See You In The New Year.

See you in the New Year.

Lucy’s Letter in the Typed Manuscript

Lucy’s initial letter contained a lot of content in the typed manuscript Stoker initially submitted to Constable that didn’t make it to the published novel. For the benefit of all the cool people following me who don’t have a New Annotated Dracula, I thought I’d post a copy of the letter with the excised bits reinserted today (shown in bold).

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My dearest Mina, I must say you tax me very unfairly with being a bad correspondent. I wrote you twice since we parted, and your last letter was only your second. Besides, I have nothing to tell you. There is really nothing to interest you. Town is very pleasant just now, and we go a great deal to picture-galleries and for walks and rides in the park. As to the tall, curly-haired man, I suppose it was the one who was with me at the last Pop. Kate Lee has evidently been telling tales. I shall have my eye on that young lynx for the future, so tell her to be very discreet and give her a kiss for me.

That was Mr. Holmwood. He often comes to see us, and he and Mamma get on very well together, they have so many things to talk about in common. I almost envy mother sometimes for her knowledge when she can talk to people whilst I have to sit by like a dumb animal and smile a stereotyped smile smile till I find myself blushing at being an incarnate lie. And it is so silly and childish to blush without reason to.

We met some time ago a man that would just do for you, if you were not already engaged to Jonathan. He is an excellent parti, being handsome, well off, and of good birth. He is a doctor and really clever. Just fancy! He is only nine-and-twenty, and he has an immense lunatic asylum all under his own care. Mr. Holmwood introduced him to me, and he called here to see us, and often comes now. I think he is one of the most resolute men I ever saw, and yet the most calm. He seems absolutely imperturbable. I can fancy what a wonderful power he must have over his patients. He has a curious habit of looking one straight in the face, as if trying to read one’s thoughts. He tries this on very much with me, but I flatter myself he has got a tough nut to crack. I know that from my glass. Do you ever try to read your own face? I do, and I can tell you it is not a bad study, and gives you more trouble than you can well fancy if you have never tried it. He says that I afford him a curious psychological study, and I humbly think I do. I enclose a circular for Madame as you wish. I do not, as you know, take sufficient interest in dress to be able to describe the new fashions. Dress is a bore. That is slang again, but never mind. Arthur says that every day. There, it is all out, Mina, we have told all our secrets to each other since we were children. We have slept together and eaten together, and laughed and cried together, and now, though I have spoken, I would like to speak more. Oh, Mina, couldn’t you guess? I love him. I am blushing as I write, for although I think he loves me, he has not told me so in words. But, oh, Mina, I love him. I love him! There, that does me good. I wish I were with you, dear, sitting by the fire undressing, as we used to sit, and I would try to tell you what I feel. That is not love at all – no, nor the least like it. Love is a holy thing. I do not know how I am writing this even to you. I am afraid to stop, or I should tear up the letter, and I don’t want to stop, for I do so want to tell you all. Let me hear from you at once, and tell me all that you think about it. I wish you knew the tall straight-haired [sic] man – he is so noble and brave and good and tender and true – How the girls would laugh in school if they saw this letter. I must stop. I feel so happy that I could go on writing for ever – telling you my secret is just like telling Arthur I love him – only of course it is not quite the same. Mina, if a time should come when, –after he told me that he loved me of course– I should be able to whisper to him “Arthur, I love you!” Mina, I must stop. Good-night. Bless me in your prayers; and, Mina, pray for my happiness. Lucy P.S. – I need not tell you this is a secret. Goodnight again. L.

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gendhb

2 years ago

nickelodeon animation production workers are unionizing and if this goes through we will be the largest group of production workers to unionize in the animation industry.

look at this on twitter!!!!!

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gendhb

2 years ago

god I never posted how bright and blue the sonic tree is at night

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gendhb

1 year ago

so i study decolonization, as in i studied it as part of my degree, and i thought I'd make a list of some readings/films that might offer additional insight about decolonization (it also helps if you're tired of the christian moralistic thinking)

occupation 101 (can be found on youtube i believe, it's about the history between isreal and palestine, it focuses on palestinians and it is quite comprehensive. there's live footage, there's interviews with palestinian children, etc. it's a must watch i think, regarding palestine. it points the finger squarely at the united states.)

the wretched of the earth, franz fanon. fanon is really well known in the decolonization sphere because he writes about it in a very succinct and clear way. to him, decolonization can never occur peacefully, and i think that's a really important key lesson. he also talks about how colonizers don't just take land, they reframe ideas, they take language, art, thoughts.

the battle of algiers, 1966. this is a fascinating film, it's sort of a documentary, they got the actual people to play their parts. it describes and interviews the main individuals involved in the fight for independence within Algiers. i think understanding how a nation can gain independence over its colonial forces is really important in the grand scheme of decolonialism.

unthinking eurocentrism. if you can get your hands on it, i love this text. it's so poignant and it lays everything out so clearly and it really shows how we center our worlds around eurocentrism and westernism.

A thread of writing tips

A year ago or so I asked you guys to send in your best writing tips. I've compiled a list of some of the responses below. Oh, let's just ignore that it's been a whole year.

