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October Review Challenge, #15 - "What's your most poetic line?"

This one's kind of tough. I feel like word selection is actually the weakest aspect of my writing— I'm better in general at the design portion of it, coming up with the ideas behind it, structuring it, shaping it. And as always, it's a hard thing to quantify. I have a whole lesson in my English classes about how the "picking of good words" part of writing is basically impossible for me to teach. How do you measure it? What rules do you apply? Especially when so much of it is contextual, and moreover a matter of taste. But every now and then, I do think I hit on something that sounds genuinely good.

I find myself struggling to find the perfect one, but let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good. I'm going to think of things that made me comment "That's a good line," out loud to other people, at enormous risk of sounding like an egomaniac, when I heard them spoken. And a few in recent memory come from a particular scene in Mrs. Hawking part V: Mrs. Frost— specifically, scene 2.5, when Mrs. Frost and Mrs. Hawking finally face off in person after gunning for each other from a distance the entire play.

Versus
Photo by Daniel Fox


By this point, the audience has been waiting for the two of them to interact directly, so there's a lot riding on the scene, both in terms of the story and of the audience's engagement. So I wanted their interplay to be crackling. I got a lot of good ones in there, mostly from Mrs. Frost. She knows our hero well enough to see and speaks her weaknesses and fears, in order to cut to the heart of where she is most vulnerable.

She gives name to some of the discomfort Mrs. Hawking has dealing with Nathaniel. "It’s remarkable, you know— in the right light, he could be your husband. In the right light, he could be your son."

She knows the worst, weakest, and most pitiful of Mrs. Hawking, and reminds her of it. "You are still as powerless as when last I saw you, a girl trembling in nameless dread of your wedding night."

But I'd have to pick this one: "Fate falls hard upon a hero’s shoulders. Small wonder you’re always raging— at your father, your husband, and me. But you ought to be grateful. We made you what you are." It voices the great tragedy of Mrs. Hawking's existence, that most everything that she holds dear as part of her identity is the direct result of the worst things that ever happened to her.

But the thing that's really notable about these lines is that they sound good, in that unquantifiable way that poetry can. The rhythm is good. The music of the words. They stick in your mind. I'm not sure they're the most poetic I've ever written. But when I heard Arielle say them, I informed everyone in the room, "That's a good line."
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So last Sunday I saw Annabel Lost, the poetry-drama piece by Frances Kimpel that has been Chameleon's Dish Theater's most recent production. It's a fascinating piece, exploring themes of self-worth, connection, and mortality and immortality, all strung together by astonishing pieces of poetry. It's incredibly unique-- I've literally never seen a piece of theater like it --and provokes a lot of thought. Frances's work is challenging, beautiful, and not quite like anyone else's. I'm still picking apart what I got from it, so I'd like to see it again and keep thinking about it.

The next performance is this Friday night at 8PM at the Democracy Center in Cambridge. Would anyone like to come with me? I'd love to meet up with someone or many someones for dinner nearby, then meander our way over there to see the show. Please message me if you're interested in making a plan. It'd be nice to have a little friendly company before an evening of theater.
breakinglight11: (CT photoshoot 1)
Today is my first early day of work that wasn't canceled for snow. I prefer the early shift in general, but it will take a bit of adjustment as I haven't had to be in by 8:30 for quite a while. As a morning person, I think ending my workday earlier will make me feel less exhausted by the time I get home, which will enable me to make better use of my evenings. Of course, like an idiot, I forgot my lunch on my way out the door, which is not a great way to begin, but I'll have to get in better habits from here on.

I am making a serious go on the Vivat Regina subplot containing Clara. I'm not a hundred percent sure that it will work, which is making it a bit tough to commit to it. But I'm telling myself that if it doesn't end up improving or fitting within the piece, I can always just go back to the previous draft, so I won't lose anything but the effort. Much as I admittedly hate wasted effort-- likely a holdover from my depressed days when I had to seriously ration my energy --I really do want to give it a try and see if I can make it work.

