tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85085535561454113252024-02-21T02:14:36.155-08:00Inky BusinessHarriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-67697864858677589132016-11-07T08:39:00.002-08:002016-11-07T08:48:27.061-08:00Nine Ways to Energise Your Writing During NaNoWriMo<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not so long ago I ditched a novel I’d been working on for 18 months. Having got a great agent off the back of the initial few chapters, I was sad to accept the novel was ultimately doomed because - apart from anything else - I’d sunk so much time into it. But I went on to write my new novel in a mere three months and I’m excited to say it’s </span><a href="https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781409169178" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">being published in April</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are some things I’ve learnt about writing the first draft of a novel quickly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>1. Set your story in motion early on</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even if biding time for the inciting incident, you still need enough potential conflict to give the story a sense of movement in the first few chapters. The other day someone described using details like ‘trap doors’ and I love this idea of little things being set up that can later lead the story in new directions. Part of this is remembering that every character is interesting and might want things that will cause friction to others.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>2. Don't be bogged down by backstory</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If backstory is important at that particular point in the novel then great. Otherwise, don’t feel the need to explain everything about who the character is or the situation they’re facing. Rather than have chunks of explanation about their past, try drip feeding the relevant info. This will help get readers turning the pages to find out more. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>3. Get into your protagonist's head</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If stuck for something to write next, think about what your characters want, what they fear and what is the most challenging situation you could put them in. While you’ll most likely save the biggest confrontation for near the end of the novel, you need to poke and prod your characters along the way so they never get too comfortable.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>4. Turn off spell check</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hate those stupid squiggly red lines because no matter how much I try to resist, I have to go back and correct the mistake. Worse still, sometimes it isn’t even a mistake but a spelling that the software doesn’t recognise. I’d recommend turning off spell check until you reach the editing stages.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>5. Fill out unknown details later</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s nothing better than getting into the flow of writing so I avoid letting things trip me up like when I can’t remember a particular detail such as a character’s last name or what year something happened. On these occasions I add a placeholder that I can later fix. (I use ‘NBED’ but it could be any unique combination of characters.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>6. Resist editing</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As tempting as it is, frequently re-reading what I’ve written not only slows me down but is likely to make me worry what I’m doing is a complete shambles. I try to head straight to the section I’m working on which is easy with Scrivener. With Word, you could add a note or marking to the document.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>7. Set the mood</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you only have a short amount of time to spend writing, it might be useful to have a particular photo, song or quote that quickly puts you in the right headspace for your story. With me, it’s generally a photo on my desktop. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>8. Ask what your side characters are doing</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This can be especially important for your antagonist who you might even draw up a timeline for. Doing this avoids a sense of you just wheeling them on and off when needed, plus will generate ideas for storylines.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>9. Think while you're not writing</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s no escape! I write questions on my phone and come back to them when walking the dog. Writing them in a separate place helps me to clarify what the ‘holes’ in my story look like and set my subconscious mind working on the problem.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Got any tips on writing a first draft quickly? Please share below!</i></span></div>
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Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-38200095054972963292013-04-28T04:42:00.002-07:002013-04-29T11:19:30.189-07:00Self-Deprecation and the Surrealist Ideas of Claudia O'Doherty<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week on Woman’s Hour, Hadley Freeman
discussed what she refers to as ‘deprecating tourettes’: a tendency to point
out one’s own shortcomings over and over again, as if some kind of compulsion.
