Sunday, August 31, 2008

An All Seeing Eye -- The Big Other in The Bluest Eye

In Toni Morrison's preface to The Bluest Eye, which I'm reading now for Introduction to Peace Studies with Jeff Anderson, she begins by stating this:

"There can't be anyone, I am sure, who doesn't know what it feels like to be disliked, even rejected, momentarily or for sustained periods of time...When this happens, it is some consolation to know that the dislike or hatred is unjustified -- that you don't deserve it."

When I read the first line, I agreed. What kid hasn't been passed over for the kickball team, or the last one to find a buddy for partner time? I know one of my constant complaints as a small child were about being rejected by the other kids in my grade. But when I read that second sentence, I immediately thought one thing:

"She can't possibly mean the dislike I've experienced -- I'm not black. I haven't had to endure the same kind of dislikes she has. Clearly my rejections have not been the same. I'm not worthy to compare the two." And that troubled me.

In my communication class we've learned that when two people have a conversation, there are actually six people talking, three for each of the participants. There is my perception of me (white, middle class, college student, female, brown hair, silly), my perception of you (what you look like, what I know about you from previous conversations, the circumstances we got into this conversation) and my perception of what you think of me (you must think I'm a smart ass for saying that, you look like you don't like my hair, you obviously think I'm racist for saying this.) The same goes for the other party.

Reading a book, I just realized, is much the same way. You approach a text the way you approach speaking to another person. There's what you know about yourself, what you know about the author, and what you think the author wants you to get out of the story. Unfortunately in the case of a book, there is only one person on the other end -- the text itself, unmoderated, unassuming. Of course, we might say that the author has already considered the other side of the conversation when they were writing the book, but that is subject to your interpretation. You are the only lens. Of course, other lenses can be added to the three I've just mentioned -- what other people want you to get out of the book, why you are reading the book (reading for class or reading for fun can totally discolor your picture) what you think other people will think of you for getting what you get out of a book, and dozens more.

There's something Lacanian about all this, some Big Otherish quality that governs the discourse between book and reader. Pre-conditioned responses have already been embedded into my system, and apparently one of them is to step away any time a black author tries to involve me in the shared feeling of remorse and say "But I'm not on the same level as you."

This is troublesome indeed, and I'm not entirely sure I know how to solve that. On the one hand, it is true -- not being picked for the kickball team is by no means the same as being rejected from the social network of your classroom by your peers because you are black and do not look like the beauty ideal of Shirley Temple in any way, as Pecola is in The Bluest Eye.

On the other hand, I think one solution would be to affirm that while the situations are different, they are also somewhat the same, which is what Morrison was trying to do with that opening line of her preface in the first place. By acknowledging that difference and respecting it we can move forward in the discussion. This was something we talked about last year with Sister Mara. In an essay she presented to us, the author of the essay, a white woman who does a significant amount of scholarship on Toni Morrison's work, talked about how she felt inadequate (not quite the right word) when it came time for her to present her work because she wasn't black and therefore couldn't possibly understand Morrison's work the way it was meant to be understood. Eventually, however, she realized she could reconcile this by owning up to the similarities between the experiences of women of both races (backgrounds, upbringings -- I really don't know what word to use here, either, race being a loaded word) and by comparing the differences. By owning up to the difference and respecting it she was able to become more comfortable with the concept.

So yes, Ms. Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize Winner and writer of fantastically good fiction, I do know what it's like to feel like you don't measure up to standards of perfection. I know what it's like to be rejected. Please share with me your thoughts and experiences on the subject. Because that’s the reason we read, isn’t it? We read to understand other people’s experiences more.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Grammar

In light of the class on linguistics I'm taking this semester, the subject of grammar (which, you should all note, I am not well-versed in) has been pulled into the spotlight, and I've been reminded of this song, which I heard at the beginning of the summer and promptly forgot about.

It's called, appropriately, Bad Grammar, and it's a parody of Timbaland's The Way I Are.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Keys for Writing- Music and other tidbits they won't teach you in class.

I've been writing since the eighth grade, and in that time I've learned a few things that they won't teach you in a creative writing class that help me write pieces that just keep getting better and better. Now bear in mind that these are techniques I use, and while they work for me, they won't always work for you. But it's a place to start.

Before you begin writing, it helps to know something about yourself -- namely, your learning style. As an Education minor, I have to take a lot of classes on teaching and the best ways to teach, and I've found that people process information in one of several ways. You can be an audial learner, a visual learner, or a kinesthetic learner. Once you've determined which one of these you are, it will help to discover which techniques may work for bettering your writing.

I'm a visual learner, which means I like to see things in order to process them. To incorporate this into my writing, I make photocollages or backgrounds to coincide with the piece I have front and center at the moment.
I made this background for a friend, but if you're writing about the golden age of Hollywood, it helps get you in the mood a little bit. An acting friend of mine once told me that one of the things he does to prep for a production is to copy out his script so that each page has a blank side, and put them in a note book. You can fill the blank side with images to help you remember or evoke things on that page of script. This is the same idea.

