Niley in Love

The weather has been really crazy the past week and a half, with snow coming down. I was actually let out of work early tonight so that I wouldn't have to face anything worse later.

Hardly anyone was there today, but yesterday, it was a mob scene! Nonetheless, I managed to get some thinking done. I got reminiscing about what made me want to write that book I was working on. Remember that book? Anyway. This is the original quote that got me inspired, from the anthology The Practices of Psychoanalytic Criticism:

"Aristotleian criticism assumes a character is that wich reveals moral purpose. As a moral agent that makes choices, it encounters other moral forces in the process of working out an action."

I wanted to understand what was meant by "moral purpose", because perhaps this is why mainstream script analysts use Aristotleian Theory. (There's a lot more behind my reasoning, but it would take forever to explain.) Aristotle was a great philosopher, but the man hardly had the last word on storytelling.

In the six months of research I've done, I think I've answered that question. I hope to start doing some writing soon. What form will it take? I don't know.

Right now, I'm writing a new Hot Teen News video. Miley and Nick Jonas are officially a pair, FTW!!!

What Am I DOING?!?!

Last night, I made a video. As you know, for the past several months, I've been working on a book that critiques screenwriting books. Well, I shot it, edited it, and uploaded the result to YouTube:

Before I went to bed, something occurred to me. "Of all the things I could write about, and I'm writing about THIS. Compared to other matters, this seems so trivial. It's not about there having a limited audience for this sort of book. It doesn't seem quite as important to me as it did even a month ago. Besides, do I really want to be known for writing a book about screenwriting? As they say, "It's always the first book that defines you."

Maybe an essay will suffice.

Fried My Little Brains

Sometimes when I think I'm done with this book, I'm not. I spent last week reading Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434. Previously, I read the two books I took out on Interlibrary Loan. Over the weekend, I read two editions of the book that got me fired up about writing a book like this in the first place: Syd Field's Screenplay.

What bothered me about Field's book is his calvinist implication that all movies have three acts. Aristotle never said that drama had three acts; what he did say was that all dramas had a beginning, middle and an end. What Mr. Field is saying is entirely obvious, and worse, there are other gurus who takes it seriously! Another thing that struck me about the book is how quaint it actually is--the ideas are too basic, and compared to other manuals, not very thorough.

I've taken out a few more books on interlibrary loan--the remainder I had on my list. Then I'll let the books simmer for awhile, and take it from there.

Right now, what I'd really like to do is to get writing. Last night (Saturday into Sunday), I was googling information on Alison Mosshart, singer from The Kills, and I found this:

"The Kills are very little like Mr. Airplane Man, The Black Keys, or Modey Lemon, either. Those bands want to pay tribute to their record collections. The Kills are about right now, this moment.

I feel weird about saying this, but I find that quote very inspiring, and I think it defines the band's music completely. I want to keep this in mind as I write the movie. There's a Patti Smith quote in an Edie Sedgwick bio I read awhile ago, and it's very similar to the quote above.

Bedtime.

I HATE My Job

Yesterday, I realized I'd had it. I don't want to work in customer service anymore. I was daydreaming about writing a paper on a "little things" aesthetic. That began the persistent thought that it was time for me to go back to school. Maybe all this research I have doing about Aristotle, Plato, and Mythology is a subtle way of telling me that it's time to start seriously thinking about finding a profession I like. Or something.

I'm hoping I'll find a clear and more defined answer when I go down to the city at the end of the week. Also, I want to get my driving finalized before I go down there, so maybe that will help, too. All I know is that I can't dismiss my feelings about my job anymore.

Why?

For the last week and a half now, I've been digging up academic journal articles, and copying book excerpts that primarily deal with Joseph Campbell and Aristotle's Poetics in preparation to write a book (or something) that criticizes screenwriting books and their dogmatic views on storytelling. Earlier tonight, I believe I was thinking about digging out more articles at the libraries at Cornell, when I had to stop and think.

WHY AM I DOING THIS?!?!?? It's not that pursuing such a project would be futile (though it might be). My question was more like, "Do I really care enough to do this?" Undertaking a book length criticism requires a lot of energy, and I might be better off channeling that energy in more constructive ways. I don't even have a proper thesis! Why do I want to do this, and why do I care?