Magic Lantern
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Kati Davis 20 Acts in 60 Minutes
It's hard to pick just one or two acts out of the twenty to choose from because there were elements in many that I enjoyed and hope to recreate in my own story for this class. I enjoyed the conversational tone of the first act, "Don't I Know You." It felt like listening to a story told by someone I knew personally, complete with awkward laughter and filler words like "um." It lacks the polished feel many of the poems we've listened to have had, which I like because it feels much more natural and personal that way. On a completely different note, I also really enjoyed Act Seven, "Up Where the Air is Clear," which does have more of a polished feel to it - almost as though someone is reading aloud a bedtime story to me. As a fiction writer myself, I appreciate the narrative feel of this story, the twist at the end, the vivid details, and the fact that the storyteller took characters we're already familiar with and created an entirely new backstory for them. I'm not sure if there is a way to combine these two styles, but I'd certainly be interested to try it out. I'm still deciding whether to stick with my original dream story or go in an entirely different direction with my piece, but I think if I do decide to keep what I have and expand on it I could find ways to incorporate elements from both of these acts.
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I agree that both of these stories are entertaining to listen to because of their narrative structure. Your original story was more about your thought process, with a short description of some of the story lines that occur in your dreams, but you could definitely develop the narrative more if you wanted. One thing I was wondering about was why you think you have these dreams and what in your life do you think could correspond to the change in the dreams. Addressing these questions could be the frame for the story as beginning and end.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the story in the first act. I thought it was a great mix of awkwardness, humor, and a touch of seriousness. The author sort of incoherently rambled about the woman and let his mind wander. It was a bit confusing for me, the listener, initially, but the conclusion of the story wrapped up the thing very nicely. I liked our glimpse into his scatter brain because that's how he feels before he drinks coffee in the morning. I thought that was very creative.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the story in the first act. I thought it was a great mix of awkwardness, humor, and a touch of seriousness. The author sort of incoherently rambled about the woman and let his mind wander. It was a bit confusing for me, the listener, initially, but the conclusion of the story wrapped up the thing very nicely. I liked our glimpse into his scatter brain because that's how he feels before he drinks coffee in the morning. I thought that was very creative.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your dream story, and I think there are definitely ways to incorporate polished and non-polished elements into your story. I feel that in many stories the polished elements are done to navigate their audience through their story, to help establish the narrative and the point of the story. But then the non-polished elements come in to let the audience better understand the author on a deeper level. I think especially when talking about a dream you have had, the non-polished elements could be really helpful because often dreams don't make sense and they can be hard to explain to some people. I'm excited to see where your story goes!
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