright limbo for over fifty years, a struggle between the estates of producer George Jessel, author W.L. Gresham and the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. In that time, its cult status continued to grow. Not just from the rarity of its screenings on television and at film festivals, but from the later suicides of the book’s author and the movie’s director, and its remarkably grim, bold, and disturbing look at hucksterism and its milieu.

It was 1946 and Tyrone Power, Fox’s leading male star, had returned from service in World War II. From an acting family and a stage background, he had grown tired of the empty “pretty boy” image that had made him a matinee idol. He wanted a different role. One that would showcase his range and depth and change the public’s (and industry’s) perception of him from a toothpaste ad to a serious actor. He had leaned toward that end with his first post-war duty role by playing Larry Darrell in Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge.

Power leveraged his past success (and the considerable money he made for the studio) to make Nightmare Alley his prestige project. Studio Head Daryl F. Zanuck was against it from the start but he owed Power gratitude and a bit of artistic license so he green-lighted the film. Ultimately, Zanuck’s instincts would prove correct (as they so often did). The film failed miserably at the box office and Power ended up returning to the adventurous, swashbuckling roles that had made him famous. Interestingly, many of 20th Century Fox’s most unique and enduring pictures were made in this vein, by a proven film artist’s passionate plea and Zanuck’s begrudging nod.

War weary audiences of the late ’40s were not ready for it. Although film noir was seeping into the mainstream, an “A” picture starring the dashing and overwhelmingly handsome Tyrone Power as a greedy, manipulative charlatan was too much for them. Adding to this shock was the story, adapted from a novel immersed in the sleazy world of carny, portraying the darker realities of alcoholism, marital infidelity, religion, spiritualism and ambition by an author who was a known communist, drunkard and wife beater. williamlindsaygresham.com/ ******************************

BOOKS INTO FILM: Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham reviewed by Jim Hitt www.booksintofilms.straitjacketsmagazine.com/support-file…

" In the world of noir novels, Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham stands apart as a totally originally and innovative piece of literature. As in most noir works, the protagonist Stan Carlisle is a flawed individual, and the world in which he lives is a dark world where predator and prey become one. But Gresham’s world is not the world of Cornell Woolrich where the events rush relentlessly toward the climax. On the contrary, the events in Nightmare Alley unfold in at a slower, more deliberate pace, and the construction of the novel is closer to William Faulkner than Cornell Woolrich…

…William Lindsay Gresham wrote only one more novel, the equally bleak Limbo Tower (1949) about Asa Kimball and other men slowly dying of fear, depression, and tuberculosis in hospital. He then fought his own battles against alcohol. His second wife Joy divorced him and taking their two sons, moved to England where she later married C. S. Lewis. Their relationship became the basis for the stage play and film Shadowlands . When in 1962 Gresham discovered he had cancer, he checked into the run-down Dixie Hotel, registering as ‘Asa Kimball,’ and took his own life…

…Just before he died, Gresham, reflecting on his life, told a fellow veteran from Spain, "I sometimes think that if I have any real talent it is not literary but is a sheer talent for survival. I have survived three busted marriages, losing my boys, war, tuberculosis, Marxism, alcoholism, neurosis and years of freelance writing. Just too mean and ornery to kill, I guess."…

…Print quality : An absolutely gorgeous print. I doubt it looked this good in the theaters when it was first released.

Sound : Sharp and clear.

Extras : A theatrical trailer that appears spliced together from various scenes rather than a true trailer. Also a commentary by film historians James Ursini and Alain Silver. The commentary sounds more like a conversation between two knowledgeable experts rather than a straight commentary, and this casual approach works very well. Their comments are insightful if not exactly spirited…

Summary : A terrific film noir, one of the best. Off beat in the sense that it foregoes crimes and violence, which is at the center of most noir films. The characters are full of life and always interesting. Only the part of Molly rings a bit false, especially considering the ill-advised end, which does little to affect the gritty and honest movie. Time has vindicated Tyrone Power’s faith in this material.

