2/7/2021

i just listened to david mamet. i had heard rumblings of how his views might not be entirely kosher (?). maybe in this class, i hear some of his own personal leanings... ideas like how college (for 17-21 year olds) may not be ideal, because it may radicalize them... ideas like how it's better for kids that age to go into the military... not sure if i entirely agree with all of that. i think, if anything, nowadays, it is military culture (fed on fox news and gop bullshit) that has created radical insurgents... also, this idea going against pc culture. i'm not sure i agree with the full consequences of pc culture, but i do think it has its place; if nothing else, it makes people consider different contexts. it makes people- if not exactly walking on eggshells- at least cognisant of their audience...

so, yes. i don't always agree with what he's saying. i think he does have some insights as to writing... and i take all of that with a grain of salt.

*****

i'm trying to do little jobs in the yard. i need to cut down a few trees, 3 precisely, and they are monsters. they are ficus trees, two of the dark green variety, and one with a lighter green foliage. they have grown very tall, and some of the boughs are actually reaching the eaves of the house. i need to cut them down simply because they've grown too big for their own good. and i need to cut them down so that my backyard gets more sunlight, and i can grow edible crops there...

*****

every time i ask my friend about my brother (because he still sees him, on a regular basis), i get more and more disgusted. he's still a trump supporter. i asked my friend, so, does he support insurgency? is he fine with jan. 6? of course, my friend (who happens to be far more rational) deigns to respond...

*****

welp. sorry, i don't have all that much to write about today... oh yes, with regards to my story. i did add another twist. i decided to have one of the brother's friends awaken, along with owlie. so now there is a further separation of the plot line... and we have another wildcard character whom i have yet to put a voice to... i think there are other possibilities for getting this message across, the message of antagonism, and of other, alternative paths... i have also written about how the main protagonist is actually already dead... just some random shit.

i think, in writing and drawing, it's a good idea to sketch out an outline first. then you get the proportions right. if you just jump in and "write from the ground up", sometimes you get so obsessed with the finer points of action, that you don't write "proportionately," that is, you make little things big, while glossing over big things... at the same time, the "ground" is where it's at, and it can also inform the narrative. for example, the idea of having the brother's friend awaken, well, that only originated as i was working on the dialogue ("ground up")... that's what makes writing so frustrating, and yet so possibly liberating. it can flow from both view points... it can free itself through either viewpoint.