Eleanor Arnason's Blog, page 27

Frozen

Patrick and I saw Frozen for the first time a few days ago and didn't like it. I couldn't figure out the plot. What was it about? Corny family stuff?

Well, sort of.

From facebook:

We saw Frozen again and liked it much better. Patrick's final comment was, "It's a hell of a way to come out of the closet, Elsa."

I completely missed that the first time around, which is why the movie did not make sense. There are times when I need diagrams and pointing arrows.

Having realized that Frozen is about being in and coming out of the closet, I thought about the other characters. At the end of the movie, the huge snow monster finds Elsa's crown and puts it on. All his sharp edges and spines disappear, and he looks happy. Patrick said, "He's gay, too." I'm not sure about gay. But the monster is happier with a woman's tiara, which suggests he is not gender-typical. (Of course, these days gender-typical is going down the drain. Does it still exist, except among Southern fundamentalists?)

Then there is Oaken, the proprietor of Oaken's Trading Post. People have commented that he sounds gay. To me he sounds Norwegian. However, he says his family is in the sauna. We get a brief look through the sauna's glass door. The family inside consists of an adult male and a bunch of kids. There is no one who looks clearly like an adult female. (Though I will have to see the movie again.) It's important that Oaken have a partner and a family, because Elsa doesn't have a partner. Nor does the monster.

Finally, there is Olaf the snowman. Olaf is funny, charming, brave and kind, but is he straight? What kind of question is this, anyway? Why am I talking about the sexual orientation of a snowman

Anyway, an interesting movie -- but only if it's a movie about coming out. Without that theme, it collapses into cute trolls, a cute reindeer, a cute snowman, and Anna, who is looking for her prince -- and finds one, only he's a cad. I wonder what conservative Americans make of the movie.

New Arnason Story Collection

I don't know if I've made a formal announcement... I have a story collection coming out later this spring. It's print on paper and titled Hidden Folk, coming from Many Worlds Press. Five fantasies based on Icelandic sagas, myths and folktales. Two of the stories appeared in prozines: Asimov's and F&SF. One appeared in a semi-prozine with a very small circulation, and two have never been published. It will be available at the usual online venues, and the two local SF bookstores will have it, I am sure.

I am going over the copyedited manuscript right now. As we say in Minnesota, the stories are not so bad. They could be worse.

Matisse

Saw the Matisse show at the Minneapolis Art Institute -- very lovely, though too crowded in the manner of special exhibits. I bought the catalog, so I could look at the art again. His drawings are terrific. So are his paintings and his paper cutouts. My friend and I then wandered through the Native American and African galleries.

The African galleries are a new installation and quite wonderful. The art goes from ancient Egypt to contemporary art by African and African-American artists. There was a huge turquoise necklace from ancient Egypt in a case with gold work from Ghana, a mummy case near a coffin in the shape of a huge crayfish by a contemporary African artist. A row of display cases held Jewish and Islamic art from North Africa, Christian art from Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Kongo (which became Christian in the late 15th century), a page from the Koran from Mali... In the old days, the North African art would have been put with Islamic art and the Egyptian art would have been put with Greek and Roman art. Much of the Sub Saharan art would have been in a gallery called 'Primitive Art' or maybe 'African Art,' as if the other work had not been done in Africa.

What Do I Need To Write

This is a cross post from the Wyrdsmiths blog, written in response to the question, "what do you need for writing?"

In the past, I would have said time and money. In many ways, they are the same. Money gives you the free time to write. Many writers find themselves in a bind. Because they aren’t making a living at writing, they need a day job; and the day job sucks their time, so they are not able to establish a writing career. This was my problem for many years. Though, to be honest, I have always written slowly and taken many breaks from writing—because I felt I had nothing to say at the moment, or because I couldn’t figure out what came next in a story, or because I was really interested in some other aspect of my life, such as my day job.

However, I was forcibly retired after the 2008 financial crash. After looking for work for a year and a half, I gave up and applied for Social Security. So now I have time and enough money to get by. SS is key, but I do make a little income from writing.

What do I need to write now?

A computer, a printer, paper, notebooks, pens, mechanical pencils, and erasers. Books and magazines also help. I subscribe to New Scientist. My sub to MIT’s Technology Review has lapsed. I need to think about renewing it. For the most part, the books I read are either nonfiction, often popular science, or science fiction and fantasy. Nonfiction provides information. Fiction by other writers provides inspiration.

I have a desk that is my at-home workspace, but it’s usually covered with paper. Either I work at the desktop computer in the living room, or I take my little netbook out to a coffee shop. I love to write in coffee shops. They are full of people working at computers. The staff leaves you alone. If I want to take a break, I can people watch or get myself something to eat or drink.

My favorite coffee shop plays good and interesting CDs: blues, folk music, French chanteurs ... At home, I listen to classical music on Minnesota Public Radio or put on a classical music CD.

I go back and forth between the computer and pen and paper. Often I begin on paper, then move to the computer. As I input what I’ve written on paper, I make changes and then continue the story on the computer. I always print out stories and revise on the hard copy. I can’t see mistakes on the computer.

What else do I need? Friends and writing groups. I belong to two groups: the Wyrdsmiths and an s.f. poetry group. Both provide support and criticism. At this point, I can’t imagine writing entirely on my own.