Grade: A- www.booksintofilms.straitjacketsmagazine.com/support-file… *********************************************************************

Nightmare Alley: Faustian Carnival Noir: The rise and fall: From Divinity to Geek REVIEW By monstergirl @ The Last Drive In MANY Dozens of Screencaps monstergirl.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/nightmare-alleyfaust… *****************

Nightmare Alley (film and stage musical) Understanding Screenwriting #46 BY TOM STEMPEL @ slantmagazine.com

The best article on Nightmare Alley is by Clive T. Miller and appears in the 1975 book "Kings of the Bs: Working Within the Hollywood System"… www.slantmagazine.com/house/2010/05/understanding-screenw… ************************************************************

Mister, I was made for it A region 2 DVD review of NIGHTMARE ALLEY by Slarek www.dvdoutsider.co.uk/dvd/reviews/n/nightmare_alley.html

SUMMARY Let’s not sod about, Nightmare Alley is a terrific film noir, a joyously dark story of a destructive and ultimately self-destructive ambition in which just about everyone is attempting to manipulate others for their own ends. It’s cult status was built in part on its long term unavailability, but can now continue on the back of the film’s cinematic strengths, which are considerable.

Eureka’s Masters of Cinema label does the film proud, with a superb transfer and some very worthwhile extras. Noir fans should run to get their hands on it. " www.dvdoutsider.co.uk/dvd/reviews/n/nightmare_alley.html ******************************************************

William Lindsay Gresham’s Nightmare Alley Tarot: Carnival Trumps Tarot Hermeneutics: Exploring How We Create Meaning with Tarot

William Lindsay Gresham, Joy Davidman Gresham (poetry pseudonym: "Joy Brown"), and C.S. Lewis

***UNUSUAL***, Detailed, Worthwhile tarothermeneutics.com/tarotliterature/nightmarealley.html *****************************************************

LISTEN >> Naxos Audiobooks "Nightmare Alley" Read by : Adam Sims ISBN: 1843794829 ISBN-13: 9781843794820 Format: CD – Search for other formats www.audiobooksdirect.com.au/William-Lindsay-Gresham/Night… ***********************************************

GRAPHIC NOVEL [= Comic Books for Literary types] Nightmare Alley: Spain Hernandez’s graphic adaptation of the William Lindsay Gresham novel *Links* to Buy >> www.indiebound.org/book/9781560975113?aff=sfnybal

"…Spain Hernandez’s graphic adaptation of Nightmare Alley is at least as successful as its predecessor versions. The artwork is black and white; sometimes cartoony, sometimes realistic. Close-up character studies alternate with splash pages and occasional landscape shots so well done that they resemble woodcuts. Hernandez’s story-line follows Gresham’s novel closely; I don’t recall any major scenes or sequences being left out. He does not stint on quoting Gresham’s dialogue; his word balloons are as packed as any I have ever seen. The story of Stan Carlyle’s rise and fall is as compelling in graphic novel form as it was in earlier versions.

Nightmare Alley is an important work of American crime fiction; it is perhaps unique in that memorable versions of the story are now available in three different media." www.crimeculture.com/21stC/fried.html **************************************

Gresham, William Lindsay (1909-1962) | Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections archon.wheaton.edu/index.php?p=creators/creator&id=77

Location: Archon Send Email | Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections archon.wheaton.edu/index.php?p=core/contact&f=email&a… ****************************************************

Posted by mhdantholz on 2011-02-20 12:09:24

Tagged: , NIGHTMARE , ALLEY , [1947]

The post NIGHTMARE ALLEY [1947] appeared first on Good Info.

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swipestream · 5 years

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Sensor Sweep: Windy City Pulp Show, King Arthur, Star Wars Target Audience, Model T in Combat

Conventions (DMR Books): The 19th annual Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention took place this past weekend in Lombard, IL. It was a three-day affair, but unfortunately I was only able to attend for part of the day on Saturday. Five hours may seem like a good amount of time, but it wasn’t nearly enough to take in all the event had to offer.

