Welcome to...2020 Sucks

I've heard it said that there are some decades where nothing happens and no history is made, and sometimes the history of a decade occurs in a single year. I'm convinced that I am living through one of those times.

I think this street art from Iceland somewhat reflects what I'm feeling.

I mean, I've lived through a number of major historical events, but the year of our existence 2020 seems to take the cake. I think the tone of the year (and maybe the whole decade) was set when I woke up on the first day of the year to #worldwar3 trending on Twitter. Also Australia was on fire.

Come March, everything is on lock down, followed quickly by mass layoffs and demands to "reopen the country". Stress and anxiety have been at an all time high since. I know it's been affecting me because I've been struggling to write and paint. When I do finally sit down to focus on creating something, my mind gets stuck. I either can't finish what I start or am completely dissipated with the end result.

I still try.

In the middle of all the stupidity around people breaking quarantine and lock down procedures, a video of a woman in Central Park asserting her dominance over a black man by threatening to call the police on him...when she was the person in the wrong. She faced a lot of backlash - rightfully deserved, but some of the follow up to her actions have been disheartening (the dog rescue that took her dog after she strangled the poor boy, eventually gave the dog back).

A few days later, a video of George Floyd being murdered by police went viral. Part of me can't help noticing the timing of the two videos. The woman Central Park wasn't just threatening a black man with arrest, but possible violence from the police.

Protests have continued since and we've learned the names Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain who'd both been killed by police prior to George Floyd. Now there is a federal police presence in Portland, and more coming to cities across the country.

I've watched a lot of videos and seen pictures from the protests and the damage caused by rubber bullets and tear gas. I watched on live TV while protesters were cleared from Lafayette Square so the president could hold up a bible (upside down) in front of St. Johns Church.

Part of me feels that November can't come soon enough, part of me is worried that it won't matter.

At least the president finally said that people should wear masks. The reports of people catching COVID-19 after his rallies was worrisome. A few people have talked about being yelled at by strangers for wearing masks and being "sheep" or perpetuating a hoax.

COVID-19 is not a hoax. Wear a mask.

At least the murder hornet plot point that popped up in May has since vanished. Though I put nothing past what could happen in 2020.

When I started out this year, I was hopeful and optimistic. I wasn't in the best place in my life and thankfully some things have gotten a lot better. However the same can't be said for a lot of other people.

In the coming weeks, without a viable plan, mass evictions are likely to start. People (especially minorities and women) would end up on the streets without anywhere safe to go. This isn't just the usual amount of bad. This is the type of bad that could drastically increase their odds of catching COVID-19. More people are going to die if our government doesn't create a stimulus plan that includes renters, people who are food insecure, and anyone out of work.

There are a lot of terrible things happening in the world right now. It's tempting to delete my social media, turn off the news, and bury my head in the sand and pretend everything will be alright. I'll probably be alright, but the world doesn't revolve around me.

It's tough to know what to do when faced with everything going on. I often feel helpless in the face of so many problems. I feel I can't do a lot to help due to the virus, but I have been writing to my elected officials and donating money when I can. I try to stay informed with what is going on and educating others. These are small things, but maybe these small things will pile up until they have enough momentum to create real change.

2020 sucks.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to the Summer Garden Heat

2020 has been an incredibly stressful year, full of change and one unfortunate incident after another for the world at large and my personal life. It’s been tough to find time to relax and allow myself time to mentally decompress.

One of my few great distractions is looking after my little balcony garden.

It’s been a few months since I first mentioned my garden in this blog (click here for details), but I’m still working on it and there have been a lot of ups and downs. Some days it feels like there are more downs than ups.

Here are a few highlights of the things I learned:

During the first few weeks of my gardening, I lost the lemon balm I planted. It took patients and a few more seeds, but eventually the lemon balm grew nicely to the point I made a pesto with some of the leaves-basil was in there too). However, I eventually had to go away a few days during a heat wave and the lack of water did a number on the herb. Thankfully it’s slowly coming back. It’s my favorite to use for water infusions with some lemons or strawberries.

My two lettuce plants were taken out in May. One from over watering and the other from aphids. The overwatering was totally my fault. The aphids...well, let’s just say that aphids have become the bane of my garden.

