tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post5654739099513217750..comments2024-01-01T08:56:57.641-08:00Comments on Periphery: Relatively FictionalTangledLouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-71846764182559740632012-02-11T20:00:17.695-08:002012-02-11T20:00:17.695-08:00I agree with and completely sympathize with everyt...I agree with and completely sympathize with everything you said. Even the pirate eye patch. Especially that. I love it when you have "catch up day" around the ol' blog front, by the way! Lots of MM comments - always something to look forward to!TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-63886801703304121662012-02-11T19:57:32.504-08:002012-02-11T19:57:32.504-08:00I think about him and a few notable others when I ...I think about him and a few notable others when I have these arguments with myself, but I hesitate to put myself in that league, you know?TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-17589106331622786762012-02-11T12:05:05.443-08:002012-02-11T12:05:05.443-08:00I've asked myself these same questions. I stru...I've asked myself these same questions. I struggle with what I would write - publish rather. There are published authors - famous authors - doing what we do but in book form. David Sedaris springs readily to mind. Fictionalized non-fiction if ever there was such a thing.Just Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02861216483398553225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-37451133465904297682012-02-06T06:11:53.540-08:002012-02-06T06:11:53.540-08:00I would like to first echo the sentiments shared b...I would like to first echo the sentiments shared by lots of others in saying that I think you have a truly magical gift with words and whatever topic you decide to take up would surely find a home in publication. And, just in the brief time I've been reading you, there's no doubt that you have a wealth of usable (even enviable) material at your disposal. ;)<br /><br />I was thinking the other day about how everything I write on the blog is true, but it is not the whole truth. I think that's true in a larger sense of the other writing I (or any of us, really) puts out there--regardless of which "category" it eventually ends up in. When you start a piece, you're picking and choosing the bits and pieces that help form its shape (sometimes I think the shape is organic to the piece itself and sometimes there's more conscious tinkering and control). <br /><br />I haven't written "fiction" since just after high school--and a lot of what I've had published are short column-style pieces--opinions, vignettes, etc. Some of my stuff has been more literary in nature, but that is stuff I probably won't share on the blog because it doesn't fit the bloggy persona I've (intentionally or unintentionally) created. I used to think that I lacked the imagination for fiction, but I know I use all my "factual" stuff in imaginative ways so that's not exactly it. Maybe I am just too self-involved or too deeply rooted to "real" life to wander off into fictional worlds. (Though wandering into other people's fictional worlds not only doesn't bother me, it actively intrigues me.)<br /><br />Thanks, as always, for the food for thought.<br /><br />(PS--Your Bubble Yum story reminds me of when I was seven and decided to be a pirate with a wad of Double Bubble for an eye patch. I'm lucky I even HAVE lashes and brows on that eye.)Masked Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08197019009052401812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-45515850856883942402012-02-05T20:38:18.209-08:002012-02-05T20:38:18.209-08:00I appreciate that. I, too, love to read your essay...I appreciate that. I, too, love to read your essays and your word play. I think it may be one of the things we most take for granted is our originality of language. My metaphors seem obvious and hackneyed in my head because I hear them all the time in my head. Does that make sense? And then I am always surprised that they mean something to others. It is truly a gift to have such avid and supportive readers.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-82238729595502427542012-02-05T20:36:28.604-08:002012-02-05T20:36:28.604-08:00No, I'm not mad. Just thinking out loud. I app...No, I'm not mad. Just thinking out loud. I appreciated your comments and welcome lively discussion. I am so sorry about your mother. I used to work with Alzheimer's patients. They could deal with me because they had met me after the fact, but it was hard to watch the emotion and confusion caused by interaction with family members. Such a tangled existence we all live, especially in the realm of mothers.