2009/2/16 Heather Taylor <[log in to unmask]>
> Hi all,
>
> It's great reading all your posts recently though I haven't been saying
> much - and I was so moved by your mention of the bush fires. I just can't
> imagine how horrible it was. It seems out of my scope of imagination
> somehow.
>
> Anyway, I'm in need of a little help so I thought the best way of getting
> that was to throw it out to all you and see what I get back. I'm working on
> a new project and it's all about stories. So all you need to do is answer a
> few select questions which are temptingly located below. My eternal
> gratefulness will be yours forever. I thought you, the maker of stories,
> would have a lot to say on the subject....
>
> 1) If you had to describe what a story is to a baby/ alien/ child raised by
> wolves, how would you describe it?
The categories you mention are all different. A baby, the story is about
desire - for the next feed, for comfort, maybe for loving; for an alien, I'd
try to access their cutural points of connection and then create a
description using the portal created; a child raised by wolves is a story
itself, a common language would come first, then a narrative of
birth/life/death would be the basics.
>
> 2) What is your favorite story?
(Secular) redemption stories from the mouths of real people.
>
> 3) What does a story have to do to make you cry?
Be told/written by an author crying.
>
> 4) What does a story have to do to make you laugh?
Be witty and understated - I've grown out of slapstick, although SJ Perelman
always gets a laugh.
>
> 5) What story do you tell all the time? Please tell it to us. Pleeeease.
> Pretty please.
I am a man full of anecdotes. Which one do I tell all the time? Depends on
the audience.At self help groups, I tell the story of my own life: how it
was, how it changed, and what it's like now. Teaching writing, I tell my
writing story. At dinner parties and cafes, I tell my children's stories. At
cricket, I shut up and watch the game.
>
> 6) What was the last item of news that you remember/ was moved by? Why did
> it have staying power?
The Victorian Bushfires, particularly the story of Marysville being
completely incinerated. It has staying power because it is about life and
death, about humanity's vulnerability in the face of nature, and because
women and children were burnt together trying to flee or trying to protect
themselves in spas, baths and such places. Photos of half melted children's
tricycles and swings brought it home to me more than the charred rubble of
burnt-out homes.
>
> 7) When is a lie OK?
>
When it saves lives or deflects violence. Some say metaphor is lieing; some
lie to negotiate with the tax dept and such, excusing themselves by saying,
Everyone does it. But lieing is a trap - I believe in the old saying, Oh
what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
>
>
> If you want to send your answers backchannel that would be great (or share
> them with all) whichever suits you best!
>
> Thanks a million,
> Heather
>
--
Andrew
http://hispirits.blogspot.com/
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