My fight against aphids was at its peak with my pea plants. Peas are stubborn, yet delicate in general, which makes caring for them hilarious at best and an exasperation at worst. The June aphid attacks took out several of my pea vines. The July heat was the final death stroke for my first crop. Thankfully, I did managed to harvest several pea pods before their inevitable demise - they were quite tasty. I’ve planted an autumn crop which should show up mid August. Hopefully this time I’ll have more ladybugs around to help me with the evil aphids.

Speaking of unwanted insects, I think a small colony of ants have taken up residence in my camomile. They don’t seem to be hurting the little flowers, but occasionally see them dragging around an aphid or two. No ants have infiltrated the apartment. Cayenne helps keep them out.

Cilantro seems to do really well during the spring. By the end of June, it had started to bloom and I lost the leafy green part that is eaten. I’m hoping to get some seeds out of this travesty.

I’m not sure if my lavender is dead or very slowly coming back. Every day I check and there are little green growths on some of the stems. Only time will tell. My cousin also struggles with her lavender plant. It definitely needs more water than it lets on...and a lot less heat.

I was utterly convinced that I had killed one of my tomato plants until a few days ago I went out and found two new stems growing out of it. Though neither are tall, flowers have started to bloom and I have a small green tomato growing on the healthier plant.

Bachelor buttons are some of my favorite flowers and I am happy they are doing relatively well. I’m not sure why they lean (probably to get more sunlight), but they are lovely. I remove the deadheads once the flowers have begun to dull.

I know I didn’t really talk about the King Tut Papyrus plant. I’ve had him a few years now. He’s doing alright outside, but will again be brought in for winter.

The sage is doing just fine, while the basil seems to be thriving and is by far the easiest herb to work with at the moment. The rosemary is just kind of there. No carrots have yet to shoulder their way through the soil yet. The jalapeño plant is new.

Nothing kills mint...and even when you think it’s dead, it’s not. It will come back. It’ll even find new ways to spread, even when confined to a pot.

It’s not just plants that are a part of my garden, but also bees and other insects come to visit (along with one very stupid wasp). Spiders have found their way around the pots and shelves. They don’t bother me except when they make a giant web on the furniture and I have to evict them. There’s even a beautiful goldfinch who likes to perch on my yellow camomile pot. One day I might get a picture of him.

Gardening, even on a balcony, is a time consuming process that involves a lot of delicate balance. I have to make sure each plant has enough water, but not too much water as I learned with one of my lettuce plants. They need plenty of sunlight, but too much heat is also bad. Some plants might look dead, but are really just figuring things out. Other plants just hate being told what to do. And mint is nearly impossible to kill.

You’ll see a wide variety of wildlife in you plant a garden...some of it will not be welcome. Bees and spiders are your friends, while aphids are the devil’s spawn. Occasionally, you’ll see a creature you weren’t expecting at all.

If you are interested in planting a garden, it’s not too late to start. There are a number of plants that are best planted in the summer for a fall harvest like pumpkins and winter squash. It’s tough and you will likely lose a plant or two (unless it’s mint), but it’s wonderful munching on peas I grew myself or sprinkling Freshly cut basil onto pasta.

Gardening requires a delicate balance of nature and nurture. There’s only so much a person can do if luck isn’t on their side. But it’s a worthwhile hobby.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Adaptation as Fanfiction

Here's a not so secret fact about me: I enjoy fanfiction.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying fanfiction - sometimes I want to see what other authors think was happening with two background characters while the main characters were ignoring them or sometimes I want to speculate on what happened after the story ended.

Fanfiction is fan taking a work they love and adapting that work into a new story. This is not a new idea and often adaptation is in itself a type of fanfiction. There's a very fine line between what is cannon and what is not cannon and sometimes a work can be removed from the cannon (see any fan arguing about the Star Wars Legends demotion).

I'd argue some of the most popular plays, movies, and TV shows of the past decade could easily fall within the category of fanfiction as well as adaptation.

Hey look, mythological fan art!

For example, Hamilton is a "real person" fanfiction (yes they exist, no I'm not very fond of them, though there are a few I like) as is the movie/play 1776 (though they really do Judge Wilson dirty in 1776). Hadestown is one of my all time favorite plays...and totally an alternate reality version of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Pretty much anything that features Sherlock Holmes is a fanfiction (unless it's a direct story adaptation).