According to Freeman, this is a quality particular to women and is indicative
of an apologetic stance in the world.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the radio show debated women more
generally, we may ask: in the sphere of comedy, what is the role of
self-deprecation?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For this is of course a
well-rehearsed comedic device used by both male and female stand-ups. Yet, when
trying to list comedians who commonly feature self-deprecation, women by far outweigh
the men. A self-deprecating Ricky Gervais? Or Stewart Lee? Or Louis CK? Doesn’t
seem likely. Whereas to think of a supremely confident female comedian is
considerably more difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen a
female stand-up belittle their own success by pointing out their (supposed)
failures as an unhappy singleton who still lives at home. In a sense, it’s a
clever, or at least a natural, thing to do – endearing
yourself to the audience by showing your human, flawed side. Indeed,
self-deprecation is often celebrated as a form of wry wit, a particularly
British quality one should be proud of. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yet, the problem lies when a female
comedian feels that they must behave in this way. Self-deprecation becomes a
compulsory act that stifles and limits comedy performances. This is why <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaudiaODoherty">Claudia O’Doherty</a> is so refreshing. An Australian stand-up with a somewhat oddball,
left-of-field persona, O’Doherty has recently appeared at London Kings Cross’
<a href="http://www.theinvisibledot.com/">Invisible Dot</a> with her variety show featuring various performers. She is, however, most well-known in the UK for
‘The Telescope’. The posters for this surrealist performance came with the
warning, ‘this show will not be funny’. Indeed, the premise was that O’Doherty
had been commissioned to do a piece, yet a loophole in her contract meant that
no jokes must be made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Described as ‘difficult theatre’, this act
took the notion of an unlikely and ill-equipped performer and turned this into
an absurdist parody. The play blended a range of surrealist characters, all
coming from different historical times, and formed some kind of bizarre murder-mystery.
Rather than appeasing the audience with self-deprecation, O’Doherty sought to
unsettle the stand-up genre. Part of the way in, she feigns the performance
going off-the-rails, leaving her left stood looking startled in front of a
bemused audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In turn, O’Doherty plays with the idea of
the performer as a flawed and precarious creator of comedy, expanding the
limits of what might be termed ‘self-deprecation’. As ever, diversity and
imagination is what keeps comedy exciting and I believe O’Doherty has this in spades.</span>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-20956881345571520782013-03-04T12:51:00.000-08:002013-03-04T12:51:08.126-08:00The Challenges of the Trans Award
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Trans Award has recently joined up with
the BBC Writers Room to launch a script writing competition - calling for
positive and affirming portrayals of transgender characters in mainstream comedy.
While the desire to change the ways the media represents transgender issues is
cause for celebration, the competition’s premise does pose a certain kind of
challenge for a comedy writer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What does it mean to portray someone in a
positive light? That they are happy and accepted by their society? Or, that
they avoid tired stereotypes and, instead, come across as a fresh, original
character who people can relate to? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The latter seems like a favourable option.
Whereas the former notion of trying to prescribe specific kinds of characters
sets off alarms bells for a few different reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy
characters:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A comedy writer will often be hesitant to
make any character too happy or well adjusted. Generally, comedy comes out of placing
characters in difficult or even desperate situations, humiliating them,
confirming their worst fears and generally putting them through the mill. This
is how the audience gets to know them, and learns where their boundaries lie.
