From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #513 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Monday, November 12 2001 Volume 01 : Number 513 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 22:33:54 -0800 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Writers Conference On Wed, 7 Nov 2001 Sharlee Glenn, in a message I can't seem to retrieve from my troubled e-mail system, said something about me being a merciless heckler. Oy weh! Weh ist mir! I'm afraid it just comes from being a reporter. I've learned to speak out in city council and planning commission and other meetings, and just ask questions, and usually everyone indulges me. We had a meeting a few weeks ago where there was a priests quorum present and the advisor asked why there were five councilmembers instead of, say, eight. I would have replied that the odd number discourages ties, but the mayor said that it was a matter of state law. "In terms of population only, Lindon is a third-class city," he said, smiling, so it has to have 5 council members. I'm sure he knew what I was going to say, and I couldn't help (didn't want to) moving my hands across the air like I was following a headline and saying, "Mayor Ellertson calls Lindon 3rd class city." Either that, or I just have no sense of propriety--which is probably likely. People who know more about attention deficit disorder than I tell me one characteristic of ADD is impulsiveness, and another is not knowing what is an appropriate response. Of course I also have strange nonsense words and behaviors. I remind myself at times of our autistic foster son in Seattle ten years ago, and a bit of our autistic neighbor. Heckler? interesting word. My father published a poem in RMMLA Bulletin years ago called "Vanity Presses," which plays on the title as both a noun phrase and a verb phrase. The last line (or two) is, "So I publish in vanity presses. I'm damned, but I want you to hear." When Moods: Of Late came out, I asked him why he didn't include "Vanity Presses." He told me it was doggerel, and it would seem too ironic to include it in a volume he had paid for (with the English Dep't's help). But the poem is clearly important to him. He recited it to me not long ago. H.S. Clark (aka the Hollow Cluck -- "This is the way the chicken clucks, this is the way the chicken clucks, this is the way the chicken clucks, not with a bock but a posting.") ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 14:31:08 -0700 From: "Todd Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Fluff I recognize that people have their own attitudes about this "fluff" and = with what seem to be relative standards of perfection. Some are saying = that people should be able to do whatever they want artistically, fluff or = not-fluff. I suppose that is true: people can write what they want to = write. But there are standards. Ernest Wilkinson, one of the former presidents of BYU once said that = superficiality in the gospel will not be tolerated (at BYU). Isn't superficiality one of the characteristics of this fluff we've been = ranting about? Moreover, the point of people's objections to what we have been calling = fluff--Dutcher called it twinkies--seems to be, "but what if I like this = thing that has been called fluff?" I think that the nature of fluff as = something gentle and nice, obscures what's really at the core of the = discussion. What happens if we reverse it. There is material out there that is obscene, not the middle of the road = obscenity, but the real thing, real pornography, real gore and guts and = violence. Say that we were having a discussion about that, and that people = were voicing their opinions about not liking it, and someone were silently = saying to themselves, "but I kind of like it."=20 Is there any difference? It seems to me that there is. It's easier to agree about the evil in this = world, I think, than the fluff. I recognize that this is an arguable point = (and that someone on this list will argue about it). If we change our terminology a little, do our points still stand out? What = if we call fluff banality--the master's hand ditty is banal; Saturday's = Warriors is banal. What happens if we put THAT loaded term in there? Some other terms that are synonymous with banal are: bromidic, clich=E9d, = commonplace, corny, hackneyed, musty, overused, overworked, platitudinal, = platitudinous, shopworn, stale, stereotyped, stereotypic, stereotypical, = threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, warmed-over, well-worn, worn-out. If we say this: the master's hand ditty is cliched or hackneyed, or trite? = Does that change the nature of our responses? The term platitudinous becomes interesting in this regard because it means = the condition of something being trite or hackneyed and offered up as = groundbreaking or original or significant. Is the master's hand platitudinous? Perhaps fluff is a problem when it is a platitude, when it purports to be = deep or great but is not. My sister and I have a term for this: avant = cute. This is when people think they're being deep and progressive but = are really just making a trite connection or pun of some kind, like the = old bromide: "did you ever notice that god spelled backwards is d-o-g?" We also have worked out the term deja retro, which is for someone who = believes that they are brining