Also going to have to begin working on the script and lyrics for the new 20s-era musical I'm co-authoring. That presents a really new challenge for me. Poetry is not my forte, and I've certainly never attempted to write it in such as way as it could be set to a song. In some cases my awesome collaborator Troy has already worked out what the music will sound like, and we'll be writing the words with that in mind, but in other cases we've decided it's best to write the words first. I'm excited to try, but also nervous. I want to do well. A piece like this is really made or broken by its songs, and good lyrics will really do a lot to see that the songs are good. I hope I'm up to the task. It's probably going to be a matter of brainstorming, giving it a shot, and then revising endlessly to get it to where it should be. Like any writing task, I suppose. Here goes nothing!
breakinglight11: (Puck 4)
31p31d7

This piece is dedicated to [livejournal.com profile] crearespero because it draws on an idea she came up with. It features Ariel, the fairy from Shakespeare's The Tempest, and takes place after the events of that play. This is very rough and definitely needs more work, but I think I could turn it into something decent if I took the time to work it out. It's in very lazy iambic pentameter, and the arc could use expanding, but I just wanted to get it on the page for now. I like Frances's idea, because it suggests that Ariel is something wild and dangerous, not simply a pretty and amusing spritely servant.

Day #7 - "I Killed Sycorax" )
breakinglight11: (Joker Phoebe 2)
God, I love the Holmes cast. They have this wonderful tendency to go off on long group e-mail chains that meander hilariously from topic to topic. The most recent one was started by our adorable messenger boy/Swiss maid, Juliette, announcing that she got through the English final some of us had been quizzing her for in the green room. This led to all sorts of responses on knowledge and grammar that spanned several languages. Not being fluent enough in anything to contribute well myself, this was the response I devised, which played to my particular strengths:

I've been afraid to toss my hat in too;
I have no words in other tongues like you.
But count my beats and see just what I've got,
As someone who has given English thought.
Perhaps iambs will make, in perfect set,
A fitting way to toast a Juliette.

I'm absurdly pleased with it. Not a bad little bit of verse, eh? Makes that grueling semester of iambic pentameter worth it.
breakinglight11: (Mad Fool)

Last night I found myself inspired and started working on this scene. It would be part of Sundan, where our tragic hero's closest friend Bastian finds out that he's loves their friend Juliana. From Sundan I am going for shame turned into rage at his helplessness to positively deal with his feelings and his situation. With Bastian I'm trying to convey that mixture of pity for the sufferer's plight and profound embarrassment on their behalf that you are seeing something they would rather hide. As a person who is often deeply ashamed to be a victim or to be helpless in dire straits, the situation resonates with me on both sides. Though it could use some polishing, I think I'm on to something, and I believe there is some real poetry among these lines. It needs a clearer lead into the scene, and it needs a firmer ending, but the meat of it is something real.

I really like that one line. I REALLY LIKE IT. )
breakinglight11: (Crawling Dromio)
Just finished my most recent blank verse assignment for school. I kind of hate it, but I think it satisfies the requirements. At this point that's the best I can hope for, while maybe I'll incidentally get better at generating unrhymed iambic pentameter. I do not much think this course study has made me much better a poet than I was before, so honestly I'm feeling like it was kind of a waste.

For my next regular playwrighting assignment I have to write a one-act play, which is supposed to be about an hour long. I have no idea what that will be about. I had a tough enough time figuring out stories to run just ten minutes. But I only have a few weeks to do it in, so I'll better get cracking.

Margaret opens tonight. I've seen the show at rehearsal several times now, but I'm going to try to attend as many performances as I can in order to support them (not to mention enlarge the audience.) There is also a photo call beforehand, which I'm going to try to be present for so I can take pictures of the costumes. I want to have them for my portfolio, and to e-mail to my mother.

I normally would have ballet tonight, but I want to be there for opening night. Also, my Achilles tendon is a little sore, presumably from pliés, and I really don't want to do permanent damage to it. Still, I hate missing class. I enjoy doing it, it's a great workout, and I don't want to fall behind in my learning. My progress has been spotty; some nights I feel like I'm improving and following along fairly well, some night I feel clumsy and weak. My arms are still ugly. I just wish I were better at remembering exactly what the exercises we do in class are so I can more effectively practice on my own between classes.

