Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Horror--I shy away from it entirely, too.  I can tolerate more in a
book than in film, perhaps because over the years I've gotten very good
at turning off my overactive imagination when necessary.  My parents
didn't allow me to watch horror films when I was young because I had
awful nightmares when I did.  The Exorcist had me sleeping with the
light on for a year, though I was 13 when I saw it (on TV--what a
weenie, huh?)  Event Horizon messed with my head bigtime.  For some
reason, nothing of Neil's has ever frightened me, though Eaten came
close.  

JaNell--the first time a woman hit on me, I was the same way--huh? 
Then the light slowly dawned.  I had gone out to a gay bar with a male
friend, and she thought I was there for other reasons.  And she sat
next to me in choir......you'd have thought she could read the words
"fag hag" that are apparently tattooed across my forehead.  (Please
forgive the crassness, but that *is* what we are called.)  It was a
weird feeling. I was so worried about offending her!  What a geek I am.

Jo--sorry about the PhD thing.  That's an utter bummer.  Obviously,
the committee are crackers (committee *is* crackers?)  Both, I think.

Um, Horrorcon's starting to look mighty fun....There must be a Barking
Mad event.  Pam pleeeeaaassee come?  <makes big, sad puppy dog eyes> 
JaNell--yes, yes!!  Pleeeaaassse? <makes even bigger, sadder puppy dog
eyes>

What are the rest of y'all doing that weekend?  

I have decided that what is horrifying me tonight is my spelling on
this dashed wireless keyboard.  Even spellcheck has nearly been
defeated.

Mary (up at an infernal hour again!  At least I'm off from my dayjob
for the rest of the week)  
  

    
JaNell- can you post the link to your journal again? I forgot to
bookmark it the last time I was there.

snopes2.com is cool
  

    
Erynn~ the links are www.xanga.com/JaNell & www.xanga.com/Excentrica
JaNell is the journal, Excentrica has some writing on it...
I'll prolly post the unedited version of "The MicroDyke Story" there
sometime late today; my mom's whole comment is funnier than the
implication.
  

    
Mary, first go get some sleep! I suffer from an extream lack of it
myself. Second fag-hag is the "correct" term. My oldst brothers husband
is always teasing me that if I keep it up, I end up with them, the
cats and the label. I told him that was my life already. :)

My first woman hitting on me story is a little odd. Anyone who has met
me in real life knows I'm just the same and very friendly, and I was
in a bar (in annodd town) and was talking to friends and friends of
friends, and well this woman pulls me aside and told me she was
flattered but seeing someone,.....I was floored and apparently it
showed. 

Horror,.....well I am a scaredy cat in a big way, but will watch all
sorts of things home alone in the middle of the night with the light
off like an idiot. I'd rather read it, but have been known to put books
in the freezer to keep them away from me. Blood and gore doesn't
frighten me as much as the awaiting does. 

Rocky, I think Harlen writes whateverthehell he wants to call it.

Jinx who has yet another game show audition soon
  

    
I'm not really into horror, it doesn't really do anything to me.  I
think the reason my friends are into horror is the adrenaline rush, but
I don't get that rush.  Most horror stories don't scare me one bit.  I
usually giggle at gore.  If something is up front and right there it
doesn't scare me, but if the characters don't know what's going on and
I don't and you can't see the big baddie and don't know what it's going
to do... then I'm scared because my own imagination takes over and
puts in things.  Like, um, okay, I think the scariest horror movie I've
seen is the original Haunting.  That creeped me the heck out,
something I don't think any other horror movie has ever done.  In
haunted houses I only get scared when I'm in the bits that are totally
dark and can't see/hear/feel anything and then my brain starts throwing
up possibilities.  And that's enough of me talking about that.

Jinx - good luck.
  

    
The MicroDyke incident actually happened this past summer; I may be
off the sexual radar for guys (excepting my husband, thankfully), but
not for women...
The first time a woman hit on me was back in High School. I had a best
friend who was three years older than me, a guy, and one of his other
friends, a girl, told him he needed to stay away from a certain
Freshman...
He & I both assumed she was saying that because she wanted *him*.
The next year she asked me out for a burger after a basketball game at
school, and I went; didn't think much of it.
It wasn't until years later that I realized it was sort of a date.
Dur.
  

