(non)fiction

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Annie Neugebauer

Originally posted on February 1, 2010 at 8:10 PM

My best friend and my mom both seem to prefer nonfiction to fiction: memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies mostly. When I asked Kitty why, her answer was, “because it’s true. When I read fiction, I know it didn’t happen, so it’s less valuable.” Okay, so maybe that wasn’t an exact quote, but it’s the gist of it. She needs to know that what she’s reading is valid, possible, and worth something.

I’m not a big fan of nonfiction. When I read an autobiography, for example, I find myself questioning the outlandish things they say happened to them. They’re exaggerating for comedic effect. They’re lying, to sell copies. They’re claiming more importance to mundane events than they actually feel, to connect with their readers. All of these thoughts and suspicions knock me out of the story. I can’t enjoy it if I think someone’s misleading me.

With fiction, there’s an automatic suspension of disbelief required to even start reading. There’s no “this wouldn’t happen” syndrome, for me, because none of it happened. I don’t feel cheated or lied to, because I know going into it that none of this is claimed to be true. I can get over that before I even start reading, and off I go into a highly entertaining read that doesn’t once make me wonder, “Is she making this up?” I can follow the story for its own worth.

I think the primary difference is one of belief. How trusting are you? How willing are you to accept words for absolute truth? If the answer is “not at all,” like me, fiction is the way to go. If the answer is that you generally believe people are honest, nonfiction might be more suited to your tastes.

When it comes to human nature, are you a believer or a skeptic?

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Happy birthday, Mr. Poe.

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Annie Neugebauer

Originally posted on January 20, 2010 at 1:33 AM

I’m writing this in the last technical minute of Edgar Allan Poe’s 201st birthday. It seems fitting to wish it at midnight. Ann Rice perhaps, I would say happy birthday to at 3am–the witching hour–but for my dear friend Poe, the 12th toll of that old ebony clock seems the most appropriate, don’t you think?

I discovered that sacred old orange copy of the collected works of Poe on the top shelf of our bookcase when I was only in grade school. I believe that he was the first author I read on my own that I truly, passionately enjoyed. I still do, more so than any other author. Poe wrote horror before horror was a fad. He was elemental in the creation of the gothic genre. He wrote scary when quality was still a prerequisite. These are obvious reasons that I love him.

Poe was a poet before my namesake was even born (his name’s in the word, people). He’s a master–and my artistic inspiration. “The Raven” is still, to this day, the best poem I’ve ever read. Kyle says I get so into it when I read it out loud that it’s really, really frightening. I like that. “The Raven” is the reason that I dare to write horror poetry. I’m sure there are others, but I have never met anyone besides me who attempts what he attempted.

Did you know that Poe was also the creator of the detective story? Seriously, without Poe there would almost certainly be no Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, or even Dr. House. Many people recognize him in big ways in the science fiction genre as well, which I dabble in. Poe was also a literary critic, something I can see myself doing in the future. But perhaps most importantly, he was the first famous American writer to write as his sole career. He paved the way for me on many fronts.

I’ve decided that the best way to honor this literary forefather of mine is to reread some of his works. In 201 years, I don’t expect or even hope that anyone will grieve me as a person. But if they can read some of my work and get pleasure from it, I’ll be a happy ghost.

The good little children (like my sane husband) are tucked safely under the covers dreaming of puppies. But we… we goblins are out in abundance tonight. There’s magic in the air, folks, and I’m going to go revel in it.

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All Hallows’ Evening for a month

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Annie Neugebauer

Originally posted on October 4, 2009 at 4:16 PM

Halloween is by far my favorite time of year. I know, it’s supposed to be Christmas or my birthday, but hey, that’s me. Some of the happiest times of my life were Halloweens when I was a kid with our best friends. And oh, the decorations. The costumes. The planning, the mischief. The candy! How could anyone NOT like Halloween?

Halloween stems from a meshing of cultural holidays and beliefs. Ancient Celts in Ireland used to have a festival called Samhain that celebrated the end of the harvest season. Wiccans celebrate a similar event, honoring the Harvest’s end. Celtics used this time to take stock of what crops and goods they’d gathered for the winter. Wiccans use this time, now, to acknowledge the things they’ve “harvested” in that year: success, love, money, goals achieved, etc. For both, it’s a time to step back and say, “Hey, look at all I’ve done. That’s pretty neat.” (Or, perhaps, “I need to try harder next year.” I think this is a wonderful thing for anyone to do, Wiccan or not.