Likewise, the idea that this character should be accepted by the people around
them flouts key comedy rules – storylines and tension is created through
conflict and a perpetual lack of harmony. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taste:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The debate over transgender issues tends to
provoke comments on taste and offensiveness, functioning as parameters of what
is deemed worthy discussion. But, as Picasso once famously said, taste is the
enemy of creativity. Taste has no place in comedy; rather, comedy is perhaps
best and most fruitfully used when exploring ideas that are subversive or
unpopular. Writers should, therefore, not shy away from representations on the
grounds that the majority may not be pleased by these. In the world of comedy,
each person should be presented through the comedic gaze – subject to scrutiny
and laughter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reality:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What can often be pleasurable in comedy or
any form of art is its ability to reflect the nature and details of everyday
life. We should portray not only the positive aspects of the transgender
experience but also the inevitable challenges faced. To ignore this would be
frustrating for an audience, and ultimately an unsatisfying representation of
the complexities of this subject. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To this end, I hope the winning script is
one which tackles transgender issues with courage and conviction. I hope it is
one that does not avoid difficult subjects but confronts them head-on to create
fresh and original comedy.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-56371034699599184632012-12-24T09:28:00.002-08:002012-12-24T09:31:18.857-08:00Let's Talk About Rape Jokes<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These days, it seems that the easiest way for a comedian to get publicity is to make a joke about rape. This is almost guaranteed to get people sitting up and listening, and may even spark a media frenzy. Most recently, a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/rape-joke-backfires-on-virgin-mobile-us-20121210-2b4lc.html">Virgin Mobile US advert</a> was accused of making a joke about a husband raping his wife, describing this as the ‘gift of Christmas surprise’.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a result, a wave of debates has been provoked, with news sites and Twitter pages being flood with opinions and responses. There has also been the inevitable backlash against feminists or other groups who have commented on or criticised rape jokes. Louis CK perhaps articulated this resentment most obviously, arguing that comedians and feminists are natural enemies. In turn, the familiar retort of “they just can’t take a joke” gets banded about, attempting to silence and belittle those who dare voice an opinion.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yet we can and should talk about rape jokes.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will start by saying that I am not in favour of enforcing some kind of censorship on comedy. Even if it was felt a useful thing to do, we could never draw up a set of rules and parameters delineating what counts as acceptable. In other words, people should be free to say what they want. But, in the same way, people should be free to <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">react</em> in the way that <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">they</em> want.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rape jokes don’t operate in purely abstract terms; not only is the high incidents of rape an ongoing reality, the politics around the issue are often very contentious. This is unlike cases of, for example, racism or paedophilia, where there is generally a clear demarcation between the guilty and the innocent. Rather, accusations of rape are often met with the attitude that the victim deserved, or was somehow complicit in, the act. Needless to say, women’s rights and other social groups have much anger towards what they see as the ignorance and misconceptions around rape.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So when a comedian engages with the issue of rape, people tend to listen closely. And those who don’t like a particular joke aren’t hypersensitive, they’re human. At some point in each of our lives, we will hear a joke or line that we find offensive or an affront to our taste; everyone has ideas that they care about, viewpoints that they are protective over.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgSswpqHgX13SG340vHVIbpm2apWsAmMMflZ-TtfKX8u-p1jiYsdjpYga_Bg0te7opi7RLBAqIkpLAW1fXYaeV82tkCNBcU0OHvQqQh7wRgTdIs5NUlvmNHY9heCcUCzUhgF3jGwkJlU/s1600/MV5BMTM2NzI3NTU5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODkxODAwNA@@._V1._SY314_CR9,0,214,314_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgSswpqHgX13SG340vHVIbpm2apWsAmMMflZ-TtfKX8u-p1jiYsdjpYga_Bg0te7opi7RLBAqIkpLAW1fXYaeV82tkCNBcU0OHvQqQh7wRgTdIs5NUlvmNHY9heCcUCzUhgF3jGwkJlU/s1600/MV5BMTM2NzI3NTU5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODkxODAwNA@@._V1._SY314_CR9,0,214,314_.