I completely agree with the TS comment, and it's really refreshing to hear as many a Swiftie friend of mine has been quick to jump to her defense. She's doing so well, and at least to our knowledge, these relationships didn't end for horrible reasons. It just feels wrong to tear these guys down when there are people being abused in relationships. thanK you aIMee also confounds me in that sense, because it almost seems like she's digging the past back up for no reason. I'm not her, and obviously we don't know what happened behind closed doors, but this whole album sort of needs a "Kim, there's people that are dying" check.
Also, Endless Woods Twitter was such a fun touch in ACOT. I, for one, thought it was really fun and a nice break from the action and chaos. I think there's always going to be a part of you or a reflection of your experience in your writing- that's what makes art art.
I was listening to LOVER the other day and thinking, everything about this album feels so free and hip and fresh and fun. Like there's no ego to it somehow and it's all channeling. The new one... it's just so authorial. And that's good to some extent, if the author's life is what gives you joy and inspiration to explore, but I can't find that transcendent element that lifts my heart the way all the other stuff does.
I gleefully settle scores in my books lol. I take it as the privilege of the artist. I turned Mattie's evil elementary school principal into a troll in Never After. My college nemesis into the most annoying character in my first novel. I haven't seen Baby Reindeer but now I am intrigued. My favorite song on TTPD is "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" because it is SO PETTY and I LOVE IT lol. "I'll forget but I'll never forgiiiiive" is so me lol.
Evil Elementary School Principal is a hit picture book waiting to happen. I'm always dreaming about doing petty things but then I have to *think* about the person... and I'm like, ugh, why bother.
Interesting. For me, personally, as a hyper-empathetic person, the series holds no appeal whatsoever. I've never found the sight of people falling over funny, and have never understand why other people do.
I remember during the ice bucket challenge, a friend showed me a video of an Irish woman messing up her challenge and running into a lamppost, with the assurance that I would soon be crying with laughter. When I didn't laugh and instead expressed concern for the woman, she actually got annoyed with me.
Behaviour like Martha's and the people who emulate is is like another language to me.
I think it's partially what makes the series interesting -- his attempt to empathize and understand Martha, no matter how horrific her behavior is. Everyone in the series is so conflicted, which is why we as the audience end up a bit lost with our emotions too. Truly a strange, strange but compelling work of art.
I honestly struggle with caving into anger when I'm writing. A lot of my writing comes from experiences with a difficult parent and some religious experiences that were negative. I want to write something deeper than that where I'm not attacking someone else and possibly creating conflict/misunderstandings about even more people than I intended.
However, I do think revenge stories in fiction are interesting and I like them if they are executed well.
Anger is such a fantastic tool for writing, provided it leads to deeper understanding of what produced the anger in the first place... I like the idea of creating more conflict, bad karma by just using art purely for lashing out. I think it's very true.
This is such an interesting topic and I completely agree! I too feel that strange uneasy sensation whenever I listen to TTPD. I think it's because while Taylor's life has been hard, especially in her younger years, at this point she IS thriving and there's no real way to refute that no matter how much she complains in her songs. Songs like thanK you aIMee and I Hate It Here, while wonderful musically, feel pretty insensitive to me, especially considering the absolute horrors happening currently worldwide. At some point it is necessary to let go of the ghosts (and humiliations) of our pasts so we can focus on the present, and especially on those who need our help the most right now. I totally understand why you dislike the way you gave into your anger for SGE, but I wonder what your overall thoughts are on taking a stance or sending a message in your writing? It's so easy to feel helpless nowadays and I want to be able to make a difference through my writing and art, but as you've discussed before it's difficult to know what is the best way to do so.
P.S. I watched the MET Gala last night because I love fashion and have always been a fan of the event, but lately it's been losing its charm considering how much our world has become like a dystopia. Every celebrity looked like they could have just come from the Capitol! Isn't it crazy how media like The Hunger Games and Squid Game can be dismissed as super-fantastical, only for them to come true within the next few years?
Sorry this got so heavy. I'm really impressed with how conscientious you are being in your writing process! It is very inspiring.
This is such a wonderful comment because it reflects so much not only what I'm thinking, but I think what A LOT of us are thinking. That there's just old models of narcissism, individual and collective, that when you hold them to light... start to feel flimsy.
I've been struggling with this since I'm considering crafting a character inspired by an ex. I'm trying to find where the line is between basing it off him or just using him as inspiration. Because he was a jerk at the end of the day... but can I feel good about broadcasting the "jerky" things he did on the page? Even if I've changed his name and the character is maybe 60% him and 40% fiction?
