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[Sheri - A Brief History]
[Sheri's Pictures]
[Sheri's Articles]
A framework for my next scriptPosted on 2008/02/26 21:30:37 (February 2008).   Ok. Things are getting clearer in my mind. I needed to think a little about the next course of action. I told you I was considering a comedy of manners. Several practical factors led me to it. But... - for there is a "but" - ...I have to listen to my own nature. And my nature says: write about the past. Write about values which no longer have authority. Write about epochs when reinforced concrete, excessive consumerism and bad taste were not yet prevailing. When Nature wasn't odiously deflowered, blindly desecrated. Tell the people it's still possible to live otherwise, to opt for another system, to envisage another future. Cose I tell you, our future isn't very bright. And I'm not ready to accept it. I might just be a drop in the ocean. My efforts might prove totally useless. Still, I try. And so doing, I live. I live. Fact is, everyone has the means to fight the current wave. Just say no. No to silly, numbing tv shows which soften your powers of reasoning. No to useless, superfluous plastic goods made in China. No to excessive packaging. No to crappy music, allegedly rebellious, but very conformist in essence. Turn off your tv, dim your light and read. Read as much as you can. Eat real, simple food. Take time to cook. Enjoy simple pleasures such as gardening. Grow your own veggies (if possible). Go for a walk in the country. Don't think I'm nostalgic. As I said in a previous entry, the past wasn't better. For many, many people, it was even worse. But our roots are in it. Today, people tend to forget it. They are "uprooted", déracinés in French. They're lost. Being so, they care about nothing. They cannot put things into perspective. And they say amen to a system which unscrupulously fashions their mind. A system which is not necessarily cynical but blind, unaware of itself, of the damages it causes. My pen is my sword. Even if I'm not published, I will survive. Through my written work, my sons and grandsons will come to know me. Case 1 - they will perhaps think I was tremendously naïve. They might even throw my manuscripts in the bin and say : "What a jerk he was"! Then, yes, I will truly cease to exist. Case 2 - They will like my manuscripts. Reading my stuff would be a way to "download" a bit of my soul. And they will become stronger. More confident in a sense that they wouldn't be alone. Part of me would be with them, like the "force"...! A year ago I bought a series of travel narratives gathered in a collection entitled Le Tour du Monde. 35 volumes printed, year by year, in the second half of the nineteenth century, offering a lively picture of the world as it was in those days. One of those narratives, regarding the colonial city of Saigon in French Indochina, drew my attention. It is particularly well written and surprisingly nuancé for the period. The narrator was fairly impartial when he wrote it, uncommonly aware of his own prejudices. I think it will provide me with a nice framework for my next script. I think the story will take place in that city, in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The character I have in mind would be that of a French general (more likely a colonel) who, for some reason, resigned (or had to resign) his commission and came to settle there. He would lead a fairly secluded life with a faithful aide-de-camp till a teenage girl, aged 17, would start taking an interest in him. I'm also considering a third character, a young American (or British) journalist, who somehow mixes with them. Intense but decent feelings. About the pics above: I've just bought this small medal on ebay (17 mm wide). On the obverse you have a portrait of Vivant Denon, an artist who took part in Napoleon's scientific expedition in Egypt. He drew many ancient monuments which came to illustrate the renowned Description de l'Egypte. I intend to mount it on a necklace for Christelle. Comment 1 What an intelligent and insightful entry, Sheri. I congratulate you on your mature and sensible approach to life's trials and tribulations. And I am NOT being sarchastic in any way at all.
Posted by Nigel at 2008/02/26 21:50:12. Comment 2Hi Nigel. Thanks a lot for your comment.
Posted by Sheri at 2008/02/27 08:04:11. Comment 3I know, Sheri. (Please forgive all my spelling mistakes in my comment - it must have been very confusing!) Posted by Nigel at 2008/02/27 08:59:55. Comment 4Yes, shame on you! :-) Posted by Sheri at 2008/02/27 10:42:32. Comment 5I have to thank computers for letting me out of the routine that most of the people seem to be following. I do not watch TV news anymore, do not read newspapers, all my sources of informations are blogs, independent reviews and the likes. Sheri is right, I think, although living completely "out" of the mass is quite hard and sometimes we need to comply. As for writing it's one of the few things that is allowing us to really leave something behind. That's also why I do it, if I could read what my dad and mum thought when they were younger it would make a great read. That's why I like to post here, maybe sometimes in the future... Posted by Lox at 2008/03/01 09:36:24. | Post a comment |