Doug Ellis and Deb Fulton were gracious enough to share some of their table space with me so I could peddle DMR releases.

Anthologies (Tip the Wink): This nineteen story anthology is edited by one of Baen’s best, Hank Davis. Though the book is pretty new, the stories range from as early as the Thirties all the way to now. So I think it qualifies as a Friday Forgotten Book for it’s contents. For the most part, this is the kind of science fiction I grew up on and still love.

Fiction (Old Style Tales): Doyle’s final great horror story is truly a worthy swan song – a tale who’s science fiction maintains a level of effective awe in spite of having been categorically disproven by aviators a mere decade after being written. And indeed the tale is science fiction, fitting snuggly on a shelf between the speculative horror of H. G. Wells which preceded it and the cosmic terror of H. P. Lovecraft which succeeded it.e cosmic terror of H. P. Lovecraft which succeeded it.

Myth (Men of the West): Of all these Latin chroniclers by far the most important was Geoffrey of Monmouth, Bishop of St. Asaph, who finished his “History of the Britons” about 1147. Geoffrey, as has been said, is not a real historian, but something much more interesting. He introduced to the world the story of King Arthur, which at once became the source and centre of hundreds of French romances, in verse or prose, and of poetry down to Tennyson and William Morris. To Geoffrey, or to later English chroniclers who had read Geoffrey, Shakespeare owed the stories of his plays, “Cymbeline” and “King Lear”.

Authors (DMR Books): James Branch Cabell, who was born on April 14, 1879–just over one hundred forty years ago–has slipped into genteel literary obscurity. An author once praised and befriended by the likes of Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis, JBC had his entire fantasy epic, known as “The Biography of the Life of Manuel,” printed in a uniform hardcover eighteen-volume set at the height of his popularity in the 1920s and early ’30s. He was, by far, the preeminent American literary fantasist of that era. And yet, he is barely known outside hardcore literary fantasy circles now.

Cinema (Rough Edges): I didn’t mean to write about two Raoul Walsh movies in a row, but that’s the way it’s worked out after last week’s post on DESPERATE JOURNEY. COLORADO TERRITORY is a Western remake from 1949 of the Humphrey Bogart classic HIGH SIERRA, also directed by Walsh eight years earlier in 1941. Both are based on the novel HIGH SIERRA by W.R. Burnett. In COLORADO TERRITORY, Joel McCrea plays outlaw Wes McQueen, in prison for robbing banks and trains, who is broken out so he can take part in a payroll heist from a train in Colorado.

Popular Culture (Jon Mollison): Long time genre fans expect to see the usual Boomer perspectives. Naturally, his version of the story of science fiction begins and ends with the era of the Boomers. To be fair, he is a film guy making a film about film people, so it’s no surprise that his documentary would ignore the foundational stories of the genre. It does start with HG Wells, but then skips straight past four decades of science fiction to land on rubber monster B-movies. The usual Big Pub diversity hires get trotted out to offer Narrative Approved talking points about how the genre has matured under the careful guidance of perverts like Arthur C. Clarke without a mention of giants like Howard and Burroughs and Lovecraft and Merritt and the rest of the True Golden Age writers.

Star Wars (Kairos): Two cultural observations that have repeatedly been made on this blog are that Star Wars has been weaponized against its original fans and that decadent Westerners are perverting normal pious sentiment by investing it in corporate pop culture products. Now a viral video has surfaced that documents the unholy confluence of both phenomena. Watch only if you haven’t eaten recently.

Cinema (Mystery File): I’ve spoken often and highly of Fredric Brown;s classic mystery novel of strip-clubs and theology, The Screaming Mimi (Dutton, 1949) and recently betook myself to watching both film versions of it, side-by-side and back-to-back, through the miracle of VCRm watching a chunk of one, then the other, than back again…

Pulps (John C. Wright): So what, exactly, makes the weird tales and fantastic stories of that day and age so “problematic”?