Since I'm also an audial learner, listening to music or watching a movie is also a great way for me to try and find inspiration. I have folders in my Music Library labeled "Gilded Age Tunes" "Medieval Songs" and "Sea-Sailing Shanties" all filled with mood music for a particular type of story. The Sea Sailing songs? I listen to those when I'm writing Master and Commander Fanfic. As an additional bonus, listening to period appropriate music (like Boccherini when you're writing from the Patrick O'Brien canon) will give you some allusions to make in your story that will really impress readers.

Your music of choice doesn't have to be period appropriate --If listening to death metal helps you write battle scenes, go for it! Find what works for you.

But sometimes, silence is the key. In this day and age where some people can't seem to walk down the stairs without turning on their iPod, I think we often forget that sometimes silence is the most helpful writing tool of all. It gives you space to formulate your own thoughts. I like to write with my window open so I can hear the birds and the wind rustling the bushes and the crickets. That grounds me. What grounds you?

One of my most helpful writing tools is a walk. Yes, a walk. Around the block, to the park, upstairs to refill my waterbottle. Walking gets you away from the material for a little bit and it also recirculates your blood. When you have blood moving to your brain, ideas come a lot easier. Plus, the change of scenery may inspire something. My room is in the basement of my house; I do some of my best writing when I'm upstairs in the kitchen. I'll walk upstairs, make dinner, and while my water is boiling, jot down notes on a slip of paper. The change of scene, along with the recirculating blood, helps.

While we're on the subject of brains, let's discuss water. I always write with a 24 oz water bottle sitting right next to my computer. Why? Because a hydrated brain is a productive brain. They've done studies on students in elementary schools that show that a student's attention and focus will slack off if he or she is not drinking enough water. Your body is nearly 70% H20 -- You need to keep it that way. A dehydrated brain is only thinking about one thing -- NEED WATER. I don't mean go up and pop open a can of Sprite. I don't mean go out and get your favorite Starbucks. I mean water. Plain and simple. Get a reusable water bottle and make your friend Mercury happy by not wasting plastic.

If you're a kinesthetic learner, finding an 'artifact' to help inspire you (such as a certain food if you're writing a feast scene or a piece of fabric when you're trying to write a costume intensive scene) might be helpful. Making a scrapbook page could also help -- cutting out pictures and associating colors can open a host of ideas to you.

These are just a few things that I've found helpful. If there's a technique you've tried in the past that you'd like to share with me, feel free to leave a comment!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

PaperBackSwap

Those of you who know me well will smile and nod when you hear me say that there is nothing I like more than new books. But you know what I like more than new books?

FREE NEW BOOKS!

So you'll understand entirely why this site is now my new favorite --

PaperBackSwap


The concept's pretty simple. You post books that are in relatively good condition that you no longer want, and people across the county look to see if you've got something they want. If you have book B, and Helen wants Book B, she puts in a request. You get an email saying "HEY -- Helen wants Book B!" It will send you an address label with Helen's address on it, and all you have to do is wrap Book B, buy some postage, and ship the book to Helen. When Helen receives the book, she tells the site what a wonderful person you are, and you get one point. One point equals one book. So now I, having my one book point, can go and find a book that I want, send a request, and the process repeats with someone else. GENIUS! I'll gladly pay the three dollars and change for shipping rather than paying six bucks and change through Amazon for the same book.

You know what else is great? This site does DVDs and CDs, TOO!

HOW COOL IS THIS?

You can check this blogger out at paperbackswap under the name mercurygray. If you get an account there, tell them I referred you -- I get points for doing it!

Ciao-
Mercury

Monday, August 4, 2008

I totally want one of these shirts




If you live in Saint Louis or can get there easily, BUY ME ONE OF THESE SHIRTS! They're from the Saint Louis Shakespeare Company, and I can't buy one online...




They're adorable.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

The Passing of one of the big names

RIP Alexander Solzhenitsyn, whose One Day in the Live of Ivan Denisovich wasn't actually that bad of a way to finish AP English.

Solzhenitsyn, chronicler of Soviet gulag, dies

Friday, August 1, 2008

Something to Read

We in the writing business sometimes forget about the people on the other end of our pipeline -- the people in the reading buisness. This is paradoxically absurd, because I know for a fact that many of the people in the writing business are ALSO in the reading buisness.

This man, however, is out to profit both ends of the spectrum--

http://somethingtoread.net/bike.html

It's a project called Something To Read, and if you're in the vicinity of Wicker Park in Chicago any time soon, you should go and see if you can find him. It's the brainchild of Gabe Levinson, and it's attracted the attention of more prestigious pens than mine, like the people at the Chicago Tribune, which ran a rather nice article entitled

A bicycle built for books

in last sunday's Q section. Personally, I think this man is brilliant. He's helping people read. I would, however, give him more brownie points if he were to start the same thing with RECYCLED, SECOND-HAND books.

So, Gabe Levinson, if you're reading this blog, there's an idea for you. (and if you like it, give my freinds at SCARCE a call. I'm sure they'd love to help you. To everyone else, check out his website. He sounds like a pretty groovy guy.