    

I don't generally do horror for the simple reason that I just don't need
more tension in my life.  So I swore off Stephen King and Dean Koontz for
life, although I allowed myself to see The Green Mile and was enchanted by
it; it also was not typical King.  We also went to see The Others, because
it was Mike's turn to choose and I expected to be a bundle of nerves when
it was over, but it was better than I expected.

The scariest movie I ever saw was The Haunting of Hill House.  I can still 
give myself chills by asking the question, "Whose hand WAS it?"
  

    
Watching horror ... well, I have to agree that the waiting is the
worst part. Saw the directors cut of the exorcist some months ago - my
partner took me to the staff preview. The first half was the worst by
so far it wasn't funny. All the knowing that bad things were happening,
but not actually seeing anything. Phil kept saying "You know we can
leave if you want" as I shredded his arm with my fingernails. Once the
visual horror started it was actually somewhat of a relief.

Mary - thanks, but I'm not too stressed about the PhD at the moment.
Someone else will fund it. Obviously I'd rather get external funding,
but my boss has said he'll find money from his research grants if
necessary. Always nice to feel appreciated.
  

    
First off, I need to apologize for the tag line on my horror post
(1010).  It woke me up this morning shouting at my sleepy brain
insistently.  Leave it to me to sound relatively human for the whole
long thing and then say something completely graceless at the last
possible moment.  

The Sandman bit I misquoted is from Sandman 7 and it goes like this:
"Listen.  [...]  Listen to a world in pain.  Listen.... You can hear
it."

I realized that my reaction could be perceived as disparaging, which
was really not what I intended.  I just meant to say that I have a hard
time filtering things like that out at all.  They’re with me much of
the time, and it gets oppressive.

Wish I’d said it better.
  

    
Jo: That’s fabulous news about your boss’ willingness to support your
own projects.  Good luck!

Mousey:  How’d the in-store with VNV (?) go?

Maure: your post about the ideals being possible was so beautiful. 
Thanks.  I respect you choice not to compromise very much.  GO MAURE!!!
 And thanks so much for offering to play bodyguard at WHC!  I think,
rather than make waves, I’d like to just wander around soaking up what
people there have to say (and trying not to notice the scary pictures).
 Re: conditioning--I think that’s definitely part of it.  For
instance, in my job (in surgery) I regularly see and hear things that
might really upset some people, that I’ve become somewhat calloused
about.

JaNell:  I’ve always thought that the best part of art is that it’s
synergistic, too.  But having very persistent baggage following me
around... it’s hard, because there seem to be so *many* things that
alarm me.

Maure, JaNell, Mary: It would be so terrific to meet members of the
Well-Mob!  It’s one of my top motivations to go.  (And rooming
arrangements might really help the affordability factor.)  And Mousey,
is this the one you said other Well and Thingie persons are planning to
go to?  (I’m sorry; I keep forgetting.)  I’m just torn, because I
really, really want to go to Wiscon in 2002, too.  And I’m afraid that
we’ll be too house-poor after buying a new house to get to both.  But
I’m working on devious plans to try to swing two trips!

Mary: Ugh.  _Event Horizon_ gave me nightmares for months.  Which I
deeply resented, because it was such a bad movie.

Will said: >it remains one of the sexiest things I've seen in a long
>while. Really, all it takes for me to fall utterly in love with a
>girl is to see her lose herself dancing. 

I loved this.  Thanks.

Rocky, Linda, Jinx: Thanks for your definitions of horror.  I think
that represents my margin for disturbing, too, when the house is too
small for the both of us.  But I’ve never put one in the
freezer--that’s too funny!  (I got visions of the freezer door creaking
open in the night, eerie green light glowing into the darkness and a
voice saying "Zoul.")

Rocky: I’m just beginning the Harlan adventure.  But I think he’s the
archetypal Mad Prophet.
  

    
I like horror. But I admit, I usually don't read a lot of horror
novels. I devour the Windling/Datlow Year's Best Fantasy And Horror
anythologies, and I sometimes try and not look at the editor's initials
so that I'm surprised by which is which. I am not wild about splatter.
I like subtle. I like creepy. And I love gothic horror at times.