See, but the 40% fiction is important, because it's there you can find the universality in the character and the ability to see something in him that's either redeemable or worth exploring to get better insight into the 'real' version of him. Your internal mechanism will tell you what to do with the template -- don't be so faithful to the reality of him, as it'll hold you back from where you need to go.
I haven't watched it ... I am too emotional/empathetic to see this and also be able to sleep later (same reason I struggle with Black Mirror). I am constantly thinking about how the tv and movies teens consume influence their decision making in relationships in real life... I am intrigued by your thoughts and eager to share them with my swifties to see what they think. Great conversation starter!
I'm dying to hear if your Swifties cancel me! Or if they secretly agree... And Baby Reindeer is very, very intense. That's for sure. Good to protect yourself if you're not quite up to it.
The scary thing is sometimes people don't realise they're becoming Marthas. Especially through social media and photos that reduce a person, an entire living being to some simple labels. Especially when there is a crowd, too.
Many people around me don't believe in fiction and tell me they aren't real. But I think in any type of fiction and art, I can see something about real life in them. And from an outsider's perspective on the story, problems are much easier to see conpared to real life, where part of the problem is ourselves.
That said, I sometimes do write for revenge, just to see the scenarios playing out exactly like I wanted. But often, they also lead me somewhere beyond my awareness. It's a starting point for me! Or sometimes it doesn't work, I go down a spiral, and I just had to discard the entire draft. It's experimental for me
That's what interesting about Martha. She seems to be resigned to her fate, though. Like she knows she's crossing the line -- what sends her over the edge is someone *remarking* on her crimes, though. Almost like Emperors New Clothes.
I think when writing, books, music has more of revenge tone to it, it succeeds. It's easier to be mean than nice. Something that talks about revenge allows us to live in a little world were we get to be this version of ourselves were we get to just let go. Being the bigger person is hard. Being mean is simple, all we have to do is say what we're thinking no filter needed. So in summary, books or music that talk about revenge allow us to imagine that we were allowed to say everything that pops into our head, and people like to imagine that we could even just got a second
But the revenge is interesting when it's vague, so we can fill in our own grievances. I think when it's specifically a diss track... somehow it loses power?
I completely agree with the TS comment, and it's really refreshing to hear as many a Swiftie friend of mine has been quick to jump to her defense. She's doing so well, and at least to our knowledge, these relationships didn't end for horrible reasons. It just feels wrong to tear these guys down when there are people being abused in relationships. thanK you aIMee also confounds me in that sense, because it almost seems like she's digging the past back up for no reason. I'm not her, and obviously we don't know what happened behind closed doors, but this whole album sort of needs a "Kim, there's people that are dying" check.
Also, Endless Woods Twitter was such a fun touch in ACOT. I, for one, thought it was really fun and a nice break from the action and chaos. I think there's always going to be a part of you or a reflection of your experience in your writing- that's what makes art art.
I was listening to LOVER the other day and thinking, everything about this album feels so free and hip and fresh and fun. Like there's no ego to it somehow and it's all channeling. The new one... it's just so authorial. And that's good to some extent, if the author's life is what gives you joy and inspiration to explore, but I can't find that transcendent element that lifts my heart the way all the other stuff does.
I gleefully settle scores in my books lol. I take it as the privilege of the artist. I turned Mattie's evil elementary school principal into a troll in Never After. My college nemesis into the most annoying character in my first novel. I haven't seen Baby Reindeer but now I am intrigued. My favorite song on TTPD is "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" because it is SO PETTY and I LOVE IT lol. "I'll forget but I'll never forgiiiiive" is so me lol.
Evil Elementary School Principal is a hit picture book waiting to happen. I'm always dreaming about doing petty things but then I have to *think* about the person... and I'm like, ugh, why bother.
Interesting. For me, personally, as a hyper-empathetic person, the series holds no appeal whatsoever. I've never found the sight of people falling over funny, and have never understand why other people do.
I remember during the ice bucket challenge, a friend showed me a video of an Irish woman messing up her challenge and running into a lamppost, with the assurance that I would soon be crying with laughter. When I didn't laugh and instead expressed concern for the woman, she actually got annoyed with me.
Behaviour like Martha's and the people who emulate is is like another language to me.
I think it's partially what makes the series interesting -- his attempt to empathize and understand Martha, no matter how horrific her behavior is. Everyone in the series is so conflicted, which is why we as the audience end up a bit lost with our emotions too. Truly a strange, strange but compelling work of art.
