Leonardo was a weird, weird dude. I'm glad he did all that weird living and thinking all those years ago so that my own weirdness can seem very tame by comparison!
One of my favorite types of biography (especially autobiography) is the "look at how much weirder than you I am" sort. These are really comforting reads (and listens more and more these days).
I appreciate getting more info about the wily and rarely spotted jackelope, as growing up in Texas we heard and saw images about it a lot. I kinda thought it was mostly a Texas critter, but I guess not.
That goat-falcon-fish is really wonderful. I remember talking to a friend who'd gotten an editor for her NF book, then the editor decided to throw a whole other story/angle onto it, without even considering that it would then be an entirely different book. And from my perspective it would be like putting together two different things that work fine on their own, but together would hardly be able to crawl across the floor. "It'd be like a horse-fish," I said. "Yes," my friend said, "which is a *monster*!" Happy end in her case - she'd had another editor interested and was able to back up and back out, and approach that one, who took it as the animal it was meant to be.
Something I know I do in my own writing, that has gotten me into trouble, is to try and combine fiction and nonfiction (or two other different things) in ways that make sense to me in theory, but on the page... I'm going through something similar thing at the moment, having crashed with my current project. Because damnit if you ever can put together a goat-falcon-fish that actually *can* run and fly and swim (as opposed to hardly being able to crawl across the floor), you will have created the most amazing thing. And yet, it can feel (and actually be) beyond one's capacity to create a single thing that can do a single thing well. I mean, if you can just ("just" he laughs) do that, then you have a great success. But for some reason, in long form anyway, my imagination wants me to put two things together. Alas!
I would like to amend your friend's comment - "It’s a fine line between intelligence and madness" - to "It’s a fine line between *genius* and madness," and I'd imagine she'd agree. Intelligence, though not as common as we would like (as we learned recently), is not rare. Nor does it tend to sweep you away into foolish and ill-advised obsessions. Genius, however...even brilliance...well that's a different story.
I did not know all this about Leonardo. What a wild guy.
FYI, I think you're "living the life" Krista, whether it feels like it or not. Somebody would probably say the same about me, though right now it feels more like a solid ass-kicking.
I love that you bring in the parallel to writing here and the uncomfortable juxtapositions we try or are forced to try sometimes. Sorry about the crashing project currently, hang in there. I wonder if the goat-falcon-fish can be my new mascot though, because that truly is so cool to aspire to run-fly-swim, but nah, just do one good thing if even...
That comment I actually did mean to write genius but I changed it last minute so the next line or so wouldn't repeat same word - it wasn't part of the quote from my friend, so I'm now free to change it back and I agree, so I'll just say brilliant!
I am doing alright for sure. Imminent financial ruin no matter!
Okay, I need to write about antlers now.
Leonardo was a weird, weird dude. I'm glad he did all that weird living and thinking all those years ago so that my own weirdness can seem very tame by comparison!
Right, if anything I'm feeling pressure that I'm not nearly weird enough. It's a little inspiring that no matter what we do, it won't compare.
One of my favorite types of biography (especially autobiography) is the "look at how much weirder than you I am" sort. These are really comforting reads (and listens more and more these days).
I appreciate getting more info about the wily and rarely spotted jackelope, as growing up in Texas we heard and saw images about it a lot. I kinda thought it was mostly a Texas critter, but I guess not.
That goat-falcon-fish is really wonderful. I remember talking to a friend who'd gotten an editor for her NF book, then the editor decided to throw a whole other story/angle onto it, without even considering that it would then be an entirely different book. And from my perspective it would be like putting together two different things that work fine on their own, but together would hardly be able to crawl across the floor. "It'd be like a horse-fish," I said. "Yes," my friend said, "which is a *monster*!" Happy end in her case - she'd had another editor interested and was able to back up and back out, and approach that one, who took it as the animal it was meant to be.
Something I know I do in my own writing, that has gotten me into trouble, is to try and combine fiction and nonfiction (or two other different things) in ways that make sense to me in theory, but on the page... I'm going through something similar thing at the moment, having crashed with my current project. Because damnit if you ever can put together a goat-falcon-fish that actually *can* run and fly and swim (as opposed to hardly being able to crawl across the floor), you will have created the most amazing thing. And yet, it can feel (and actually be) beyond one's capacity to create a single thing that can do a single thing well. I mean, if you can just ("just" he laughs) do that, then you have a great success. But for some reason, in long form anyway, my imagination wants me to put two things together. Alas!
I would like to amend your friend's comment - "It’s a fine line between intelligence and madness" - to "It’s a fine line between *genius* and madness," and I'd imagine she'd agree. Intelligence, though not as common as we would like (as we learned recently), is not rare. Nor does it tend to sweep you away into foolish and ill-advised obsessions. Genius, however...even brilliance...well that's a different story.
I did not know all this about Leonardo. What a wild guy.
FYI, I think you're "living the life" Krista, whether it feels like it or not. Somebody would probably say the same about me, though right now it feels more like a solid ass-kicking.
I love that you bring in the parallel to writing here and the uncomfortable juxtapositions we try or are forced to try sometimes. Sorry about the crashing project currently, hang in there. I wonder if the goat-falcon-fish can be my new mascot though, because that truly is so cool to aspire to run-fly-swim, but nah, just do one good thing if even...
That comment I actually did mean to write genius but I changed it last minute so the next line or so wouldn't repeat same word - it wasn't part of the quote from my friend, so I'm now free to change it back and I agree, so I'll just say brilliant!
I am doing alright for sure. Imminent financial ruin no matter!