Horror movies don't scare me, usually. But I always get utterly
terrified during the library scene of "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
(Infiniti car adverts used to wig me, thanks to that film) as Mr Dark
looks for the boys, and then rips pages out of books and brings the
father to his knees. My father had the genius idea of renting that film
on Hallowe'en when I was about 8 or 10 years old, which probably
didn't help. And I admit that "The Sixth Sense" utterly terrified me at
points. The kitchen scene, I just about crushed the backflip boy's
hand, and I hid in his shoudler for a while. I usually never get
freaked out by movies, but that film got to me.

I think I like entertainment that scares me percisely because it's
completely safe, and under my absolute control, unlike real life which
is utterly out of my control and therefore much much more frightening.
  

    
wow, lots to wade through here.  been very busy trying to put my
website up: www.adrianaroze.com.  it is very very rough and exists to
promote my acting so please understand that ahead of time (i'm not just
some psycho egomaniac, even if i am an actor).  anyway, there it is.

i can't seem to tell if there's been any conclusion about Disneyland
but i will be there with bells on.  well, probably not bells, but
anyways, i go much more than i care to admit and will always jump at
the chance to go again.  

a scary Captain Von Trapp story:  i once did the Sound of Music at a
summerstock house where the man playing the Captain was this mormon
congressman named, i kid you not, Dick Sweat.  i also wish i were
kidding that his 6 of his 9 children played the Von Trapp kids.  well
on certain nights (long story) when i wasn't playing Elsa, i was also
playing the maid, Frau Schmidt.  i chose to play her as Alice from the
Brady Bunch (i was bored, ok?).  at any rate, for reasons that i will
never fathom, Dick Sweat hated me, so he loved it when he got to call
for me with the whistle, which was so degrading, even onstage.  well,
one night he whistled loudly for me and i just completely forgot to
come in.  so he's whistling and whistling, and i hear, loudly from the
stage, "where is that DAMNED maid? *WHISTLE*!"  so i come running in,
"sorry sir, there was a FIRE in the KITCHEN!"  well, he just looks at
me and says "you're fired."  

you can bet that pretty much threw off the rest of the show.  at the
end of the run, we all got campaign t-shirts from him that said, "DICK
SWEAT CONGRESS."  it was amazing.
  

    
Damn that's funny.
I guess that someone wisely decided that having "Vote For Dick Sweat",
"A Vote For Dick Sweat Is A Vote For You", or best, "Congress Needs
Dick Sweat" for a slogan might be in poor taste...
<evil grin>
  

    
IIRC, Neil said earlier that he didn't write horror. Of course, that
is arrant nonsense. We've all read 'Nicholas Was' or 'Babycakes' and
been thoroughly creeped out about it. [shudder] That, to me (and
others), is what horror is all about. It might not have been the intent
behind the story, but it's scary nonetheless.

While we're telling stories...

Not surprisingly, I was hit on, multiple times, when I marched in the
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras several years ago. I was marching
beside my brother as part of PFLAG (Parents and Friends/Family of
Lesbians And Gays). The thing that annoyed my flaming queen brother
most is that his straight sister was the one being hit on... But we did
score invites to a lesbian wedding that was part of the parade and got
to toast the fabulously costumed happy couple with champagne.

Halloween before last, I held a scary, girly video night at my
apartment. We hired a bunch of movies including the director's cut of
'The Exorcist'. To cut a long story short, my friends left around
midnight, all going home to their flatmates and partners. They all
asked me if I would be OK alone in the house. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," says
I. "I'll be fine." And so I was, tidying up, doing dishes, reading in
bed. Then I put the lights out...

O_O

The lights came back on and I spent the rest of the night watching the
paint on the ceiling crack. 

Tree
A vivid imagination is a wonderful thing until you need a good night's
sleep.
  

    
Hey all!

Pam...I understand where you're coming from.  For me, it's not...this
is going to sound odd, but, I don't like straight horror because the
prose has a feel, a kind of coldness that I can't get in to.  I love
vampires and werewolves, but I can't stand to read most of the books
they're in.  I consider those creatures more part of dark fantasy,
anyway...