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-50802277761471028282012-02-05T14:29:40.708-08:002012-02-05T14:29:40.708-08:00i may have tumbled my words when i wrote the comme...i may have tumbled my words when i wrote the comment. blogging you know, fast, no spell check and pure input and sometimes phrases juxtapose and invert a meaning. i said that your writing was great and that the links you included as evidence of great writing were in comparison to yours, pap. not mad are you? I dont know your mom, but my mom had strange ideas and ways, sort of along the lines of "i brought you into this world and i can take you out" feelings. we disagreed on the baby in the family, an elder abuser and a dope fiend. i did not like him and my poor demented codependent mama sided with him. she is in the midst of alzheimers hell now and she descended there while angry with me, so i cant even see her now withour causing a riot in the carehome. sigh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-31851549018371617032012-02-05T12:30:55.247-08:002012-02-05T12:30:55.247-08:00So much to comment on here. I have never been a w...So much to comment on here. I have never been a writer of fiction either. I have the imagination but I don't have the novel in me. I've always gone with essayist. I enjoy reflecting on what I observe, what I've read, seen, or heard, what I remember - all of that. I like playing with images and word and I LOVE reading the way other people create images with words. You are exceptionally talented and I agree with others - you have a column in you. I am so glad to be plugged into what you write every day.Graciewildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-80747874451038876452012-02-05T12:10:34.783-08:002012-02-05T12:10:34.783-08:00I'm here to tell you: Markie IS a perfect wit...I'm here to tell you: Markie IS a perfect witty woman -- with certain features that suggest perfect witty man too..... <br /><br />and the word verification thingy? semen - I kid you not - I would not make that up (even though I do spend my days with adolescents).Graciewildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-13237213300027663082012-02-04T21:57:18.033-08:002012-02-04T21:57:18.033-08:00Thank you, darling.
RE: Fictional non-fiction: I ...Thank you, darling. <br />RE: Fictional non-fiction: I struggle with this a lot. I don't mind that it becomes a bit fictionalized because I'm not really writing it for scholarly purposes or claiming any sort of expertise. I'm just wandering around looking for a genre.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-66644444281845483962012-02-04T21:54:35.515-08:002012-02-04T21:54:35.515-08:00Thank you! I'm glad to know I'm not the on...Thank you! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who wrestles with this.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-14769256721103716812012-02-04T21:53:44.116-08:002012-02-04T21:53:44.116-08:00This comment just leaves me speechless and a littl...This comment just leaves me speechless and a little teary-eyed. Thank you. And I completely agree with you about fiction. It's kind of a silly distinction in literature.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-91750594144493878342012-02-04T21:52:29.384-08:002012-02-04T21:52:29.384-08:00That's part of the reason I blog, too. But if ...That's part of the reason I blog, too. But if it were simply a record for myself, it would be saved in a file on my desktop or still in my journal. There has to be some desire to be read to choose this medium. <br />You are so incredibly special.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-4005459592256893172012-02-04T21:51:12.357-08:002012-02-04T21:51:12.357-08:00See, that's just it, though. I don't want ...See, that's just it, though. I don't want to write a novel. Why can't it be enough to write about the complicated and beautiful woman that mother actually is? To explain why we don't see things the same way as two separate and different complicated women? Would that be "excruciating pap"? Perhaps. I dunno. I have an old fashioned notion of literature like it MUST be fiction. Just wrestling with demons. Maybe I will write a 50,000 word blog post and shop it as a novel!TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-87746833701062132062012-02-04T21:48:57.485-08:002012-02-04T21:48:57.485-08:00Bless your heart. Do not be jealous of my meanderi...Bless your heart. Do not be jealous of my meanderings. I appreciate your kind, kind words. I feel a little guilty now because I wasn't fishing for compliments, just thinking out loud and now my darling readers have stepped in and said SUCH NICE THINGS. I blush.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-60479154174623813662012-02-04T21:47:36.506-08:002012-02-04T21:47:36.506-08:00Oh my, thank you. I balk at submitting anything, a...Oh my, thank you. I balk at submitting anything, anywhere. I'm working up to it, though. This blog is the first time since I was about 11 that anyone besides me read my writing. Your encouragement is much appreciated.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-73770894167424062832012-02-04T21:46:18.887-08:002012-02-04T21:46:18.887-08:00You are too much! You just crack me up. 4 was a me...You are too much! You just crack me up. 4 was a memorable year for me for some reason, eh? Don't think I'd want to do without it though - nor would I want to do it over and over!TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-7890205064875758442012-02-04T21:45:16.868-08:002012-02-04T21:45:16.868-08:00Mark, that's a lot of words. I guess what I st...Mark, that's a lot of words. I guess what I struggle with is that I do care if it gets read, I'm just not sure HOW MUCH I care if it gets read. There's the writing I do for myself that no one reads, the writing I do for my blog which some people read, and then the writing I want to do for the world... but do I? And how?