tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post236545306387480178..comments2024-01-12T11:26:35.176-05:00Comments on Working Stiffs: The Show Must Go OnWorking Stiffshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270595837074553752noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-88154030852920925652008-06-10T19:10:00.000-04:002008-06-10T19:10:00.000-04:00When I was still teaching, I noticed that "awful t...When I was still teaching, I noticed that "awful things" disappeared while I was teaching a class. I might deflate completely at the end of the day, but while in front of a class, I was THERE (sometimes my voice wasn't, but pantomime and writing on the board would work; our students had a policy of being very helpful when I was under the weather and saving their "tricks" for another day). I find the same thing with storytelling. I flew to Utah for a conference right after a serious fall (at the police station). Much pain, but not when I gave my workshop or told my stories! It's magic! (and may you always have enough of it)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-78315365784986482352008-06-10T16:37:00.000-04:002008-06-10T16:37:00.000-04:00Kathy, I'm sure you already know this, but your bo...Kathy, I'm sure you already know this, but your book is going to help a lot of people through their own Awful Things. Your writing will brighten someone's afternoon---a gratifying and yet humbling feeling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-38446360705106023522008-06-10T16:07:00.000-04:002008-06-10T16:07:00.000-04:00Kathy -I'm also sorry to hear about your awful thi...Kathy -<BR/>I'm also sorry to hear about your awful thing, but I know from personal experience that using the horrible emotions from awful things in our art can help us heal. As trite as that sounds, it really is true.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-74915492149948747762008-06-10T14:33:00.000-04:002008-06-10T14:33:00.000-04:00Kathy, what???? NO NUDISTS at your party???I, too,...Kathy, what???? NO NUDISTS at your party???<BR/><BR/>I, too, am sorry for your awful thing. Having gone through a whole year of assorted awful things recently, I can also say that I try to escape. Sometimes you can't. But delving into the life of my character and getting my head into someone else's problems definitely helps. <BR/><BR/>And, Ramona, it's been my experience that you don't have to use THE awful thing as a plot device, but you can definitely use the emotions you've felt to bring a deeper truth to your writing.<BR/><BR/>That is, IF you're willing to visit that dark part of your psyche and mine it for those gold nuggets.Annettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02755947919433555176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-9153749942958941112008-06-10T09:42:00.000-04:002008-06-10T09:42:00.000-04:00First off: please don't stress about the '40's clo...First off: please don't stress about the '40's clothes. It's by no means a requirement to come to the party;) I'll be happy to see you no matter what you're wearing (but please, for the love of Mary Alice and Richard, be wearing something).<BR/><BR/>That's an interesting observation about fiction, Martha. The other side of the coin is, much like soap operas, they're full of awful things happening one after another, none of which we've usually experienced firsthand ourselves. <BR/><BR/>I've been painting my kitchen as my way of submerging, Tory. Since I don't do numbers, the simple physical activity seems to have a similar effect. Now if I can just get the dogs to stop leaning against the wet cabinets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-10650974504215980502008-06-10T09:40:00.000-04:002008-06-10T09:40:00.000-04:00Kathy, I'm sorry about your Awful Things, and the ...Kathy, I'm sorry about your Awful Things, and the ones that came before it as well. I'm glad you have an outlet, or distraction, for your pain.<BR/><BR/>Writers have a saying: "It's all material." Meaning, whatever terrible thing you are experiencing, the upshot is that you can use it in your work. This is often true, but sometimes not. The only time I kept a journal of sorts was during a particularly difficult time in my life. I have never re-read what I wrote. The idea of using an Awful Thing as a plot device is a bit too callous for me. <BR/><BR/>I think when you are experiencing an Awful Thing, just getting through the day is a performance of sorts. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for writing this. It is a thought-provoking blog.Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-14916621189105645452008-06-10T08:27:00.000-04:002008-06-10T08:27:00.000-04:00Kathy, I'm sorry you've had to go through an "awfu...Kathy, I'm sorry you've had to go through an "awful thing." Whatever it is, I know you have the strength to get through it. <BR/><BR/>I find the arts (reading, writing, theater) to be great for escaping reality, where "awful things" happen. We can't control life or take away the bad stuff (if only we could!), but we can slip into a different world, at least for a few hours.<BR/><BR/>Hang in there. ((Big Hugs))<BR/><BR/>Congratulations on your new book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-33086136532082013462008-06-10T07:27:00.000-04:002008-06-10T07:27:00.000-04:00Kathy, very thought-provoking post! You can take t...Kathy, very thought-provoking post! You can take the 'awful thing' idea a bit further when you notice that the day-to-day things never happen to our characters - no one ever needs to go to the bathroom or eat in most work - we seem to negate that in order to tell a pure story. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if that's what we do when we write (or act) it? We still function in this place, eating and sleeping, etc., but when we go in to write (or act), we leave our daily existence behind? <BR/><BR/>Is that escape? Or liberation?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-8938551055600054842008-06-10T07:25:00.000-04:002008-06-10T07:25:00.000-04:00Sorry to hear about your "awful thing." I'm also o...Sorry to hear about your "awful thing." I'm also one of the escapist types. If something bad happens, I just don't think about it, hoping it will just go away. It doesn't, but it's easier to deal with that way.<BR/><BR/>Tory, I've been doing some research on 40s fashion. A knee-length, or just below the knee-length skirt and one of the new blouses with the puffy sleeves can come close enough to work. Wide leg pants would work, too. As for shoes, the Mary Janes with the clunky high heels, or wedgies will work.<BR/><BR/>I also found directions for a 1940s "updo" for short hair. It involves a lot of pincurls, which I remember my mother doing to me as a kid. Hey, at least pincurls beat using the curling iron that she used to heat up on the stove. That thing fried your hair!Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-76166110388029335512008-06-10T06:38:00.000-04:002008-06-10T06:38:00.000-04:00A couple months ago when my own "awful thing" rear...A couple months ago when my own "awful thing" reared its ugly head after a several-year respite, I was writing a seed grant. I told a friend of mine, "I'm submerging my pain in data." She assured me that many of her friends did the same (she's a professor at Pitt.) Something about those cold, hard numbers was immensely reassuring.<BR/><BR/>Sorry to hear about your "awful thing"!<BR/><BR/>I'm planning on making your book party, but don't have anything 40s to wear and can't imagine finding anything that will fit. Any alternatives to 40s garb?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com