back something wonderful from the depths of = the past, only to find that this has already been brought back. Mormon Youth are notoriously deja retro--witness the "re" surgance of 80s = new wave at church schools. Clearly these are all terms of judgement and useful as such. The way we = are brought up, however, the things with which we are familiar cause us to = make judgements of taste, and by extension of ethics. I think this question, this connection of things drove Kant bonkers. He = thought that aesthetics were beyond ethics, or at least human ethics. I'm = not sure they are. The real question for LDS writers, is this: is our writing platitudinous, = trite, banal? If it is, then we need to be honest with ourselves or we = won't get the chance to be great. One does not put their lamp under a = bushel basket, right? Because the basket will catch on fire. - -- Todd Robert Petersen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 14:03:35 -0800 (PST) From: Darlene Young Subject: Re: [AML] Writing Groups [MOD: Let me clarify that in the scheme Chris is suggesting, at least as I have approved it, manuscripts would not be posted over AML-List. Rather, authors would post their announcement of the availability of a specific work for critique, with a short description of the work in question. If the work is posted on the Web, a link could be included in the post; if not, individual AML-List members would send a private message to the author, who would then send a copy of the manuscript. In either case, everything except the initial announcement would be handled off AML-List.] I think Chris's idea is a great one. A major benefit to it over other writing groups such as WorLDSmiths is that all critiquing would be voluntary, not obligatory. If I have a busy month, or if nothing people are writing is interesting to me, I don't critique anything. But if I find a writer who seems to share my interests and opinions, I could volunteer to read and critique. I also like the idea of splinter writing groups (based on style and interest) that break off of larger ones. I resigned from WorLDSmiths because I got too bogged down with long fantasy novels and other types of things that didn't interest me for it to be worth my time--especially considering that, because of the size of the group and the size of their manuscripts, I was reading much more than twenty times the amount of other people's work than I was sharing. (Also spending 20 times the amount of time reading than writing my own stuff.) Let's try this voluntary AML thing! The only problem I see is that I would feel uncomfortable sharing a story openly like this and then entering the same story in the AML contest. Would there be a problem here? (Or could the judges just refrain from critiquing?) ===== Darlene Young __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 14:46:13 -0700 From: "Todd Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Repenting of Stories I agree with people noting that we have to repent of things we knowingly = did wrong, then saying that they don't feel this kind of thing applies to = their work. But it begs the question that a writer's motives are pure, = even if people take their work in the wrong way. I disagree with this whole-heartedly.=20 This issue I meant to propose was: what do you do when you thought you = were doing the right thing, then come to believe, because of the fall out, = that you were wrong, that you were in fact proud, and as a consequence you = hurt people with your art (and we would be might naive to think that art = can't hurt people--we'd have to ignore a whole lot of very valid literary = criticism). I don't think this kind of question is beyond the pale at all. I think it = really is something all LDS writers should think about, at least for a = while. If people are to know the Lord's servants by their fruits, that includes = all of our product doesn't it. David Veloz is going to have to answer for = Natural Born Killers and Permanent Midnight, don't you think? Maybe not. = Is Evenson going to have to answer for Father of Lies? The issue is this: if I write a book that destroys testimonies, but I = think that those people were just weak and should have stayed away from = it. Am I responsible?=20 Let's take it up a notch.=20 We all believe that God speaks to people, right? What if God told you that = your book was not righteous, that it has done damage, or what if the = Prophet told me that? We might ignore a local leader, or we might not, but = at what point would we accept the condemnation and try to mend our ways? Surely those who have said that this isn't really a concern of theirs = don't think that this kind of thing is never a concern at all? And didn't = Eugene England demonstrate a kind of heroism in this regard on more than = one occasion? - -- Todd Robert Petersen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 15:52:50 -0700 From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: [AML] J. Scott BRONSON, _Stones_ (Press Release) Press release: Missionary Man From: Redbeard Productions Contact: Scott Bronson 1482 S. 760 E. Orem, UT 84097 801.226.7876 bronsonjscott@juno.com Scott Bronson has a mission in life. That is to spread the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ -- to build the kingdom of God on Earth -- by writing and directing and acting in