January 14, 2005
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Do you remember ZackFuller suggesting I see the movie “Finding Neverland”? That’s what I did tonight, and he’s right. Take some Kleenex. And he’s right about it providing inspiration, too.
Lately I’ve been glad I had a shitty childhood. Because otherwise I wouldn’t have spent all my time reading and fantasizing. While the rest of the class was paying attention, I was staring out the window, in another place. I was always in a better place. I learned at a young age to appreciate the beautiful things in life. I can still smell the forest outside my gate, that first hot day in June. I remember the special oatmeal soap I bought at Bergs, on Broadway, when I was finally old enough to take the bus downtown, with Melissa. I can see my Grandmother’s garden, in her backyard on a Saturday morning. I was the only grandchild who enjoyed the flowers. She was so mean but she loved her flowers.
I guess what I loved the most about the movie was that it honored the fanciful. So as I try to spice up my first assignment, “using 1500 words describe — I chose the swimming pool. I am trying to interject some sort of strife. You know, as I approach the climax. This pyramid thing is a pain in the ass. And I realize that I don’t like to read about conflict and I certainly don’t want to write about it. Not when my girls and I are having a perfect day at the pool. I want to write about how I close my eyes and lay out on the hot pavement, hanging out with my girlfriend like we were 16 again. How delicious it is to have two lifeguards watching over my girls while I daydream in the sun, rising only to take a quick dip myself.
So tell me true, would my rendition of the mountains have been more compelling if there had been…wait, I just remembered the clenched knuckles on the wheel. That’s conflict. So do I need to have some sort of near disaster as the girls get in the pool, to have a proper story? Maybe I could have an indecent exchange with the lifeguard, he was only 20 years younger.
Then there’s the climax. Can that just be when we leave or does something amazing have to happen? I should probably buy the textbook. Maybe it has some of these answers.
Comments (7)
Wow, this post remined me of my own adventures at the pool. I lived in East LA, heavily Hispanic, and they would beat up us Asians sometimes for sport. Once in the pool this guy–I don’t know what his story was–tried to drown me. the lifeguard was also Hispanic so I figured–at 7 or 8 years old–it was useless to report them. Ugh. What an awful memory… But one I don’t really want to forget either… Does that make me wierd?
I was just reading in Dylan’s autobiography this morning about an incident where he was invited to write some songs for a play by Archibald Macleish – famous American poet/playwright. When he read the play he saw that the theme was too dark and violent for him and so he never wrote the songs. Didn’t want to go there.
when in doubt google… conflict …. start w/ defining conflict in your mind. What is conflict? What is big conflict? what is little conflict? what starts conflict? how does conflict end? what emotions happen during a conflict? is all conflict bad? go to starbucks, order your favorite coffee and make a list of all the conflict that happens while you’re there…. what made it conflict? btw… i invest in large pads of paper that have a sticky back (2.5 feet high from staples or sam’s club) and leave up what ever i’m working on in my writing space. i doodle new ideas or tangents on them and cross out stuff… it made life interesting for company when i wrote in our family room!
I’m only 22, but I could tell immediately in your blog that you are a writer by the natural rhythms you play with in your prose. A Professor and Pulitzer runner up Ted Gup told me something similar and I almost died. Your xanga really inspires me, and I’m so glad that I found you and so many other good people. Take care!
I didn’t feel that your trip to the mountains was a short story in the classic sense, but ‘lifewriting,’ which is a genre in its own right. The writing was beautiful and I enjoyed every word, almost feeling like I was there with you (which I don’t doubt you intended as the author). If, however, you wanted to take that initial writing and compose a story out of it, then it could become the setting for a tale that has the elements: conflict, suspense, danger, crisis, resolution, denoument, etc. as it unfolds… Or am I misunderstanding the exercise you are describing? Which could well be… The writing group sounds wonderful, btw! xo
Not sure of your assignment either
but I am sure of what you write and how it flows
and how it keeps my attention.I just know that I as well
grew up an avid reader…it is what poor famalies did when
I was growing up…we read to escape…So with all the reading
that I have encountered and the desires to escape as well i find
what you write no matter what it is here …it let’s me step into
another world unlike my own…I thank you
Conflict can be a subtle thing – you had it there from the start with the conflict between the beauty of the snow falling and your kid’s pleasure and your own fear and refusal to stop and put the chains on the tires. I find the most compelling conflict the internal ones. Why keep driving in danger when you can put chains on? Who is a person who would continue on rather than stop? It’s there.