I have experienced the controversial/semi-disturbing delights of a little film called A Clockwork Orange and loved the fuck out of it, seen the gorgeous Florence + the Machine play live at Brisbane's Riverstage with my younger cousin who was then experiencing her first ever live concert, gone on a spontaneous road trip to Dalby with family friends to wade through mud and see Matt Corby at a rather wet and muddy One Night Stand hosted by triple j, finally seen Never Let Me Go and took it out of the DVD player a tad disappointed, watched Schindler's List and nearly burst into a noisy bout of sobbing, and on Friday night went on an adventure to the Brisbane Powerhouse with aforementioned family friend and her step-sister to see a whimsical bunch of musicians who go by Pear & the Awkward Orchestra.
I'm humbled looking at all the fantastic adventures I've just scribbled. It seems I've been attending more live gigs and theatre of late, and I seldom think of those who might get no further than dreaming of having the opportunities I've somewhat been taking for granted. I love the fact that I'm getting more acquainted with my own city and our rich arts culture, and along the way gaining more independence, which I'll be needing in abundance come the imminent advent of Uni next year. I'm both proud and slightly embarrassed to say that Friday evening was the first time I'd ever caught a bus completely and utterly alone.
Also during my unannounced hiatus, I have completed the most part of my assessment for my second last semester of school for the remainder of my natural life. All I have left is lovely, lovely Film & Television work, which can hardly be classified as work. My senior year is dwindling fast.
I'm also in the midst of planning a novel. Part indie and part realism, it shall be called Ezra & Alice and with any luck, shall be rather wonderful. Sometimes when I attempt another novel, part of me thinks that perhaps the story I'm trying to write would translate better on stage or in cinematic form, but then I always think of how immediate a novel would be. You can read it electronically or in hardcopy, and even if it's not published, it's still a story that can be immediately consumed by other humans. A novel is independent, a stand-alone piece of art. A film or a play require extensive resources, people and money, none of which I have at my disposal.
That's another thing: I rarely finish novels. I went through a phase around the age of eleven or twelve where I could crank them out quite easily (by 'novels', I here mean 'nine-foolscap-page documents of pure bollocks with monstrous use of caps lock and exclamation marks'). I was having immense delusions of Jodi Picoult-like grandeur, but in actuality I was writing horrendously ill-researched sagas that
All that aside, Ezra & Alice is about a teenage boy (the aforementioned Ezra) who loses the use of his legs after being struck with stage scaffolding in his school auditorium. Upon moving schools, he is antisocial and content to wallow in despair. He meets the forward, enigmatic Alice, who pulls him out of his funk and rekindles his lust for life. She also ignites a lust of the literal kind, forcing Ezra to think a little harder about his disability than he has had to in a while.
Watch this space for more on this little project. I'm determined to finish this bitch. The upcoming winter holidays should be instrumental for making significant progress. Also for trips to the city and tea parties.
