From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #530 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 Wednesday, November 28 2001 Volume 01 : Number 530 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 23:16:15 -0800 From: "Richard Hopkins" Subject: Re: [AML] Point of View From: "Barbara Hume" > At 01:21 PM 11/21/01, you wrote: > >Here's a suggestion which I have seen used effectively. Tell the scene > >from the POV of one character and then retell the same scene from the POV > >of the second character. > > I once read a pair of related novels, each about a twin. At one point in > each book, the same scene appeared. It was quite interesting to see the > same event through the eyes of one character and later on through the eyes > of another. Because their needs and motivations were so different, events > had different meanings and implications. Yes. Has anyone seen Little Dorritt? It's been done in two full-length films one from the POV of each of the two main characters. They're wonderful. Richard Hopkins - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 07:17:56 +0000 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] BRONSON, "Stones" (Daily Herald Review) Theater Review: 'Stones' ERIC D. SNIDER The Daily Herald on Monday, November 26 SPRINGVILLE -- "Stones" uses carefully considered poetic license to flesh out the biblical cases of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, and Jesus' relationship with his mother Mary. It is two plays, actually, "Altars" and "Tombs," each using the same talented cast and basic black set. Both plays also use flashbacks to strengthen the emotions of the moment: What came before gives us insight into what's happening now. Both were written and directed by J. Scott Bronson, who also acts in them. "Altars" takes place on Mt. Moriah, where Abraham is supposed to kill his son as a sacrifice to God. The focus in the play is on theology more than psychology. The characters ask "Why?" a lot, and never say, "Are you SURE this is what we're supposed to do?," which probably would have been a more natural first question. There is the distinct feeling that a parable is being taught, that what's happening here should make us consider our own feelings. It succeeds at this. Bronson's script does a good job bringing to the surface the feelings inherent in this situation. Already one of the most searingly human stories in the Bible, it is made all the more real here. "Tombs" is set after the death of Joseph, with Mary grieving for her husband and Jesus comforting his mother. This is the more fictionalized of the two stories, as details about Jesus' pre- ministry life are scarce. But nothing here runs contrary to what is known, and the affectionate relationship between Jesus and Mary rings gloriously true. "You are the greatest miracle in my life," he tells her, and I believe it. The performances are spectacular throughout. Bronson plays Abraham with gentle but realistic frustration, and also appears as Joseph in a "Tombs" flashback, vividly portraying the difficulty in being foster father to the Son of God. (He has to reprimand Jesus for ditching the family at the temple when he was 12, even while acknowledging that by definition, if Jesus did it, it must be OK.) Kathryn Laycock Little cameos as Sarah in an "Altars" flashback, but it is her performance as Mary that is breathtaking. Mary is sensitive, dignified, lovely and humble, and one's heart immediately goes out to her. "Tombs" is as appropriate for Mother's Day as it is for Christmas and Easter. Finally, Elwon Bakly pulls double duty as Isaac and Jesus, and excels in both roles. Jesus is a terribly difficult character to play -- you want him to be human, but not TOO human, or it seems blaphemous -- but Bakly rises to the challenge. Where most portrayals of Jesus make him impossibly cryptic, Bakly -- and Bronson's script -- makes him emotionally accessible and sympathetic. I have only two issues with the scripts. First, "Altars" needs more closure. We know what happens, of course, but the play needs to tell us in order to be complete in its storytelling. The audience waits for a release that doesn't come. Second, "Tombs" has a flashback to Jesus' childhood in which he accidentally runs a nail through his palm -- the only time in either play in which the symbolism is so smack-in-the-forehead obvious. (I also feel a flashforward vision to the actual moment of Jesus' Atonement may be asking too much of any actor, and I question its necessity in the play.) Neither story is as universal as was probably intended. Even though the script studiously avoids using any character names, these are still clearly the stories of Abraham and Isaac, and Mary and Jesus, and no one else. This is not a shortcoming, however; a thoughtful play about biblical figures is as desirable as one about Every Family. The emotional intensity is palpable, and "Stones" is a cathartic, enriching experience. Should you go? Yes. Such fine acting and insightful writing are rare, as is a show as uplifting as this one. IF YOU GO What: "Stones" When: 7:30 p.m. Monday (Nov. 26), Thursday, Friday and Saturday Where: Little Brown Theatre, 239 S. Main St., Springville Cost: $8 general, $7 students and seniors, $6 children Info: Call 489-3088 Running time: 1 hr., 45 min., including one intermission =A9 2001 by HarkTheHerald.