Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Neil said: "While I think of it: Darkling, in the meaning not of being
dark but of growing dark. It's in the dictionary, but Fowler frowns
upon it. Any opinions?"

Personally, I think it's perfectly acceptable. I've seen it used as
such a few times, and Good Ol' Dictionary.com even lists it as an
expounded form of 'darkle'. I say go for it.
 
As for Discomfiture: That depends if it's used for the archaic meaning
for 'defeat', or if it's embarassment/frustration. 

"And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves,
and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against
his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture." 1 Sam. 14:20

I say use it.

-- T.S. --
  

    
If I could be in Ft. Lauderdale I would look for Che, but I suppose you'll
have shaved by then.

But I won't.
  

    

Thanks for all the belated happies!

Glad your Internet access is finally working right, Neil.

Hope you feel better immediately, squeaks.  Chicken soup, you know.

And now for the onslaught:
  

    
e-mail from Bill Williams:

Well, Neil, you wondered how long it would take for a proof to show up on
eBay. Not long at all, as it turns out.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1416761180
--Bill
There's enough youth in the world. How about a fountain of SMART?
8307339(ICQ)/WJW52673(AIM)
  

    
e-mail from Scott Conner:

  A few posts back, the subject of Don Thompson came up.  One of the few
regrets I have is never having met and talked to Don.   I did meet Maggie a
few years ago....what a sweetheart.  Just through Don's writings, he seemed
like a friend you'd known for years.  I still miss him.

  And hi to Walker and Michelle, and everybody else  : )
  

    
e-mail from Jouni:

Thanks. Glad you liked the drawings.

Kinda interesting that almost everybody likes the hedge-trimmer pic most. I
mean it's quite 'unsandmanish', isn't it. Or is that the reason?

I must confess that it was also very much fun to do. It was so... I dunno...
EASY.

Sarah - Why, thank you. Wish I would have time to do more watercolour-stuff.
I did a 24-page (or was it 28) comicbook with watercolour and pencils as my
graduation work back in -98 (actually I gave Neil a copy of it when he was
in Finncon last summer). The story was crap (written by me) and in finnish,
but some of the pictures were OK (The cover for example. There was this
picture of a hand with electrodes stuck on it and... well, maybe you got the
picture.). It took 4 months to do it, from starting the script to finishing
the printing (a whole of ten copies), and since then I haven't touched
watercolours.

Hmm. Maybe it would be time to start painting again...

Now that was very touching story, wasn't it?

Michelle - Glad I'm forgiven. But if you have any ideas of 'getting back', I
must warn you that I do have also another sketch just waiting to be inked.
So maybe you should think twice before doing anything hasty! ;-)

Neil - Hope you get your connections working again, and you are very welcome
to drop by in my picturefolder anytime.

Jouni
  

    
e-mail from Conrad:

Hi, I was on the american gods site and he stated that we could e-mail
questions/comments to any of the hosts  If possible, could you post the
following.  Thanks in advance. oh by the way before I write what I like
posted, cool site. well here I go:
 
Neil,
I don't know if you remember me when I met you a couple of times.  But
hopefully this will jog your memory.  The last time I met you was at the
Tropicon XVII in Ft. Lauderdale which you were the toastmaster.  I was
the guy that gave you a bottle of Chablis.  I was wondering if you liked
it and would you like another one the next time I see one of your
readings?
 
One more thing, how's Karen Vess?  I haven't heard news about her since
the _A Fall of Stardust_.  I just hope she's fully recovered and doing
well.
 
Speaking of the Vess, that reminds me that I want to give Charles a
bottle of single malt scotch since I still feel guilty that I got you
something and didn't get him anything.  Could you deliver it to him if I
get to see you on tour?  And if you don't come to Florida on tour, would
he get it if I mail it to him through Green Man Press?
 
Conrad -- as in the _Heart of Darknes_ (but my first name)
  

    
wow... lots  things

re: walking while reading Pinkwater-- that pretty much defines my
teenage years. Don't think I bumped into anything, but I guess I wasn't
reading the same book as Jen.

re: all these new people cropping up-- hi, everybody!

re:  Darkling and Discomfiture (attorneys at law):  Love both words,
thought I've never known how to use darkling correctly ("Hey, do you
darkle?  Me n'Jeb are goin' darkling tonight!") 

I'm particularly tickled by TS's quote from Samuel; I have this image
of all these ancient Israelites standing around looking uncomfortable
and vaguely put-out.  ("Saul's having another one of his weird fits...
just ignore him and maybe he'll cut it out...") 
  

    
Len - Oddly enough, it is translated as 'confusion' in both the newly
revised versions of the Bible, and even in the Nevi'im (Hebrew Book of
the Prophets)  "...every man's sword was against his fellow, a very
great confusion."  is how is is occasionally listed... so, if yes,
everyone was just kinda standing around going 'Huh?'... hehe.

-- T.S.
  

