(no subject)
So, I am sitting here in my silk kimono robe (don't get too excited, I'm also wearing a t-shirt and jeans) and my slippers and I'm feeling very writerly. It's a nice feeling considering that over the past few days I've been going through one of those crises of conscience about what constitutes "important" writing (thanks, Time book). But now I have to go buy groceries. It's a glamorous existence.
Sometimes, though, there is praise. The writing life is enough of a persistent beatdown that I am always shocked when this happens.
First, Kieron Gillen enjoyed "Slave to the Beat", which went up a week ago and I kind of forgot to tell you folks about (oops):
Erin Hoffman writes about Audition Online for the Escapist. I’ve played a little of this MMO rhythm action game, and went away a tad depressed, but Erin goes completely native in an entertaining fashion. I’m probably alone in my wish for an actual game-of-the-film Audition though, in a kirri-kirri-kirri kind of way.
Kieron recently made yet another top-game-journalists list; he's certainly one of the better guys working in the field, so anything from him feels like high praise while I trudge along as a sort of confused non-game-journalist.
And Alvaro Zinos-Amaro Reviews issue #27 of Lone Star Stories at TheFix, including "Whatever Shall Grow There, Dear":
Annamarie’s viewpoint is expertly developed. The way she catches fragments of conversation and meaning from her parent’s arguments but is completely sensitive to the underlying emotional reality of which those arguments are symptomatic rings true. There are numerous images that are beautiful without being ornate, touching and innocent without being sentimental (“Pale late afternoon sunlight filtered through the gauzy white curtains in the living room and made the oiled oak floors glow burnt orange.”) They place us in Annamarie’s world and convey a sense of ethical sensitivity, an almost ennobling naivete, by acting as metaphors for her thoughts and emotions.
The storytelling technique is deceptively simple, and the characters all fully realized. Hoffman centers the tale around Annamarie’s coming-of-age, to great effect, and delivers a knockout ending that bears the bountiful fruits of transformation.
As mentioned when I announced the sale, it's a special story and a difficult one for me, so it's extremely gratifying to see someone "get" it, reviewer or otherwise. I would say there's even a difference between "praise" and when someone "gets" your writing -- they extrapolate meaning from the original work that was there in your heart but not obviously stated on the page, painting a picture that resonates with the emotional framework of the story's origin. It's a feeling of kinship, and it's at the core of why I send this stuff out, to test for those precious connections between experiences and minds. Otherwise it could all just stay in the trunk; it's dangerous, after all, to dissect a part of yourself and spin it into something that you invite people to poke with sticks. But I'm glad this one got out.
Alvaro's review is worth note because he actually covered the poetry in the issue, too -- something that I wish more reviewers would do on The Fix and in spec-fic reviews in general. The poetry in that issue was terrific and well deserving of contemplation and highlight.
Okay, groceries now.
Sometimes, though, there is praise. The writing life is enough of a persistent beatdown that I am always shocked when this happens.
First, Kieron Gillen enjoyed "Slave to the Beat", which went up a week ago and I kind of forgot to tell you folks about (oops):
Erin Hoffman writes about Audition Online for the Escapist. I’ve played a little of this MMO rhythm action game, and went away a tad depressed, but Erin goes completely native in an entertaining fashion. I’m probably alone in my wish for an actual game-of-the-film Audition though, in a kirri-kirri-kirri kind of way.
Kieron recently made yet another top-game-journalists list; he's certainly one of the better guys working in the field, so anything from him feels like high praise while I trudge along as a sort of confused non-game-journalist.
And Alvaro Zinos-Amaro Reviews issue #27 of Lone Star Stories at TheFix, including "Whatever Shall Grow There, Dear":
Annamarie’s viewpoint is expertly developed. The way she catches fragments of conversation and meaning from her parent’s arguments but is completely sensitive to the underlying emotional reality of which those arguments are symptomatic rings true. There are numerous images that are beautiful without being ornate, touching and innocent without being sentimental (“Pale late afternoon sunlight filtered through the gauzy white curtains in the living room and made the oiled oak floors glow burnt orange.”) They place us in Annamarie’s world and convey a sense of ethical sensitivity, an almost ennobling naivete, by acting as metaphors for her thoughts and emotions.
The storytelling technique is deceptively simple, and the characters all fully realized. Hoffman centers the tale around Annamarie’s coming-of-age, to great effect, and delivers a knockout ending that bears the bountiful fruits of transformation.
As mentioned when I announced the sale, it's a special story and a difficult one for me, so it's extremely gratifying to see someone "get" it, reviewer or otherwise. I would say there's even a difference between "praise" and when someone "gets" your writing -- they extrapolate meaning from the original work that was there in your heart but not obviously stated on the page, painting a picture that resonates with the emotional framework of the story's origin. It's a feeling of kinship, and it's at the core of why I send this stuff out, to test for those precious connections between experiences and minds. Otherwise it could all just stay in the trunk; it's dangerous, after all, to dissect a part of yourself and spin it into something that you invite people to poke with sticks. But I'm glad this one got out.
Alvaro's review is worth note because he actually covered the poetry in the issue, too -- something that I wish more reviewers would do on The Fix and in spec-fic reviews in general. The poetry in that issue was terrific and well deserving of contemplation and highlight.
Okay, groceries now.