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 02:26:07 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Writer's Lament (pt. 2) Scott Parkin wrote: > But as I began to participate not only in criticism of craft, but also of > content, morality, intent, self-definition, and social impact in our little > Mormon literary movement, I began to see my stories as unworthy of inclusion > in the discussion. I didn't deal with big things, with the finding or losing > of testimonies or the grand questions of Truth in the universe. I told small > stories about little people just trying to muddle through until tomorrow, > and maybe finding some hope or grace along the way. I wasn't writing > manifestos for the people, I was just telling stories. In my mind those > stories were not important enough to occupy space in this literature of my > people, this cultural exploration of what it means to be Mormon and Human > and children of God. > I want to write, and I want to do it well. But like Salieri in > _Amadeus_ I feel like I've been cursed by God with a desire to do something > that I'm ill-equipped to succeed at. I have enough critical faculty to know > what I want, but I'm not sure I have enough talent to realize it. So you aspire to be a bishop, a stake president, or maybe even a general authority. So you think being a "mere" home teacher is not a calling of value. It seems to me that this gospel equivalent is what you're saying about your writing career. If you can't be a general authority, you don't want to waste your time being a home teacher. But most of us don't "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" with big, earth-shattering events. We do it one mundane minute after another, trying to learn how to deal with the small things of life with a Christlike attitude. Most of us would probably give our life instead of deny Christ. But how many of us make sure we don't pass up an opportunity to do an act of kindness for our neighbor every time the opportunity presents itself? Yet which act--the dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime (if ever) display of commitment, or the small kindness multiplied many times over--will our salvation really be built on? The sweeping visions the general authorities of LDS writing present are inspiring, motivating, but a diet consisting purely of steak will cause malnutrition as much as a diet of cotton candy. Mozart had great talent, but Salieri's opera was the one the emperor declared the best he had seen--Salieri spoke to people too. Salieri's damnation wasn't a lesser talent; it was envy of someone else's talent. It was the servant given one talent burying it in the dirt because someone else received five talents, so what worth was one? A talent of gold is worth a great deal. If you don't think so, I'll be happy to receive your donation of the 2001 US currency equivalent of it. Small stories exploring how to deal with the small crises of life are also of great worth. A sweeping vision is useless if we don't know how to translate it into detailed daily behavior. Maybe your writing talent is whole wheat bread instead of steak. Does anyone claim whole wheat bread is nutritionally valueless just because steak is more sexy? Stop hiding your light under a bushel, Scott. We need your voice as much as the Scott Bronsons and Dave Wolvertons of the world. (P.S. If you're an aspiring writer and your name is not Scott Parkin, insert your own in the sentence above.) Give that critic in your mind the heave-ho and tell him not to come back until the rewrite. You've got some whole wheat bread to bake. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 02:38:59 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Tasteful Ellipses Paris Anderson wrote: > I know what you meant in your post, so this is going to sound useless and > assinine--but . . . no one is insisting that writers (me, in particular) > adhere to an artificial standard of morality. I can write whatever I want > to--if I have courage--I just have to be ready to be hugely unpopular. LDS Publishers insist it. And they insist it because they believe their readers insist it. It's a de facto restriction, even if theoretically it doesn't exist. I can always write what I want, and I can always self-publish it if no one else will. And therein I open a huge can of worms that not many writers are willing to take on. (Assuming I don't want 2000 copies of my book sitting in my basement forever, but if I wanted that, I could just leave the unpublished manuscript sitting in my basement and save the cost of publishing.) - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 10:35:05 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] BRONSON, "Stones" (Daily Herald) This is WONDERFUL! I was especially impressed with the story of Abraham and Isaac. SO poignant. And Scott was RIGHT ON with his dialogue between the father and the son. A must-see. Marilyn Brown - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 16:05:28 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Tasteful Ellipses Ivan Angus Wolfe wrote: >> 5. Voyeuristic appeal. This can be similar to gossip, and again, giving evil the name "evil" is irrelevant, and even showing it's "evil" effects is largely irrelevant, if what you and your readers are really doing with it is getting yourselves heated up. > > >> Ben Parkinson > > > Yes - this is one that's bothered me a lot - it seems too often all the slime > we have to wade through to get to the "good" or "Happy" or at least "morally > centered" endings is more oftern than not the point, with the moral tacked on as > a way to justify all the vicarious sin we just experienced. If you can intertwine the too AS you wade through the evil, it is much more effective. The film _Boogie Nights_ does this very well. Yes, there are some explicit scenes but they are never solely erotic. Each shot of human nakidity or implied sex is layered with a patina of sadness. By the time the film ends, and its message of the emptiness of the lives of those who equate sex with love hits you full on, you realize you've been set up to come to that conclusion all along. Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 11:06:42 -0600 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] Pt. 2 of Scott's Post Folks, I've heard from two people who, due to apparent email or email server peculiarities, did not receive Part 2 of Scott's post (or received it with no text involved). Could I hear from others who had the same problem, so I can figure out how widespread this problem is? (Let me know also if you'd like me to send it on to you individually.) Jonathan Langford AML-List Moderator - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 11:05:48 -0700 From: Gideon Burton Subject: [AML] Book of Mormon as African I received an interesting email from Embaye Melekin, who has authored a book called Manifestations Mysteries Revealed in which "proves that the Book of Mormon is an African book and the exclusive property of the black race" Details are on a page at Amazon. BYU doesn't have this book. Has anyone seen or read it? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0968156916/re views/103-8399387-4739855 Gideon Burton - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 11:19:25 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Writer's Lament Scott, I read your entire message about "Foundering." Ah, the laments of us all! We all go through it. You might have to reach "age" to realize you must get it down or it won't happen before you die! (me?) But better than this, let me just help a little bit. As you get good, and critically efficient, you sometimes get what I call "constipation" (forgive me). You've just got to do some exercises to get going again. Write garbage for two solid months every day, and I can promise you success! You've got great style! Very apparent in this essay. Just start writing any "stuff." Stuff you don't like, stuff you know will have to be rewritten. Stuff that develops characters you hate or love, characters who are ugly or strange. You might find some nuggets of something worthwhile, but don't stop to pick them up! Just give yourself the chance to fail miserably, and LOVE it! Remember when you were a child and you had all the chances in the world to fail? Give yourself that berth! Voila! Success! (And don't share it with anybody--just revel in it by yourself!) Marilyn Brown - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:19:32 -0700 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] Beards At 08:22 PM 11/21/01, you wrote: >my new (my third in this calling) stake >president came to me after a PEC meeting a few weeks ago and asked me to >"step >into his office". "Now brother Johnson" sayeth he. "What can I do to get you >to shave off your beard?" He didn't say why he wanted you to do that? Is it supposed to be obvious? I always wonder what the reasoning is behind that request. It seems so much more a cultural issue than a religious one. And some stake presidents think it's important, and some don't. I can't think of any way to connect this question to Mormon literature unless someone is writing a book about the intermingling of LDS culture and LDS dogma (which someone ought to do, if no one has). Barbara R. Hume Provo, Utah - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:31:58 -0700 From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: Re: [AML] Point of View On Fri, Nov 23, 2001 at 05:01:20PM -0700, Barbara Hume wrote: > >I think the more you stay out of the characters' heads the better. > >Show me the characters' actions and let the actions reveal mood. > > So often, however, what a character does and says fails to reveal his true > thoughts, feelings, and motivations. People wear masks all the time. We > think, "I'll never get over this hurt," and we say, "I don't care." First let me qualify my statements. I believe that often authors just tell us a character's thoughts as an easy method of exposition. I don't mean to eliminate internal monologue, but I would like to see authors limit the use of that tool