tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post9071701475368606167..comments2023-05-04T08:55:45.336-04:00Comments on our stories, ourselves: Releasing the Safety Harnessemma d drydenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-50539161633427319942012-07-15T14:37:05.826-04:002012-07-15T14:37:05.826-04:00This post is just what I needed to read right now!...This post is just what I needed to read right now! Thank you for sharing Irving's insights as well as your own. And I found myself nodding emphatically during your discussion of Hemingway. I used to teach "For Whom the Bell Tolls" to high school students, and they hated it. It was hard for me to get them excited about it because I didn't care for it either. However, I would always tell them that reading Hemingway was a wonderful lesson in learning the difference between appreciating literature and loving literature. I'm glad to see someone else feels the same way!Kelly Suellentrophttp://areyoufinishedyet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-58572734352952978182012-06-05T13:58:14.098-04:002012-06-05T13:58:14.098-04:00Hi Emma ~ I love this notion of appalling. The te...Hi Emma ~ I love this notion of appalling. The term says it all. I'm on the third book of The Hunger Games series, and believe it's another example of a writer who embraced the concept. Thanks for sharing these 'appalling' ideas. ;~)CarolWeishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01070606276175218670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-61128658916120692752012-05-22T10:36:06.978-04:002012-05-22T10:36:06.978-04:00Hey Emma -- This is a whole new take on writing fo...Hey Emma -- This is a whole new take on writing for me. Since I read this blogpost, I sit down at my computer and think, "Now how can I give this young boy a scene that will appall him, that will appall the reader, and will appall ME! So much more fun than writing what I already know.<br />Gail GoetzGail Goetznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-1397100780271494172012-05-19T12:53:12.657-04:002012-05-19T12:53:12.657-04:00Lia, from the bit I've seen of your WIP, I don...Lia, from the bit I've seen of your WIP, I don't think you've been going about things all wrong at all. Just don't be afraid to go all the way with your sword fights, dark hallways, and deeply complex characters. Go to some ugly places in order to find the beauty.emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-78579536817914662452012-05-17T14:30:41.334-04:002012-05-17T14:30:41.334-04:00Yes, it will be a "Novelairy Tale" then....Yes, it will be a "Novelairy Tale" then. Going to that landscape, may be the/an answer & an easier vehicle to allow one's mind to soar to new places in any story. Mainly because the archetypes & twists are so basic in our memory - so well known to us - coming up with others might be an easier road to access when tapping into the creative parts of ourselves. <br />Not a big S. King fan, but I heard Stephen King say he always asks "what if". From this, he walked in a hallway & saw a fire hose on the wall & thought, "What if it came to life?" "What if his car was alive?"...etc. Voila! The lacuna as a being - holy smokes, Emma...now there's a story. Write that puppy!Jeanine Jarrellhttp://houseofjenesaiquoi.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-8172707011007954572012-05-17T12:32:59.464-04:002012-05-17T12:32:59.464-04:00You're so right - the traditional fairy tales ...You're so right - the traditional fairy tales never played it safe with the characters or with the emotions of the readers, but there was always some closure of some sort in the tales --even if it wasn't the neatly wrapped and bowed kind of closure. So, yes, I think your idea to go into that Fairy Tale landscape to sort out how you might handle your "lacuna" is a great idea. (And you've got me thinking of a lacuna as a rather ferocious, toothed beast now...)emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-62655219905752114872012-05-17T12:28:33.316-04:002012-05-17T12:28:33.316-04:00"Write FROM what you know", yes! Great d..."Write FROM what you know", yes! Great distinction, soooo different than "write what you know".<br /><br />Then allow our characters to take us on their journey, with a few stops along the way at appalling places!<br /><br />Thanks for the sound advice and the great post, Emma!mimi crosshttp://www.mimicross.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-83331578781211342292012-05-17T12:28:15.178-04:002012-05-17T12:28:15.178-04:00At first I thought, OK, my writing can be rather a...At first I thought, OK, my writing can be rather appalling :0 - No problemo. But then I realized the novel I'm fleshing out is far too safe. In my gut I could feel a lacuna in the path, but couldn't put my finger on it. That's exactly what's wrong with it! Wow. So now, the second issue/step for me is going beyond that & finding how to, as you said, "gain control, mastery, and peace over that which appalls"... to "embolden the reader." That might be tricky. I must say, this is why I still love Fairy Tales. In that space, the possibilities are limitless. Perhaps that is the answer for this particular book - to make the novel Fairy Tale-esque. <br />Thank you so much, Emma. Wonderful blog!Jeanine Jarrellhttp://houseofjenesaiquoi.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-42755355006458592542012-05-17T11:55:19.689-04:002012-05-17T11:55:19.689-04:00Exactly right, Victoria! Thanks.Exactly right, Victoria! Thanks.emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-23772628883201407772012-05-17T11:55:03.175-04:002012-05-17T11:55:03.175-04:00How beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing this pee...How beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing this peek into your process from inspiration to poem. Inspiring!emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-45009201238007824612012-05-17T11:46:08.853-04:002012-05-17T11:46:08.853-04:00Emma, thanks for sharing this! I do think authors...Emma, thanks for sharing this! I do think authors are gifted with an almost empathic ability at times to experience what they "don't know". Recently, I read about the untimely death of the "elephant whisperer" and the hairs rose on the back of my neck. Suddenly I could feel the footsteps of the herd marching across the savanna and the weight of their hearts crumpling like grass beneath their feet. I could hear the distant hum of a lullabye - Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana. Thula thul, thula baba, Africana. I don't know why these things came to me. I've never been an elephant! But for next 24 hours I was consumed by these feelings until my poem was fully written. For me, this is the gift of writing!Madeleinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01400555089518816975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-84761782912637220322012-05-17T10:32:15.722-04:002012-05-17T10:32:15.722-04:00It seems to me that the challenge as a writer