Today is a sad kind of day.
breakinglight11: (Cavalier Fool)


SUNDAN:
I feel today I am a man anew,
Standing here as I’ve never stood before.
I’ve served Lynesse, the dread duchess Ilan,
In martial venture on her honor’s fields,
And in her council chambers lent my voice.
No more sought I than plain becomes a man,
To do my liege the best I had in me,
But for my service she has lov’d me well.
Through blood and labor I’ve so prov’d myself
That she’s pronounced this day to honor me
‘Fore all the court her most true and loyal man.
And in the thoughts of this new man I find
A stranger courage than aught before had grown.
There is a woman, to all senses a lady,
That all men do know as Juliana.
She is without compare, a girl so bright
That I have fell so far in love with her
The earth would tremble at its breadth and break.
For joy I’ve been my lady’s constant friend,
But the deep truth I never dared to tell,
A secret I have closely held through all
Long ages knowing she would not in kind.    
Strange, but I no more can recall the time.
It feels as if there’s never Sundan lived
Who did not Juliana love. My God!
How can men have called me bold when in this
I’ve gone on so long a coward?
I have a soldier’s years, and led brave men
To hazard life and limb in war,
And yet I fear no foe upon the field
As I dread the measure of those matchless eyes.
But with turns the world has chang’d, and so have I;
No more that humble, fearful boy I was,
But commended now, esteemed by men.
As journeys course, and fortunes veer thus far,
I sense this just begins the turns ahead,
That what I’ve been shall be requite in kind.
A clever man must see when chances come
And damned be if I seize not mine now.
Once Lynesse proclaim my worth today I vow
I’ll speak to Juliana of my love.
Though it break and bow me else to try
To stand commended in my angel’s eyes,
And win that angel’s love as dearest prize.
breakinglight11: (Cordelia)
Been working on my next blank verse assignment for school. For once I got lucky and was actually struck with an idea for something without having to drag some subject up out of nothing, which usually results in a better final product. The trouble is, this is for the professor who has specifically barred me from writing in Shakespearean diction, and the subject matter is very classically theatrical and would be particularly suited to that language style. I wanted to write about a man who has finally resolved on the day he is about to receive a commendation from his liege to at long last tell a woman he's in love with her, only to see her accept a marriage proposal from his lieutenant. He then swears to ruin this man in the eyes of everyone around them such that even his lady will turn away. Then I could write a tale of dramatic scheming and desperation to end in a terrible tragedy, probably where all parties involved end up taking their own lives. Very Shakespearean, no? *sigh* I suppose what I can do is try and write it according to my teacher's specifications, and later adapt it to the language I'd really like for my own purposes. Seems a little bit like a waste of time, at least on the journey to a final product, but I need to write something for this assignment. At the very least it will help me sharpen my blank verse.

I also need to write another new ten-minute play for my next primary assignment. Wonder of wonders, I actually kind of have an idea for that too. There's a really great episode of Frasier, one of my all-time favorite TV shows, that is one of two shot in "real time," as in one long continuous scene in one location rather than a serious of cuts. I find it to be hilariously funny and because of the nature of it always believed it would make a great play. I would really like to write my next ten minute play in the style of this Frasier episode and capture the sort of comedy it utilizes. The only concern I have is that it might be tough to basically not just rip off the episode, to find a way to do that capturing while style making a distinct piece. Originality can be so tough! Ah, well. I think I'll give it a try, just to see if I can pull it off without making it too similar to its inspiration. Posts, as usual, to follow!
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Finished my first blank verse assignment. Jesus Christ, that was hard. My brain felt like melted Jell-o by the time I was done with it. I can't put off starting on the next verse piece for too long or it will be harder than it has to be, but I definitely needed a mental rest after that.

Now I have started on a ten-minute play for my next regular drama assignment, which as I mentioned involves a PC and an NPC from The Stand. I am quite pleased with it so far; these were always some of my favorite characters in this game, and this is a dramatization of something that actually happened in the backstory of the larp, though I am considering changing the ending so that the scene ends on a more climactic note. I will post it here as I've been posting my other pieces, but it's a bit spoilery if you haven't played the game, so I may post it with the names changed so that people can read it even if they still want to play.

Oz has filled at Bridgewater Larp Day. Still awaiting a number of casting questionnaires, but it looks to be a good cast. I haven't run Oz in over a year now, but because it's relatively small at fifteen players even with five previous runs it didn't completely exhaust the player pool. Looking back over the materials, I am amused with the ways I emulated the novel's sense of slightly disjointed fantasy. I love, in particular, the weird and silly names I picked, like Dapperjohn Greatgourd and Glinda Aralinda. For some strange reason one of the most satisfying things I find about writing is to that when you come up with a name, people who read or perform or play your work will use it. So when people go around in my game calling each other Jubilation and Perpetua and Phineas because I chose those names, it gives me a real warm fuzzy.