I honestly struggle with caving into anger when I'm writing. A lot of my writing comes from experiences with a difficult parent and some religious experiences that were negative. I want to write something deeper than that where I'm not attacking someone else and possibly creating conflict/misunderstandings about even more people than I intended.
However, I do think revenge stories in fiction are interesting and I like them if they are executed well.
Anger is such a fantastic tool for writing, provided it leads to deeper understanding of what produced the anger in the first place... I like the idea of creating more conflict, bad karma by just using art purely for lashing out. I think it's very true.
This is such an interesting topic and I completely agree! I too feel that strange uneasy sensation whenever I listen to TTPD. I think it's because while Taylor's life has been hard, especially in her younger years, at this point she IS thriving and there's no real way to refute that no matter how much she complains in her songs. Songs like thanK you aIMee and I Hate It Here, while wonderful musically, feel pretty insensitive to me, especially considering the absolute horrors happening currently worldwide. At some point it is necessary to let go of the ghosts (and humiliations) of our pasts so we can focus on the present, and especially on those who need our help the most right now. I totally understand why you dislike the way you gave into your anger for SGE, but I wonder what your overall thoughts are on taking a stance or sending a message in your writing? It's so easy to feel helpless nowadays and I want to be able to make a difference through my writing and art, but as you've discussed before it's difficult to know what is the best way to do so.
P.S. I watched the MET Gala last night because I love fashion and have always been a fan of the event, but lately it's been losing its charm considering how much our world has become like a dystopia. Every celebrity looked like they could have just come from the Capitol! Isn't it crazy how media like The Hunger Games and Squid Game can be dismissed as super-fantastical, only for them to come true within the next few years?
Sorry this got so heavy. I'm really impressed with how conscientious you are being in your writing process! It is very inspiring.
This is such a wonderful comment because it reflects so much not only what I'm thinking, but I think what A LOT of us are thinking. That there's just old models of narcissism, individual and collective, that when you hold them to light... start to feel flimsy.
I've been struggling with this since I'm considering crafting a character inspired by an ex. I'm trying to find where the line is between basing it off him or just using him as inspiration. Because he was a jerk at the end of the day... but can I feel good about broadcasting the "jerky" things he did on the page? Even if I've changed his name and the character is maybe 60% him and 40% fiction?
See, but the 40% fiction is important, because it's there you can find the universality in the character and the ability to see something in him that's either redeemable or worth exploring to get better insight into the 'real' version of him. Your internal mechanism will tell you what to do with the template -- don't be so faithful to the reality of him, as it'll hold you back from where you need to go.
I haven't watched it ... I am too emotional/empathetic to see this and also be able to sleep later (same reason I struggle with Black Mirror). I am constantly thinking about how the tv and movies teens consume influence their decision making in relationships in real life... I am intrigued by your thoughts and eager to share them with my swifties to see what they think. Great conversation starter!
I'm dying to hear if your Swifties cancel me! Or if they secretly agree... And Baby Reindeer is very, very intense. That's for sure. Good to protect yourself if you're not quite up to it.
The scary thing is sometimes people don't realise they're becoming Marthas. Especially through social media and photos that reduce a person, an entire living being to some simple labels. Especially when there is a crowd, too.
Many people around me don't believe in fiction and tell me they aren't real. But I think in any type of fiction and art, I can see something about real life in them. And from an outsider's perspective on the story, problems are much easier to see conpared to real life, where part of the problem is ourselves.
That said, I sometimes do write for revenge, just to see the scenarios playing out exactly like I wanted. But often, they also lead me somewhere beyond my awareness. It's a starting point for me! Or sometimes it doesn't work, I go down a spiral, and I just had to discard the entire draft. It's experimental for me
That's what interesting about Martha. She seems to be resigned to her fate, though. Like she knows she's crossing the line -- what sends her over the edge is someone *remarking* on her crimes, though. Almost like Emperors New Clothes.
I think when writing, books, music has more of revenge tone to it, it succeeds. It's easier to be mean than nice. Something that talks about revenge allows us to live in a little world were we get to be this version of ourselves were we get to just let go. Being the bigger person is hard. Being mean is simple, all we have to do is say what we're thinking no filter needed. So in summary, books or music that talk about revenge allow us to imagine that we were allowed to say everything that pops into our head, and people like to imagine that we could even just got a second
But the revenge is interesting when it's vague, so we can fill in our own grievances. I think when it's specifically a diss track... somehow it loses power?
I agree, with the exception of look what you made me do. An iconic diss track that has so much power attached to it.