Words and Pictures

On Friday afternoon, after an early release from work, I went to see a little indie flick called Words and Pictures starring Clive Owens and Juliette Binoche.  It's a romantic comedy but more importantly it's a dialogue revolving around the creative process.  How creatives use their medium in this case writing and painting to try to convey a point of view through their work.  Owens plays a frustrated writer who drinks to sublimate the suffering of being unable to create.  While Binoche plays a painter who struggles to find a way of new way of being able to work her craft while suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The language is gorgeous when either of them talk about Words or Pictures. They frame the movie under a guise of a war against the other but really it was a chance to challenge and dialogue around the medium in question. As far as the romantic element, it's wonderful to see earthy adults having real dialogues about their pain and how they are able to find a way of relating to one another, at times a bit sideways and odd but refreshing and open.  A woman who sat behind me said to her friend that she thought it was heavy-handed at times. For someone like me who loves language, well let's just say I soaked it in and spent the day writing because I was inspired.  Lovely little film, I hope others get a chance to catch it.  

Peace, 

Lily.  

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2014 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Sour Kiss

Today I spent the day writing.  I'm experimenting with narrative poetry and I'm not sure how it's working yet.  I am thinking of Kristin Prevallet's essays in I, AfterLife or Dennison Smith's novel Scavenger. Neither example actually fit the term narrative poetry but it's definitely a specific kind of storytelling that I'm trying. I'd mention Walcott's Omeros or Ondaatje's The English Patient but that kind of storytelling is a league all their own.

I am just letting the words come out first.  No holds bar.  It's partly autobiographical and at time I can feel my censor sitting on my shoulder whispering..."you can't write that, then everyone will know." And I write the words anyway.  It's terribly graphic and I have a tendency to want to fix the language from it's raw state but I stop myself and tell myself to keep going. I wrote over 2,600 words with my starting point being a 300-word working poem called Sour Kiss.

I turned down an invitation to go out because I have been promising myself some quiet time to write.  I wanted to get beyond journal entries and note scraps.  I wanted to get beyond the recycled bullshit that is constantly churning in the grey matter.  I'm writing about being with the Cuban...a pivotal relationship that I had back in the late 90's. It's taken me a long time to be able to write from an honest place about that chapter  in my life but I finally feel ready to tackle it.  It's not an easy process but the mix of creative narrative with memory helps with the transitions.

It's strange to listen so closely to the echoes of my past.  I'm trying to capture moments and feelings but it still feels like I'm on the outskirts of the story.  Tomorrow I will work some more and see how far I get.  My goal is to get the words down...no revising for now.  But I've worked long enough and I need a dinner break now.  I think it's time to go get some sushi or at the very least order in.  Hmmm decisions, decisions.   A good walk in the afternoon rain sounds about right.  

Peace,
L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2014 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Black Roses - Clare Bowen and Lucy Schwartz

Just because it's a gorgeous song.

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2014 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.