Start the week #57

Short is sweet (that's my excuse anyway)

Greetings!

Spring is definitely here. The crocuses are coming out, and the dafodils. Yesterday Elaine rescued a queen bee who had woken up. She was in danger of being eaten by one of our feline ne’er-do-wells. Not Elaine, the queen bee. We put her (ditto) on a flower in the sun and well away from feline curiosity. Last year we saved a bee from a similar fate.

The photo on the left shows one of my girlfriends, sitting on a towel I was about to use, so we’re no longer on speaking terms. The one on the left shows a dafodil looking around in a planter.

By the way, the reason this is a day late is that I had some work to do on other newsletters and websites. The reason it’s relatively short is that I have to read and review four books by the 19th.

But enough of this persiflage! On with the newsletter.

Terry

But first…

All this talk of queen bees has reminded me of the song I’m a King Bee. If you’re of a sensitive nature then don’t pay attention to the lyrics. They’re of the usual double entendre type¹. For instance:

I’m a king bee, and I can buzz all night long.

When you hear me buzzing there’s some stinging going on.

From a literary point of view, the song is an excellent example of extended metaphor.

It’s a great version, with a mean harmonica played by Little Walter. Get a load of his harmonica belt adorning him like the bullets worn by the Mexican in this clip:

Anyway, I must not keep you in suspense any longer. Here is Muddy Waters singing, I’m a King Bee:

The creative writing course I’m teaching

I have a course coming up, one that I’m teaching. I asked an AI writer to draft a press release for it. Here’s what it came up with, with my annotations in italics and in square brackets.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12 February 2024

Renowned Creative Writing Guru Terry Freedman Inspires Students with Unique Course on Writing with Constraints [How did it know I'm a creative writing guru? Wow, I'm impressed!]

Accomplished author [well, I do have several books under my belt] and celebrated [not sure I'm celebrated, but still] creative writing expert Terry Freedman is set to redefine the boundaries of literary imagination with a groundbreaking course on writing with constraints. [I think I might adopt that as my strapline, and even stick it on my Substack description: Redefining the boundaries of literary imagination.]

Through his unparalleled expertise, [aw, shucks] Freedman aims to inspire aspiring writers to unleash their creativity within the confines of specific frameworks, inviting them to embark on a truly transformative artistic journey.

The course, aptly titled "Unlock Your Creative Genius: Writing with Constraints," [No it ain't! It's called Creative Writing with Constraints] challenges convention by proving that limitations can, indeed, be a catalyst for innovation and ingenuity [This is very true, and found to be so in many fields, including art, music and photography].

Freedman believes that embracing the element of surprise and necessity provided by constraints can result in astonishingly original masterpieces, as well as a more focused and intentional creative process [I do believe that as it happens].

Drawing on his extensive experience as a published author, blogger, and educator, Freedman will provide participants with invaluable insights into various literary constraints, such as word limits, specific themes, constrained word choices, or even writing within a particular time frame. [That sounds dead boring. The techniques I'll be showing are much more imaginative than that. Read the description at the link above. Come on, AI, sort yourself out!]

By exploring the uncharted territories of constrained writing, Freedman will help students overcome creative blocks, foster discipline, and sharpen their writing skills. [I think that should be relatively uncharted, but the rest of it is true.]

"The most astounding works of art often emerge from the tension between creative freedom and the confines of specific constraints," Freedman remarks. "Through this course, I hope to help writers navigate this delicate balance, enabling them to discover unique ways to express their thoughts and stories."

Here’s a comment from the evaluation form on the course I ran last time, the person concerned having used one of the techniques I went through:

Terry Freedman is a masterpiece. He delivered one of the best courthouses I have been a stuffing on. An engaging roof through workaday with a bit of matricide thrown in. More stump from the wobbler please!

No, I don’t know what it means either, but you have to admit: any writing course that involves matricide and stumping from wobblers just has to be worth trying out, right? Here’s that link again: Creative Writing with Constraints.

Getting back to that AI-generated press release, I don’t actually think it’s wholly awful. Yes, it’s over the top, just like most press releases, but it also provides phrases and ideas one could work with I think.

Saxophoning

The lessons I’ve been taking are becoming a lot more interesting and enjoyable, for the following reasons:

• I’m not the only one in the class who squeaks and squawks.

• There’s a focus on jazz, not the usual Jingle Bells stuff.

• We’re learning the musical theory behind improvisation.

The tune we’re spending a lot of time on at the moment is Cantaloupe Island; we’re playing the trumpet part. Here are two versions of it. First of all, the standard version, followed by a longer version which is, I have to say, a bit of an acquired taste.

I hope you enjoyed listening to them.

My writes

In case you missed them, I published the following articles last week:

Start the week #56 which contains writerly advice, a video I made, and various links.

Glimpses behind the curtains, posted on the

Soaring Twenties

website. It’s a memoir/humour piece looking at some corporate BS I’ve encountered.

Experiments in style: how the US TV Cop series version came about. This is a behind the scenes/insider post in which I delve deeper into my writing process.

Other people’s writes

I’m afraid that what with suffering from a tooth infection and the soporific effects of the antibiotic I was prescribed for it, I’ve done virtually no Substack reading this past week. The only articles I can legitimately recommend are these:

Invisible string, by

Rebecca Holden

She and I write letters to each other here on Substack. My next one to her is due on Wednesday.

All the love notes, by

Jillian Hess

Both of these have a St Valentine’s theme.

Also, February 10, 2024 by

Mary B

for the beautiful drawing of my other girlfriend, Mocha.

Finally, Beneath the trees, breathing, by

Nathan Slake

, who manages to conjure marvellous images in the written equivalent of etheral music.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this.

1. The use of the double entendre in blues music was quite clever. It enabled black (especially) musicians to express their concerns, hopes and fears by, in effect, hiding them in plain sight.