1. Take writing advice with a grain of salt. Every writer’s brain is different. Every person’s life is different. Every creative style is different. What works for some people won’t work for another. On top of that, some advice is just plain not helpful in the first place. So try to limit how much writing advice you take in because it can leave you spinning like a top until you can’t tell which way is up. Read more, write more and you’ll figure out what works for you eventually. [from @the-writers-bookshelf]

2. If you ever get stuck, vent about it to a friend or a notes document until a way forward presents itself. [from @scarlet-curls]

3. Be gentle with yourself. If you push yourself too hard too fast, you’re going to burn out, and then you either won’t be able to write anything, or you’re not going to particularly enjoy it, because you’re trying squeeze the last drops of water from a dry sponge. If you are burnt out, give yourself time to fill back up. Absorb other people’s work as a reader, as a viewer, as a general consumer. Let it give you inspiration and enthusiasm about your work again, and then when you feel ready, go back to writing. A metaphor I liked is that creating is breathing out, and enjoying other’s mediums is breathing in. As you breathe in more, you’re probably going to get the desire to create, but if you only exhale, you might metaphorically pass out. [from @writing-with-olive]

4. Arrive late, leave early. That advice has really helped me cut the excess out of scenes, and find what's essential / what's really adding to the story. It also keeps you hanging on, feeling excited to write the next scene because you're not divulging too much. You're jumping in and out of situations that are hopefully interesting to the audience / reader, and exploring those scenes, fleshing them out, then moving on. It’s just about balancing when is the right moment to move on, the right moment to cut the dialogue etc. Lots of trial and error, there! [from @spejdeir]

5. Start with the big picture. Always start with a one sentence summary. You don’t need any more than that. A beginning, vague middle, and an end. THEN start adding details. That sentence becomes a paragraph, then a page, then ten pages, and eventually a book. But start with just one sentence. [from @mj-is-writing]

6. Visualize. So you know what's going to happen in your chapter/short story. A's gonna chat with B before they fight monsters and kiss. With more details of course. Before you even approach the keyboard I want you to visualize it. Watch it like a movie in your own head. Daydream the situation. I do it in the shower and before I fall asleep most regularly.

It helps work out the kinks, the awkward points, and makes sure the scene flows naturally. Oh you paused because feels disconnected? Better to fix it now before you had a whole few paragraphs written about this. It helps with my flow a bit and makes sure I really know what's going on. [from @fablesrose]

7. If you are trying to build a writing habit, have a fairly solid writing schedule. It could be every day, it could be writing every few days, it could be once a week. Each time, open up your WIP, and read the last few paragraphs. If you’re coming up on burnout and reaaaalllly don’t want to write, that’s okay. Don’t write for now. But there’s a difference between burnout and “meh I kinda don’t wanna,” and opening up your WIP forces you to at least show up, ruling out the second state of mind. And remember - if you do decide not to write, don’t beat yourself up about it. Taking a rest is the smart move. [from @writing-with-olive]

8. Read the dialogue out loud while editing :) [from @loki-hargreeves]

9. Mine is, the often parroted, read a lot and write a lot. Honestly, best way to find your own writing style is to find the techniques/tropes/kind of character arcs you like best in media, and practice different ways of putting them together. If you want something a little less over said, I’d say make sure you take some time to care of your physical and mental health. As a person whose struggled with this in the past, let me tell you, it affects your creativity and productivity waaay more than you might thing. [from @ren-c-leyn]

10. When you first write something, it's not gonna be perfect. And that's okay. What you wanna do is go back later and fix and/or revise anything that you feel needs that. Also, it's good to make a character have breaks in their own dialogue. Whether they lose their train of thought or simply forget a word, it's okay. If anything, it makes it seem more realistic. [from @thedragonemperess]

11. Write in the time of hour that works best for you. If you’re a morning person, write in the morning. I always write in late afternoon or evening when the house stars to get silent. The neighbors children gone to bed and maybe a little sound of the tv from neighboring is buzzing in the background. [from @tildathings]

12. Never feel bad about writing what you know about. That's not to say you have to write what you know about, but there's nothing wrong with drawing from your own experiences and things you're confident with to help the words flow. That, and don't worry about writing tips, just be you :-) [from @ncruuk]

13. The first draft of your writing doesn't have to be perfect. Just write what ever you want without caring about the grammar, vocabulary etc. [from @yoon2jk]

14. Writing is different for anybody. It can be fast for this entity, while it will kinda take a while for this person right 'ere. Take your time, if you rush yourself you're just gonna burn your inspiration and will only delay you from writing or even stop you completely. Write in your own pace, it can be months, or week, heck it could even be a few hours. Just write comfortably. [from @tayooh]

15. Write garbage, and write it all the time. Have a writing journal, or a folder on your computer for writing journaling. Do stream of consciousness, do prompts, write whatever stupid thing comes to mind, don’t vet it, don’t dismiss anything, just write it. Write a hundred words, a thousand, just write write write.

Chances are, none of this will make any progress on your WIPs, even if you’re writing about your OCs or scenes from/related to your WIPs. That isn’t the important part. The important part is that you’re training your brain to write more and write better. The more you write, the more willing you are to write garbage... the easier it is to write when you need to, the better the writing will be, because you’ve already been practicing and thinking about your writing techniques.

I don’t mean to say “real writers write every day” or anything, that’s not what this is. All I’m getting at is that the more you write the easier writing gets, and the more willing you are to write a hundred words of nonsense, the easier you’ll find it to write a thousand words of prose.[from @the-bard-writes]

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