But do these examples really count? Aren't they just adaptations of materials in the public domain or of real events?

Yes and they are also a form of fanfiction.

A Cinderella and historical fiction fanfiction (because Da Vinci is in it)

Go re-watch Hamilton on Disney+ and tell me that Lin-Manuel Miranda isn't a fan of the real historical Alexander Hamilton. He spent 6 years developing that play. His passion had to have been sparked somehow.

Look! More public domain adaptations that are also fanfiction.

Oh Brother Where Art Thou takes a lot of liberties with the plot of The Odyssey, but clearly someone was a big enough fan of the original story to create an alternative universe where George Clooney (as Odysseus) escapes from prison to get back with his wife. It is so blatantly obvious in places, that I -without knowing the movie had any ties to The Odyssey before watching - picked up on the imagery (especially with John Goodman as the cyclops and the sirens scene).

And don't even get me started on anything and everything related to Sherlock Holmes (the original toxic fandom). Watching the old movies where Holmes goes up against the Nazis is trippy because I think of Holmes in the 1880s or 1890s - when there weren't Nazis. Though I admit to a deep fondness for all of the Wishbone adaptations of the books.

However, fanfiction goes even further back than this past century and the insane copyright laws currently in existence - one of many reasons fanfiction has become so prevalent. These works were often held in such regard that they helped change how a society saw the origins of the works.

Shakespeare created several plays about the English Kings (starting with Edward III and ending with Richard III) as this really cool adapted history of his country. These adaptations can also fall into fanfiction territory as Shakespeare had to take many liberties when adapting the narratives into plays. He had to write parts for the actors in his companies, speak to the audience in a way they would understand, and keep his wealthy patrons happy. Henry V didn't have a friend named Sir John Falstaff, he's fictional and also appears in The Merry Wives of Windsor which I'm fairly certain isn't part of the English Kings plays. However, Falstaff was (supposedly) a fan favorite of the audience and is speculated to be based off of a real person (speculations include the actor playing him, but no conclusive evidence exists).

This series of plays by Shakespeare are often seen as helping educate and shape public opinion on English history (particularly where the monarchs are concerned). Henry V is the tragic hero the public needs because he was on the right side of the War of the Roses, while Richard III is a total villain because he was on the wrong side of the war (he also likely murdered his nephews and rightful heirs to the throne, so...).

You guys might not have read the epic poems of Dante's Divine Comedy or John Milton's Paradise Lost, but by the universe you've either heard of them or been exposed to something that has been influenced by them.

 I've seen Paradise Lost referenced by Mary Shelly in Frankenstien, Neil Gainman in Sandman, a scene in the movie Animal House, the Star Trek episode "Space Seed", and more video games and songs than I have space to list. Needless to say, it's popular.

It's also this very long angsty fanfiction about the fallen angel Lucifer and the war between heaven and hell. I wouldn't even call this an adaptation of a Bible story, this is just straight up fanfiction about things that are referenced or barely mentioned in The Good Book.

That goes double for The Divine Comedy. The trilogy is a prime example of self insert fanfiction (written by a good writer) if I ever read such a story. The guy gets to meet his favorite Latin poet, get a VIP tour of hell, puragory, and heaven, damn two Popes to hell (it's complicated), and meets all the whose who of dead guys in 14th century western culture (seriously there are a lot of side conversations that could easily have been skipped over Dante).

This particular work of fiction was so popular by the time's powers at be that it influenced the Christian religion up to, well...now. Half the reason westerners and Christians think of hell the way they do is because of Dante. Heck, who else would have sentenced Marcus Junius Brutus to be eaten for eternity by the devil himself? An Italian with a grudge - that's who.

But you don't have to listen to my arguments for this. Overly Sarcastic Productions on YouTube has a fantastic summary of all three books and why they are the most fanfiction of fanfiction writings in existence that are also held in such high regard. Seriously check out the videos, they're hilarious.

So the next time you bash someone for writing or enjoying fanfiction, just remember that you might be a fan of someone else's fanfiction...that was just given a budget.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Manga, Graphic Novels, and Comic Books

I love graphic novels, comics, and manga.