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah Silverman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, it is not the contentiousness of the subject of rape that in itself results in the criticism of certain jokes. In fact, the tendency to provoke strong reactions is what can make jokes about rape really great. Sarah Silverman’s line “I was raped by my doctor, which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl” got her a big laugh from many feminists, for example. Here, the act of making a joke from the perspective of a woman disrupts the dynamic of the powerless, silent female victim. Yet, more generally, rape jokes can be about breaking a taboo as a means to challenge a dominant viewpoint. When Louis CK quipped “I’m not condoning rape, obviously you should never rape anyone… unless you have a reason, like if you want to fuck somebody and they won’t let you”, he was mocking the prevalent dismissal of rape as an unfortunate yet inevitable outcome of overriding sexual urges.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To me there’s something liberating about these jokes – laughing at social wrongs from a point of view that is insightful and surprising in some way. In contrast, many rape jokes are tired and lazy, simply dressing up sexist and offensive statements as comedy. In my opinion, Frankie Boyle’s joke about Victoria Pendleton falls into this category: “Victoria can lift twice her own bodyweight. Sexy, as it means she still wouldn’t be able to throw me off”. To point out a man’s ability to overpower and rape a woman is not so much a joke as the reminder of a sad reality. For me, a funny rape joke engages with the culture around rape rather than laughing at the act of rape itself. Otherwise you’re laughing at pain and victimisation, which isn’t exactly hilarious.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having said this, I do think it’s dangerous to start dissecting what is funny and why. Like I said earlier, there will never be a set of rules for comedy – perceptions of what is funny will always vary. What I am defending is the right of reply. This is nothing new. While the advent of blogs and news chat rooms may be relatively recent, people have always vocalised a response to comedy – be it in the form of heckling or printed reviews. And by making rape jokes, comedians are willfully inviting this dialogue, so must therefore accept all responses – good and bad.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Strong reactions are what keep things interesting and comedians on their toes, because words are important and carry a certain amount of weight. There’s nothing wrong with actually thinking about what you’re saying, which isn’t to say that comedians should censor themselves or intellectualise their actions. Rather, they should have a little conviction about the words they use. This way, if someone has some sort of response, they can retort with something more credible than the rather measly, “you can’t take a joke”.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was first published at <a href="http://www.the-platform.org.uk/2012/12/22/rape-jokes-lets-talk-about-them/">The Platform</a>.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-77433489598539870492012-12-09T14:44:00.002-08:002012-12-09T14:45:05.821-08:00Gillard gets a Giggle<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Australia’s PM, Julia Gillard, displayed
her playful sense of humour this week when she made a <a href="http://www.pedestrian.tv/news/arts-and-culture/julia-gillard-assures-us-of-the-apocalypse-her-sen/009fc6f1-9982-4830-a452-37512f46249c.htm">speech</a> declaring the end
of the world is coming. It was part of a
promo clip for the radio station Triple J, and sees Gillard talk about a zombie
apocalypse before making the final quip “at least I won’t have to do Q&A
again”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gillard has often been praised for her
ability to see the funny side of things, and many people claimed this spoof
speech as further proof of the PM’s status as quick-witted feminist. Indeed,
when Gillard accused Tony Abbott of sexism during a parliamentary debate in
October, at times her speech was notably comedic, telling the opposition leader
that if he wanted to find misogyny all he needed to do was look in a mirror. So
although her feminist values have been <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/15/julia-gillard-no-feminist-hero">disputed</a>,
Gillard is certainly one sharp woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The use of humour has long been used in
politics as means of reinforcing a point or, for example, deflating the
opposition. Obama gained many fans when he poked fun at the issue over his
birth certificate, portraying his birth with a clip of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aas_G8yrcFM">Lion King</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I personally hope we see more of Gillard’s
dead-pan comedy. Not only does it disrupt the stereotype of feminists as being overly serious and highly strung, it provides an opportunity to engage with issues in alternative and interesting ways.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-58161689188954522932012-11-04T05:22:00.000-08:002012-11-09T11:14:06.892-08:00Can Burlesque be Seen as a Feminist Statement?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Burlesque and cabaret are pretty popular in
London these days - huge hoards of women roll into darkened clubs and gym classes
are filled with women sliding down poles. And while burlesque dancing is
becoming more of a casual pastime, organisers are also doing well to promote
its status as a glitzy high-end performance. This week Crazy Horse Paris presents
its show <a href="http://www.forevercrazy.co.uk/">Forever Crazy</a> at the South Bank, an expensive and highly choreographed affair starring Kelly Brook. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I often love to watch these kinds of show
but do feel confused over what to make of this so-called art form. Is burlesque
another form of sexual exploitation or a way of championing the feminist cause?
