Ah, the greatest of holy holidays is nearly upon us. It's finally that time of year. The stars have aligned, the signs have manifested, and tomorrow the Mania begins.
In all seriousness, Wrestlemania, which is tomorrow, has been a big deal in my life. Pro wrestling in general has been all over my life, from my cousin, Navajo Warrior, to training with PWH stars Sheik Al-Asid and Johnny Evers in the Netherlands, and of course, to creating my own little promotion up in Flagstaff. As a child, pro wrestling was one of the biggest things I loved on television. I had two VHS tapes my parents recorded that I watched over and over. One was a collection of Saturday morning cartoons including the Ninja Turtles and Bill and Ted, but the other, much more worn tape, was a copy of the Saturday Night Main Event. Watching Hulk Hogan, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, and Jake the Snake all doing battle was the highlight of my day when I'd slip that bad boy in. Moving into college, the WWE pay-per-views became something of a holiday. Of course we'd come by for the big ones like Royal Rumble, but the one we absolutely couldn't miss was Wrestlemania. I'd drive four hours back home, bringing my best friend along. My mom would cook up tons of food and we'd all make a huge family event out of it. After my mom's passing and the creation of my little promotion, KAW, it became a tradition for the wrestling group to get together for Rumble and Wrestlemania. We'd all bring food, drinks, desert, and have a huge party watching it. That has died down quite a bit since I left for Las Vegas, and I'm certain it'll all but end once I'm in China, but thanks to the invitation of a very dear friend, I'm headed out to Tucson for one more ride. Being with someone dear to me for Wrestlemania... it's something special. I don't know if or when I'll get to hang out with these people again, but I'm happy to have the chance. Wrestlemania can be special just one more time. Thanks, Miles. DFTBA
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I've moved many times in my life and each time I feel like the first thing to getting settled in is finding a new normal. Your new routine, figuring out where your stuff goes, what your daily schedule outside of work looks like. You know, all the little things. Well, as much as those things have been important to me in settling in here in the US, I can only imagine how much more so they'll be a necessity for settling in all the way out in China.
When I moved to Vegas, my new normal set in quickly. Doing my job at the local television station was one thing, but figuring out where I'd get groceries, which gas station was likely to be my regular, and even which streets would be most reliable in delivering me home on time all were things that set in easily and quickly. But in China, life is going to be so radically different that I just don't know what life is going to be like on the non-work side of things. For instance, one thing might be where I get groceries, but because of the difference in price and cost of living, I might actually be eating out far more often. In that case, which food stall or local restaurant will be my regular? What about when I want to catch the newest Marvel movie? Gotta find that theater that plays English with Chinese subtitles. And what about when I'm getting homesick for food that's not common there? Gotta find the international market, too. But that's just going out. What about once I get home? Figuring out my routine once I walk through the door, I mean, even that is going to be different. When the bathroom and kitchen are fundamentally, when the only way to watch English stuff is through VPNs, when I can't actually drink the water from the tap, even the little things are going to be completely different. I'll have to get used to haggling for grocery prices at the wet market. Taking a two hour nap in the middle of the day at work (nice!) Being able to walk safely at 2 AM down any street in the city. Oh! And, of course, not touching the wheel of a car for the next two years. I had a taste of this when I lived in the Netherlands, but I know this is going to be on a completely different level. And you know what? I can't wait to give it a shot. For whatever reason I've been thinking about passions today. I had a decent work day that allowed me chat with several of my coworkers. While there was a lot of hubub about a new couch in the lounge (and even a loveseat to go with it!) I also got to understand a little more about the desires and dreams some of them have. That might be a little hyperbolic, but I still think I managed to peek into the inner workings of some of the people I won't see much longer.
With everything from gymnastics to motorcycles, it was a fun day. Now I'm here thinking about how I can communicate those honest, open feelings I was fortunate to witness today. Don't get me wrong, I don't try turn every human interaction into something with my story, but this is a truly human interaction, a truly human emotion. We all have these goals, these ideas of what to do and where to be. It makes me really look over my own thinking. They say it's hard for us to realize that everyone is the star of their own story, that we all think differently. I, for one, want desperately to see as much of the world as I can, to experience the most I can, but I know people who sincerely just want a quiet place to watch their family grow. People who don't want to travel. I know people who know exactly where they want to live. People who have decided that one, single career in a small, homey place is what they want for their whole career. And here I am, still wondering, to some degree, what I want to be when I grow up. I'm a writer, so I suppose one of the things I really want is to understand everyone and everything. I know that's an impossibility, but the pursuit of it is, I feel, a worthy one. And to do so, I need to understand how each of the people in my life, all these very different characters that I'm so blessed to know, look at the world. Some want to explore. Some want to relax. Some want to strive for fame and glory. Others just want a quiet place of their own. Learning about their passions helps me understand mankind better and, yes, represent it better through my work. I hope that as I move forward from here, traveling to China and beyond, that learn more and more, experience more and more, and understand more and more. Hey. Be Excellent to Each Other. I'm inching closer and closer to being able to write the next section of The Paladin. I've been working out a lot of the ins and outs during travel time, something I've had a lot of recently. I still have to get a few documents scanned and emailed on that front, and that's been giving me the opportunity to daydream about my story.