in favor of more dramatic exposition. Some movies to provide an internal monologue, but most still convey a sense of internal feelings without having to jump into the character's head. One of the opening scenes of _Lethal Weapon_ comes to mind. Mel Gibson's character Martin Riggs contemplates suicide. He plays with the gun. He stares at a picture of his now-dead wife. He plays with the bullet. He puts the gun in his mouth. We get a really good picture of the character's state of mind without ever peaking into the character's mind. Sure, people often wear masks in front of others, but in private, we often take off those masks. In fiction, we can contrast the character's social situations with their private lives -- all without dipping into the character's stream of consciousness. Now stream of consciousness done well can create a quite interesting and sometimes haunting narrative. I don't want people to think that I want us to throw away a good chunk of the available narrative tools. Just like it takes more tools than a screwdriver to build a house, I think that authors should use a greater range of tools when building a narrative. When too lazy to go find the hammer, I have used an inverted screwdriver as a hammer. Sure, I finally drove in the nail, but not only would the job have gone faster with a real hammer, but I also did significant damage to the screwdriver. We should use the strongest narrative tools available. Sure, we can make do by telling the audience how the character feels, but better dramatic tool often exist for creating a meaningful experience for the reader. - -- Terry L. Jeffress | Never listen to criticism from anyone unless South Jordan, Utah | they can sign a check. | -- Marion Zimmer Bradley - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:27:53 -0700 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] Writer's Lament At 05:42 PM 11/23/01, you wrote: >I don't feel that it's the >editors or the publishers that are blocking the way, it's the internal >critic that has stopped the creative wellspring at its source. You have identified the source of the malady. Another name for the internal critic is the chattering monkey. It drives us all nuts. A friend of mine told me to imagine this monkey, jumping around and chattering incessantly--then grab it, throw it into a big box, label the box "Africa," and mail it off. Then proceed with my writing as though the monkey had never been. I didn't have to listen to it any more. It's weird, but it works. Or perhaps, like Jedi mind power, it works on the weak-minded. . . . Barbara R. Hume Provo, Utah - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 22:36:28 GMT From: cgileadi@emerytelcom.net Subject: [AML] Self-Publishing (was: Tasteful Ellipses) DMichael wrote: (Assuming I don't want 2000 copies of my book sitting in my basement forever, but if I wanted that, I could just leave the unpublished manuscript sitting in my basement and save the cost of publishing.) One of my clients just paid $99 to iUniverse, who then will prepare her book and send out copies to anyone who orders it. This works well for people (like my client) that go around and give talks. They can pre-order copies of the book and have them ready to buy at the seminar. Even if you're not a lecturer, $99 is a heck of a lot cheaper than paying to print books. Cathy Wilson - --------------------------------------------- This message was sent using Endymion MailMan. http://www.endymion.com/products/mailman/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:16:13 -0700 From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: Re: [AML] Point of View On Mon, Nov 26, 2001 at 05:33:55AM -0700, D. Michael Martindale wrote: > This was a strawman example. The hazards of writing your own example text. > You weren't comparing the advantages of two approaches to POV. You > were comparing the effectiveness of "show, don't tell" to boring > generalized exposition. You used a horrible example of writing for > the POV choice you were arguing against, and some pretty decent > writing for the choice you were supporting. As I described in my reply to Barbara, I really don't want us to throw away the ability to see inside a character's head. I do want us to make sure that looking inside the character's head provides the best expository method. Many author's don't take "show, don't tell" far enough. Telling me a character feels morose doesn't do as much for me as showing the effect of the character's melancholy mood in his reaction to others. > And to put my money where my mouth is, here's my rewrite of your > example, combining the action with internal information. Perhaps others > would disagree, but I think it adds a bit of depth to the scene without > stalling the action. (I also fixed a subtle POV violation, where > George's sidekicks see the Nerd crying.) If you consider that a POV violation, then you really do have a POV hangup. To me, the point of view never switched from Jennifer. You can observe other people seeing things. Jennifer saw the sidekicks see the tears and begin laughing. Still her POV. We don't preface every bit of dialogue with "Jennifer heard