is t...It seems to me that the challenge as a writer is to pen something that you're familiar with, but in a fresh way. For me, getting inside the skin of a character as a writer, is a bit like being an actor it seems. You never know where your protagonist might take you...or appall you. Thanks for the great post, Emma.Victoria Lindstromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09694066132860951997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-72057066820689621032012-05-17T10:27:14.592-04:002012-05-17T10:27:14.592-04:00Oooh - quill-seeking shivers and thrill-seeking sh...Oooh - quill-seeking shivers and thrill-seeking shivers all rolled into one! Nice!emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-91603240792860684642012-05-17T10:26:32.712-04:002012-05-17T10:26:32.712-04:00I couldn't agree more, Judi.I couldn't agree more, Judi.emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-2197085626916268992012-05-17T10:25:53.865-04:002012-05-17T10:25:53.865-04:00Yes, that's exactly right!Yes, that's exactly right!emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-18394879707236762032012-05-17T10:25:17.325-04:002012-05-17T10:25:17.325-04:00Karen: Facing what appalls us in life is important...Karen: Facing what appalls us in life is important for us as people. Easier said than done, and in no way do I mean to suggest it's easy to face what appalls us -- indeed, sometimes what appalls us is dangerous to us or someone else. What I would suggest, however, is that if we're willing to even step towards that which appalls us, that's a form of bravery and expansion of ourselves--and I suppose I would add it's essential that we have a safety net around or beneath us whenever we're going on the bear hunt.emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-70707894281890178032012-05-17T10:24:33.589-04:002012-05-17T10:24:33.589-04:00Wonderful, Morgan!Wonderful, Morgan!emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-13756889402213886382012-05-17T10:24:12.285-04:002012-05-17T10:24:12.285-04:00Roseann: Thank you for your lovely comment. I love...Roseann: Thank you for your lovely comment. I love the notion of heart-scalded! Even though I do believe writers through the craft of writing well can have some mastery over that will appalls them and the reader, that doesn't necessarily mean that which appalls can be fixed, bettered, or wholly resolved. I think it means the writer can help us manage that which appalls and see it within its context, but it doesn't mean the appalling experience is any less appalling. Irving's prime example for himself was in CIDER HOUSE RULES, when he created a protagonist who would never in a million years agree with abortion given his own background, but who is given the tools and acquires the skills to perform an abortion and who inevitably had to perform an abortion. It's appalling to the protagonist, it was an appalling scene to write no matter how Irving knew it was coming, and it's an appalling scene to read--but Irving's skill and sensitivity as a writer helps the reader manage the sense of inevitability, helps the reader prepare for the scene, and helps us allow the scene to exist within the protagonist's life and within our own life, and then helps the reader to move on as the protagonist must do.emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-63772794952125619062012-05-17T10:23:55.433-04:002012-05-17T10:23:55.433-04:00Oh, indeed it is. And necessary. And often the saf...Oh, indeed it is. And necessary. And often the safest space to poke memories in a manuscript.emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-21082456376830460592012-05-17T10:23:19.669-04:002012-05-17T10:23:19.669-04:00I absolutely think there are ways to take some lea...I absolutely think there are ways to take some leaps and move out of comfort zones with characters in picture books as well as in longer fiction; it needs to be done within the scope and life experiences of the picture book audience, though. Sendak is the perfect example of a writer who has done this in his picture books. There are numerous picture books that contend with death, loss, being lost and any number of other elements that appall and can be appalling -- but all within the context of the young child and with reassurance so the child can be appalled but feel safe enough to go back out into the world, a little stronger for the experience.emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-90633091214234391182012-05-17T10:22:05.474-04:002012-05-17T10:22:05.474-04:00Absolutely right, Sandi!Absolutely right, Sandi!emma d drydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08742492495749128209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-42164123294637981352012-05-17T10:22:02.957-04:002012-05-17T10:22:02.957-04:00Thanks for this, Em. Good sound advice, paired wi...Thanks for this, Em. Good sound advice, paired with great perspective as always!<br /><br />There is, and always will be, so much to write about, and yet each of us has only lived our one life. What of the lives we've never lived? Unless it's your life I am writing about, do I not know that life as well as do you? It's really about a sense of identification, or a desire to identify, that one might be well served to put forth.<br /><br />Then again, and contextually, I don't know shit. As for my writing, I leave that up to the readers to judge if my writing is commensurate!<br /><br />Peace and love,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-62365660198152797482012-05-17T10:20:21.786-04:002012-05-17T10:20:21.786-04:00Poking memories is hard.Poking memories is hard.Hazel Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01195335932993401440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-91039293484730085362012-05-17T05:29:19.631-04:002012-05-17T05:29:19.631-04:00Thank you for unpacking John Irving's statemen...Thank you for unpacking John Irving's statements so beautifully, Emma. I have beent thinking about both since you posted them on FB on Sunday. I went to bed reflecting on how I do I take that leap and "appall" as a picture book writer? I woke this morning thinking, we have just been paying tribute to one who truly understood this and who stands as a model for us, Maurice Sendak.Joannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00633484787634197878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050210624343654411.post-33640323156555647372012-05-17T02:30:43.022-04:002012-05-17T02:30:43.022-04:00Thanks Emma. I do often find myself thinking, what...Thanks Emma. I do often find myself thinking, what of the entire experience of the protagonist is going to be a manageable mouthful for a child reader. How do I present something potentially painful in a way that's fair and likely to lead to empathy rather than defensive callousness. Lots to think about. I'll have to give Cider House Rules a look. Thanks for the recommendation!Rosannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16802313829086904173noreply@blogger.com