Tayari's Blog: I See dead people METAPHORS
Posted by TayariJones on June 12, 2006 02:19 PM
Filed under
The Writing Life
Always listen to your own voice. Write what you want to write, the story that you need to tell. Don't try and recreate what worked for someone else, what made someone else a best seller or the critic's darling. When you copy, imitate, or in any other way fake the funk... well.. let's just say that the result is something really, really cynical and really really sad. (And did I forget to say boring?)
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Comment #1, by Jenn ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
Thank you for your article today!
This is WHYYYY I can BARELY watch television except for the news. All these reality shows recycle similar story lines.
What happened to original shows like Cosby and A Different World, What's Happening, Dallas, Different Strokes, The Facts of Life, Falcon Crest and the short lived Double Trouble?
This year, I have been watching a lot of cable shows and none of the network shows. However, did you hear that Janice Dickinson has started her own Reality TV Show on modeling. OH BROTHER! Can we say Tyra wanna be? And, no she is not the first super model. She looks WACK! She must have botox, a boob job and probably a weave. White women wear weaves! They are now admitting it. She was pretty when she was really modeling in the 70s and 80s, but now, my GOD, she is scary like that Nicolette Sheridan on Desperate House Wives show. I've never watched Desperate House Wives, but all the papers talk about the show so much that I see her picture every where. She looks like a FREAK!
Can't these shows embrace the beauty of the beautiful aging black woman? When I saw Katherine Dunham's picture in her obituary, I could not believe the woman was in her 90s. When you are black, you don't crack! Of course Iman is simply gorgeous at 40 or 50 something. And just look at the average black women that you see daily. It shocks me when I see sisters in their 50s and they tell me about their 25 year old children when they look like they are in their 30s!
Tayari,
In addition to your books being produced for the big screen, have you ever thought of doing any television projects?? You are so creative and talented that I would love to see your work on the big and small screen!
WORK IT!
June 12, 2006 11:26 PM
Comment #2, by Jackie
OK, so if you are a business and you don't want to innovate, you copy. I only watched AI the first season and still can't understand why Justin Guarini thinks he was robbed. He looks good, but Kelly Clarkson has the pipes. Hey, I just remembered something. AI was a copy of a similar show in Great Britain, right? Again, nothing new.
Speaking of TV shows, one great reality show for a couple of seasons has been The Amazing Race. The past two seasons has had a black couple, plus a black father-daughter team from Maryland. In fact one season, the Black couple WON the million dollars! It is heavily edited, but shows how people deal with the unexpected and tremendous stress and exotic locations around the world.
@Ladylee: I just finished Lolita Files' sex.lies.murder.fame. It was my first time reading her and I was impressed and amused at the story she told. It's not the same quality as a Tayari Jones book, but it is a fun read.
June 13, 2006 11:33 AM
Comment #3, by Ladylee
Wonderful words of wisdom, Tayari. (We're not worthy! We're not worthy!)
Does this mean that you are, um... watching a little TELEVISION now? Oh, the HORROR!
But I agree with you. I like what I write, even if no one else in the world likes it or reads it. It is me... It is original. Even if it doesn't make me millions... It is still priceless in my own eyes. Because it is from my heart and soul. I am sure you feel the same way about your published and unpublished works, T, as you should. (And all your book prizes? well, those are just the icing on the cake! The important part here is the cake itself!!)
Tayari, we live in a society that supports "faking the funk" all day long! Originality rarely gets it's fair share! Why? Because everything goes back to the almighty dollar!! And many times, it is easier to copy something that worked, and generated loads of cash, than to do something beautifully original, which adds to one's being or makes people think, and well... doesn't generate much cash...
Hence, copy, copy, copy!!! Money, money, money!
@ Jackie... I love the Amazing Race, too. But have you noticed that a couple of bootleg copies of THAT great reality show have surfaced recently!?! Uggh! So cheap! I refuse to watch them!!
And thanks for the book recommendation... I will put that on my reading list!
June 14, 2006 06:53 AM