You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
“From humble beginnings would come humbling ends.”
PROMPT: Opening Sentence
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Tag Archives: writing
PROMPT: Playtime
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
All the time. Free movement & free writing.
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PROMPT: Write Space
You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?
Just a small, quiet room with a window for day and a light for the night. Minimalist. The less to distract, the better.
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BOOKS: “36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem” by Nam Le
36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem by Nam LeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Release Date: March 5, 2024
This is a clever collection of poems, lighthearted in places but raw and incensed in others. (A pacing that I appreciate in poetry collections.) The collection draws heavily on the author’s experience being of Vietnamese ethnicity while growing up in the West. It touches upon the tragedies lived by his elders, but, more so, how his life (and perception of him) has been shaped by war and the diaspora it caused. The collection playfully engages with language and cultural concepts in a way that is interesting and – at times – scintillating.
My main gripe with this collection would be its occasional swerves into the domain of huge, rare, and super-specialized terminology. I enjoy being sent to the dictionary as much as the next person, but in a poetry collection – where evoking emotion is the name of the game – I find it takes me out of the experience.
I enjoyed reading this collection and would recommend it for poetry readers.
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BOOKS: The NEW Comedy Bible by Judy Carter
The NEW Comedy Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Performing Stand-Up Comedy by Judy CarterMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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As the title suggests, this is a soup-to-nuts exploration of building a standup comedy act. While the bulk of the book discusses how to build jokes that work in a comedy club setting, it also gives helpful tips on relevant issues such as stage fright, hecklers, bombing and bomb recovery, set arrangement, and editing material. It offers many insights that may seem counterintuitive to a neophyte reader.
In writing, there is a common distinction made between “plotters” and “pantsers” (as in “by the seat of one’s pants.”) Plotters do a lot of research and outline everything thoroughly before beginning to write (as most people understand the writing process.) Pantsers like to get right into the typing and are willing to have a much messier process in exchange for greater feelings of spontaneity and surprise. A similar distinction seems to exist in standup comedy. Jerry Seinfeld might be the posterchild for the comedic plotter, writing and rewriting jokes on paper and having an already finely honed collection of jokes when he goes into the comedy club to revise through audience feedback. Other comedians seem to like to work by riffing and editing material on the fly. My point is: this book will definitely appeal most to plotters. That said, I think it has a lot of useful information that will save pantsers a great deal of trouble, but I suspect those with intense pantser proclivities will be skeptical of such a step-by-step approach.
The book is set up as a workbook woven into an instructional guide. That is, it has exercises throughout. It also presents a lot of jokes and partial bits by headlining comics to help the reader see how successful comics apply the principles in question.
I enjoyed reading this book and found it helpful. I thought that many of the exercises were quite helpful in triggering joke ideas. If you are looking for a book that deals in both joke writing and comedic delivery, I’d highly recommend this book.
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PROMPT: Advice
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Use free writing to break through writer’s block.
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PROMPT: Writing
First, the infinite variety of ways it allows one to express oneself. Second, the puzzle of dancing letters into sentences. Finally, the thought that the right combination of letters might cause someone to pee himself.
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WORLD POETRY DAY: “Pay w/ a Poem” @ Urban Solace Cafe
Bangalore’s Urban Solace Cafe (https://www.facebook.com/UrbanSolaceCafe) does something cool, and kind to poets, for World Poetry Day. They have a “Pay with a Poem” event allowing people to buy a cup of coffee with an original poem today. So, if you’re in the Ulsoor Lake neighborhood, show them some love. My submission is below.
FOR THE LOVE OF COFFEE
It’s said we each have one true love.
I fear I may have two.
Oh Coffee, dearest black coffee,
I love your rich brown hue.
I love your lava-like hotness,
and how you energize.
Some have said you’re bad for my heart,
but that’s a pack of lies.
I’ll consume you in the morning,
but cautiously at night.
For if I take you in the eve,
there'll be Aubades at first light.
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BOOK REVIEW: Funny on Purpose by Joe Randazzo
Funny on Purpose: The Definitive Guide to an Unpredictable Career in Comedy: Standup + Improv + Sketch + TV + Writing + Directing + YouTube by Joe RandazzoMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Get Speechify to make any book an audiobook
Former editor of the hilarious faux-newspaper, The Onion, (Joe Randazzo) provides a broad overview of the humor creation industry, and the many jobs, therein. Whether you’re interested in scriptwriting, performing stand-up, or starting a YouTube channel that provides color commentary of crippling skateboarding accidents, this book has tips and insight into how said job works, how to do the job, and how to avoid the pitfalls. And, as expected, the book offers humor throughout. That said, the first priority is educational, so one shouldn’t expect a laugh-a-minute humor extravaganza.
The book is divided into five parts. The first four parts delved into the various humor content creation jobs (writing, performing, making pictures, and making internet content,) and the last part is about the common business aspects like understanding intellectual property rights, knowing the difference between an agent and a manager, and learning how to get people to give you money for a product you don’t yet have.
One nice feature the book offers is brief interviews with various experts such as Judd Apatow, Weird Al, Joan Rivers, many people you’ve never heard of but I’m sure are good at what they do, and a few that you will have heard of if you have obsessive niche tastes in humor. The interviews are short, but it does help to have insight from someone whose life has largely focused on a particular dimension of humor creation. Randazzo has a diverse background, including writing, performing, and television and internet work, but there are fine insights to be gained from a specialist.
I got a lot out of this book and would recommend it for those interested in the humor content creation industrial complex.
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Anonymous [Free Verse]
scribe & chronicler: face unknown, name unknown, soul laid bare by way of words -- words that reveal from the inside out -- it's not the way we're accustomed to getting acquainted we're used to surface learning 'til we scratch through, but here we have: no name, no face, but deep insight
Tiger Riding for Beginners 