My copy came in the mail during the week*. With it came THIS THAT and THE OTHER. I know this is bad, but first thing I must note is that if you have Recent Forgeries you can make it without THIS THAT AND THE OTHER and Coincidence of Memory. There's a lot of overlap. I'm sure there must be other publications of Mr. Mortensen's work that don't have overlap but those three do. On the other hand, 3 Fools 4 April has no overlap.
I haven't viewed the entire DVD yet (it's a CD/DVD set) because I am absorbing it slowly like wine or mead. It's not the sort of thing I can absorb all at once, like, say Van Helsing. I can never take in poetry all at once. I have to read it slowly and reread it. Before I got this set I hadn't heard of or heard Scott Wannberg. He is definitely a highly skilled poet. Around here there's a sort of style that all the poets (with very few exceptions) like to use when they read. It's not like Scott's so that's a good thing. A poem is so personal and all poets shouldn't be reading the same way. I think it's the Richmond rap influence.
So far I've been blown away by Hank Mortensen's reading of "white hot heart." I've watched it twice. After I heard it the first time I had to stop the DVD and go away so I could comprehend what I had heard and felt. The next poem to affect me so strongly was Scott's reading of "kingman run", which is about the death of his mother. It's an emotional and beautiful saga listing all the little details of the journey.
I'm a little disappointed with Viggo's readings. They seem to be in monotone almost like he was just getting through the evening. I'm hoping the remainder of his readings will be more expressive. I find it odd as the readings on Recent Forgeries are so full of feeling and nuance. I will continue to expect a return to something close to that level of emotional revelation as I watch the remainder of the DVD.
I haven't decided if I'll come back when I'm done and give you more of my thoughts. Probably doesn't matter anyway.
*I wish now I hadn't said anything about the handwritten label on my first shipment from Perceval Press. The two shipments since then have had printed labels (in ALL CAPS!!). The hand-written label was quite nice actually and something I expect from small companies: personalization. In fact, every order from Perceval Press should be personalized in some way. At least with a "Thank you for ordering" note (an email is not the same at all). Autographed copies would be lovely. I bought some shareware from Soleau Software (Gem Jam) years ago and got the most enthusiastic letter (signed by the programmer) thanking me for my purchase together with an ink jet print out of their complete catalog. Perceval Press could at least include a "if you like X you might also like X" letter. Oh well. It's not a perfect world is it?
... back to slogging away at the screen play, which looks like it will play only for me. I have little hope that the plot will salvage itself before midnight Saturday.
9 comments:
a screen play huh?
*impressed*
oh. it's nothing. anyone can do it. many already have. you just sit down and start typing and don't stop until you reach 20,000 words. No one said it had to be good ...
yet, somehow my whole life makes sense when I write, so thank goodness for Script Frenzy and NaNoWriMo.
I have started trying to write some of my memoirs. . .about my mum. . .and my dad and my general dysfunction. To do nothing with it other then understand. But I get writers block every other hour. Any tips?
Good for you!! Although, the dysfunctional part is a bit of a stretch.
This will seem silly, but to get over the block: write. Just write. Don't think about who will read or if anyone will read it. Just write. Also, there are some fun suggestions in this blog: http://www.43folders.com/2004/11/18/hack-your-way-out-of-writers-block/ that actually work. The walking one works for me and the "write the part you want to write" works, too.
In one of the forums, I think in Script Frenzy, I read about someone who keeps a text file for every chapter, so whatever chapter she feels ready to write she just writes and doesn't worry about order.
Good luck!
Thats what I have been trying to do. Work on what I want to write, cut to chapters completely out of sync but just kept feeling it was wrong somehow.
I think my 'voice' will improve as I progress and kind of wanted the book to reflect this.
Also, how do overcome the need to protect it and wrap it up like a baby and not want to edit (and/or delete bits) even when they make no sense. . .???
Thanks very much. I will go check out the link now. DQ X
Don't work. Write. Forget the wrong feeling. How can it be wrong? Your voice will come. Don't make this a work of art. Just write. Try writing the first thing that comes to you for 10 minutes everyday (in a separate file). Or 15 minutes if you can handle it. Right now you're writing. It's way too early to think of editing anything. Re: the link - I like the "talking to a duck" idea.
I don't think anyone overcomes the need to baby their work. But somehow you get used to letting it go out on it's own.
Thanks. I will take that all on board and considering how quiet work is at the moment I really do have *lots* of time on my hands. I guess I have made the mistake of thinking that each section should be perfect before moving on to the next. . .
Email me. Maybe that would be better.
Will do. . .
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