Soon I am going to start taking an adult beginner ballet class. It was by [livejournal.com profile] blendedchaitea's suggestion, and I'm really excited. That's something I've always kind of wanted to do but never really had time for it, but now seems like the right time to work it in. I want to get more into dancing, as well as have an exercise habit I actually enjoy. And it will be fun to go to it with Rachel.

Also trying to get some household stuff accomplished. Yesterday I got a box with plastic dividers in it to hold all my various sewing odds and ends. So I organized my work table and got everything put away. Then I promptly messed up the space all over again working on some projects. It's funny how often I mess up my room because I'm busy doing something, then spend a day cleaning it up so I have space to start another project that messes everything up again.

Finally, yesterday my iPhone battery broke. It will work as long as it's plugged in, but it won't hold charge anymore. I'm going to have to go to the Apple Store today to get them to take a look at it. My mom mentioned my brother had sort of a similar problem with his, and when he took it in they just gave him a brand new replacement phone. His is newer than mine, though, I think, so mine may not be under warranty anymore. And I know we're getting to the point where we're all eligible for upgrades. So I'm not sure what the most efficient response to this is. God knows I rely on that damn thing for just about everything.
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This is the first part of what I submitted for my blank verse assignment, in which my beloved Palamon critiques his actor brother Zephyrus's acting arms. I'm not a hundred percent pleased with it, as the language is not perfect. I had to make a lot of concession in word choice to fit the meter, and in word choice and structure because I've been warned to not use "archaic" diction. :-P Not sure this is how I want characters in this universe, specifically the one in which To Think of Nothing takes place, to talk. Not sure Palamon sounds enough like Palamon. But for an early attempt at writing in this form, I think I managed relatively smooth lines of poetry. Judge for yourself how well I did.
Read more... )
breakinglight11: (Ranting Fool)
So last night I did some serious work on my blank verse writing assignment. I don't know how good it is, but it's something, it's an honest effort with some substance to it. But I kind of like the topic at least, because I am writing about the conflict between Palamon, the fan favorite character from To Think of Nothing, and the younger brother of his who craves his approval.

There is a quick mention of a person in To Think of Nothing named Zephyrus as someone who attended an earlier show written by Cassander. Zephyrus is, in fact, Palamon's younger brother, who, to create contrast with his sibling, I decided is an actor who wants and never feels he gets the approval of the renowned theater critic he's related to. With that in mind, stuck for something to write about, I decided to write about the brothers working their crafts against one another.

I love the character of Palamon, It's weird to say about your own character, who hopefully ends up as whatever you designed him to be, but I find him so fun and charming and funny with an honesty that cuts through the bullshit to the bone, and I love it. This is shaped not only by my own intentions but by the fabulous performance of [livejournal.com profile] morethings5. Nobody could have played him more perfectly than Kindness, whose rendition made the character loveable, amusing, and yet still with that sharp incisiveness that gives him weight in addition to his comedy.


There you have it, the only one with the guts to sit in Cassander's chair. I just want to write reams and reams about him, so I've been craving a chance to use him in something again. And I'm amused by the fact that I'm writing him to speak in blank verse. I will post the results when I'm finished, which knowing me will likely not be before Friday, the last possible day I have to work on it.

I also need to get started on my regular playwrighting assignment. I was struck today with the notion to use two characters from The Stand, of all places. A PC and an NPC, the one who kind of captured my imagination and made me think there could be all kind of cool stories written about him. I can't work on that until I finish the stuff with the more pressing deadline, but that could be interesting to work on as well. Heh, though I think it would be spoilery for those who have not played the game.
breakinglight11: (Crawling Dromio)
Well, this weekend was not as productive as I intended it to be. Entirely too much of it was spent in the Depression Pit, with the rest of the time not being quite as productive as I hoped it would be. But I did get some of my list checked off. I bought a can of white paint to touch up the white trim in my bedroom, though I haven't started painting yet. I bought a new iron, which works great and I think will improve the quality of the seams I sew. I got a nice new blue-and-white striped shower curtain to replace the hideous plastic fish-print one we had in the upstairs bathroom. The shower has a sharp downward slant due to the ceiling shape on one side of it, so I have decided to cut the curtain to fit the space and sew new openings for the hooks. It will be a good chance to teach myself to make buttonholes, as that's basically the sort of openings the curtain originally came with. I haven't quite cracked how to use my machine's automatic buttonhole attachment to make attractive-looking results, but I've been working on it (unfortunately late into a sleepless last night, and the machine was apparently so loud that I must apologize because it woke up [livejournal.com profile] blendedchaitea. So sorry, dear, won't happen again!) and I think I'm starting to get it right. Didn't get my kitchen knives sharpened, though, which has been on my list for a long time now. And I didn't get near as much homework done as I should have.