They were some of the first books I picked up and enjoyed reading. They seemed to be the natural extension of the picture book - at least that’s what young me thought. There is a lot more nuance to them than picture books.

My first graphic novel or comic book (depending on who you talk to) was my dad’s Asterix books that he had from the 60s. I found them at my grandfather’s house and brought them home to enjoy over and over again. I really liked Cleopatra.

One of my hardcover Asterix books along with Persepolis and a Haunted Mansion comic book. I was surprised by how much I liked the Haunted Mansion book - though the ending is a little abrupt.

Unfortunately, back in the 90s Astrix was almost impossible to find in the US. I had to wait until my dad traveled overseas for him to bring me back a copy...and that was only if he could also find an English book store.

Thankfully by the 2000s, bookstores in the US were starting to import manga and I was able to start collecting Yu Yu Hakusho. Though some of my favorite manga I found at my local library in the form of Kindaichi Mysteries (where you needed to really pay attention to the drawing to help solve the mystery).

One of my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol., a collection of Zits (one of my favorite strip comics), and the manga My Brother's Husband about a man meeting his brother-in-law after his twin's death.

I’ve read a lot of manga, graphic novels, and comic books, but my knowledge only really scratches the surface of everything out there. I loved the drawings, the stories, and how easy they were for me to read.

And they were some of the first forms of story telling I wanted to write.

Except writing a graphic novel, manga, or comic is a lot tougher than most other media. Similar to scripts for plays, TV shows, and movies, there are a lot of moving parts to graphic novels, comics, and manga. The script can’t just include dialogue, but details as to what is going on in each panel. Consistency is very important.

Directions also aren’t like what you see in movie and play scripts. See writers aren’t always the artists, so the writers need to describe (in detail) every detail of a scene so that the artists gets it right early...instead of realizing later that the character should have been doing x for five panels when they drew the character doing y.

The script for a graphic novel must be finalized before drawing begins...and once drawing begins, changes are really hard to make unless you want to scrap the entire project. When I’m writing a comic script, I have to be conscious of what can fit on a page and how to build tension for when that page is turned. Knowing how to pull off a good transition is takes a lot of practice.

Then there’s the technique of using the panels themselves for story telling. The size, shape, boarder versus no boarder, and even the space between panels all enhance how the story is told. No boarders might show that time is open ended or extends beyond the boundary set up by the page. In consistent panel sizes or jagged shapes might show a character’s or situations’s instability. The spaces between panels might be neutral to show negative space or might be in dark shades to suggest a dream sequence.

Depending on where a person learns about the art of writing comics can drastically change their styles. I’m more familiar with Japanese and manga techniques as those are the books I read most often and I’ve taken classes on their style. European and American styles tend to have similar styles, but there are notable differences in how backgrounds and static lines are used.

Representing time and movement can be particularly challenging. How do you show a static character running? Panel over panel or with lots of lines or a cloud of dust rising up behind them? How do you slow a scene down to a crawl or build tension? Draw incremental movements within 5 panels then make the reader turn the page?

As more writers and artist collaborate, a mixing of styles has emerged. Which makes writing the scripts even more important.

I’ve written before how comic, graphic novel, and manga story telling can be preferred to more traditional text. Some people don’t have words, only pictures to convey a message. That’s okay.

Writing is art, though not all art is writing. If you’d like to try your hand at writing comics, manga, and graphic novels. I recommend reading the final products as well as the production notes and scripts.

I’ve been writing a webcomic for over 5 years (really just for the hell of it) and I’m still learning as I go. Sometimes I stare at my scripts wondering what the hell I was thinking or picturing. Other times, I forget entirely what it was I was trying to write.

But as my one yoga teacher likes to say - “the joy is in the journey”.

If you really want to write a comic, graphic novel or manga - go for it. Search for advice and take a class. Find out what works best for you.

And this ends my writing series (for now). I’ll be out next week. So I’ll see you next time.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please, like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to scripts, plays, radio shows, podcasts, and on screen

Reading plays in school was a lot more fun in a group setting than when we had to sit quietly and read in our heads. In fact my 12th grade English teacher had to find a recording of Hamlet for our class to listen to since we were struggling so much (hearing the actors emotional tones helped).

