Our BetterMost Community > Creative Writer's Corner
Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll
mariez:
Hi Ranchgal,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. My post was simply an attempt to oblige Louise when she asked "how people feel about the subtle but nonetheless important additions to Colson's inner dialogue." - I'm certainly not trying to impose any of my thoughts on anyone - that's what they are - musings - not facts.
I do understand what a GED is - I've actually taught night classes to adults working towards their GED. I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration to the adults who choose to do this - it's hard work! A lot of high school grads might have a hard time passing a GED test! :) My reference to Colson being kicked out is taken directly from paragraph 15 of Chapter 7:
"But he wondered if he would have felt different if this were when he was just kicked out of high school, and instead of Adam, it was Pete out in the canyon with him."
This is new to the story - and I'm guessing it is one of the "subtle but nonetheless important additions" that Louise was referring to. I certainly didn't mean any disrespect to the character with my thoughts and I wasn't disparaging the hard-working residents of rural America I may be wrong, but it is my impression that we are dealing with a new character here - so not everything that applied before will apply now. I don't know exactly who Colson is yet - so that's the reason for all the questions. The previous character's truck broke down and he couldn't make it to high school - but that isn't mentioned here - getting kicked out is - and the previous character didn't have adult support - but I don't know yet whether that's true for Colson because I don't know his compete history yet. You may be absolutely correct that Colson had no ambitions beyond ranch hand, but I don't know Colson well enough yet. Please don't misunderstand - I'm not making any definite prounencements - just kind of thinking out loud and wondering- I'm simply throwing questions out. As I said, I know what hard work it is to study for the GED and I'm anxious to discover Colson's motivation!
I agree with you that Colson is a mature man and is not naive. I have stated before that the original character is a very smart man - and that being educated is not the same as being smart - some of the smartest people I know are not educated in the traditional way. I'm not sure what I said that may have given you a different impression - but, again, I apologize if I seemed to be discrediting rural America.
I added my thoughts on the bruises and rough bouts because that is a change in the story - they replace the remembrance of the one punch. I don't know exactly what it means yet - again, I was just trying to find the differences that Louise was referring to to the best of my memory and throw out some thoughts. I'm not putting the character down. I'm figuring that if Louise changed it there must be a reason.
The same with the reference to the trap and the urge to bolt - those references were not in the original story - so I'm just throwing some thoughts out about why they may have been added - I don't know why yet myself. I do know that Louise always manages to surprise me and I'm looking forward to it! :)
Thanks again,
Marie
mariez:
--- Quote from: MaineWriter on May 03, 2007, 01:53:15 pm ---This is for Marie, because she might have missed it the first time around. When we were all in the feverish throes of extreme Ellery-fever, I went out to lunch. I saw a guy from the back who looked like Ellery (when he turned around, I was sorely disappointed). I had a new camera phone which I barely knew how to use (still don't) but somehow or another, I managed to take a surreptitious picture of the back of this guys head. Here it is....LOL
In case anyone is wondering, this picture was taken at Flatbread in Portland, Maine. Fabulous food, definitely worth a visit!
L
--- End quote ---
OMG ,LOL is right! I have to thank you on three counts, Leslie. First, for the laugh - I can just picture you seeing the hair and thinking "Ellery!" and scrambling for a picture! Second, for making me feel that I'm not insane - well, no, that's not exactly true - I am insane - but it's good to know I'm not alone in my insanity. And third, for making me feel better that I don't know how to use half of the features on my phone! :laugh:
Thanks,
Marie
P.S. Being sorely disappointed was kind of a given - I mean what can compare? ;D
ranchgal:
Mariez, thanks, I have been reading it from Chapter 1, but must have been doing more speeding and taking for granted than word for word-I'll go re read it and see if I get it this time! because that sentence didn't register with me the first time through. ;D I did re-read it, and I got it now-you were absolutely right-LOL And I am thinking you are right in your assessment that Colson is much darker than the first story had him. Interesting, not sure I like it as well, but definately different.
and maybe I am thinking too much backward, and not enough forward---so you are probably right on with your observations, as while Colson is going in the direction of being a totally new man, I may still be hanging on to attributes I still feel about the past story. I will maybe have to reevaluate how I view who Colson is-and make adjustments as we find out more--at least this is making me think and be aware of more. LOL
next day:
Re-read your thoughts again and I thought about it some last night, I knew lots of guys that were occasionally suspended from high school, for fighting, and some anti social meaness, or cheating-even a few girls for having their skirts too short--3 days, 7 days, sometimes 2 weeks---but to actually get "kicked out" and not be allowed to return---that puts Colson in a LOSER category for me. To get that kind of treatment he had to have been truly anti-social, or cruel, not just physical---lots of chronic fighting or threatening a teacher--and if it turns out he is just mean, I don't know if I can generate the sympathy/humaness he should have.
You are right too about his thoughts about leaving Adam black and blue don't speak well of him at all---within that context that he is violent and threatening--makes him sound more like an abuser than a lover. And that is not a quality that makes me care about him. I never got that feeling from the first set of story qualities at all.
Almost wish I hadn't answered and found out the truth, as it does totally change who he is or who he might be for me. I would have been blissfully ignorant of the truth, and hence be more tolerant of him. Bad breaks enlist my empathy, and tolerance---conscious acts of anti-social behavior leave me colder than ice. He may have taken care of Pete sort of, but his flashbacks to Adam make him less than attractive. Now I wonder too how Louise will justify who he is, and how he got that way.
And what will have changed between then and now to actually make him a man Ellery can care about, not just be physically attracted to??? I may be wishing she would have started farther back and built up more background before she revamped the old format to fit the new story ideas.
I obviously tend to cling to the more Ennis like characteristics that I want to find in Colson. And I tend to want to keep some of the BBM based "understood" sentimentalities because IF he changes too much, I may find I don't care for him nearly as much. And then I will never understand how Ellery could care for him as much either. So I may have to completely readjust how I read and think of this story now. But if I abandon all the "understood" things, and just go with the flow of a totally new story, I am not going to get or have the same understanding or feeling for the story. Will just have to wait and see how Louise develops this.
MaineWriter:
Good morning everyone! Louise called me at 1:15 am (my time) to say she was in London, waiting for the bus to go from Heathrow to Gatwick, to begin the penultimate leg of her journey, to Cincinnati. She also said, "I wrote a chapter! I started a new story!" I don't know what it is or what it is about, but I still think that's exciting news. We'll keep you posted.
L
mariez:
Thanks for the update, Leslie. Glad to hear Louise has been writing on her loooooong journey - that is exciting news. Cincinnati? Getting closer - but Good God - I guess it really is true that you can't get there from here - seems like you can't get anywhere from anywhere! LOL!
Marie
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