I kind of worked myself into a corner because I decided to not think about my poetry assignment packet until I was done with my playwrighting one, which was due a while earlier. Problem is, I didn't even really look at the poetry assignment until that point, and the due dates were closer together than I realized. So the necessary books for it were ordered later than they should have been and I have to go into crunch mode again. I am quite nervous about this one; on top of having to mark out scansion on a piece of text from the readings, something I have never been good at despite all my experience performing iambic pentameter, I also have to write eight pages of a "play-poetry" in verse. Gah. I'm terrified it's all going to come out all wrong and the professor's going to be like, "Do you know what iambic pentameter is at all?" And of course there's my classic problem of never knowing what to write about when I don't already have an idea going in.

On one final school-related note, I got back my adviser's feedback on my first packet submission. Mostly positive, I am relieved to say, though I made some really stupid errors that I am embarrassed and kicking myself over. And I totally misunderstood the "writing subtext" assignment, for which I generated this scene. I blame using that damn Hemingway piece, "Hills Like White Elephants," as my model. Because the characters in that do actually talk about their problem at least a little even though they never actually say what that problem is, I guess I thought my piece would fit the terms if my character just never flat-out defined their issue either. But that's not subtext, dumbass, which was the whole point of the assignment. She actually liked the piece in a vacuum, and complimented my ability to write dialogue-- a bit of a surprise, as I never felt my "regular" dialogue was ever all that natural-sounding --but asked me to redo the assignment. I am irritated with myself, but I feel like redoing it is justified. The moral of the story is never try to do anything that Hemingway does, because it's just going to be wrong. :-P
breakinglight11: (Exiting Fool)
I turned in my first packet of assignments for grad school last night. I am pretty relieved, as I had a tough time buckling down to do it even though I had plenty of time. I think it's because it's been so long since I had to do academic work; I guess I'm lucky I went back to school after only two years, or else it might have been even harder. But I'm okay with the quality of the work I generated. The creative writing itself was tough because of how hard it always is for me when I start a project because I have to rather than because I've been inspired. So the stuff I made was a lot more forced and a lot less satisfactory to me than it might have been had I gone in with an idea. Still, I guess anything that gets out on the page is better than nothing. Yesterday was good for me because Tegan came over to hang out for the day, and she worked on a project while I did my homework. Her company was lovely, it was nice to catch up with her as I haven't seen her in a while, as having her there working on something with me helped me get into a productive mindset.

I'd love to be able to chill out about school for a while, but I really should get right to work on my work for my independent study in blank verse. The first deadline for that is the 20th, so I probably should have started on it already. I guess I was just having such a difficulty focusing on the stuff with the earlier due date I didn't think I could afford to work on additional stuff at the same time. A wee bit nervous about that because of how I'll need to work on learning to identify meter and stresses in poetry; I have for some reason I can't fathom had a hard time with that in the past, so I'm afraid I will make mistakes that won't be acceptable at a graduate level. We'll see, I need to get over my trepidation and just dig into whatever the assignment is; I haven't look at it in a month and I can't remember. And then not long after that I'll have to hand in the second primary assignment packet. That one will have to include the first draft of a ten minute play. I guess I'd better start brainstorming what the hell that's going to be about, as at the moment I can't think of anything that would sustain even something of that length.

For somebody who thinks of herself as a writer, I often have an incredibly hard time writing.
breakinglight11: (Cavalier Fool)
I realize I forgot to mention this, and I wanted to make a point of doing so because I'm kind of pleased and proud of it. So my grad school program basically requires three classes a semester-- the class where you write stuff, the class where you write papers analyze stuff other people wrote, and a third, mostly independent class of your choice that is somehow interdiciplinary. So you know I want to make my focus the writing of plays after the Shakespearean style. After all the time I've spent studying how they work through classes and through their performance and production, I feel like I am mostly ready to make an educated attempt at this challenge. Th one crucial element I don't know if I have a strong enough grasp upon to proceed is the nature of that particular kind of poetry. Poetry has always been my weakest writing skill, and I've only studied it minimally. So I came up with th idea that my indepedent study could be into blank verse iambic pentameter, to support the final project I would be generating. My advisor loved the idea and matched me up with a teacher who only takes on one student a year. I am very pleased with the idea, as it will all tie together and make my final work better. I hope it's as helpful as I think it will be.
breakinglight11: (Ponderous Fool)
I know the rhyme scheme's all over the place, I'll have to fix that. But here's the first draft-- Justinian has just met Theodora for the first time, and now is musing, awed, over the experienced.