Since moving back to Virginia (and the pandemic), I’ve come to miss my monthly excursion into New York City to grab a slice of pizza and a root beer before seeing a Broadway play. My current favorite is without a doubt Hadestown. But I’m also happy to recommend Come From Away, Beetlejuice, To Kill a Mockingbird, and especially The Play that Goes Wrong (I saw it three times).

I haven’t seen this on stage, but I love the miniseries adaptation.

Now writing scripts in any form is an art form. That’s why Shakespeare was known a playwright - the “wright” part indicates a type of craftsman. So Shakespeare was a crafter of plays, not just a writer.

When I was in my high school Creative writing class (because two years of this class makes me an “expert”), I learned to write stage places and scripts for movies. Going into the unit, I thought they would be very similar in formate. They are not. Placement of instructions on the page, dialogue, and even when to use italics can vary wildly.

Depending on the medium, scripts can require stage directions, camera movements, lighting, sound effects, possible instructions for special effects, emotions for the actors to express, cut scenes, music, etc.

Needless to say there are a lot of components and this is just for plays and movie scripts. Radio plays and podcasts have their own laundry list of components that don’t completely line up with the above list.

Recently, I’ve started writing a Very short radio play (about 15 minutes) - which required me look up the proper format because it doesn’t follow a stage play format at all. Part of me wants to rearrange the whole thing as a short stage play. Doing so will require me to revamp the whole [bleepin’] format.

And this isn’t even getting into genre bending performance art.

Remember how last week I was writing about poetry and lyrics. Well depending on the genre, a script might require a dance sequence, music, songs, or poetry. Now the script writer doesn’t have to give a ton of direction for this (typically) that’s the director and choreographer’s jobs to determine. For music, you’ll typically have the writer including the written music as well (or they’ll hire someone to do that writing).

I will one day see this on stage, but it’s not a play in the traditional sense. It is a choreopoem.

If you want to write scripts of any kind, I definitely recommend taking classes on it. These are not like the short story or novel forms that we’ve been exposed to since we were very young children. There are a lot of moving parts and people to work with.

(I recently watched a live stream performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by a YouTuber having all of the actors act via Zoom and there is a hilarious subplot that goes into a group trying to create a play and it going terribly wrong. This is one of the better examples of how the script writing process can go. Go watch it, the guy who plays Oberon is the best. Just know that it is over 3 hours long.)

However, if you just want some practice to entertain your friends or practice a bit because your still stuck in quarantine - I recommend first learning about the types of performing arts you will want to write for.

So here’s a list:

• The traditional stage play - probably the most familiar of script writing as Americans at least start learning about plays in elementary school. You’ll need a list of actors, stage directions, setting information, and informations on what the characters look like and how they feel (this list is not comprehensive).
• The stage musical - similar to the traditional play, but with the moving parts of dance sequences and musical numbers. You need a music background to properly write these.
• Movies and TV scrips - not only do you need to direct the actors, have good notes on the setting, lighting, and sounds, but you have the extra component of camera movements. Depending on the budget, you also might get to have access to a nice special effects team.
• Radio plays - lack all the visual components of the stage play, musical, and movie/TV script, but need a little direction in the audio effects and stage directions.
• Podcasts - similar to radio plays (honestly they are the new radio play).
• Experimental - I would only recommend trying to write an experimental script for an advance script writer. These scripts know all the rules of script writing and may throw all of that out the window. 

Note - most scripts have a length equivalent of one page per minute of acting or performing. This isn’t always the case.

Second note - directors might take your script and choose to toss all your directions and only keep the dialogue. Directors get to do that.

And for those of you reading this thinking that actors improvise a lot of what you see on stage or screen - I can assure you they do not. Most actors follow what the director says and the director gets final say on everything.

I’ve seen The Play that Goes Wrong three times and each time it was (almost) the exact same play each time, with different actors.

And remember, I’m not expert on this.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to Poems and Lyrics

In times of turmoil and deep distress, some people are able to produce amazing art. However, turmoil, pain, and suffering aren't necessary. I know I create best when I've been given a nice cup of tea and a warm blanket to curl up under. 