Well, I think inevitably it can be either, or both. Arguably it comes down to
whether the particular burlesque show successfully subverts the conventions of other
forms of stripping, as well as the powerless spectacle of the female body more
generally.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4q0udwBQ7gs0acUNmUEHIvd273KH1qTbKAm2Qq0LMHP1GHQopJXDiPxbPJlNtXRRhzrP4S7fY3Gg_9XrEjlprMdg0Ss_D58R-Qx8P5suSoJzCNc8Ma-DKYdN6L73gD8rFVKl4lhF-DI0/s1600/5817099511_479d936d3c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4q0udwBQ7gs0acUNmUEHIvd273KH1qTbKAm2Qq0LMHP1GHQopJXDiPxbPJlNtXRRhzrP4S7fY3Gg_9XrEjlprMdg0Ss_D58R-Qx8P5suSoJzCNc8Ma-DKYdN6L73gD8rFVKl4lhF-DI0/s320/5817099511_479d936d3c.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Burlesque dancers do exert a certain amount
of power in that they choose their stage name, costume, and – perhaps more
importantly – how much flesh they show. Yet, a more significant area of
consideration is the nature of the performance itself. Arguably, burlesque
performances are far from a basic form of titillation, but subtle and
intelligent works of art. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indeed, burlesque has a long history of
acting as a medium in which to explore the social and political issues of the
day. Clickety Split, for example, is a burlesque group from Chicago that make
statements on current issues such as abortion rights and war. And of course,
pretty much all performances can be said to explore the idea of femininity.
Sexual stereotypes and characters – such as the pin-up, housewife, and movie
star – are playfully exaggerated to the point of parody and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWH7jf8crQs">humour</a>.
In turn, the notion of the passive female is disrupted as the audience laughs
and interacts with the show. In fact, unpredictability and audience interaction frequently comes into play, as performers actively surprise and challenge people in
the crowd. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition, there tends to be different
types of femininity on show – including women covered in tattoos, with shaved
heads, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PDhPLeEBQU">larger women</a>. Shows can promote a diversity of shapes and sizes as well as personalities. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So perhaps burlesque can be seen as a way of
celebrating the female form without displaying it as a passive sexual object. It is often about sensuality and lightheartedness, as well as politics and
subversion. Of course, there will always be different forms and interpretations;
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=/watch%3Fv%3DsdIp-c0ExO0">Dita Von Teese</a> has more of a classic look, seeming submissive and almost
childlike in some of her acts. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I think, ultimately, it's important to have diversity. If something is to be creative, there can't be too many rules and set ideas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, the risk is that as more women perform burlesque and it
becomes more mainstream, it loses its creative and political edge</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- instead becoming full of </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">one-dimensional routines,
bloated with clichés.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like the idea of femininity, I think we
should strive to think of burlesque as an open-ended and actively creative medium,
full of play and humour.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-41439713063969611952012-10-24T13:06:00.001-07:002012-11-01T14:02:23.805-07:00What Would Beyonce Do?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last night I saw the stand-up comedian <a href="https://twitter.com/luisaomielan">Luisa Omielan</a> at the <em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">Comedy Café</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"> Theatre in Shoreditch. It was a free show, supported by Ellie Taylor, called What Would Beyonce Do? Contrasting her own life with that of the millionaire superstar, Omielan talked about all the things you might expect - independence, boyfriends and paying those bills bills bills. The comedian was a hit in Edinburgh this year and I can see why. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">Omielan had bags of personality and told some cracking stories. But most of all, I enjoyed how physical her performance was. Blaring out clips of various Beyonce tracks, Omielan danced around the stage and out into the audience, comically gyrating up against people and generally shakin' her thing. Basically, she was loving it, loving her body, loving being out there in the crowd. