Day 11: 19,374 Words and a Random Selection of Items
I missed the blogs yesterday, but with internet down at the real life Jackie's Place, and no VIP wifi access, I decided to take a day off. Today was a tough day of writing! I am finding it so much easier to write James, Josh, Gordon and Maeve. I don't really know who Dylann is, although today, her memories were starting to surface a little bit. I will include a couple of excerpts from yesterday's writing.
This first one is part of a literal conversation with Lexi. I asked her what her earliest memory was of me, because Gordon had asked Maeve the same thing. And then... they get some help from Gordon's dissertation:
“Tell me what is your earliest
memory of your mother?” he asked, prodding her gently. Maeve was silent,
considering the question. She smiled uncomfortably.
“I
have no idea. My entire early childhood is really just a blur,” she said,
shrugging. Gordon, rather than being disappointed or put out, seemed excited.
Strangely enough, so did James, who had begun flipping through his copy of
Gordon’s dissertation. He searched for a moment, and then seemed to find what
he was looking for.
“Precisely!”
James said, and Gordon positively beamed. There is no greater joy than knowing
that your work is of use in the world. Sadly, it is a joy experienced by few
academics, so let’s enjoy this moment alongside Gordon, shall we? Moments of
joy are precious and in the lives of some all too rare.
“The
memories of children are particularly useful in the liminal space. Children,
particularly children below the age of four, see the world as it is, not as they have been indoctrinated
to perceive it. Before they learn to construct narratives, every single
moment bears infinite possibility. In childhood, the world truly is magic,
unanchored by the laws created by men.” Here Gordon interjected.
“I
say men quite intentionally here,” he said gleefully. “James, your point is
brilliant,” he continued, perhaps unaware that he was really complimenting
himself, “however, taken out of context, it can give the impression that I am
using men to be representative of all humans, which is simply not the case, if
you refer to the notes at the end of the chapter, I explain quite extensively
the colonial, white supremacist, patriarchal, capitalist, heterosexist, ableist
context in which laws have been created- and the extensive limitations of such
narrow views of reality.”
“Excellent
point, Gordon,” Josh said, grateful for the clarification. He would hate to
think they had put Danae’s life in the hands of a sexist!
And then I had to post the collection of items that you all inspired me with on the chat yesterday when I asked you for 3-5 random items:
“Let’s load up the car,” he said,
indicating a pile of boxes. “I will need my equipment.” His ‘equipment’ seemed
to consist mostly of boxes filled with books and scraps of paper. Josh went to
lift one of the boxes and found it partially open. He peered inside and found
an unlikely array of items: a corkscrew, a bottle of firm hold hair gel, a pair
of toenail clippers, and a stainless steel wine glass that read ‘Daddy’s sippy
cup’ in loopy white scrawl.”
“I
see you’ve packed the essentials,” he said sardonically.
“I
knew you were smarter than you looked,” Gordon replied, squint nodding in his
direction.
“I
don’t understand,” Maeve said, grabbing a box as Gordon folded up his map of
the material realm/Ontario. “Where are we headed?” she asked.
“Just
as you said,” Gordon replied, “we head toward the light of the sun!” When Maeve
continued to look confused, he provided further clarification. “East.”
They
finished loading up the boxes and were about to take their leave when Gordon
hustled back to the front door of the shop. He slipped inside and emerged with
a wooden sign that he proceeded to hang on the door. “Gone Fishin’” it read.
“Just
in case the feds show up,” he said to the others, by way of explanation. It was
as much explanation as they were going to get, and with that, the unlikely band
of travelers set off on their journey. The path was unclear, but they knew they
were headed toward the light of the sun and the eternal glow of a mother’s
love. It was as good a direction as any.
completely brilliant! Yet another new use of the concept of liminality, this time to refer to the lives of children. It can be used in so many contexts it's almost like it's actually meaningless? Good strategy, when writing is a slog, to keep going with the parts you enjoy. Dylann will come to you just when EsNoWriMo wants it to. I love Gordon's reaction to the perplexed look about the direction of their travel. And the "gone fishin'" to throw off the feds - I can't think of a strategy more likely to succeed.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm so happy for Gordon that someone is finally reading his dissertation and that it's actually helpful. James' dedication to the cause is admirable and made easier by his obvious interest Gordon's work. I was just as pleased as Josh to hear his clarification about what he meant by men.
ReplyDeleteExcited beyond belief to see how this improbable group's journey goes.
"It is a joy experienced by few academics, so let’s enjoy this moment alongside Gordon, shall we?" I can definitely say that I enjoyed the moment with Gordon, since I know I will never personally experience such a moment. I enjoyed it even more knowing that Gordon isn't a sexist.
ReplyDeleteI loved the entire discussion of Gordon's dissertation. The fact that it is a major plot driver is amazing. It's wonderful to see that someone's dissertation is finally being put to good use!
I am so excited to see where this ragtag group of heroes goes on their journey. Knowing that they have the sippy cup makes me confident that they will succeed (and that mayhem will also follow). That scene was just brilliant.
I shudder to think what kind of hell they are entering, where Daddy’s Sippy Cup will be useful equipment. I really feel for our ragtag group of heroes.
ReplyDelete