Gorge say . . ." and we don't need to preface Jennifer noting someone else making an observation with a qualification. (But I see your point.) > George snatched the Nerd's glasses, threw them to the ground, and > ground them under the heel of his Air Jordan sneaker. > Jennifer stared at him in shock. She couldn't believe what he'd > just done. "You shameless bastard." She balled her fists inside her > pockets. "Now you've gone too far." > George shrugged and walked into the schoolyard. His sidekicks > followed, looking over their shoulders and nudging each other as > they doubled over laughing. Tears ran down the Nerd's face. > Jennifer's heart beat faster, and she felt her pulse behind her > eyes. "You'll pay, George Romney," she whispered through clenched > teeth. "You'll pay." Your version tells a subtly different story. By having Jennifer stare in shock, you create a distance in her response. In my version, Jennifer had an immediate reaction; you delay her reaction. Also in your version, the Nerd's tears seem a result of the laughing; in mine, the sidekicks laugh when they see the tears -- a significant change in cause and effect. Again, having Jennifer feel her heart beating delays her response and makes her response a more measured statement rather than just a vow uttered in anger. If we go too far, we will end up arguing about style instead of technique. I think your version, with its dramatic pauses, actually creates in Jennifer a greater sense of horror and disgust. In my version, she seemed to offer a more hot-headed response. I think your last paragraph gets redundant. You give three indicators of her rage - -- four if you count the threat. As an editor, I would probably recommend cutting one of the two references to increased blood flow. As an author, I would probably cut the entire sentence and let the threat and clenched teeth imply the rest of her condition. > Oh, by the way, "She balled her fists inside her pockets" _is_ getting > inside Jennifer's head, because the camera wouldn't see that. That certainly does violate a pure cinematic view, but I don't consider that getting inside her head. To beat a dead horse again, I originally wanted to lament the tendency many authors have to provide an emotional core dump from a character's head. I think much of what authors tell us about a character's mental state would have a better result on the audience through dramatic exposition. - -- Terry L. Jeffress | The truth is that Simple English is no-one's South Jordan, Utah | mother tongue. It has to be worked for. | -- Jacques Barzun - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:36:24 -0700 From: "Paris Anderson" Subject: [AML] Re: Self-Publishing (was: Tasteful Ellipses) D. Michael Martindale wrote: Assuming I don't want 2000 copies of my book sitting in my basement forever, but if I wanted that, I could just leave the unpublished manuscript sitting in my basement and save the cost of publishing. May I humbly suggest basements are not a very good place to store books--unless you stack them on top of pallets. Any amount of water damage ruins a book. Basements floor easily. Besides lugging several boxes of books up the stairs is not a happy thing to do. It is best to store books in your parent's garage, on pallets. That way they're easy to get to when the distributor calls, and you don't have to walk passed them everyday and feel like a failure. God bless parents with big garages. Paris Anderson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:15:41 -0700 From: "Paris Anderson" Subject: Re: [AML] Point of View How about this: "You're a dink, George," Jennifer whispered in a vicious tone. Her jaw was set stiff. "That's supposed to impress me? You think it make you look cool to beat up on some loser? You're pathetic." Jennifer turned and walked back toward the school. "Hey, Jennifer!" George shouted. "Your boyfriend can't find his glasses. You better come help him." George and his misfit friends laughed like baboons. "What an a--hole," Jennifer whispered, shaking her head. "They're all a--holes. I can't wait to get out of this place." Maybe it's just me, but a third person limited point-of-view with very limited access to the protagonist's thoughts adds an element of mystery to the prose. It's kind of like a scene without dialogue in a movie. Paris Anderson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:35:37 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Critiques and Writer's Dreams jltyner@postoffice.pacbell.net wrote: > This is a reply to a couple of posts earlier this month. > > I must say to Terry-touche. You are right. > If I or anyone else gets something published > it's out there for any and all commentary. > > My point was this: there is a fear among > some of us new writers that there are those > that seem to lie in wait ready to eviscerate > anything we post on the list or get in print. Maybe we're just getting back at people who did it to us when we started out. I've had my testimony doubted, my honesty doubted, and was once accused of engaging in a secret conspiracy to destroy the church because of a play I wrote which featured a less-than-perfect