occasional posts by risa aratyr
thoughts, news, and items of writerly interest
I’ve checked all the big-name dictionaries, cross-referenced the definitions, sifted through myriad permutations and fine distinctions. Here’s the upshot. A joke (noun) is: something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, brief oral anecdote, or prank. First the doctor told me the good news; I was going to have a … Read more Heard Any Good Ones Lately?
I get it, I really do. I get how hard it is to cross out a cunning word. To draw a line through a finely-wrought phrase. To sever a sumptuous sentence. To amputate a paragraph, to delete great dialogue, to chop a chapter, to cut. I’ve been doing a lot of cutting lately; I know … Read more The Most Kindest Cut of All
If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know an incredibly cool image appears beside all of my comments. This portrait (in the truest sense of the word) is the work of artist Jacquelyn Kruzic. She sent it to me out of the blue. Oh, we know each other, yes – but this … Read more Snagging a Visual
Yes, I am capable of writing a brief email in a short time. I can toss off something like this in a hot minute: Hi, all. Meeting tomorrow – Stage Management Seminar Friday 16 September 3:30-5p 254 Burbank See you then! –risa Sad to say, short and sweet missals are not my norm. I have … Read more Mincing Words
photo credit: www.unheralded.fish I’m not a fan of guilt or shame. I have a particularly hard time with them in their role as culture-police; mechanisms embedded in the ethos to modify social behavior. Dishonor shouldn’t compel sororicide or homicide or suicide. Taking the blame isn’t the same as taking responsibility. But I do feel guilty. … Read more Standing with Standing Rock