Maure...I needed that post, for some reason.  Thank you.  I am....I
was in the middle of a class, a few years ago, where the Prof. asked me
why I wanted to write.  I said, "Because I love to play with words." 
and he was so pleased with that, it was the highlight of my day.  A few
days later, different class, another asked the same question, and I
reiterated my answer (hey, if it works...) and she nodded, then said.,
"Then why do you want to be a published writer."  And I said, "Because
I want to make people happy."  Her reaction, and the reaction of my
class mates made me feel like a very naive child who should never, ever
open her mouth in public ever again.  So, sometimes, once in awhile, I
wonder if my happy endings (those who have read my short stories are
now going "what Happy endings?"  I'm talking books.) are...<shrug>  But
I never out grew wanting to make people happy.

So many posts...so many wonderful images, so many neat things....and
my brain can't go around them all at once, so I'll branch out, to give
myself time to think coherently....

Speaking of college reminds me of something else...I was taught that,
but example, really more than by actual teaching, that short stories
that are happy are not literature.  I know it's dumb, and it's
something I'm fighting....is it something anyone else is dealing with?

Neil!  Last night I was flipping channels, and I caught Chef Nobu on
Leno?  I thought of you, because I think, *think* you went to the
restaurant, and liked it?  He's put out a cook book, in case you were
interested.  He made some food on the show, and it made me desperately
want to get into the car and drive to New York.

Good night, all!

Ninave
  

    
Oh!  On being hit on, I really like it if it's by nice people, not by
drunken leches, because even if I don't want them, it's like this
really sweet compliment.  I've not been hit on by a lady, but it must
be really cool to be luminously attractive to both sexes.  :D (And I
did not say that sarcastically, if you were looking at me saying it,
you would know that I was saying it gallantly.)

Someone just told me I look like Mia Sara!  Off to find out if I've
been complimented....

Mia Ninave
  

    
Ninave --

Re: Mia Sara, most everybody will know her primarily as Sloan
Peterson, Ferris Bueller's girlfriend. What prompted the comparison,
though, was most likely Henson Productions' "Jack and the Beanstalk:
The Real Story", which was on CBS Sunday and Tuesday night. Quite a
cool re-vision of the classic. In any event, yes, it was a compliment.

--Bill^2, today's victim of the sluggish economy.
  

    
Ninave -- yup, ate there for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Bought
the book as an Xmas Present for my wife (who doesn't read this topic,
so won't know.)

Tree -- Nicholas Was isn't really horror, is it? It's too short. And
Babycakes is a fable...
  

    


Adriana - great site!  Are you going to put your URL in your cast bio in 
the programs?

When we saw Ragtime, I loved the male lead so much I sent him e-mail after 
the show, thanks to the URL he so thoughtfully provided in his bio.

And when did those things start getting so personal?  In addition to the 
CV, many now include things like, "She would like to thank her adorable 
husband with whom she is madly in love."

And please, please tell me:  what's a swing?
  

    
This morning, at 8:21 am, Rowan & I were at the pick-up window at
McDonald's when he asked, "Mama, why are they saying 'no'?"
"Who's saying 'no', Rowan?"
"McDonald's is saying 'no' on that sign, Mama!"
Sure enough, there was a little sign there saying "No Checks
Accepted".
  

    
Neil, is there a length rule on Horror that I didn't know about? Or a
rule that Fables can't also be Horror? Somebody should tell me these
things...
  

    
Ninave - Actually, as we've been trying to pick stories for the next
C.A.F.E. show (this is the company that did Neil and Martha's stories
earlier this year) there's been some discussion about NOT doing "Hearts
in Shadow II", but that all the stories we keep bringing in are dark
in nature. My theory has been that the very nature of a short story is
to get you swept up in something, and then pull a sudden switch on you
and that's it. The very structure of the short story lends itself
towards a build up and a drop, as opposed to a long struggle over
insurmountable odds to a thrilling and edifying climax. As a result,
the vast majority of short stories (at least the ones that grab you and
are interesting to read) will be darker in nature.
By the way... I'm assuming that Martha knows this already.. but I
should mention that the next show, while it doesn't have a Neil
flavored piece in it, will contain the adaptation of In the Defense of
the Social Contracts which I am writing (but NOT directing). The first
draft went to the director two days ago. The title of the whole show is
still forthcoming.
  