Between the recent protests, COVID-19 still being a threat, and any personal events that might have left your head spinning (I unfortunately have), you might want to put pen to paper to word vomit all your feelings and sort out all your emotions. 

I say do it.

But what do you want to write?

Stories, fiction or non? Letters to your representative and senator? Do you want to stand up before a crowd and give them a speech on how things need to be changed? 

What about writing a song or poem?

A few days ago, Lindsey Ellis released a video on YouTube regarding protest music during the 2000s. Listening to her describe the different songs as well as reading some of the lyrics reminded me of how similar song lyrics and poetry are. 

Quick question, is the following quote taken from a poem or a song?

"Run, run, run away

Buy yourself another day

A cold wind's whispering secrets in your ear

So low only you can hear"

Are you not sure or are you having to think about it. Maybe you've heard the quote before and can't quite place it, but you definitely know that it has a rhythm and beat.

The answer is that it's the song "Kingdom Come" by The Civil Wars (from the Hunger Games soundtrack). If you totally knew that, congratulations you may have a virtual cookie and bragging rights.

Personally, I don't see that much difference between lyrics to a song and words written in a poem. In theory you can set music to both or speak the words out loud without a background. Some song lyrics are first written as poems and have music added at a later date. Some music compositions are used over and over again with different lyrics like the composition for "Turkey in the Straw" (which at one point had super racist lyrics) or is it "Do your Ears Hang Low?". 

The songs aren't exactly the same, but on occasion I'll hear the tune and start singing along using one set of lyrics and switch over to the other set. 

Even the U.S. national anthem under went this treatment. The original words were written as a poem and were later put to music (the tune is actually from British drinking song - go figure) by people hearing the poem  spoken at public houses. 

My point is: there's a lot in common with writing song lyrics and writing poetry.

Until there isn't.

Poetry has undergone a lot of changes. Breaking forms and discarding a rhyme scheme are only two elements that a lot of modern poems shy away from.

Lyrics to songs, however, tend to follow a formula which includes a rhyme scheme, chorus, and a bridge before the ending of a song. This form isn't set in stone and some songs break the trend, but it's hard to get a hit top 40 without these elements.

That doesn't mean that artists shouldn't experiment with their poetry or their song lyrics. Knowing the foundational rules sets the stage for which the artist and/or writer gets to play. Then they break the rules so hard it leaves their critics' heads spinning.

I'll be honest, I'm much more familiar with poetry than lyric writing (even if I do find them similar). I've loved writing poetry since I was a child in elementary school learning all the different styles and forms. When I got to college, I did have one professor tell me that my poetry was too "mathematically styled" and that "I had no soul" for poetry (*incoherent grumbling from behind my computer screen) - we were writing sonnets. I hate writing sonnets.

It wasn't until I picked up Terrance Hayes poetry collection: "American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassins" (which I totally recommend by the way) that I learned that there was more than one type of sonnet. The American sonnet in particular, throws all the rules out the window and only keeps the 14 line limit.

The more I read of other modern poets (the ones they don't make you read in school) such as Nikita Gill (my favorite), Amanda Lovelace, Hasan Namir, Danez Smith, Morgan Parker, and Rupi Kaur, the more I've learned to let words flow like emotions. A lot of the poetry I read is by LGBTQ+ and non-white authors, who write very different poems than what I read in school. I learned about most of these poets at my favorite New York book store: Bluestockings Bookstore, Cafe & Activist Center (which I hope opens up safely after the lock down there ends).

Personally, I prefer the poems and collections I've picked up from indie bookstores and zines. They're much more expressive and emotional - meant to be read out loud or preformed on stage. 

I've since moved away from the more traditional forms of poetry (with the exception of the occasional limerick and haiku) and have let myself write what flows from my mind. Then I madly rewrite the poem. Then rewrite it again and again, until I'm satisfied with it.

Imagine my surprise when my first poem published was one of my more traditional in style and form. 

But my publishing history isn't what's important here. It's understanding that experimenting and blending writing forms should be encouraged. Modern poems that don't have a traditional or conventional form should be taught in schools. Teach kids about the song lyric forms along side odes and sonnets. 