It's pretty fun watching a scene come together. I'm reusing a lot of the scenes from the last edit of the manuscript, but I'm tweaking things to make them fit with the new narrative. It's great watching everything slot into place as I slowly figure out where I need to put my antagonist as which points and what things are going on in the background. I'm someone who insists on knowing everything that's happening in the background of my story before I write it. I need to know where the villain is, where the hero is, what everyone wanted to do, all before I feel confident in writing the story out. I suppose I don't necessarily need to know everything that's happening in the background, assuming all that stuff isn't going to be elaborated on in the narrative, but I feel like it really informs the motives and decisions of the characters. I need to know why the antagonist is doing what they're doing so I know where I can logically put them. I know that in a story I have complete control. I can just say that certain things happen, but I feel like I owe my potential readers more than that. I know I nitpick when I watch movies and read books, so I can't help but think that my readers will likely do the same thing. I need to have all the facts out there so I can make sure they have as little to pick nits about as I can manage. But I suppose that is all to say that I am getting closer and closer to my new rewrite getting started. I'm excited about the new lore that I'll be exploring and all the new events my characters will be experiencing. I think the whole thing will make the second half of this little experiment come out all the better. DFTBA As a writer, journalist, English minor, and soon-to-be English teacher, I encounter a large amount of, shall we say, creative uses of English online. Sometimes it comes from a generation that has read things without actually hearing them in context, sometimes from people wanting to sound smart, sometimes just mistakes that have been ingrained for years. Now, I want to make it clear that I'm not saying I'm the highest authority in the land and, even within the hallowed realms of this blog, I've made some serious grammatical (and, ergh... even spelling) errors, but I do strive to make things as good as I can. So, in the spirit of merely making people aware rather than attempting to tell them they're wrong, let me share just a couple things I see coming up on a regular basis. 1. I vs Me When I was younger a lot of people used "you and me," regardless of context. It was, most of the time, the incorrect usage, and I recall there being quite a fuss in school about making sure that the proper usage was taught. Then, maybe ten years later, I started noticing "you and I" becoming more prevalent. And more. And more. Let me make this plain: both are valid depending on context. I feel like too many people default to "you and I" because it sounds smarter, but there are contexts where it isn't correct. If you want the long answer, which deals with subjects versus objects, check these links to Dictionary.com and Oxford Dictionaries. Long story short, if you want to know which one to use, just drop the "you" (or whatever happens to be in its place.) You and I should go to the movies some time --> I should go to the movies sometime. She gave the last of the brownies to my husband and me ---> She gave the last of the brownies to me. Easy, right? 2. "Third World Countries" What do you think of when you think "Third World Countries?" Maybe a more developing nation, someplace with little access to clean water, good healthcare, or little technological advances? You know, like Ireland, Switzerland, and Sweden? Third World Country has come to mean a "poor" country, but that's not where the term originates. During the Cold War, the world's nations were divided up by allegiance. The First World, which we take nowadays to mean "rich and developed" was originally just supposed to refer to the US, Canada, Australia, and it's various allies. The Second World was Russia, of course, along with China and other communist nations that were allied with them. That left every other country not allied with either as the Third World. Here's a wiki article to elaborate. Now, there is a correlation to some degree that a good chunk of the Third World countries were less developed. But that wasn't what the term was about. Check out this map. Blue is First World, red Second World, and green Third World. Fortunately the term is falling out of favor as many institutions prefer the term "developing nations," so the point is slowly resolving itself (despite the resolution itself still being based on misinformation, but... whatever.) Still, from time to time, I do hear the term tossed around casually. There's no malice behind the original meaning because it never meant what people tend to think it does today. I hope you guys enjoyed that and I hope it helps with your writing a little. I'll likely do another "Tidbits" as I have an ever growing list of things that I feel need addressing but which, individually, do not warrant full blog posts, so keep your eye out for that.
Don't Forget to be Awesome There are two concepts in literature known as "Death of the Author" and "Word of God." These views are often in opposition to one another and they make up a huge amount of fan arguments. Frustration and even outright anger stem from the misinterpretation of an author's words, so as I prepare for this next iteration of my own novel, I wonder which view will hold more weight.
To make sure we're all on the same page, let me explain those two terms. Loosely, "Death of the Author" means that once a piece of literature is written, filmed, or otherwise published, that's the end of the author's input on what is "real" about that world. Only the text holds weight. Whatever the writer intended is irrelevant. If the text contradicts their view, then they failed as an author. This is contrasted with "Word of God," wherein whatever the author says, after the fact, is canon. This is most relevant to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling who has become famous lately for adding in canonical details years after the last piece of media was published. For example, though there is no significant text to support it, she claimed a few years ago that Dumbledore had been gay throughout the entire series. While somewhat offtopic, this has continued lately almost to the point of absurdity within the fan community as her tweets are now something of a joke amongst both fans and detractors. Still, "Word of God" means that whatever Rowling says is true, is true. So what's the more valid line of reasoning? I would think, at first glance, that whatever the author says should be taken as law, but there are some good arguments against it. Without specific example, imagine a writer filled their text with racist and offensive imagery. Imagine that the text itself was not only offensive, but vile, and potentially dangerous to the communities it attacked. By "Death of the Author," we can interpret the meaning of this text purely on it's content, but "Word of God" means that the author can say, in no uncertain terms, they did not mean anything to be offensive... and that would have to be the conclusion drawn. When I first learned of these terms, it seemed cut and dry which one was the superior philosophy, but as with so many things, the longer I look at it, the less clear cut it seems. Both sides clearly have merit, but which one is superior? And what does superiority in a philosophy like this even mean? In the end, I suppose all I can do is offer, as a writer, which one I would prefer to be judged by. And that is... I don't know. Again, I thought this would be clear. Obviously, I would like to have my word be the final say on matters not addressed by the text, but at the same time, have I done my job if my readers have to ask me what I meant? I suppose if it's something nonconsequential, Word of God is fine. Is Reagan a fan of jazz? Does Jonathan enjoy late night television? But if they're wondering about the motivation of the villain, the drive of my protagonist, well... I suppose whatever I've written is what should really be the deciding factor. But that's just me... DFTBA |
Matias TautimezKeep your eyes open for my debut novel, The Paladin. Archives
January 2023
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