JUSTINIAN

What a thing that I have seen tonight!

Full of fire is my mind,

That hours on has my body gone,

Yet kept captive all my thoughts behind.

This maid— what maid? What's this I feel,

Of eyes that flash, and wits as sharp as legion steel?

To look, to speak, to spend a moment there,

Her spirit, keen as winter, laid me bare.

Is this Justinian? Is he yet his own

To find his cunning so ensnared?

Can dissembling actress hide a witch

And boldly to bewitch a prince she dared?

Nay. I, Justin still; my wits, a whole; myself, yet mine.

It is some wonder of her hath caught mine eyne.

The heathen Turks that tremble at the Emperor’s name

Equal not her tongue, a sword that pierces claim,

And where others led like asses, she holds no fear of me,

An unbound mare, who shakes her mane defiantly.

I will go back to where that lightning struck,

And if I am rent again, it is a blessed luck,

For many’s the miracle that is once, and away,

But few so rare I may see every day. 
 


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Sometimes I think my bosses forget I'm here. I'm very quiet, and I have the sort of job where I can't really know what needs to be done unless somebody tells me, so occasionally they ask where I am when I'm sitting at my desk, or they start doing stuff they would normally give to me until they notice and remember that I'm there.

Woodsmen runs tonight. I am incredibly excited, but also nervous. I spent most of today going over my mod to make everything is what I want it to be, as well as poring over my extensive, laboriously-taken notes on the World of Darkness combat system. I hope it's good. I think it will be, but I really have no idea how it's going to play. I have a much better feel for how larping works than tabletopping, due probably to my greater interest and experience. Jared has very kindly offered to be spoiled on it if it doesn't go well so he can help me fix it, but hopefully that won't be necessary. My writing is my point of deepest pride, (yes, before you ask, even more so than my stomach :-P) so I'm especially invested in my writing projects going well. Ah, well. At the very least, it will be a learning experience for my budding GM skills.

Speaking of writing projects, today I also prepared submissions for consideration to get into one of two poetry seminars for this coming semester. I need one more writing workshop to fulfill the requirements for the English-Creative Writing double major I'm going for. Unfortunately, my poetry is my writing's weakest point. It wasn't easy going through my body of poetical work searching for stuff that wasn't either sucky or emo. Again, since I feel my writing is my greatest ability, I want what I produce to turn out well. I found about enough to fill six pages, so I went with that. Eh, maybe the class will help me improve a little. Here's hoping I get in.
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I am reading through a DMG2 thoughtfully lent to me by [profile] bronzite in hopes of learning a few tricks about strategy for dealing with players and GMing a tabletop game in preparation for the long-awaited run of Woodsmen this coming Wednesday. While some thing were fairly intuitive and I'd picked up on them just in the course of general gaming experience, I must say I am somewhat horrified at some of the pain-in-the-ass things the book warns me that players can pull. Still, I've got a good feeling, and I'm very excited to put what I'm learning about DMing to use.

I am also struck today with a desire to write poetry. Not the inspiration, mind you, only the desire. I have no ideas at the moment. My poetry has never been very good, and tends toward the hilariously emo side of things, so God only knows why I actually want to be responsible for bringing more of it into the world. I blame, I suppose, being fascinated as I am by love and pain and words-- 'cause I'm so very, very goth, evidently --to the point where I just adore twisting them all together in a swirl of tragic butterscotch ripple.

I also find myself wanting to dress goth for tonight. Not sure it would be appropriate, though I guess with this crowd, it's never exactly INappropriate. I haven't had a chance to in quite some time, and I am overwhelmed by the urge to dig out all my cute gloomcookie stuff. Eh, we'll see. Sometime this weekend, maybe. The overwhelming tragedy in my soul, it calls. ;-)

My poet

Jun. 16th, 2008 01:42 pm
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Jared wrote me a poem. There are no words for how happy this makes me. I love you, babe.

This week will mostly be spent preparing for his visit. I am scrubbing the house from top to bottom, organizing/putting away/trashing the unwanted items of junk, and planning lots and lots of good things to cook for him. I'll need to make a to do list, and a shopping list, and get on that this week.

