FILL: Quotes for the day?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting 15 July 2008

Random quotes from http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I've grown to realize the joy that comes from little victories is preferable to the fun that comes from ease and the pursuit of pleasure." Lawana Blackwell

"Joy is not in things; it is in us." Richard Wagner

"If 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." Anatole France

"The quantity of civilization is measured by the quality of imagination." Victor Hugo

And the country and western song that was playing was Riding With Private Malone, David Ball. An odd song about a young man buying a car, and finding a note in the glove box from Private Malone.

So, let's see what we have. A hint about how to have a friend -- be one first. Two comments about joy, little victories and in us. A note about what it means when everyone knows it. And the relationship between civilization and imagination. And of course the odd song about a man, a car, and a ghost.

How do these seem to be related to you? What stands out? What does it remind you about in your life? What if you found a note in the glove box from the previous owner, who apparently died some time before? Could you imagine that previous owner as your friend, sharing joy with you?

Enjoy your reflections, and your day.

When we write, we talk to unknown friends with visions.

FILL: Impure at Any Distance?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 16 July 2008

With purity and such discussions echoing in my little noggin, take a look at the quotations that I got this morning from http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

"It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?" L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908

"The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it's just sort of a tired feeling." Paula Poundstone

"Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul." Rebecca West

"A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece." Ludwig Erhard

"Despise not any man, and do not spurn anything; for there is no man who has not his hour, nor is there anything that has not its place." Ben Azai

"Human pain does not let go of its grip at one point in time. Rather, it works its way out of our consciousness over time. There is a season of sadness. A season of anger. A season of tranquility. A season of hope." Robert Veninga

I think I'll let you connect these quotes to purity all by yourself. Especially when it comes to cutting slices off the cake (I had not heard that aphorism before. But y'a know, I'm going to have to think about that metaphor, 'cause I really don't think people are cake. Pie, now :-)

I have to admit, whenever I hear the word purity I think about the old soap commercial. 99.9% pure. No hint as to exactly what it was made up of, nor what that 0.1% might be, or even why anyone would care, but it certainly sold a lot of soap.

I think sometimes one of the most interesting parts about discussions such as this is noticing where we get nervous, irritated, angry -- and stopping to think about why we find it upsetting? As I have suggested before, it is the point where our emotions are engaged that we are likely to discover our own best writing. When you're excited, that's where something important is happening -- pay attention, reflect on that painful spot, think about what is going on!

There's a TV show right now here in Japan where one young woman has her hair and makeup and so forth done, on screen with commentary and explanations. And it's apparently causing a great deal of discussion and nervousness among viewers because the hairdressers, makeup artists, and the relatively large panel that are watching and commenting -- they are all recognizable transvestites, New Half (men dressed as women but not trying to pass as women?), or "flaming gays." Why does a woman having her hair done by men who clearly appreciate hair, makeup, and clothes cause such an edge? Personally, I think this show is one of the most subversive shows I have seen in years, largely because the overt show is so trivial while the implicit show is so controversial.

And the comments are funny, too.

The last of the quotes by the inimitable Mel Brooks added, "Humor is just another defense against the universe."

So don't forget to laugh.

To bring down giants, use a sling and aim high.

EXERCISE: Drama is . . .

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 17 July 2008

Are they still running those commercials? I remember various actors reflecting, and then dropping those one-line summaries. Drama is . . . well, life!

Or as Alfred Hitchcock put it, "Drama is life with the dull bits cut out."

Go ahead. What do you think drama is?

And how do you transform that into writing?

When we write, we talk to unknown friends with visions.