tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post4658456443955906008..comments2023-09-07T07:41:28.307-04:00Comments on Zestful Writing: When False is Sort of TrueElizabeth Simshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01207536110886973913noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-21448202925692438882018-03-31T12:08:00.441-04:002018-03-31T12:08:00.441-04:00I admire your persistence in dealing with your pas...I admire your persistence in dealing with your past and helping others deal with their trauma and abuse. Yeah, in my own research I've learned that most people who are homeless are survivors of abuse and/or just plain shitty/neglectful parenting, which of course often leads to addiction (self-medicating) and also mental illness in way too many cases. It's not an easily soluble problem, and I applaud everyone who works in that area. In some local journalism I've done, I've found that private nonprofits, including churches, provide services and resources more efficiently and compassionately than government bureaucracy, which is often so inept and wasteful, not to mention politicized. Not to say we should give up on government's role.Elizabeth Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01207536110886973913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-80353597959447140742018-03-30T19:30:02.728-04:002018-03-30T19:30:02.728-04:00Oops, guess your mega-graph opened the door to my ...Oops, guess your mega-graph opened the door to my mega-graph!Sandra E. Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115289541476705793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-28586686730149906732018-03-30T19:28:51.527-04:002018-03-30T19:28:51.527-04:00Thanks for the reply! I'm so glad I found this...Thanks for the reply! I'm so glad I found this blog. The tone of YGABIY is so generous. Every paragraph makes me put the book down to write - it gives me that much courage!<br />The Tonya/Nancy story has always disturbed me because it seems to vindicate a "blame the victim" mentality and my activism is just as important as writing to me; I advocate for survivors of abuse. I ditched a relative years ago after telling him the childhood abuse I experienced has made it very challenging figuring out what kind of person I want to be. He told me to 'stop playing the victim' and if I wanted success in life, I should put it all behind me. I said these things happened to me, I'm not 'playing' and I'm going to write about our family whether he likes it or not. I'm comfortably housed now but I experienced a spate of homelessness due to PTSD. I took a poll at the shelter I was in, asking who if anyone experienced childhood sex abuse. I knew there'd be some but it turned out most of the 60 women in the shelter had been sexually abused growing up. That's something I want to explore in the memoir I'm working on, because it's not just my story. There's a direct correlation between childhood sex abuse and homelessness - then we blame the survivors for their destitution. In Portland we have a huge housing crisis, yet I have repeatedly seen/heard people laughing at the poor folks pushing carts and mocking them mercilessly. So, it shouldn't surprise me that movie-goers would find it funny that a champion skater got clubbed in the leg.Sandra E. Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115289541476705793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-32268226207588633252018-03-30T08:31:54.543-04:002018-03-30T08:31:54.543-04:00Wow, I didn't realize that was such a mega-gra...Wow, I didn't realize that was such a mega-graph until I hit 'publish.'Elizabeth Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01207536110886973913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-11881235810699429612018-03-30T08:31:19.549-04:002018-03-30T08:31:19.549-04:00Absolutely Nancy was the victim in the story. I...Absolutely Nancy was the victim in the story. I've often wondered if she suffered PTSD from the attack. Weirdly to me, she too has been mocked in pop culture (the clip of her crying "Why, why?" has become a meme, just like the clip of Tonya crying to the judges over her propped-up skate). I just read Vader's piece; THANK YOU for telling us about it!! It's a well-written, refreshing gust against Tonya's current popularity. I have no trouble believing Tonya was dismayed that Nancy wasn't hurt enough to take her out of the Olympics, and no trouble believing that Tonya was way more in on the plot than the film showed. After all, she phoned the arena in Massachusetts to find out exactly when Nancy practiced, which doesn't square at all with the claim that they were just going to send 'threatening letters.' The film slip-slid around all that. And right, the character of Nancy was barely in the movie, let alone shown in any depth. My post here about the article by Brodesser-Akner was no celebration of or excuse-fest for Tonya. What I discovered reading it was that even a person who has been widely considered to be scum, and even seems not in touch with reality, has a story that can be compelling, and there's a lesson in there for authors. In a sense, Tonya's real story is the way she feels she must explain 'her side' of things over and over, and the article reminded me that people like her are trying to explain things to themselves as much as to anyone else who will listen. Maybe even moreso to themselves. I have a theory that there's some kind of atavistic belief that if they explain it properly, and enough times, the facts will somehow change to fit. These things fascinate the hell out of me. Thank you for joining the discussion! I'm glad you're finding YGABIY worthwhile, and I hope you'll keep us posted on your work, OK?Elizabeth Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01207536110886973913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-15303800260269161892018-03-30T04:18:04.366-04:002018-03-30T04:18:04.366-04:00If you would, PLEASE read 'I, Nauseated' p...If you would, PLEASE read 'I, Nauseated' published in The Oregonian on January 27, 2018. It's a review of 'I, Tonya' written by J. E. Vader, a sports reporter who knew Ms. Harding well. Vader began covering Harding's career from the start and now presents evidence that Harding was disappointed when Kerrigan wasn't hurt worse than she was. The movie apparently doesn't offer an "amazingly sensitive profile" on Nancy Kerrigan, the true victim in this scenario. <br />But, hey, ending on a positive note: I bought 'You've Got a Book in You' and am so glad I did. The title alone makes my heart expand. Thanks for providing writers with such a wonderful resource.Sandra E. Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115289541476705793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-84278751115672911582018-03-29T21:20:20.566-04:002018-03-29T21:20:20.566-04:00Right on, Anne. Thanks for stopping in!Right on, Anne. Thanks for stopping in!Elizabeth Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01207536110886973913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-81759159157055099802018-03-29T21:19:38.517-04:002018-03-29T21:19:38.517-04:00Thanks, Beej. I keep especially thinking about the...Thanks, Beej. I keep especially thinking about the 'processing it' part.Elizabeth Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01207536110886973913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-55173027651970495132018-03-29T21:13:14.304-04:002018-03-29T21:13:14.304-04:00Fascinating, as usual.Fascinating, as usual.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06108715396404430718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-63683908862898857552018-03-29T20:51:40.867-04:002018-03-29T20:51:40.867-04:00Interesting post. You're absolutely right abo...Interesting post. You're absolutely right about needing to be aware of our characters' complexity ... none of us are irredeemably black or white and neither should our characters be. Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06564599740051000454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873889619654138974.post-28074546002098247382018-03-29T18:34:45.068-04:002018-03-29T18:34:45.068-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06108715396404430718noreply@blogger.com