Roger Ebert taught me how to watch movies critically and love the hell out of them.
And he said this (from the Chicago Sun-Timesobituary):
“‘Kindness’ covers all of my political beliefs,” he wrote, at the end of his memoirs. “No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.”
Brené Brown is a researcher storyteller who — despite fighting mightily against it — found her way to the power of vulnerability. She began by researching shame, and ended with realizations about connection and worthiness and imperfection.
So, this:
What [people who felt worthy of love and connection] had in common was a sense of courage. And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage,when it first came into the English language — it’s from the Latin word cor, meaning heart — and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect… they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were, which you absolutely have to do that for connection.
And this:
[Children are] hardwired for struggle when they get here… our job is not to say, “Look at her, she’s perfect. My job is just to keep her perfect — make sure she makes the tennis team by fifth grade and Yale by seventh grade.” Our job is to look and say, “You know what? You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” That’s our job. Show me a generation of kids raised like that, and we’ll end the problems I think that we see today.
So, maybe you’re not a kid reading this, or maybe you are still growing up (god knows I am), but never mind how old we are right now. One of these days we can talk about the difference between struggle and work, or the nuclear toxin of shame, or the Darwinian nature of childhood. But today let’s just be imperfect, and wired for struggle, and worthy of love and belonging. Today that is enough.
I’m always pleased when my friends do cool things, and so I am jazzed to report that the first two issues of Duffy Boudreau’s comic BlackAcre are now out from Image Comics.
I am enjoying BlackAcre a lot. It’s post-apolcalyptic speculative fiction that, true to the oldest traditions, asks What if questions and answers them through the choices of individual characters struggling in a world of brutal contrasts. It’s 2114, and the US is… pretty awful. The people in the walled city of BlackAcre live a secure — and highly controlled — life; outside the walls, it’s chaos, violence, and ruin, where small societies cling to (or slip over) the edge. The story thus far follows the characters of Hull (a BlackAcre soldier) and Lee (a girl surviving on the outside), and I can’t wait to see what threads Duffy spins and how he will weave them all together over the course of many issues. I particularly like that he’s doing a lot of efficient and interesting worldbuilding: this isn’t just about explosions (although there are!) and corporate conspiracy (although there is!) and quasi-religious social fanaticism (ditto). It’s not like a lot of comics I’ve read that skimp on backstory or character in order to get right to the fight scenes. BlackAcre has political points to make as well as a genre to explore.
But don’t take my word for it! Here’s a great review of Issue #1, and an equally terrific review for Issue #2.
It’s been fascinating to learn more from Duffy about the art and craft of creating comics. There are issues of structure: how should the panels flow in order to best pace the reading experience? How do you structure the sotry so that the reader is compelled to turn the page? There are writing constraints: you can only get so many words in one of those captions, you know? There are POV issues: what characters do we follow, and when are we “close in” to their experience versus seeing the action at the omniscient level? How do the writer and art team work together to develop the story within the each issue and build the overall arc of the longer story as well? Really interesting to me as a reader and as a writer to see how much all the individual choices matter — how much “story weight” each decision has to carry.
Next time you’re at the comic store, pick up an issue of BlackAcre. And connect with Duffy on Twitter @duffyboudreau.
No, not me… well, maybe a little in crazy-busy terms. But today let’s give the Mad Hatter Prize to Wayne LaPierre of the NRA for his deeply disturbing solution to the horror at Newtown: put an armed guard in every school in America. Because that’s a reasonable solution to violence.
I was literally gasping for breath in the car listening to him on the radio. If you’ll pardon the irresistible phrase, I think the NRA just shot itself in the foot.
Tonight the bottom fell out of a full case of bottled beer. Due to the implacable nature of gravity, the bottles all fell out too. Onto a hard floor. Big noise. Impressive spray. Glass break break break. Me mop mop mop. And oh my god the smell.
My illusion of control is literally shattered. Because the universe loves an apt metaphor. Fortunately, we had a couple of beers already stashed in the fridge. Because I love Plan B.