Ancient Celts believed that on Halloween the dead could interact with the living again, providing the potential for danger and crop damage. This is where the traditions of bonfires, costumes, and masks come from. To ward off those harmful, evil dead. I would think that not all dead are evil, but perhaps since all dead can interact with the living, the evil ones do bad things while they can.

In mainland Europe, Halloween was for pagans until the popes stepped in, god bless them (haha), and decided to move the Christian All Saints Day to November 1. This was a very smart, sneaky way that Christians of yore had of reclaiming pagan celebrations for the church. Many of our current Christian holidays resulted from this practice, and thus many pagan traditions have been enveloped in US celebrations of holidays. Eventually, All Saints’ Day and Samhain blended, resulting in the generally Christian-friendly Halloween that we all know and love. Neat, huh?

This Halloween is a calm one, for me. An honest mix of melancholy and joy. To have a home, a fiancé, a kitten, and so many wonderful things makes me undeniably happy. Going through my Dad’s Halloween decorations makes me miss him, makes me sad, makes me nostalgic. I’m at the point in my life now that I don’t feel the need to put every Halloween decoration I own out. Just some favorites. It seems right that way, somehow. Maybe someday when we have kids they’ll want to go crazy with it. I certainly hope they like Halloween as much as I do.

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on Let the Right One In

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Annie Neugebauer

Originally posted on June 25, 2009 at 1:12 AM

Watched a really good vampire movie tonight with Kitty. My mom found an article about it and forwarded it to me, and I checked it out from the public library. It’s called “Let the Right One In.” It’s a Swedish film with captions, so if you don’t like captions I wouldn’t recommend it, but if they don’t deter you… dig in. This is an achingly beautiful film.

I don’t think I would say it necessarily brings anything new to vampires as a genre and concept, but as a movie, I think that might be part of the appeal. It is so wonderfully refreshing to see a simple vampire story that doesn’t rely on tricks and gimmicks for its impact. No twists on the old story, no crazy over the top long action sequences (although there was one unfortunately crummy animation snippet, easily overlooked), no sex scenes, no fake looking blood. It was all good. Just right. But don’t get me wrong; there were some wickedly awesome effects in there. True and honest and real. The genuineness of the plot made me buy into it more, not less. No back story, no explanations (Queen of the Damned), no world view.

If you’re intrigued, check it out. Literally. If you have a public library card (free), it’s free. That’s right. Screw you, Blockbuster!

Thanks for the recommendation, Mom!

PS- This is a movie best watched in the dark with no distractions. There’s a lot to miss if you look away, because there’s no “IT’S COMING NOW!” soundtrack to clue you in.

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Choice

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Annie Neugebauer

Originally posted on May 25, 2009 at 12:44 AM

I often hear famous authors say things like, “If you don’t absolutely have to write to survive, don’t become a writer as a profession. It’s too hard.” Or, “Writing isn’t an option for me; it’s a necessity.” *clears throat* I call bullshit.

I can think of only two reasons that a successful author might say this to novices desiring to achieve publication, success, fame, etc. 1) They want to scare off as many people as possible to avoid extra competition in an already devastatingly competitive field. Or, 2) They are fooling themselves into actually believe it.

I think the members of option 1 are sneaky buggers with low self-esteem. And of option, 2, they are probably the same people who describe relationships in this way: “We just knew that we had to be together forever; there wasn’t really a choice.” We’ve all heard people say things like that. And to be honest (because someone must), it’s just not true. Every day we must wake up and reaffirm our commitments, our dreams, our identities. Because it all can change, no matter how strong the passion, how sure the desire, how tender the love. Life is unstable, and to keep a common factor throughout, one must choose to make room for that factor in every changing stage of life. In love and writing, it’s a choice.

I understand where some of those people are coming from, I think. Something along the lines of: writing is who I am, not just what I do. I think I would say that, too. But to say that you had no other choice is to mislead—to exaggerate. We all have options. I would have made a great evolutionary biologist, a good waitress, and a fabulous interior designer, for starts. But that’s not what I ultimately decided. I’ve decided that I want to be a writer. So every day, I reaffirm that commitment to myself. I reevaluate my goals and dreams and find them sound. I struggle with the pull between my career dreams and my personal life. Some days writing wins and I get good work done; some days it loses and other things come first. But overall, I am holding up my commitment and striving to achieve my goals… because I choose to.

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