Revision Progress

Good writing today and Friday; not finished yet today but moving toward some fine changes. Wonderful autumn weather here in Maryland.

Revision and Revision

The leaves of falling, the wind is cold, and pumpkins are everywhere. The season is right for revision.

Onward!

A New Blog? Stay Tuned

I may be creating another blog via blogger that focuses more on general literary and film criticism. I have dabbled outside the realm of things Chiles here and I'd rather focus this He-Coon blog--while the agenda remains unfinished--on the upcoming Chiles book.

Another blog can tackle Danny Elfman, floating opposites, and everything in between.

Stay tuned.

A Stylist or a Generalist?

What's in a literary style? I've always thought the great American 20th century stylists were Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald.

One facet of the debate, I suppose, is the instantly recognizable prose rhythm of these writers. One paragraph is all that's necessary to make an ID in some cases.

Most critics, I think, would call this facet an achievement--a mark of genius, even. Let's change venues artistically, to the arena of the film music.

Danny Elfman, the composer behind Batman, Sleepy Hollow, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Edward Scissorhands, has built a career focused on the macabre, the lonely, the wretched. His portraits are handled delicately; it's clear how much empathy the composer feels for his subjects. The dark side, we find in his worlds, is romantic, lush, and misunderstood.

Then, why is Elfman still regarded as an outsider in the elite circles of Hollywood film music? Perhaps there is a downside to being a stylist in literature or film music, after all. If an artists hones a narrow style and inhabits its regularly, is that artist then "limited"? No one would doubt that top-tier Hollywood film composers like James Horner and John Williams can writer for any mood, any occasion. But could Elfman the same? One can only wonder how Elfman would handle a score like Indiana Jones, or Jurassic Park.

I think there is food for thought in the debate over stylists versus the "general geniuses" of literature and scoring.

The Editing Begins (Again)

Yesterday was my first full day back in the editing mode--first full day in a month or two. The break was deserved and productive.

Some creative problems are best left to the almighty subconscious. The conscious mind is often prone to stress and irritability. The subconscious, in my opinion, is unpredictable, but when it works, it works a problem and finds a solution. It's what we mean when we say, in reference to a particular vexing issue, "I'll sleep on it."

I've put aside Richard Henry Dana Jr.'s Two Years Before The Mast; I'm now reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. I don't know how the latter might help my analysis of the remaining editing issues for my book. But these things are unpredictable--and that's what creativity is all about.

The Cell Phone in Lit and Film

A while back I mentioned the film The Departed as a fine example of effective use of cell phones in modern film and literature; add the just-released Social Network to that list.

What's Next?

Political writing becomes pop culture as of this Friday, when Social Network elevates Aaron Sorkin back to the limelight.

My next major revision of the manuscript begins in earnest next week; October is my time.

I'll take a long walk in the deep woods somewhere, clear my head,
and then try to do my absolute best composition.