Speculation from a Lit Major

I wonder if it is requisite that to be a true Lit major a person has to learn to over-read perfectly enjoyable stories and poems by fine artists. Feel free to check out the elegant lines of Marianne Moore's poetry, if you will. It is moving, but sometimes a lizard is just a lizard, and a vase is just a vase. But if you see the deeper meaning, as my classmates did, I am happy for you. I think some works can possess multiple layers of allegory and meaning, however, I did not catch the vision tonight. I suppose that is the way it goes sometimes.

So now that I've ranted about over-analysis, get ready for me to post my study of four works by Willa Cather. If it doesn't convince you to take up the English Lit banner then . . . well, that doesn't really mean anything. Write on.

R.

I think I should re-emphasize that Moore's poetry is excellent, and her word use is superb, so do check out some of her poetry.

To Turn on One's Own - Don't Read it While Eating

I completed towards the end of last week a draft of To Turn on One's Own, which came in a meaty 3,904 words. I won't elaborate on my advice, save to say that I restrained my artistic expression in the hut scene for those of you that might experience an enjoyment breakdown from descriptions of . . . shall we call it yucky stuff? So it will hopefully turn out as well as some as some of my others once it has been revised a few times. I enjoyed writing it and am pleased with the substance. For good or bad a full third of it is action, with the pre-captain being shown a good time by an ambitious squad-mate. If that isn't tempting enough there will be some trick riding, some intentional repetition, and a drawing up of lines.

I think I will post my Cather paper next time, but I think it may be a touch dry and formal for this setting. Any thoughts? I'd like to see a comment from Zilla, the sneaky blog reader who claims his internet isn't working and that is why he couldn't comment about something. But I'd like to see world peace too, like Pryderi from The High King, or world piece, like my own personal island nation, but I digress.

Good luck, and Write On

R.

Upcoming Posts

For those of you who keep up here I wanted to let you know that, dependent on how busy I am at work, I intend to write some analysis on Willa Cather's O Pioneers (1913) and Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence (1920). I might also share some thoughts on poetry by Ezra Pound and W.C. Williams, but there is probably other things I would rather post about.

Not the least of which is my newest story, To Turn on One's Own, which I have almost completed a draft of. It will be longer that my most recent tales, probably sitting in that sweet 2500-5000 word range that I seem to fall in. It is another pre- captain story, and hopefully it will be mighty satisfying to them as that read it.

And a quick or not-so-quick question for those of you up to answering it. I've made most of you aware of my intention to start working on the(or a) novel in January. Chronologically this first novel will fall somewhere between the stories Pluck This Jewel . . . and Resurrection. That may or may not mean anything to you, but that is what prompts the aforementioned question. When you read a book, how important is the romantic (romantic as in the lover relationship, as opposed to romantic taking liberties with reality, as in the British Romantic Period in Literature, which had little to do with being in love) element? I am assuming that you do not pick up books that would be considered romances (ie. Harlequin Romance novels) but you might, I suppose. Have you ever read a book where the relationship focus was on friendships rather than romance? If so, what was it and how did you feel about it? Did it rate with a similar book that had a romance element? I hope that you will consider my questions, because I would like to know what you think. If you are not comfortable leaving your answer as a comment feel welcome to e-mail me with it, but please comment and let me and the others know that that is what you are doing. I appreciate all of your support, I don't think I would be making the progress that I am without you.

R

Contest Entry received and Another New Story - A Question of Courage

After the post I just made regarding my anxiety over ADIS being lost in the mail I almost immediately received this from WotF:


"This is to inform you that your story has been received and entered in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest, quarter ending September 30th. Please allow 8 to 10 weeks after the quarter deadline for judging results to finalize. Good Luck! Judy, Contest Administrator"

So ADIS is really going to face the slap down on a national level this quarter. Hopefully it will represent itself with dignity win or lose, something I have yet to master myself.

Coming in at a little over 1300 words, my new tale, A Question of Courage, is yet another eccentric story of the un-epic. I am not sure I know what else to say about it, really. It came to me and I wrote it, or it tickled my fancy and I decided to scratch. In any case I cannot deny that it is there in its un-majestic way.

In other news, I find that I am liking some odd songs lately, ones that might in another age have bugged me. Lose Control by Evanescence is one, Eye by the Smashing Pumkins is another (however for SP there is no song better than Drown), and 37mm by AFI all have this rock/techno element that I know in past years I have probably railed against. Anyways, I recommend checking those tunes out if you get a chance.

R.

New Story - The Wasted Portion

Yesterday I finished a draft of a little tale I call The Wasted Portion, a 908 word story of horror on the Laughing Grass hopefully worthy of its Halloween morning conclusion. It won't scare anyone, not a single one, though the squeamish might feel thoroughly disturbed (and I'm talking mighty squeamish here, I think we can all agree that understatement is a major factor in my writing). It takes the good Captain back to his early days riding for the Prince.

Some thoughts that have come from a few sources of feedback - Suppose you have grabbed your scythe (it's that thing the Grim Reaper holds, related to the sickle if you didn't know) and headed out the door. You walk to this place where something is growing: wheat, grass, weeds, corn stalks, kudzu, or whatever (it doesn't even matter to me, just picture something vividly with your mind's eye). Now you take your scythe and send it through the growth causing stalks of whatever you have envisioned crashing down. You look up and your neighbor (who isn't really retarded, maybe he is just a salesman for the leading supplier of building material in the country) pulls up on his wagon, the bed of which shows not a single mar from carrying anything but him around in it. He says, "What is it that you are doing, _____?" You then reply, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm ______."

I originally used the term "mowing" but felt some pushback from a reader on the matter. Technically the exact use of which I speak of was "recently mowed." I have changed that to "recently scythed." If you think that sounds lame, know that I do too. The reader complaint is that the term "mowed/mow/mowing" came after the lawn-mower and are not appropriate for the context. The great Willa Cather uses the term "mowing" to describe Emil (I'm pretty sure that is his name) taking his scythe to the grass at the family cemetery as "mowing" in Oh, Pioneers which was published in 1913 (I'm pretty sure). The first mechanical mowers were made in the mid-1800's and were usually horse-drawn in those days, which makes my argument using Cather a little weaker. I have not found a paper dictionary at this point, but if you look for the definition of "mow" online you get a dozen variations of "to cut with a blade or mower." So anyways . . . does anybody have a sure knowledge of what they called cutting crap down before the invention of the mower? I think the term "mow is older than the mower or it would have never been called a "mower" and the wheat and stuff that you cut down and stick in the barn wouldn't be called "mow." In the end, what do I know? I only write here.

In other news my grew very excited when I opened my mailbox today and there was an e-mail from WotF. Much to my dismay it was only a newsletter. I wrote them about a week ago to see if ADIS was lost in the mail (since I received a confirmation e-mail for TEC twelve days after the cut-off date). They wrote back and said they are still sorting, but I really want to know. Did ADIS make it or not? So that is my WotF update.

I think my recent burst of super-short stories (maybe incredibly short stories would be more accurate, since my first suggestion implies that they might have powers beyond that of a mortal short story) has to do with my schedule/available time situation and the fact that all the complaining I did about the Writing Center lowering the word count caused me to think of some really basic elements of my stories. They are somewhat liberating in that I can write about a snapshot in time that might take up too much room if I tried to stick it in another short story but that I would still enjoy exploring.

I have really gone on and on. I think this may be my longest post in quite a while. Anyways, thanks to all for your support, suggestions, and general love/friendship/encouragement.

R.