    
Jen-Yeah, I live in Coventry Village. I work at The Winking Lizard
Tavern. It's a silly place. Cleveland has some good spots. It's much
much much better than Indiana. But yeah, they definatly need better
bookstores. I'd been going to Mac's down the street (your roommate
might know) Jeez. Mac's never has anything I go in there looking for.
Well, they had "Stardust" But after I bought that--no more Neil. I
asked them why and they said that he was "not very much on demand at
this time." and I said "Bullshit." I went in there last week looking
for Martha's book. Of course they didn't have it, so I settled for
Bukowski. I enjoyed reading him, but now I've become perverted.(More
than usual,even) I'm going to order from Dreamhaven now, I think. In
fact, I'm going to do that right after I post this. I'm sick of being
frusterated.

Dan-I could never afford that. Not now. I couldn't live in a one
bedroom either. I have five animals, my husband needs his music studio
room, I need my office space and George, well, he just collects too
much stuff. We pay 675.00 a month for a decently large three bedroom.
Split between the three of us,it works out nicely. Although, it work
out even more nicely if the animals pitched in. 
My goal is to live in lots of cities while I'm young and then "settle
down" in a haunted castle in an enchanted forest somewhere. I guess
that would have to be in Europe . . .

Neil and Martha- That's very encouraging. I'm 22.5 years of age.
Everytime I hand over a new story to my husband or someone to read, in
the monty python spirit I say: "I think I'm getting betta!" and I think
I am but, my husband says he loves everything I write so....I never
REALLY know. A while ago I submitted a story to a magazine about Orson
Welles leading a boy through the afterlife. They rejected it saying
that Orson Welles was not popular right now and it wouldn't sell
because no one would really understand it. That can't be the REAL
reason, could it? So I responded with:"Come on, you can do better than
that." I guess I should work on being a little more profesional. I've
learned that I don't take critism as well as I thought I would. Even
when I sometimes know that they're right. I don't plan on having
children. I just have my stories and I love the unconditionally, even
when they're bad...

Oh yeah, Neil: why does Coraline have to be released May 2002!!?? I
mean, I know that it will probably take people a while to read A.G but
not THAT long! 
Sorry for the long post. I guess I got carried away...
  

    
On darkling: Honestly, I have never seen this word used. That's odd,
because even if I am not on speaking terms with a word, I'm usually at
least acquainted with it. I found this useage example:

"His honest brows darkling as he looked towards me." --Thackeray.

I would have assumed it was a misprint for darkening had I read it in
a book. And seen out of context I would have imagined a small elvish
creature that lived without light.
  

    
Martha - you wrote:
     If I could be in Ft. Lauderdale I would look for Che, but I
suppose you'll have shaved by then.
     But I won't.

I assume you mean that you won't be in Florida, not that you won't be
clean shaven.  I haven't seen any pics of you recently, but I don't
recall seeing any signs of beardage.

I also approve of Darkling and Discomfiture.  Especially Discomfiture.
 That's such a great word!

  --  s
  

    
Won't be in Florida.
  

    
Re Darkling-- my wife, quite rightly, chastised me for forgetting this
appearance in Midsummer Night's Dream--

     DEMETRIUS 
I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.
     HELENA 
O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so.

And Merriam Webster defines darkle as "1a)to become clouded or gloomy
b)to grow dark  2)to become concealed in the dark,"

which is neat, since Helena here is darkling, then, in both the
literal and metaphorical senses.


I've been fitting darkling into other titles tonight:

vampire western-- My Darkling Clementine
gloomy Paul Zindel novel-- My Darkling, My Hamburger

etc. 
  

    
Neil--  I won't be in Fla, unfortunately.

BUT-- I want to tell you how much I'm enjoying my new box of Ty-Phoo
tea.  Lovely, smooth flavor and honey color-- great stuff.  Thanks for
the tip.

(If I bring the box to your next NY reading, will you sign it?)
  

    
Martha, thank you for the pointer to the memorial site for Jenna. I had been
wondering how her sister would get along... Hm. Must ponder possible
fundraiser, and ask some people what's in the works.

Jade, how was Rollins?

Neil, darkling is a fine word; I recall it from something about a darkling
plain, but my brain is full of moths at the moment.

Have been trying to talk Mr. Ford into stopping by this topic, and am making
some headway. He says hi, of course. So does Juan.
  

    
e-mail from Bill Williams:

Neil--
        Darn it, looks like I've mis-timed my trip to Florida by a week. I'm there
the 30th thru the 3rd.
        Re: darkling and discomfiture, I wouldn't have had much idea how to
translate darkling, but then again, that's why I read -- to expand the ol'
vocabulary. And discomfiture is just fun to read, write, and say.
--Bill, who will be getting his Well account immediately after his wedding
in July.
I have got no further than this:
every man has a right to utter what he thinks truth,
and every other man has a right to knock him down for it.
Samuel Johnson, 1780
8307339(ICQ)/WJW52673(AIM)
  

    
Trevor -- to be honest, I don't think Fowler likes Darkle, either.
Then again, he was writing 80 years ago, Gower revised him 40 years
ago, and sometimes he fought losing battles. Margarine, for example,
should apparantly be pronounced with a hard G, as in Margaret. I keep
thinking that, if I went back a hundred years, my pronounciation really
would be quite alien much of the time.  And Fowler grumbles about
Discomfit as meaning anything other than defeat...