plays. Especially in his writing, no one could accuse Bronson of presenting his message in anything like a conventional manner. For who would ever imagine that the word of God could be disseminated by a jokester sentient computer, or a spaghetti-cooking angel? Taking to heart the idea that all things denote there is a god, Bronson believes that truth and goodness can be found in, or extracted from, more places than we might think. That belief, combined with the understanding that no single artist can "speak" to all people has led him to an attitude toward his own work that Bronson says is sort of like the laissez faire principle of free market economics. "I create a product," he says, "that I would like to buy, and I assume -- perhaps unrealistically -- that there are other consumers out there with similar tastes. I am perfectly aware of, and comfortable with, the fact that there are folks who will not like -- possibly even dislike -- some of what I produce." With a shrug he concludes, "So be it. I am also confident that somewhere there is an audience for what I do. I hope they're close by." Perhaps, then, Bronson has two missions: Build the kingdom of God through his art and find an audience that will appreciate that effort. "Let's face it," Bronson says, "plays are meant to be produced and seen." Which has happened for Bronson a few times over the years at such venues as Brigham Young University, the Mormon Arts Festival and Utah Valley State College. "But I have just as many plays that still have not seen the light of a stage. It's like having children that no one will pick to play on their team, and there's no way I can force them onto a team ... until now." With a tentative smile, Bronson explains, "I've got an opportunity now to be the coach of the team and choose the players I want. The first player I'm choosing is me." "Listen," Bronson said, "artists create their art because they think they have something to say and they think everyone ought to pay attention to what they're saying. In fact, we artists truly do want to change the world." Bronson's next project, he feels, has great potential for putting him on the path for doing just that. He got a call from Wendi Keller a few weeks ago. Keller, who works for Bill Brown at VIP ARTS in Springville informed Bronson that the Little Brown Theatre had some dark weekends coming up and offered them to him if he wanted them. "Of course I wanted them, but I had to think about it for a few days. I wasn't sure if I'd have the energy for it." Bronson had been out of commission for several months with cancer. He was very anxious to do some theatre, in particular his own play, Stones. "I was scheduled to do it this last Spring with Actors Repertory Theatre Ensemble (ARTE) at the Castle Theatre, but that got put on hold when I had to have surgery and start chemotherapy." Bronson has worked with ARTE as an actor, off and on since its inception in 1989. He was invited to be a member of the Board of Trustees a few years ago. Stones would have been a milestone for the company if the production had actually taken place. It would have been the first original script, or new play, produced by ARTE. "I don't count Neil LaBute's Dracula," Bronson says with a mischievous grin, "That was an adaptation." Stones is actually two one-act plays performed in repertory. The first play, Altars, is closely based on the scriptural story of Abraham and Isaac. It is an up-close look at the concept of sacrifice, both in the literal, Old Testament sense, and in the day-to-day giving up of one's self as a parent or family member. The principle action of the play takes place at the top of Mt. Moriah, the place of Isaac's Binding. The second play, Tombs, is an exploration -- a frank inquiry -- into the relationship between the Son of God and his mortal mother. While the situation here is invented, Bronson feels that the emotions connected to it must be as real as the people who surely felt them. The principle action of this play takes place in Joseph's tomb as Mary, the mother of Christ, prepares it for her husband's body. "Yes," Bronson says, "they are very religious pieces, and I make no apology for that. But they are not just for religious-minded people." First and foremost, Bronson believes, they are plays about families. Particularly, they are about fathers and mothers. "Although it's obvious, almost as soon as the action begins, just who these people are, there are no names mentioned anywhere in the dialogue, or even on the program." That, Bronson hopes, along with the simple design of the show - -- the actors wear contemporary black clothing, the set is black blocks - -- will force the audience to pay close attention to how these characters are similar to us, rather than how far removed they are in time and place. "I want people watching the play to think along the lines of, ‘Hey, that mother isn't so different from my mother. And my son is like that son. As a father myself, I know exactly how that father feels right now.'" "It's an actor's piece, really. And I've got some very fine actors to help me with this," Bronson said. Kathryn Little will be playing the Mother and Elwon Bakly will be playing the Son. "Besides having television, stage and music credits longer than my leg, Kathryn was kind enough to let me direct her last year in Tim Slover's March Tale at the