Stake President. It may also be that, as new writers, you are overly sensitive about criticism of your work. I know I was. I used to agonize if a reviewer or audience member didn't "get" me. A director who would deign to ask me to re-write a scene was a spawn of Satan. Editors who didn't see the perfection of my prose were siblings to that spawn. But then I noticed something interesting (probably more noticeable if your main efforts have been dramatic rather than literary). After reluctantly making a particular change to one of my plays, an audience member later praised that particular passage -- the same passage that I had fought hard to not inlcude. Then it occured to me: "This was someone's idea and, because my name is on the program as the author, everyone thinks I did it." Since then, my attitude has been with regard to my dramatic work: If you have an idea that can my script better, then I'll put it in and be glad to accept the credit for it. > That's frightening for new authors, heck for > any author I would think. I wonder if some > criticize just for the fun of it, or because > they simply don't like some types of books > no matter how well written. That being said, > all this might be good for us writers if it > doesn't kill us first. Overcoming the fear and > developing a thicker skin is the important thing. Yes, it is. Robert Heinlein used to give checklists in his talks on how to become a selling science fiction writer. Some people accused him of giving away trade secrets. His response (paraphrased): "If you already have what it takes to be a science fiction writer, you've already figured this out. If not, you won't use it anyway." A person who "has" to write "will" write, critics and naysayers be damned. You must have confidence in your vision. Criticism will do one of two things: it will cause you to stop writing, in which case you're vision was never all that clear in the first place -- or it will cause you to try even harder with an "I'll-Show-You" attitude. Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:06:58 -0700 From: "BJ Rowley" Subject: Re: [AML] Scott BRONSON, _Stones_ Thom Duncan wrote: > Fellow AMLers, > > On November 24, I went to see J. Scott Bronson's "Stones," a > compilation of two separate but related plays, "Altars" and "Tombs." > This message is to convince you why you must also attend (it performs > tonight [Monday] and November 29, 30, and December 1 at the Little > Brown Theatre in Springville.) AMEN ... AMEN ... AMEN !!! I also attended the play ... the same night as Thom. The attendance that night was very light, which is unfortunate. I hated to see so many empty seats, while such an extraordinary performance was happening right in front of my eyes. (although I know the weather was not very cooperative that night. Still ... ) These plays are SO well done, the theater should be packed every night, with "standing room only" tickets being sold besides. I loved both plays. The acting was superb, and the emotions which they evoked were deep, poignant, and well earned. I, too, was genuinely touched and VERY impressed by Elwon Bakly's portrayal of the atonement in the garden. I've always known that Christ suffered, and I've always understood that it must have been exquisite beyond comprehension. But I've never really tried to visualize it before. The paintings of Christ kneeling by a log and looking sorrowfully into heaven just don't even come close. Watching Elwon lying there writhing and suffering was ... well ... PAINFUL. His face turned so red, I thought he actually MIGHT bleed from every pore. It sent chills all up and down, and gave me a new and real appreciation for what Christ suffered for us. And, after hearing previous reviews, I was anxious to see and hear the famous lines about Mary's learning of Christ's upcoming crucifixion. "It's not happening today," says Christ, trying to comfort his mother. "YES IT IS!" she practically screams back. "If you tell me today, it happens today ... and everyday until I die!" Oh ... talk about goosebumps! Kathryn Laycock Little is just amazing. And so was Scott. I can still feel the anguish of Abraham's being so uncomfortably caught between his "rock and a hard spot." It's really impossible to put into words. Honestly, EVERYBODY needs to go and see it and experience it for themselves. I promise, you'll come away a different person. Scott and cast and crew are to be commended. It was a truly inspiring performance. My heartfelt congratulations. - -BJ Rowley [showtime = 7:30 pm. 239 S. Main Street. Springville] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:27:02 -0700 From: BJ Rowley Subject: Re: [AML] B.J. ROWLEY to Help Orchesis luannstaheli wrote: >I read this article to my students who loved the books, but we weren't quite >sure WHERE and WHEN you would be doing the autographing. One of the girls is >performing in the concert, so she's hoping it's then. Thanks. > Yes, I will be signing and selling books all three nights of the Orchesis concerts (before, after, and during intermission). Performances are at Mountain View HS, Orem. Dec. 7th, 8th, & 10th, 7:00 pm. I'd love to see you there. BJ Rowley Orem, Utah - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:55:14 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Mahonri.org interviews Mormon artist David Lindsley: Mahonri.org Press Release 24Nov01 A2 Mahonri.org interviews Mormon artist David Lindsley JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA -- Mahonri.org has a new interview with the talented artist David Lindsley, who has done work for the Salt Lake visitor's center and produced the illustrations for the recent book by Rachel Ann Nunes "Daughter of a King." In the interview David Lindsley answers questions about his education, his methods and his choice of oil as his medium of choice: "In grade school, crayons were the medium of choice! ... I started using oils when I was about 16 and never went back." The interview section of Mahonri.org can be found at: http://www.mahonri.org/section/interviews . Mahonri.org Family and faith oriented news and discussion. http://www.mahonri.org ### Source: Mahonri.org interviews Mormon artist David Lindsley Mahonri.org Press Release 24Nov01 A2 http://www.byu.edu/news/releases/Nov/card.htm >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:06:00 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Orson Scott Card at Lee Library lecture series Nov. 27: BYU Press Release 25Nov01 A2 Orson Scott Card at Lee Library lecture series Nov. 27 PROVO, UTAH -- Renowned science fiction and fantasy author Orson Scott Card will be the speaker at the Harold B. Lee Library Annual Author Lecture on Tuesday (Nov. 27) at 4 p.m. in the library auditorium at Brigham Young University. The title of Card's lecture is "Stories Filled with Truth: How to Read Fiction, Scripture and History." The lecture is free and open to all who would like to attend. A brief question-and-answer session will follow. Card won the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel two years in a row. He has also written such contemporary novels as "Lost Boys," "Treasure Box," and "Homebody." A dozen of Card's plays have been produced in regional theatre, including the musical "Barefoot," an account of the entry of the Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. He received his bachelor's degree from BYU and his master's degree from the University of Utah. - -###- Sources: Orson Scott Card at Lee Library lecture series Nov. 27 BYU Press Release 25Nov01 A2 http://www.byu.edu/news/releases/Nov/card.htm >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:28:58 -0700 From: "Todd Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Konnie Enos Virus? [MOD: I'm passing this on because (a) I'm not a technical person, and (b) if there really is a virus that's been propagated through AML-List, we need to get the word out to everyone. If anyone has insight into this, confirmation, and/or suggestions on how to address, I would appreciate it.] I just got an e-mail from Konnie Enos through the list that my university server said had a virus. the title was re: re: Point of View - -- Todd - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 03:46:38 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Point of View Richard Hopkins wrote: > Let me get specific. I'm editing a World War II story right now that has a > terrific love story and a lot of exciting combat scenes. The writer is very > skillful at presenting the combat scenes cinematically. She accomplishes > this sometimes by jumping from one POV to another and sometimes by taking a > universal POV. The transitions are flawless, but they are POV violations. I > don't think enforcement of strict POV rules during those scenes will help > this kind of writing. Am I out to lunch? I was in grade school when the film "Great Escape" first aired on TV. The next day our teacher started a discussion on it, after we had learned about the concept of POV. She asked us what POV we thought the story of that film was told in, and we wisely answered omniscient. She then asked if that story needed to be told that way. Our consensus was, absolutely: we wanted to know what happened to all the escapees, so we needed to have access to all of their POVs. (Pretty good how I made a grade school discussion sound so high brow, don't you think?) If the point of this book's chapters on combat is to allow the reader to know what's going on everywhere, then I don't see how omniscient POV can be avoided, and perhaps cinematic is the best--who wants to dwell in a bunch of people's heads when a battle scene is going on? Just show us the exciting blood and guts. On the other hand, if POV isn't strictly enforced during the love story, I think that is likely to be a bad mistake. Love stories are not anything if not intimate. The challenge will be to switch from third person limited for the love scenes to omniscient for the combat scenes without jarring the reader. But I would think that, just as you can switch from one limited POV to another at scene breaks, you could switch from one limited POV to an omniscient POV at a--well, probably at least a chapter break, to minimize the jarring effect. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #530 ******************************