It was a real fun thing to do, and we went through the answers over the phone. But I had to give him a pre-warning before we'd even started........
Some of the answers had been changed, to ones that were more a little more, well, suitable for a family newspaper. Ok, he said with a laugh.... and we started with the questions....
Where and when I was born, hobbies, favourite food (which he was surprised about since my choice wasn't a typical one), favourite book (again a surprise for him since he'd never heard of it) and favourite film (I did really well and narrowed it down to four from about twenty! Since I've never had the just one answer!). Proudest moment, biggest inspiration, biggest love, favourite belonging, most embarrassing moment, hopes for the future, what I'd like to have written on my epitaph, but it was when we got to biggest and best achievement that we had the biggest problem. Because I was emphatic on my answer, and knew that he would struggle to put it in the paper. When I explained, he said that he himself was ok about it, but the paper wouldn't be. Ok, then, how do we phrase it so that they are happy with it, because this is definitely my answer. Ok...... I told him how I would word it, and asked him which part he wasn't happy about, and it was the one word I was expecting, the rest was ok. So, we had to write it so that I got the point across without spelling it all out in exact wording to make the vicar blush!
At the end of the session, he had a word count and was surprised that it was 600 odd, and that left him with a problem since it had to be 420. Ok, a bit of editing needed to be done then! Between us we went through what he had written, and he apologised for the fact we had to cut my words down, and he said that normally people don't put enough words in and it needs padding out. I said I could have easily doubled it, and had struggled in the first place to cut it down to make it more succinct! We worked on the phrasing, and between us got it down to 420 words. I said to him that he was the expert wordsmith and should know how to do it naturally, but as I worked through it he said I did it easily, and I grinned over the phone and said I wrote a blog post two or three days a week so was used to it!
I enjoyed chatting to him very much, and have a feeling we'll chat again.
Oh, and the thing that I feel is my biggest and best achievement, and the thing we had problems with? Well, it was the Fantasy Fannies, of course! LOL
I think we rephrased it to something like "feminine abstracts" which sort of hinted at it, without it being a problem for the paper!!!!
And whilst I'm on unexpected changes, I have offered to make a few subtle changes to the erotic abstract that I finished the other week, since the woman I did it for finds it a little perplexing still. Now, don't get me wrong, she knows exactly what is in the picture, and why, but she can only see parts of the image. It seems like I've made it overly complicated! We had discussed it a number of times, and I wanted her to look at it and be happy with it, not frustrated and confused, so I offered to make it a little more obvious, and she gratefully accepted. I shall do them infront of her and explain the changes first so that she can see what I'm going to do. Her children can't see anything in it but blobs and erratic shapes, so adding a few more blobs shouldn't make it less so, but it might make it a little more obviously erotic....... 
2 comments:
I have quite a few erotic abstract art in my home and I've been entertained by what people see when they look at it.
I always ask them if they like it when they go back to see it a second time.
My expereinces have been this . . .If you are not sexual and erotic in your nature then you tend to miss it entirely.
Some have seen feminine attributes, others erotic or sexual themes and there are those that see simply "weird shapes and colors" or clowns, monsters or hearts. Go figure.
One Woman's thoughts - Ah, so you get the same sort of entertainment that I do, when you ask people what they "see" in an erotic abstract. I agree with you that one has a good insight into what motivates other people if they can see sexual shapes in abstracts. It always amuses me greatly when people "see" erotic shapes that I know for a fact aren't there, or at least are not supposed to be there!!
That's also interesting that you ask people if they still like the art when they then know it's erotic, and I'd be interested to know what sort of responses you get, and what women as opposed to men say...
I agree with you also that if you are not an erotic person by nature then you won't see the eroticism in the art. But also some people are so very erotic and sexual that mere art isn't of huge interest to them, as they'd rather see (and experience!) the real thing.
As for the people you describe who see "weird shapes and colours", they obviously don't have a vivid imagination, whereas the people who see clowns and monsters may have too much of one, or possibly have a more macabre outlook on life. Its the ones who only see "death and blackness" that we have to worry about!!!!
You've given me some interesting insights, thankyou.
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