Enjoy your day. Go forth with gusto, and have a backup beer ready, because you never know.
Last year I recounted my journey into the electric territory of HandyWorld, the magical land where MacGyverish folk fix their own stuff with apparent ease. Now I have returned from an expedition into the realm of plumbing.
Our kitchen faucet has been getting fussy for a while. This week, because I was stressed about other things, I decided that the best way to exert control over my universe was to begin taking apart the faucet to find the problem. This turned out to be a bad idea.
Nicola: What are you doing?
Me: I am fixing our fucking faucet.
Nicola: I thought you had a lot of things to get done today.
Me: Mmmmrrrph. Must fix faucet!
Later…
Nicola: Did you fix the faucet?
Me: You can still turn it on and off. With pliers.
Nicola: Mmmmrrrph.
Me: It’s okay. The handyguys are coming tomorrow to fix (insert list of projects here) so I will get them to fix it.
The next day…
Handyguy: Oh, sure, I can fix that. Gee, does this part go here? Huh. It doesn’t fit. LET ME JUST POUND IT WITH THIS HAMMER.
(insert sound of faucet innards cracking apart)
Me: Mmmmrrrph.
After they leave…
Nicola: Shall we get a plumber?
Me: Plumbers are expensive! I am going to replace the fucking faucet myself!
Nicola: …..I’m going into my office now.
She went into her office and closed the door. I went to Lowe’s and bought a faucet. I got out my flashlight and my toolbox and a bucket and a towel. I looked at the clock. I had two hours to replace the faucet before my schedule completely imploded (which, you know, would probably have meant the end of western civilization at least).
I crawled under the sink and went to work.
Me: Hmmm… (furrowed brow)
Me: Ah ha! (raised eyebrow of realization)
Me: Fuck! (wet face of the improper supply line connection)
Me: Mmmmrrrph! (after banging head for third time on same pipe)
And then I turned on the faucet and filled the kettle and made two lovely cups of tea.
Nicola: You are awesome!
Me: (beam).
And I am enjoying my illusion of control, until the next time the universe decides to stop up the toilet or turn out the lights (grin).
Clarion West will hold a one-day workshop in Seattle on Sunday, December 2, on The Business of Writing.
Every writer needs to understand the business, not just the craft. We’re all responsible for our own careers, and today writers have more options than ever before. It’s an exciting, challenging, and potentially confusing landscape. That’s why I’m particularly jazzed that Clarion West can offer this workshop with experts from all sides of the writing/publishing equation. By attending, you get information, insight, and face time with editors, publishers and a writer all at the forefront of the business. Hear about the business from folks who are in it daily; get your questions answered; and come away with the big picture of the possibilities for all of us in the new publishing frontier.
This nuts-and-bolts workshop will provide emerging writers useful tips on how to make a living writing popular fiction. Editors and publishers from Amazon Publishing will share a behind-the-scenes perspective on publishing today, and bestselling author Robert Ferrigno will pass on skills and insights coming from his twenty years of professional experience. Topics covered include research techniques, time management, storyboarding and outlining, marketing, and learning from feedback.
Robert Ferrigno has written twelve best-selling thrillers, including The Horse Latitudes and Heartbreaker. His work has been nominated for the Edgar and the Silver Dagger. He thinks good writing, regardless of genre, is clear, resonant, and packs an emotional punch.
Like everyone else I know, I am insanely busy right now, but if you’re a registered US voter, I can still find a minute to tell you how to think about this election, just in case you are wavering about whether I should be allowed to get married or who should be your President for the next four years.
(If you live anywhere else in the world, you already know how we should all vote, and you are doubtless aghast at the polls right now.)
But wait, I don’t need to tell you how to think, because I have Nicola, Lena and Joss to lean on. Thank goodness!
Please, do think. Please do vote, wherever you live, to help keep your neighbors and your state and your country the kind of place where there’s at least a chance of coming together to survive, rather than splitting farther and farther apart. Your vote matters.
Read Nicola Griffith’s post about Washington State Referendum 74.
If you remember your first time, listen to Lena Dunham!