The use of lazy racial stereotypes, did you say? This generation has just as many or worse ones, merely with the polarities reversed. See the last decade of Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who and Marvel comics franchises, for examples.

The portrayal of women as weak damsels in distress? I will happily compare any number of Martian princesses or pirate queens from the pulp era to the teen bimbos routinely chopped up in the torture porn flicks of this generation, and let the matter of malign portrayals of women speak for itself.

Fiction (Nerds on Earth): Howard Andrew Jones (who we’ve interviewed not once, but twice!) strikes that balance masterfully in For the Killing of Kings, the first book of an expected series. The book drops the reader right at the moment when a scandal in the Allied Realms begins. This controversy involves the legendary weapon of the most famous commander of the vaunted Altenerai Corps, N’lahr. Jones doesn’t even let two pages pass before the reader is invited into the discovery that something is wrong with this magic-infused sword, and it is that problem that carries the book’s action from start to finish.

History (Black Gate): Enter the Western Frontier Force, a hastily assembled group of men from all parts of the empire that included two of the war’s many innovations. The first was the Light Car Patrol, made up of Model T Fords that had been stripped of all excess weight (even the hood and doors) so they could run over soft sand. Many came equipped with a machine gun. Heavier and slower were the armored cars, built on the large Rolls Royce chassis and sporting a turret and machine gun.

Westerns (Tainted Archive): Geographically and historically the concept of “The West” is very loosely defined, when associated with the literary and film genre of the western. With the possible exception of the Eastern Seaboard almost every part of the USA had been called “The West” at some stage in the country’s history.

Authors (John C. Wright): Gene Wolfe passed at his Peoria home from cardiovascular disease on April 14, 2019 at the age of 87.

This man is one of two authors who I was able to read with undiminished pleasure as a child, youth, man and master.

I met him only briefly at science fiction conventions, and was truly impressed by his courtesy and kindness. We shared a love of GK Chesterton. I never told him how I cherished his work, and how important his writings were to me.

Authors (Rich Horton): Gene Wolfe died yesterday, April 14, 2019 (Palm Sunday!) His loss strikes me hard, as hard as the death last year of Ursula K. Le Guin. Some while I ago I wrote that Gene Wolfe was the best writer the SF field has ever produced. Keeping in mind that comparisons of the very best writers are pointless — each is brilliant in their own way — I’d say that now I’d add Le Guin and John Crowley and make a trinity of great SF writers, but the point stands — Wolfe’s work was tremendous, deep, moving, intellectually and emotionally involving, ambiguous in the best of ways, such that rereading him is ever rewarding, always resolving previous questions while opening up new ones.

Cartoons (Wasteland and Sky): One small loss of the modern age I’ve always been interested in is the death of the Saturday morning cartoon.

For over half a century they have lingered in the memories of just about everyone alive in the western world as part of some long ago age that will never return. But nobody talks about them beyond nostalgic musings. The problem with that is they require a deeper look than that. I don’t think it’s clear exactly why they do not exist anymore, and it is important why they do not.

Fiction (Tip the Wink): It’s the stories, not the book, that are forgotten here. From the publisher’s website:

“Known best for his work on Popular Publications’ The Spider, pulp scribe Norvell Page proved he was no slouch when it came to penning gangster and G-man epics! This book collects all eleven stories Page wrote for “Ace G-Man Stories” between 1936 and 1939, which are reprinted here for the first time!”

RPG (Modiphius): Horrors of the Hyborian Age is the definitive guide to the monstrous creatures inhabiting the dark tombs, ruined cities, forgotten grottos, dense jungles, and sinister forests of Conan’s world. This collection of beasts, monsters, undead, weird races, and mutants are ready to pit their savagery against the swords and bravery of the heroes of the Hyborian Age.