<br />And you can be a "perfect, witty woman" if you want to! ;)TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-10479064131494695632012-02-04T21:43:12.524-08:002012-02-04T21:43:12.524-08:00Thank you, Word Nerd. I think you make a good poin...Thank you, Word Nerd. I think you make a good point.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-35322602201536144502012-02-04T19:56:47.789-08:002012-02-04T19:56:47.789-08:00I also am not much of a fiction writer. All my wri...I also am not much of a fiction writer. All my writer comes down to tapped out navel gazing about what amuses and confounds me. That's what I LIKE about YOUR writing, by the way. And I totally get your point about making our own fiction. It really is ALL fiction. And you would make an awesome columnist.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-78505886911026562342012-02-04T18:13:58.118-08:002012-02-04T18:13:58.118-08:00I agree with Debbi and Jewels about the effect you...I agree with Debbi and Jewels about the effect your writing has on me. That being said, I see what you mean about the snippets of our life presented on a blog being fictional. Obviously (we hope), we are all being honest and retelling true events or at least being honest about our thoughts and emotions relative to those events we recount. But because our perspective is necessarily biased in its subjectivity, it is fictionalized in a way-no matter how honest we are.cdnkarohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12300104667616840616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-80117808659348668612012-02-04T17:41:08.874-08:002012-02-04T17:41:08.874-08:00I'm in a similar boat - I've often been fr...I'm in a similar boat - I've often been frustrated by my inability to write fiction. Thank you for your perspective on this... I'd never thought of it that way before, but you've made a great point. Selective truth is a sort of fiction!Dawn Storeyhttp://www.alphabetsalad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-85422847320287149732012-02-04T15:19:03.496-08:002012-02-04T15:19:03.496-08:00Nothing is fiction, and everything is fiction. As ...Nothing is fiction, and everything is fiction. As usual from ou, wise words beautifully put. I think there is more to you, and in you, than you can imagine.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06991384996924478820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-23039840984709241382012-02-04T13:09:29.814-08:002012-02-04T13:09:29.814-08:00I think, perhaps, that's one of the reasons I ...I think, perhaps, that's one of the reasons I began a blog in the first place. Not with the intention of others reading my rambles, but to keep the fiction of today live in some form, so that someday, I may look back and see all the "entertaining stories, fantastic happenings that embellish with the telling." <br /><br />Unfortunately, most times we'll have no problem remembering the grease and grime, but to read the embellished tales, will be special someday. It becomes our own little stories, our own little novels.Larissa T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18054129254135419707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923792986438866285.post-7076010089685511122012-02-04T11:44:59.999-08:002012-02-04T11:44:59.999-08:00My dear fellow blogger, You possess the skils and...My dear fellow blogger, You possess the skils and desires now all you need is to do it. There lies the rub. You included in your blog examples of writings that I found to be excruciating pap. Your story is much more interesting and has a hardened character in it who is battling the unknown. I, for example, would want to know why your mother sees things diffently than you. Perhaps your mom is secretly a serial killer and what you said came close to her secret and later this could complicate your life. What happened to the girl you hit with your tambourine. Perhaps she suffered such damage that she is lying in wait for you, planning your end. Or the purple gum was not really gum but some mysterious substance that could change you into barbara walters. What if your brother is secretly a boxer, lives in france and fishes from a boat that gets caught in a storm and he rescues a pretty argentinian colonel who has the secrets for invading england. And he tells you this and suddenly strange spanish speaking men are killing off your neighbours...... <br /><br />Readers are a fickle bunch, what you like, I may not like and I told you so. A novel is simply longer that a blog. That is all to me. If I was you, I would start at the beginning and when I came to the end, stop. There is enough plot and writing in this blog to make a novel. Write for yourself. That is the novel part. Have someone read it, one, maybe ten, and it becomes literature. Have someone pay you for it and you have a living of sorts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com