One of the more interesting books I read (long after I left school) was For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide: When the Rainbow is Enuf which is a choreopoem by Ntozake Shange. Before picking up this book, I had no idea what a choreopoem was, but I'd taken a few dance and history of dance classes to understand how to read the stage directions. The dialogue is all poetry, some of it spoken, some of it set to music. Sometimes the women on stage are dancing and sometimes they are frozen statues.

There is a Tyler Perry movie of the work available to stream (I unfortunately haven't watched it yet) and might be easier for some people to understand instead of reading the book. If given the opportunity, I'd like to see it on stage as it was originally intended to be presented.

But now were getting into another form of writing, one which I think I'll have a blog entry on next week. So get ready for scripts: onstage, motion picture, and radio.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to Speeches, Pamphlets, Essays, and Letters

Not every writer is someone who writes fictitious stories. Some writers are known for writing persuasive pieces meant to convey information and draw attention. These pieces can take a few forms, but the ones I’d like to write about today are the essays, pamphlets, letters, and speeches.

The importance (and occasional cross pollination) of these literary works has shaped history. We first learn about these writings in American history with the knowledge of Thomas Paine’s little pamphlet called “Common Sense” - which you can occasionally see re-enacted as a spoken as a speech in Colonial Williamsburg. I learned to write persuasive essays starting in middle school. In high school I studied Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg speech (the famous speech starts with the line “Four score and seven years...”) and Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

These types of writing may not seem as glamorous as writing a novel or play, but they are important.

There are some people who are amazing speakers, but can’t put a thought to paper to save their political campaigns. Many politicians employ a speech writer to put their passionate thoughts together and create a clear and concise platform (whether or not that person sticks to the script varies greatly).

In some instances, speeches by the same speaker or author are compiled into a book. I personally own a book of speeches written and spoken by Greta Thunberg called No One Is Too Small To Make a Difference. It's really cool to see how her writing has changed since she started speaking on climate change.

Pamphlets are not as well known or utilized in our modern era of persuasive arguments. They are unbound books that can be easily carried and shared. Historically, pamphlets were also read allowed or performed similar to a speech - see Thomas Paine again for more details.

In modern days, pamphlets occasionally appear, though usually as some form of marketing campaign. However, they have mostly morphed into online forums and discussion board. While their shorter literary cousin, the essay, continues to be taught in America public schools.

Essays aren't necessarily meant to be read out loud to a crowd and they are often short enough to be combined with several other essays to be turned into a full book. Examples of essays can be found in  Kurt Vonnegut's standalone work: “How to Write with Style", while Roxane Gay's “Bad Feminist” is a collection of essays bound together in a book.

Finally, I want to address to you (pun fully intended) the lowly letter. I love receiving letters from my friends and family in the mail - breaks up the monotony of bills and junk - but there is a bit of an art to letter writing. Letters don't even have to be pen to paper in style, they can be sent via email, printed in a news paper, or left on a social media site as an open letter meant for anyone to read.

Oh, and one of the most famous letters ever written in US history is on display at the National Archives in Washington D.C. That letter is the Declaration of Independence.

Yeah, we wrote a letter telling England to buzz off.

In fact, writing letters to politicians and the government continues to occur even after that little declaration sent King George. I've written to politicians before (usually via email) to make certain that my voice is heard and part of the public record. You can also follow up your letter with a phone call (or vise versa). And they have to listen to you if you cal them on the phone - I had to when I was an Intern for a Representative (one guy liked to call the representative just to sing and we weren't allowed to interrupt him until he was finished). This may have changed (unlikely), but if you want your voice heard and recorded, send a letter.

Especially now that so much is going on between COVID-19 and protests occurring this past week. Because of the virus, some people may not be able to safely protest, but still want to participate and share their grievances with their elected officials. For example, sending your local, state, and federal elected officials a letter asking them to outlaw No Knock Warrants might draw attention to how they have been used to unjustly harm or kill innocent people (such as Breonna Taylor) or demanding that funds be used to investigate complaints against officers who use excessive violence when detaining a suspect.

Not everything a writer writes is fiction. Sometimes it's a persuasive argument drawing attention or campaigning for change. Speeches, pamphlets, essays, and letters all have their place in the literary world and to change the physical world.

Thank you for reading my blog post (or should I call it an essay?) this week. I hope you are all able to stay safe during these trying times.

Until next week.

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