Had a wonderful time at [personal profile] bleemoo's birthday party. Made me realize how much I miss him and the rest of the group. Sheena, Mac, and I want to have BSCF at our house now. Keep the same time, 7PM on Thursday, only have people come to our place, because Brandeis and the immediate area seems to be a good convergence point for everyone. We're a little light on seating, but that will improve shortly, and if people could just either bring a folding chair with them or something or be prepared to roll with things if we run out, we should be okay. If people would be willing, we could even do it as early as this coming Thursday. I'd really really like that.

By the way, I think I'd like to shoot for next Wednesday-- June 25th --for the first session of my "Woodsmen" Vampire game to happen. Sheena, Matt, Lise, Toby, David, Bernie, does that work for you guys? Let me know, and send me your character sheets before then. We'll pick an appropriate time.

Four more days until my poet comes.

"Dramaturg"

May. 1st, 2008 11:36 am
breakinglight11: (Tired Fool)

Study guide
I have to write a study guide
Internship for a grade
Before me now my task is laid
Internship and have the script
Call me dramaturge

Have at it then

Read the script but don’t know much
Not sure what the guide should touch
So I know what this has to mean
Research and search again

Google search in the lurch
Not sure where to start
Just type in Orphan of Zhao
All I got to go on

Something maybe God, I hope
Pages turn eyes burn
Read on so I can write

Not too many treasures here
This is wrong, that’s not enough
Yuan Dynasty there’s a lead
Guess it’s worth a try.

Clicking keys,
Yuan Dynasty,
Click it in and search.

Reading now, reading and reading

Reading lots means lots of leads
Is this really what I need?
Making lists of bits and pieces
Hoping they make sense
When’s this due again?

Yuan Dynasty’s not the way
Not getting what I need today
I’ve follow keywords and lots of leads
That lead me into walls.

Reading and thinking
Rethinking and rereading

Study guide brain fried
Lots of work that didn’t work
Where do go from here?

Reading and thinking
Rethinking and rereading

Back to my lists.
My lists I take to keywords make
And make another try.

Author’s name time period context history kind of play
Could any of these be the way?

Google bar
Keywords are
Click click click
Orphan of Zhao
Cheng Ying
Yuan dynasty
Give me something good.

Reading on hours gone
But now it’s worth the read.
More results, more pages, lots to work with
If I can do the work.

Volume now is the way
Grasp everything they have to say
Now I see there’s one precious fact
To glean from every one.

Reading more on and on
Now the right way starts to dawn

List grows!
Google bar
Keywords are
Click click click
Orphan of Zhao
Cheng Ying
Yuan dynasty
Ji Jixiang
Yuan zaju
State of Jin
Spring and Autumn Period
Now there’s something here.

Reading and thinking
Rethinking and rereading

How much have I got?
Is this right or is it not?
Now find what I need to say
Formulate order plan and shape

Now I know what I will say
Dramatic form we’re getting warm
What makes up a yuan zaju
Poetry song festival evolving drama-style
History context state of the time
I think these will do just fine
Erhu yangquin that girl has the same name
Period people goings-on
That helped to shape the way
Things that helped to make this play

What can we learn, what can they?
What lessons can come from this play?
Got it got it now we’re on
Values mindset us and them
The things they do because of things done to them
Say the culture say the mindset
Now the connections start to form
There’s the ticket that has bite
Now I have a lot to write

Origins – Form – History – Commentary – Understanding
Write and write and rewrite again

What made the play
About the form
Where the story comes from
What it meant to say
What we can gather from it

Just eight pages, is it right?
Too much or not enough?
Will I get to sleep tonight?

Edit now, check check check
Hope this is what she wants
Write the e-mail, add the file
Sit in nervousness a while
Wait for her to see my work
And pray I’ve got it right

Finally she’s gotten back
And there is nothing that it lacks
She is pleased and praises me
And what she says amazes me

Heave a huge sigh of relief
The task that ate my brain so long
I’ve done and done it right

Done with that but not all done
Now the part she calls the fun
Going to the high school now
To teach the teachers about the guide
We climb into her car and ride

To the school off we go
On our way what to say?
I don’t even know.

Here we are find the words
Somehow they all come to me
She says they paid attention more
Than she has ever seen before

And now it’s done I’ve made it through
My guide has done what it was meant to do
And now I’ve been a dramaturge

And finally I rest.

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