Drawn from the pages of Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories, this roster also includes creatures and alien horrors from H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, to which Howard inextricably bound his Hyborian Age. Other entries are original, chosen carefully to reflect the tone and dangers of Conan’s world.

Sensor Sweep: Windy City Pulp Show, King Arthur, Star Wars Target Audience, Model T in Combat published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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blogagog-blog1 · 7 years

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TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012

I'm not dead yet - but maybe somebody loves me. (It’ll make sense later.)

I'll look at the date of my last post after I'm done writing this one, and kick my ass accordingly.1 For now, I'm just going to be happy I'll be hearing keys clickety-clacking for the next thirty minutes to an hour.2 See that? That's some bonafide, honest-to-Jeebus, glass-half-full shit there, ladies and germs. I'm not going to pretend I've suddenly morphed into a perennial ray of sunshine overnight - but I feel like I'm putting something together that needs to be acknowledged so I can take the next step: putting my finger on exactly what it is. I'm not all that great of a detective; I think it's best to call in the deerstalker-hatted, pipe-puffing, film-noir version of myself to solve the mystery (I know I’m juxtaposing two totally different time periods. Shuttup. It's my story.)

Excellent decision, and I shall bring my trusted sidekick along as well. First, Balooba (Remember Balooba, the Zimbabwean God of Web Logs? Well he’s Detective Me’s Watson. Cuz I'm just that money), let's look at the subject's baser past nature - the things that required the alleged change currently taking place.

Observation 1 - The subject has been coasting for years.

Here's the thing - despite appearances, I don't think I've 100% invested myself or put my heart and soul into anything for a long time. There've been challenges, sure. But contrary to what I may have said, thought or led others (and myself) to believe at the time, they were rough roads, not roadblocks. There are a lot of things I could have accomplished and a lot of relationships that could have enriched my life.

Observation 2 - It would appear the subject had a hard time differentiating the creative and destructive elements of his life.

I don't mean creative like the decoration of my bedroom. I mean positive, ‘creationary’ elements. (Sure, I could have just used that word to begin with. But then how would I mention my delightful boudoir?) Long story short, at one time there was a large portion of a city that knew who I was; if not in person, then by reputation. Reputation being: that motherfucker parties HARD. "Golly, he's fun!" Shit like that. That and being in a moderately successful band got the big fish in a small pond syndrome going. That'd be all and well if it was balanced with fiery musical passion and work ethic in tandem with solid interpersonal relationships both platonic and romantic. Again, despite pretences otherwise, that wasn't quite the case.

Observation 3 - The subject appears to have noted the dire straits he was in and fled his surroundings. While a frank assessment and subsequent re-tooling of his life was never done by the subject, improvements were initially seen. Of late, those seem to have waned, and in latter days, seemed all but non-existent.

So waddup wid dat, G? Negativity in action and lack thereof. Negativity of thought and mood. Some very minus-sign kind of times - the kinds I was pretty sure were over and done with. And I gotta watch that shit. Subject ain't as resilient as he used to be, yo.

But the thing about it is - well, let me not steal the thunder from the me with the stupid hat.

Fuck you, bro. This hat isn't stupid. This hat is cool. (Twinkie if you can name the 90's teen movie reference.) And we are all quite aware you didn't finish the sentence because you don't have my immeasurable deductive skills. Isn't that right, my dear Balooba? (Balooba says whatever “True dat” is in Shona or Ndebele.) And Balooba does not lie. If I may continue, I think we were abotu to move on to the changes I have noted:

Observation 1 - The subject is able to concur with, and further, discuss the aforementioned shortcomings.

I'm not sure I've ever said categorically that the above were true. I've certainly been aware they were on varying levels but can't say I fully stated, even to myself , that they were all things under my control. Regardless of external forces and douchebag/douchebaguette (ha...bread insult. I'm going to make it a thing) bit players, the end result falls squarely on my shoulders. And I'm okay with that.

Observation 2 - The subject is typing these words right now.

