h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Lady Mourns for Grasshopper - A77079063
Author: minorvogonpoet - U3099090

This my response to cactuscafe's mysterious sentence.

Now, that is sad.

It's not autobiographical.

I'm glad for that.

Oh oh oh oh oh. mvp.

How unexpected is this! Like a bee sting. I don't that negatively. Just like a sharp little wakeup. It hurts but then it heals.

The brevity of the piece - does brevity mean short? brief? - hope so - - just adds to this bee sting effect.

These two sentences in the second paragraph really got to me.



These, to me, are the pivotal sentences - the heart of the pathos.

I mention that the bee sting hurts and then heals. Does this story hurt and then reach a place of healing I wonder? That final line is kind of haunting, and, to me, strangely healing. The spirit of Grasshopper might perhaps help his mother to overcome her pain. The spirit being the memory. hmm.

How did you feel writing it? Or after you had written it?

Thanks mvp

cc

The trouble with writing without first-hand experience is that you don't have the authentic sounding details.

Though I do remember sitting in a cubicle when I was expecting my son. I could hear a nurse or doctor telling a patient, in the next cubicle, that they had looked at a scan and found nothing. She had miscarried. She didn't want to believe them.

The other danger is that you don't get the emotional response right. I've got things badly wrong on occasion. I suppose the only answer to this is to listen to people.

Ears, are the writer's essential equipment. Oh, and brain!

That's a really good observation, MVP.

I couldn't even imagine what this would be like. I think you did a good job of it.

Thanks.

It sounds true, MVP. My sister went through this. It was very sad.

Wow. Intense.That must be so so tough.



Listening to people. That's it! The dialogue is everywhere. Who said that? I did. . I'm pretending to be a writer right now. . I am always listening in on coversations in coffee shops. It's a terrible habit really. I got it from my Grandmother. Although she was unsubtle. She used to lean forward towards the people engaged in the conversation, and half close her eyes in a rather peculiar way, as if that would make her invisible. .

Mind you, people listen on my conversations. Especially the writer types. I think I might be in a few novels. Hmm. Best sellers of course. hahaha. Joke.

One of my professors was allegedly the susbject of persiflage in a novel by Somerset Maugham. He was a dear, but deserved it, name-dropper that he was.