Castle Theatre. It turned out to be such a fine experience -- for me at least -- I thought it'd be nice to work together again." Bronson found Elwon at the Hale Center Theatre in Orem playing the part of the Scotsman, Lachlan, in The Hasty Heart. "He was very fine in that," Bronson said. "And the fact that he just married a very dear friend of ours has nothing to do with me offering him the part. I was just very impressed. Besides, since I'm playing the Father, I needed someone young enough and handsome enough to be believable as my son." Stones opens at the Little Brown Theatre located at 239 South Main Street in Springville on Friday, November 23. Additional performances will play on November 24, 26, 29, 30 and December 1. Call 801-489-3088 for more details. Bronson says that he hopes the play will spark some discussion. To facilitate that he is willing to stay after the show each night to talk with any members of the audience who care to stay around for a few minutes. "Isn't that what missionaries do?" Bronson asks. "Conduct discussions?" - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 15:57:05 -0700 From: "Paris ANDERSON" Subject: [AML] Manuscript Offered (was: Writing Groups) : "Christopher Bigelow" wrote: > We don't want AML-List to become a writers' group, but maybe we could institute a more formal process of initially offering manuscripts for critique on AML-List, in hopes of attracting anyone specifically interested in the topic or approach. We could even have a formal subject header that is always used, something like MANUSCRIPT OFFER or CRITIQUERS WANTED. The writer would type up a brief description of his or her manuscript and writing sensibilities and approaches It sounds great to me. I've tried several writers' group around here, but I've been very disapointed. The people on this list sound to me like they are all intellegent and sincere. I've already written to one woman from the list, asking her to look at a manuscript for me. She was very kind about it. So here I offer it to all. DESCRIPTION: It is 45 pages in length. It is a chapter book for middle readers--8-12 or 13. It is a fairytale set in southeastern Utah. It contains an element of magic, which is kind of out-of-place among meat-and-potato Mormon Pioneers. [Paris ANDERSON] [MOD: To get a copy of this story, please send an email directly to Paris.] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 18:05:09 EST From: Paynecabin@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Created Spiritually? In a message dated 11/9/01 3:26:39 PM, ersamuel@byugate.byu.edu writes: << Or am I just being weird? >> I consider this last question to be beside the point. Perhaps a separate thread altogether. But in response to your "has anyone been given access to a pre-made story" question, the climactic scene in The Planemaker was written on a forty-five minute drive from Salt Lake to Springville and was subsequently changed only very slightly--it's mostly verbatim from that drive. It took about a year and a very gifted collaborator, Guy Randle, to get it finished (if it is). Clinton Larson used to tell us about "the given line" in a poem (I'd misspell it in Italian, which sounds better). That's the line from the muse (or The Muse, in your context). The rest is your work. Of course it's real. Marvin Payne - -------------------------------------- Visit marvinpayne.com! "...come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift..." (from the last page of the Book of Mormon) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 16:00:27 -0700 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] Created Spiritually? At 02:46 PM 11/9/01, you wrote: >Anyway, I think there's something to this. I think that there's an >element of, what, mysticism to writing. I think that some characters have >an existence outside the page. I think that a character is not just a >construct of language, but . . . a person? A spiritual >creation? Something more real than not, at least. Or am I just being weird? A friend of mine whom I characterize as a Mormon mystic tells me that he is aware of my future books existing in the spirit and that I'd better get busy and write them because I'm not exactly a spring chicken any more. (I guess I'm more of an autumn turkey.) barbara hume - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 16:40:16 -0700 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] Writing Rant At 11:31 AM 12/9/01, you wrote: >I just got embarrassed when I realized my real reasons for not writing were >pretty pathetic. Turned into a waaah-waaah session, deleted here. Funny how we writers don't seem to want to write. I may have told this list about the time my daughter came home and said, "You must have a deadline--the house is spotless." Amazing how attractive a task like unplugging the sink becomes when you have a writing deadline. I wonder if artists or actors or other creative people behave in this manner? Barbara R. Hume Provo, Utah - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 16:51:56 -0700 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] Julie JENSEN, _Wait!_ (Performance) I noticed that Julie Jensen, author of _Two Headed_ and other plays, is having her new play sounded at Salt Lake Acting Company, where she is playwright-in-residence with some nice national grants: New Play Sounding Series, Mon. Dec 3, 7:30 p.m. Resident playwright Julie Jensen gives us a fascinating glimpse into family struggle, pretension, and the world of small-town Utah theatre in her latest play _Wait!