Home Thoughts from Home

Good to be home, safe and sound and know we have done good work.  Rave reviews for The Book of Spells and the Towards More Powerful Telling workshop; lots of good comments from kids and teachers in schools.

On the flight back I had a window seat which I always organize if I can.  Partly that’s for the view and partly it’s because the journey becomes more real in its passing and thus less jarring on arrival.

As ever, I was overwhelmed by the sight of the landscape underneath our feet.  First, there was that very particular range of colours that comes from the light of the prairies (yellows and pinks especially blended in the snow tones this time).  There were the squares of the fields and the snaking of the rivers, looping back on themselves almost in their flowing through that vast open land.  It all comes to an end so suddenly as you cross the line that marks the beginning of the bush which changes -- almost equally suddenly -- to Canadian Shield.  The Sleeping Giant was visible as we went over Thunder Bay; the sun shone on the waters of Lake Superior and then the glistening and glowing and the shore line disappeared beneath absolutely regionalized cloud.  More cloud appeared over Toronto.  We flew into Ottawa at dusk.

We bring much back with us but know there is one issue that is definitely going to require more mulling.  This has to do with a realization that came to us through the workshop – an awareness that so often it is the emotions we might describe as “negative” that tellers have to struggle so hard to bring forth.  There’s a holding back in the chest almost when it comes to such things as rage and jealousy, even though those things are crucial to the tales.

But the voicing brings such energy, such release.  “I want to work with the witch,” said one of the tellers.  We tried this and that and finally undertook the strong resistance which involves physical pushing.  “I’m the good, good girl,” I said.  Suddenly, there it was -- “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”  Those who were watching and witnessing almost cheered.  All knew that what was happening in the here and now would not destroy the story’s subtlety; all knew what was happening would be rendered and rendered till it found its deep-down essence.  It would belong to the teller – forever and ever amen.

Now we prepare ourselves to do similar work with The Odyssey on the weekend coming up.  Odysseus himself is not always Mr. Nice Guy.  We have to find him, along with Circe, the Cyclops, Penelope, Calypso and the rest.

The picture?  That’s by 2wp’s designer and publicist Annette Hegel ( web.me.com/annette.hegel )  She produced it while she was staying at our home when we were in Australia last year.  It's the view down the lake from my office window.  Our Christmas present to ourselves.