Martha -- I had this strange vision of you turning up at ICFA with a
little goatee, like the lady in your fetish story. Then I read your
post again.

Erynn -- my suggestion would be to get to a good writers workshop,
like Clarion, where you will have people reading your stories who CAN
tell you what's wrong with them, and you'll be reading other people's
stories and getting a sense of what makes stories work and vice versa.
(I think Martha's a Clarion grad and can probably say somehting
sensible here.)

And if you think it's frustrating for readers to have to wait 14
months for CORALINE, imagine how frustrating it is for the author, who
handed the book in last June.  It'll be out as a an audio book in
january, though, recorded by the author (me).

Len -- I am delighted the tea tip worked out. Am currently on my
Lose-much-weight-get-really-healthy-survive-book-tour-for-one-month-in-three-c
ountries-and-two-continents
mode, so am drinking nothing but green tea (because I don't add honey
to it, or milk). After the tour is done, though...

And I'll sign it if you can get it past the security guards.

The other day I found the diary Dave McKean and I kept on the Mr Punch
tour in 94. It's filled with these wonderful and occasionally libelous
Dave McKean pictures and rather less wonderful pictures by me
(including the comic-strip version of the conversation with the witch
who met Dave and me in a hotel bar and tried to pick us up, and the
drawing of the young lady who wanted her breast signed at the Four
Colour Images gallery.) I was trying to figure out what to do with it
-- I suspect that Dave wouldn't want the pictures online. If he's game
for it being reproduced at all, it might make a strange little CBLDF
booklet.

Elise -- I called Mike a couple of times, but didn't seem to get
anything at all at the other end, not even if I said hello, so wasn't
sure where he was right now or how he was doing. How is the kidney? (I
am convinced it was less the new organ than the pie that really brought
him right.)
  

    <scribbled>
  

    
e-mail from Margret:

Jouni-  I love the hedge trimmer pic specifically because it is so
unsandmanlike.  He always was too serious. : )  I think it should be the
design for the next thingie t-shirt.  I could always print out my own on
transfer paper, but it would look so much nicer professionally done by
our very own Ivory.  What do you think?

Margret
  

    
sorry -- it doubleposted, so i zapped it into oblivion.
  

    
Erynn - I quizzed roommate on possible bookstores you may have missed
but he said he only ever went to Barnes and Noble and couldn't think of
any others.  

A good writing group is a wonderful thing.  After lots of creative
writing classes I had one this quarter that was just amazing.  We all
worked together so well we're becoming a permanent writing group.  From
what I've seen, it's really important to find people who are also
serious about writing, who aren't afraid to tell you what doesn't work
about your story, and who aren't afraid to tell you what does work. 
And who aren't afraid to contradict each other.  Basically, find a
bunch of loudmouths.  :-)

Jen.
  

    
Elise -- Rollins was amazing! I had a front row seat and I was
positively mesmerized for over three hours. I laughed so hard that my
stomach hurt by the time I left. He touched on everything from the KKK
and presidential politics to Kiss fans and men in hardware stores. This
man is angry, jovial and positively fearless. I loved it. Then I went
to work and bought three of his "spoken word" albums.

Neil -- I'm bummed. Like Bill, I'll actually be in Ft. Lauderdale the
week after you leave. Figures. :-P Any chance you'll show up at I-CON?
Oh and thanks for the advice on "how to give a reading."

Jade
  

    
I could say things about Clarion if it was desired.
  

    
Len - My darkling Clementine? <cringe> Have you been talking to Scott?

Neil - On darkle and discomfiture... I had no idea exactly what
darkling meant, though I'd seen in once or twice. (upon looking in my
Shakespeare stuff, I found a post it note with an arrow pointing to it
in MND - how odd.) Discomfiture is right up there with discombobulated,
but with all the 'd' words, I currently can't get a vision of
Discomfiture as the 8th Endless out of my head. yes, I'm still sick. 

And on mangled pronunciations (of which I am supposedly some sort of
expert in my family) - When I was 13, I went on a barge trip down the
Avon River (I had just taken a Shakespeare course at UCB). On the barge
with Grandma and me were two couples; one from Boston, and one from
Texas. The whole time I spent talking to the Texans, I couldn't shake
the thought from my head that 17th century British supposedly sounded
more like American Deep South than Modern British. It utterly ruined
Henry V and Romeo & Juliet for me that summer... any way, I'm rambling
again.

And on such short notice, I regret to say that it will be impossible
to stalk anyone in Florida just now. Sorry. Maybe next time.

squeaks, who got a new mouse as a present (I promptly named her
"Door"), and she just had babies.