But I do still need time to myself, a lot of it, to write and read and think. I find walking the track at the gym is very helpful. I work out plot problems and even compose dialogue while walking. The track is usually quiet and almost empty. A walk by the river is less useful, since nature is distracting, and I have to watch out for other people.

That’s about it: time, money, equipment, reading material, a workspace, friends, and silence …

(Background music is okay. It counts as a kind of silence.)

Writing 2

We were talking -- among other things -- about how to talk about writing achievements without sounding like a jerk. Saying things out loud tends to reinforce them. If you don't mention achievements, you may tend to undervalue them. But how does one mention achievements without bragging?

I struggle with this in part because the Minnesota culture discourages bragging and getting above your neighbors. The best you can say about anything is "not so bad" or "it could be worse."

Writing

A cross post from the Wyrdsmiths blog:

I got together with Lyda Morehouse and Naomi Kritzer today and talked about Captain America, also about writing. I have been going through a bad patch, in which I envy other writers and feel bad about my writing career. Naomi pointed out that I have stories almost ready to go out and I am wasting time -- weeks and months -- tweeking them. They should go out the door.

It's perfectly true that fiction does not sell till editors look at it, and most of my work sells sooner or later.

I have no idea why I'm stalled right now. But the obvious thing to do -- as Naomi says -- is get the stories out.

There are plenty of things that can go wrong with a writing career. All you can do is make sure that the things going wrong have nothing to do with you. Don't do the work of malign fate for malign fate.

Cap 2

Well, now I have seen Captain America 2. I think I have used up a month's supply of adrenaline. Thus far, my favorite Marvel movies are Thor 1 and Captain America 1. But this movie is a fine mix of violence, paranoia and cynicism. I will say no more, for fear of spoiling the story for the two or three people who haven't seen CA # 2 yet.

Note: Cap is never cynical, nor is he treated with cynicism. But the world that poor guy has found himself in. You can understand why he longs for WWII.

I did nothing after Captain America, except lie on the couch and read. I am going through Quiet a second time. According to the book, introverts need to limit their input. Well, I certainly exceeded my limit at CA # 2. That's okay, so long as I have down time after. Now I am thinking about the movie, trying to understand what it says. Not that it's hard to figure out, but I need to distance myself from all the crashing and banging. It occurs to me that good writing -- writing that is obviously skillful and thoughtful -- can put a barrier between the reader and the experience: a kind of glass wall. Action flicks smash right through that wall. The noise and the adrenaline removes a layer of protection. Remember that American torturers use noise -- especially rock music -- to break their victims down. I am not saying that the noise of an action flick is torture, but it makes the audience vulnerable. You can't maintain an intellectual and emotional distance in an action flick. Of course, there is evidence that this kind of adrenaline high also protects people from the reality of what's happening. But I guess I am inclined to think that the crudeness and rawness of an action flick is closer to life in contemporary America than is intelligence and grace.

An action flick says, "Civilization? You think we have a civilization here? The more fool you!"

There are a lot of ways that writing -- and movies and art -- can break through the glass wall which I don't like. I am kind of a wimp, and there is a limit to how much ugliness I can handle. I didn't like The Avengers, except for the bit at the end when they are in the shawarma joint. It's almost the only part of the movie I remember. Too much violence. Not enough plot. And the villains were all external. The problem for me is -- how do you break the glass wall without being way too nasty? And is disgust an adequate way to break the wall?

I think I am trying to be profound and failing. Ah well.

Shark Post

I've been in a vile mood, I think because I'm revising stories. One story in particular has been really hard to finish, and I'm getting more and more frustrated. But I want this thing done and out the door and out of my life.

Why can't I be like a shark and resolve problems by biting them in half?

Notes on the Concert Tonight

Osmo Vanska is leading the Minnesota Orchestra in two Sibelius symphonies tonight. Per the announcer, Orchestra Hall is full and the musicians -- who now gather backstage and come out as a group -- got a standing ovation. When Vanska came out there was another ovation and the waving of many, many blue and white Finnish flags. Vanska is currently negotiating with the orchestra board on whether or not he comes back. He says he would like to come back, if the orchestra can play as well as he wants them to. I figure this is code for, if the board will promise to keep its stinking hands off the orchestra. He knows how well the musicians play. He has been conducting them in concerts during the lockout. Go, Osmo! Go, the musicians! And go, Sibelius!

The CEO who caused all the trouble by trying to break the musicians union is leaving this summer "by mutual agreement" with the board and its new president. Eight board members have quit, because they're angry about the CEO leaving. Good riddance to all of them.

I wasn't paying enough attention to the Sibelius 4th Symphony, but I did listen to his 1st Symphony. It sounded good, very lush, but also on the edge of the modern era, with sudden breaks and shifts. According to the announcer, Vanska looked happy at the end. He hugged the entire string section and then went out to the new, huge lobby to sign copies of the Grammy-winning CD of these two Siberlius symphonies. It's obvious the concert goers adore him and the orchestra.

Overreacting

I know I overreact to remarks that strike me as silly. I attribute this to drinking too much coffee. I get going in the morning with several cups of coffee. This is not a problem, unless I read something that bothers me. Then the coffee interacts with the silliness, and I begin to foam, becoming a kind of latte of irritation. I need to find a way to avoid silliness until the coffee wears off.