We know everything about us

[dolorosa_12]

As I mentioned in my previous post, Matthias was away for the weekend (his team didn't win, but a good time was had by all), and I basically spent the past two days doing exactly what I wanted. The weather was glorious and summery, and other than two hours in fitness classes in the gym yesterday in a studio where the air conditioning was broken (one of the other women in my class dubbed it 'bikram zumba,' and she was not wrong), everything was relaxing and good.

I went to the market, and bought flowers, and loads of fresh fruit and vegetables. I feasted on cherries and strawberries and asparagus and iced coffee, and cooked Singaporean food for tonight's dinner. I pottered around in the garden, and started a reread of Isobelle Carmody's post-apocalyptic YA series, in which a bunch of teenagers with X-Men style mutant abilities take on a totalitarian regime in a world nearly destroyed by nuclear catastrophe. (This was a huge favourite of mine as a child, but I haven't picked it to reread for some time. I still like it for nostalgia's sake, but I can see the flaws more clearly now.) I started this morning with a 1km swim at 8am when the pool opened, then picked up pastries at the bakery and sat watching the wood pigeons through the kitchen window. My laundry was thoroughly air-dried in the wind.

Next week is the start of a series of visitors arriving to stay with us, and various bits of national and international travel, so it was good to have those two days of rest, free of stress and mental clutter. Now Matthias is home, and the weekend is winding down.

Comments

[blackcatofmisery]

Man, we haven't air-dried laundry in years, ever since an industrial park was built nearby. All the dirt and debris and whatever else floats over us, and even the front of the house get covered in stuff, for lack of better word. (It's also noisy at all hours; sometimes I swear they're dynamiting tree stumps or something.)

I'll sometimes reread old favorites and see the issues more clearly as well, and it kind of makes me sad. Is it a loophole or awkward pacing or odd characterization because of the intended audience or because of the writer? I don't know what I'd prefer, or if it even matters, but it would be sad if it was consciously done that way because of the audience, just because of their young age., you know?

=^..^=~

[dolorosa_12]

Ugh, that sounds awful! I can't imagine not being able to hang clothes outdoors.

Is it a loophole or awkward pacing or odd characterization because of the intended audience or because of the writer?

It's a combination of a lot of different things which, looking back, I can see are due to inexperience (Carmody began writing this series when she was a teenager in high school, although it wasn't published until her adulthood). There's a lot of infodumping, and she saddled herself with complicated worldbuilding and a very large cast of characters, which then became unwieldy as the story grew. There are also a lot of convenient plot devices which seem just to ensure that specific characters are in specific places at the right time to witness crucial pieces of information.

It was a very important series for me at the time, and I still love it dearly, and seeing the flaws more clearly doesn't take away from that. Stories are what they are for you at the times you need them.

[blackcatofmisery]

I also live in an area that gets haze from the wildfires out west and up north. Today smelled a little smoky, but I think the rain cleaned things up a bit.

I agree that sees the flaws in a work doesn't take away from it. It's kind of neat to have proof of your own progress and awareness? Seeing a writer [hopefully] improve over time is nice to recognize as a writer myself, too. And I read a lot of early 20th century stories, so acknowledging the differences in style and settings and themes from a current perspective is an adventure, too. (I didn't notice much beyond the plot when I first read them. "Stories are what they are for you at the times you need them.")