_ This work has seen considerable progress since last year when it was read as _No Small Actors_. With Kathryn Atwood, Marylynn Alldredge, Jeanette Puhich, and Don Glover. Directed by David Mong. Sponsored by American Express. Free admission. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 15:21:15 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Fluff Rob Lauer wrote: > As one of those who got this whole "ball of fluff" rolling, I have to say > that I never equated "fluff" with "foundational." I equate fluff with mere > sentimentality, with that which is "fluffy" like whip-cream: sweet, filling, > fattening and of absolutely no nutritional value. Yes! Thank you, Rob, for this clarification. I've been vastly uncomfortable with the responses to this thread that have to tried establish some kind of connection between "fluff" and a particular developmental stage (i.e., the idea that fluff is okay, appropriate even, for someone who is at a certain level, but that, ideally, we should grow beyond it). In this context, everything written for children would be fluff. And this, of course, is not the case. In kids lit, as in every other kind of lit, there is fluff and there is substance. You can find cotton candy to be sure (_Tom Swift_, _Trixie Beldan_, _Captain Underpants_), but you can also find plenty of meat ( _Out of the Dust_, _Holes_, _Slave Dancer_, _The Giver_--I could go on and on). Come to think of it, I'm not sure that I really like the cotton candy/meat analogy. There is a time and a place for cotton candy. To me fluff is not just sugary and sweet, it is dishonest, false, easy, and often sloppy--more like jello pudding mixed together with cool whip trying to pass itself off as mousse. Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 19:00:38 -0800 From: "Richard Hopkins" Subject: Re: [AML] Created Spiritually? Eric wrote: Anyway, I think there's something to this. I think that there's an element of, what, mysticism to writing. I think that some characters have an existence outside the page. I think that a character is not just a construct of language, but . . . a person? A spiritual creation? Something more real than not, at least. Or am I just being weird? NOT weird. What _was_ weird to me, and along the same lines as Eric's experience, was how we were taught to invent new engineering designs when I was in UCLA School of Engineering. We were told to learn all you can about the problem, then think about it and...wait for a flash of inspiration. Created spiritually? Maybe everything was. Richard Hopkins - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 19:44:12 -0700 From: "Alan Rex Mitchell" Subject: Re: [AML] Created Spiritually? Whoa, Eric hit a chord. 1. I'm dealing with a couple of these characters now. They won't go away and even though I probably shouldn't be writing about them, because they were born elsewhere, they and their stories won't leave me alone. Every time I put the pen to paper and I find more things about them. There is something extra there-and like Eric, I'm a little hesitant to analyze it due to my superstitions and fear of offending some muse somewhere. 2. I once wrote a poem that started with the question of identity-what if there were another me? What if we met and discussed our past? It progressed to the question of the spiritual union that man/woman has, how is it very fulfilling but different question from the union with self. Like those time travel movies where a character almost goes back and talks with himself. The poem ended with the question: if the man/woman union becomes something more than just man + woman, what is that something? Is it another identity being conceived? 3. Last February at the AML conference, I had the never-before-conceived experience of listening to another person (Richard Cracroft) talk about my book. Other than extreme nervousness, I didn't know what my reaction would be. Because Cracroft spoke mostly about Barry Monroe, the main character of Angel of the Danube, I was stunned and amazed. I had know Barry, a distinct person in my mind acting a conglomerate of experience of mine and other and his own-BUT I didn't know anyone else knew him. And when the eloquent Cracroft spoke of Barry, it seemed he knew him BETTER than I did. As Barry might have said, "It was a deep trip." 4. On the last day of editing, when putting an omitted paragraph in Barry's words, I was surprised I could be Alan Mitchell taking, then almost simultaneously type a paragraph of Barry's words. Do actors feel this way all the time, or are they aware they are acting? Is this Card's Speaker for the Dead idea? Joseph translating the plates? 