    
I think genre is partially perception.  When I'm shopping for books, I
say to myself, I don't read horror, but then I'll buy a book by King
and consider him mystery or fantasy...basically I'm saying I wouldn't
call Baby Cakes horror automatically, because I don't read horror.  ;) 
BUT it is, indeed, horrific, and think that you could call it horror,
no matter what the length.  Listening to Neil read it, so calm and
reasonable, gives me the chills.  

But, in many ways, I think genre is partially perception because,
<warning, stereotyping about to be applied>  a fantasy book with a
strong romantic plotline might be sold as fantasy, but still be
considered a romance.  But, then, I could be wrong, because genre is
implied - like when you get those covers with the girl in the skimpy
dress clinging to some guy with an expression that, to my humble
opinion, never looked like she was having all that much fun.  You see
that cover, and think, "Oh!  a romance!" and no matter how many
vampires or dragons you throw into the plot, it's still going to be a
romance.  

Well, I have no idea, really, to be honest.  I'm the one who spends
hours trying to figure out just exactly what genre the book I've been
trying to sell fits into.  I've been calling it <ahem> a Dark Fantasy
Mystery set in a Contemporary Setting.

And I wonder why I keep gettin' those rejections.  ;D

Dan, I never considered it that way!  That's really neat, and beats my
snob factor theory by a long shot...

Bill - Thanks!  I didn't remember to watch the movie (sorry I didn't)
but used the name to look her up.  As to whether I'm complimented or
not, my sense of modesty prevents me from saying.  :D

You know, smiley's aren't a bad thing.  They let everyone know when
you're not being serious...

Tree reminded me of a story that about imagination....I'm guilty of
having a vivid one, as well.  (It's fun, isn't it?) So, the scene -
early morning, still dark, and the moon is out, and full.  I'm waiting
for the school bus.  And I think to myself, wouldn't it be interesting
if my bus driver were a werewolf?  Now my bus driver was (is....just
haven't seen him in years) a real sweet guy, with silvery, curly dark
gray hair and a matching beard.  So when the bus finally stopped, I ran
down and put my foot on the first step.  He turned and smiled at me,
this big, toothy grin, his eyes and teeth glittering in the amber
lights, his hair and beard all wild.

It took a bit of my courage and a lot of, "Don't be stupid, girl's!"
to get on that bus....

<Shudder> I guess you would have had to been there.  

And everytime I see Jo's recent psued, I keep wanting to sing out,
"And when I shave them they ain't got hairs!"  I think that's my
favorite Python song...
  

    
(I *really* couldn't resist.)

Adriana: Thou art a goddess.  I've already told you, but your website
home page is gorgeous.  Mostly because you are.

And as a total non-sequitur for most of you here... I just want you
all to know that I'm the sort of girl who would prefer being told:
"Pam, you ignorant tart, you're a crackhead," than have anyone
festering silently in a pit of annoyance with me.

Just so's you know exakly what kinda gal I am, I am.

-P
"My idea of hell is a blank sheet of paper. Or a blank screen."
--gleefully quoting Himself out of context
  

    
Tara: I think the control issue is really the heart of the issue.  The
understanding I'm coming to is that some people watch/read/experience
scary things and it's an exorcism, or it's cathartic.  Either way, it
functions similarly to comedy; they feel *distanced* from it when it's
over, in the way that we feel (in our heart of hearts) that we're all
superior to Jim Carey when he's the clown.  So, ultimately, it makes
them feel better.  I think that I'm different in the way that--for
whatever reason(s)--those same things bring me *closer* to the
darkness, instead.  So, ultimately, it makes me wish like hell I still
smoked.  

However, the good news is that there are other parts of me that come
into play, too.  Like the part that falls totally in love with the
words, or the beauty of the songline.  So it's rarely a direct descent.

Thanks so much, to everyone, for your thoughtful responses.  I love
hearing what everybody has to say.

Tree: Thank you.  Just, thank you.

JaNell: Rowan is amazing.  How old is he?  I love hearing the Rowan
reports.

Bill:  I'm so sorry.  What flavor candle should I light for you?  Good
luck finding a new job!