I'm writing. I really enjoy writing. But for extended periods of time, it seems I don't enjoy anything enough to start it. Or maybe it's I would enjoy it if I started. That's more likely. So the plan is pretty much to not stop. God, I'm brilliant. Also, I just saw a kid with no arms ripping drums. So, if I don't start pushing at my instruments with the fear of not getting anywhere, punch me in the dick.

Observation 3 - Things are happening.

This is hard to explain.

First of all, I always feel like things that happened in the past were more meaningful. College was more meaningful than now. My life in high school (not high school itself, that shit sucked) felt more meaningful when I was in college. Conversely, the life I'm living at any given moment feels like...existing.

I know there were moments that, at the time, just knocked me out. I remember the first time I sat close to a guy playing the electric guitar. And the first time I got to try it, and step on the stomp pedal and hear it distort. I'm not exaggerating, it was like magic. Not figuratively; it was like being in the presence of Dumbledore or some shit.

I can't remember the last time I've felt that - what may or may not have been love ranks up there, but that involves hormones, pre-programmed reproductive instincts and my wiener so it clearly has an unfair advantage.

But in the past few days I felt something. I know The Band is awesome and Leonard Cohen is supposed to be. Previously though, my basic attitude would be: "Cool hit songs. Cool other song I heard in passing. Where's my beer?" But for some reason (possibly reading Neil Strauss' interviews in Everyone Loves You When You're Dead) I listened to compilations of both.

I'm excited to hear more of The Band, but Leonard Cohen - well, he kind of knocked me out. I'm pretty sure I've tried him before outside of what I know and it didn't do much, if anything for me. This time around - well, I'm writing, aren't I?

Indeed you are. We can then deduce, my dear Balooba, that -

Alright, shut your piehole, hat boy, you're done.

Another thing is this. When I was younger, I really believed in serendipity. I loved the idea of fate. And most of the time, it felt like fate was on my side. How I made my musical connections, how I met people - they all seemed like such outlandishly improbably coincidences, it was easy to see an aura of pre-destiny. But understandably, fate got tired of hooking me up and me fucking it up, so it kicked rocks and left me languishing for it's helping hand. (Yeah, I dig alliterations [or near-alliterations, depending on who your English teacher was]).

I was pretty low, man. And what I've read in the past couple days was what I needed to read. The music I heard was what I needed to hear. A few hours ago, I randomly checked out this guy's blog. I didn't know he was a writer. And Goddamn if half his blog wasn't the exact stuff I needed to remind myself of. Funnily enough, he's more of an acquaintance than a friend. But he's someone I respect musically and increasingly in terms of personality - so maybe we'll give the old 'there're kindred spirits not thousands of miles away, it's not too late to make lasting friends' thing a go.

In the epilogue of Everyone Loves You.. Strauss surprised me by sharing what he'd learned in 20 years of writing and interviewing. And it was sort of exactly what I needed to hear:

1)Let go of the past. 2)Fame won't make you feel any better about yourself. 3)The secret to happiness is balance. 4)Fix your issues now, because the older you get, the worse they become. 5)Derive your self-esteem from within, not from others' opinions. 6)Say yes to new things. 7)Live in truth. 8)Never say never. 9)Trust your instincts 10)Be happy with what you have.

and...

11) Everyone loves you when you're dead.

On which he expands: "Because when you're dead, your happiness and accomplishments are no longer a threat to their belief system and self-esteem. You've been appropriately punished."

Well, cool. At some point, everyone's going to love me. So for now, maybe I should concentrate on loving myself instead.

If this Strauss character is to be believed, the world will catch up eventually.

The date of my last post was a picture on March 14. The date of my last writing was two months earlier. As promised, my ass has been been kicked to suit.

It was over two hours - the sun's up. As it should be whenever I'm done writing.

#writing #writer #writers of tumblr #stream of consciousness #stream of thought #neil strauss #everyone loves you when you're dead #sherlock holmes #self awareness #self discovery #fate #destiny #serendipity #depression

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