5. If this "identity crowding" is a common acting experience. Does it require a certain type of faith? Or Dementia? What does it say about us mortals? Are we seer-stones? Channelers? Creators? See-ers? Demons? gods? Your thoughts? Alan Mitchell - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 21:10:14 -0700 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: Re: [AML] Writer's Block? William Morris wrote: > > and as I walked I began to think about "Labyriths" by Borges which > > I had just read that week. My mind then flashed to a Kafka work > > that I hadn't read yet called _Das Verbrechen_ (Verbrechen = crime > > or misdeed in German... > > Then it all came back to me. I had dreamed that morning about a > > Kafka book by that title. In the rush of the morning, I had forgotten > > about the dream. But because of my interest in Kafka I had held onto > > the idea and it had come back to me as a 'real' memory. I could > > picture myself holding the book, but I couldn't come up with the > > context. Which library had I been in? Could you have transmuted "Der Prozess" (The Trial) in your mind to come up with a new novel? Similar theme, at least. I've used the opening line from that novel as the text for my screen saver for years. It's always fun when people come up and wonder just what it is that's being displayed on my screen. "Jemand muesste Josef K verleumdet haben, denn ohne dass er etwas boeses getan haette, wurde er eines Morgens verhaftet." (Someone must have slandered Josef K, for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one morning.) In many ways this line seems to encapsulate my own experience with the world--especially WRT things Mormon. Without ever really understanding why, I feel judged and condemned for unnamed crimes; and being who I am, I tend to accept the very real possibility that I might be guilty. But that connection to Mormon literature is strained at best, so I'll stop now. Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 21:46:05 -0700 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: Re: [AML] Fluff robert lauer wrote: > I don't consider any principle of the Gospel to be fluffy--even the first > basic principles. > > In my opinion there is a lot of fluff (mere sentiment) that is often passed > off as the Gospel--usually by good, ethical, well meaning Saints who would > rather browse through the latest ENSIGN or a dog-eared copy of ESPECIALLY > FOR MORMONS than actually sitdown and STUDY their scriptures. This fluff > then finds its way into our so-called Mormon literature and art. The result > is something that is neither "art," "literature" or uniquely "Mormon." I won't argue with you about whether this kind of work has artistic merit. By and large it doesn't, and I absolutely agree that the vast majority of it exists at a level of sentimentality that transforms it from being uniquely Mormon to being generically sweet. But...I still believe there's a place for this stuff. Sometimes simple escape is the right answer for even the serious literateur (at least for the moment); sometimes comfort is what we need more than intellectual or spiritual challenge. So I just can't reject the right of the simple or sentimental to exist. They have social value if not literary value, and I would hate to see the good comfort they sometimes give vanish from our culture. What I would love to see is for some of our talented people to replace the simplistic tales with good tales that are merely simple (Harlow Clark makes an excellent distinction on that). Replace cheap sentimental stories with expensive, well-crafted ones. Address the issues normally relegated to sentimental stories with the power of greater literary craft while still keeping it simple and accessible. Some readers will never move to more complex or sophisticated literary fare, so we need to provide solid but simple work that can address them where they currently live. I really don't care for the vast majority of what I see being published by LDS publishers. I think an awful lot of it is silly and trivial, though not all of it. There is some solid work being done that's lumped in with the rest of it, and I believe that's indicative of a changing dynamic among the Mormon readership. I believe there's a (quite large) segment of readers who have shunned Mormon publishers because they haven't seen works that meet their standards of literary craft and quality or that meet them on their own ground as thoughtful but faithful Saints. This audience isn't buying books in the Mormon market, not because they don't buy books but because they don't trust the LDS market to address their tastes. Sadly, I believe they're right. I also believe we've reached a critical mass of both writers and readers, and that this limit in the Mormon market will start to break down as edge publishers and people with a cause work to expand the titles made available to us. Someone will publish Scott Bronson's novel (I hope to be that someone; I'm still trying to hunt down publishers that will work with me to take that chance and create that market segment with a new Mormon imprint). And once Scott's book appears, the market will be subtly changed and previously unaddressed Mormon readers will finally find a book that makes sense to them. The trend will be set, and the market will expand to address an ever wider range of tastes. Or at least that's my hope. I know that I don't feel served by the vast majority of titles published my the major LDS publishers. They agree with the concept, but can't pull the trigger until there's proof that such a market exists. Which I suppose is the real question for me: does such a market exist--one that seeks more literarily complex fiction written at a more stylistic level that touches on Mormon thought from a critical (analytical, not condemning) but faithful standpoint? I think it does. I think there are both readers and writers looking to buy in. Does anyone else agree, or am I up in the night on this one? Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 22:41:46 -0700 From: Gerald G Enos Subject: [AML] Manuscript Available [MOD: Again, send a message directly to Konnie if this interests you.] As I mentioned in my last post, I just finished writing one of my stories. It can only be discribed as an LDS romance. I'll never know if its as good as I think it is if I don't get some honest comments on it. Anybody interested in starting with my story? Maybe my life would be less frantic if I regularly spent some time trying to write (and maybe I'd finish some of my work more often too.) Konnie Enos ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 21:51:59 -0700 From: Gerald G Enos Subject: Re: [AML] Writing Rant Ok, I had to answer this one. First of all I just finished writting a book that I started in 1998 and am now trying to work on a story that I started in 1985. After that I am going to try, yet again, to finish one I started in 1981. Let's see that's three started and one finished in twenty years. And I am constantly thinking about these stories, or new ones, but I can never find the time to write. (Unless you count when I write instead of doing other things like eating, sleeping, and chores. I somehow manage to take care of my kids most basic needs but then again two of them are under two and can't fend for themselfs, but they sure let me know when they need me.) Does that win me the prize? As far as the help with writing, that sounds like a critic group and they do help especially if you have published writers in your group to help point everyone in the right direction. I believe that is what Wordlsmiths is all about. I thought of joining but with my output I don't think I can meet the requirements of posting one story and two short stories a month and some criticing (but I don't remember that amount, I'm not much of a critic, and I can't spell without my spellcheck either), then there is the time invovled. Ok, now I'm ranting, I've been doing a lot of that lately. Konnie Enos ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 22:44:19 -0800 From: "Jeff Needle" Subject: [AML] YORGASON & EATON, _The Shadow Taker_ (Review) Review ====== Blaine M. Yorgason with Carl J. Eaton, "The Shadow Taker - A Contemporary Novel" 1985, Deseret Book Hardback, 125 pgs., $8.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle "The Shadow Taker" is the story of a man whose name is never given. We meet him driving through the San Juan Desert in Southeastern Utah. His vehicle breaks down, causing him to start out on foot, looking for water and help. He is simply "the driver" through most of the book. I'm guessing this is a device used by Yorgason to indicate Everyman. He meets an old man, in appearance a Native American, who, through some methodology unknown to the driver, causes his life to pass before him. It isn't a pretty sight. The driver, an insurance salesman, has not been an honest dealer, despite his position in the Church and his own deluded image of himself. Prominent in the story is Homer Bean, another insurance salesman and close friend of the driver. Homer, who serves in the Bishopric of his ward, plays straight, doesn't cut corners, and thus makes few sales than our driver. The driver tries his best to get Homer to change his ways, deal dishonestly, get ahead so he can better support his family, but Homer hangs tough. The old man, showing the driver his life, includes many scenes between the driver and Homer, including the driver's behind-the-scenes machinations that result in Homer's being denied a district manager's job. And while the driver continues to insist his way is right, the old man continues to parade his sins before him. Finally, the old man reveals himself to be something of an Angel of Death, there to explain why the driver's mortal life is ending. Repentance is then quick, but not lasting. It all ends as Homer learns of the driver's death and forgives him and everyone else who had done him wrong. I worked very hard at trying to figure out the message of this book. If you were to read it with a doctrinal bent, the idea is as follows: live your life as a rat, and, at the moment of your death, you'll have a chance to review it all, repent, and move on. All is well. But if you say you're going to repent at the point of death, and you fail to do it, you're sunk. And here I thought that Mormons didn't think much of deathbed repentance. "The Shadow Taker" tries to be a morality tale, and I suppose there are some thoughts here of the importance of dealing honestly with others. But much is left unsaid here. It is said that the driver dealt poorly with members of his own ward, had made no secret of his cut-throat methods in his business, but yet he maintains a prominent position in his ward. Why didn't his bishop ever try to convince him to change his ways? It's left to poor old Homer to do all the remedial work, and it never seemed to have taken. Equally puzzling is the role of Carl J. Eaton, the co-author. Normally, when I read the word "With" in a title, it generally indicates a ghost writer. But why would Yorgason need a ghost writer? I've enjoyed other Yorgason books more than I did this one. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #513 ******************************