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">It got me thinking about how the body should be a thing of pleasure. Okay, inevitably it'll always also be a thing of pain but ultimately, either way, it should be something we constantly explore and use in different ways. As Baz Luhrmann puts it in his song: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="background-color: white;">Enjoy your body,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><i><span style="background-color: white;">use it every way you can… don’t be afraid of it, or what other people </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever </span></i><i><span style="background-color: white;">own</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">But for many of us, particularly women, it's a source of worry and shame. We feel it's ugly, too large, or it's just somehow out-of-place in the world. I think we can all agree this is terrible yet, rather than constantly trying to fight these feelings, maybe we should declare apathy for the idea of beauty as something utterly serious and compelling. This is a hard task, I know. But I believe that's where comedy comes in. It affords us a side-position where, while still engaged in notions of beauty, we disrupt these and deflate their significance. It seems likely that we'll always want to be more beautiful. Yet if we laugh at ourselves and see things from a comical stance, we open up space in which to play and perform in new ways. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">Omielan was going through lots of emotions on stage including, towards the end, lying in a crumbled heap pretend-sobbing. The heartbreak she spoke of was pretty intense in some ways yet, we all laughed because life can be both funny and sad at the exact same time. And as women, we try to be independent, we try to be sexy, but ultimately we should also just try to laugh. </span></span><br />
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<br />Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-87644311286125629792012-10-21T14:11:00.003-07:002012-10-25T12:29:24.126-07:00I Hart Miranda <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8XkiFnYRu8WuI_mss7AryKtbI0CLit0TjYspUd6uuvu0OeGRmUFdaO-HNS1-uXs05YVaR5DmtmzlUMSSZcNvtHLCkiKmM5hEYkKAAMprANtdRqbADSQfyVc33R0mPP4G1_J1CW2g4cg/s1600/heartimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8XkiFnYRu8WuI_mss7AryKtbI0CLit0TjYspUd6uuvu0OeGRmUFdaO-HNS1-uXs05YVaR5DmtmzlUMSSZcNvtHLCkiKmM5hEYkKAAMprANtdRqbADSQfyVc33R0mPP4G1_J1CW2g4cg/s320/heartimage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wasn't sure about 'Miranda' to begin with, the sitcom seemed clunky and over-the-top. But I wanted to like it, in that way you do when you believe in the concept behind something. And it kept popping up on my TV screen, so I gave it a go. And slowly but surely I saw what other people saw - this big, lovable, embarrassing character who never quite gets it right but keeps on trying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Well, Miranda Hart has a new book out, 'Is It Just Me?', </span><a href="http://www.seetickets.com/Event/IS-IT-JUST-ME-BOOK-EVENT-WITH-MIRANDA-HART/Lyric-Theatre/668470">and is holding an event tomorrow night (Monday 22 October) at the Lyric Theatre</a><span class="Apple-style-span">. At £21 a ticket, it's pretty steep - although it does include a signed copy of the new book. Plus she's amazing.</span></span></div>
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Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508553556145411325.post-9345638093971845942012-10-16T13:50:00.000-07:002012-10-25T12:21:20.190-07:00Why laugh?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWFNkr2cdlx83SUsPcdbdEXn6_DM8a305ktviGR1coSxaPGBgkyOT843hswyGBYVPyCwuzFX_05Fz-y6h6rH6Hb82zV-zh-tQTk5vywfvpmpiGm-VaAIkehN-G-ic_c1PEi-TUFcyun8/s1600/womanfunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWFNkr2cdlx83SUsPcdbdEXn6_DM8a305ktviGR1coSxaPGBgkyOT843hswyGBYVPyCwuzFX_05Fz-y6h6rH6Hb82zV-zh-tQTk5vywfvpmpiGm-VaAIkehN-G-ic_c1PEi-TUFcyun8/s320/womanfunny.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In what ways can laughter and comedy be used to explore feminism? This question is not new, I know. But I'd like to find out about what's going on today in London and beyond. Which women are laughing the longest, in what ways and why? I propose to discuss this here. Comments/replies/outraged rebuttals all welcome.</span>Harriet Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637160272735282585noreply@blogger.com0