Math, the Son of Mathonwy — Part 2

Blodeuwedd is fashioned out of plants to be the wife of Llew Llaw Gyffes, who is also given the Cantrev of Dinodig to rule. One day when he goes to visit Math, Blodeuwedd, who remains behind, hears the sound of a horn. She learns he is Gronw Pebyr, Lord of Penllyn. As night approaches, he goes to the gate; and after discussion, she allows him in, as this would be fitting for a lord. On first sight, she is in love with him; and she manages to keep him with her for two days. Having spoken on how they might be always together, she tells him, on the third day as he departs, she will ask Llew under the cover of caring for his safety how he could be killed.

Llew takes lightly her concern. It is in the most impossible way someone could kill him. The spear with which he could be slain must take a year to fashion, and only on a Sunday. He cannot be slain in a house or outside, nor on horseback or on foot: "By making a bath for me by the side of a river, and by putting a roof over a cauldron, and thatching it well and tightly, and bringing a buck, and putting it beside the cauldron. Then if I place one foot on the buck's back, and the other on the edge of the cauldron, whosoever strikes me thus will cause my death."

Blodeuwedd soon sends word to Gronw instruction on how to make the spear. Then a year later, she tells Llew she has been thinking of what he said, and wishes he show how his death could come about. She sends word to Gronw to prepare for the ambush, and does other preparation. Once Llew stood one foot on the buck, the other on the edge of the cauldron, Gronw throws a poison spear. Llew in a scream flies off in the form of an eagle, and vanishes.

Gronw takes over the territory. News reach Math and Gwydion. After a long search, Gwydion is at a vassal's home, and hears about a sow that in daytime goes off somewhere. The next day Gwydion dressed as a swineherd follows the sow, and discovers it ate putrid flesh dropped by is an eagle. Gwydion recognizes the eagle as LLew, and as he signs to it, the eagle comes closer to him, finally dropping to Gwydion's knee. The latter then strikes the eagle with a wand, and Llew returns to his form. He was skin and bones. A year later Llew is restored to health.

When Blodeuwedd hears that Gwydion with men are coming, she flees to the mountains with her women. The women go to a court in the mountains, but fear makes them approach it looking backward. They all fall into a lake, and are drowned except for Blodeuwedd. Gwydion catches up to her; and for punishment, turns her into an owl, hateful to all birds. Gronw sends an embassy to Llew. For punishment, Gronw is to stand at the spot Llew did earlier. When this is done, Gronw as if he might stand behind a slab or rock on the other side of the river. This is granted, and Llew throws the spear that goes through the rock and kills Gwonw. Llew retakes his domain.

Criticism

It appears that the major characters are, or were, gods. When the tales were set down, they act as men, but there is always the sense of their godhood behind their deeds. One god might have been able to transform into an eagle. Much also appears lost in this complicated tale. The three boys turned from animals (in the first summary) are named, but nothing more is said of them. 

Memorable Dialogue in Movies

 

Good afternoon fellow writers, editors, teachers and those aspiring into the

literary field.    My topic today is the best dialogue you ever
 read, heard.  Please copy & paste them. It can be from anywhere, such as plays
and the big screen.   I thought of this topic because I think dialogue is so
expressive and the way itis said is also important.

It is not on the list, but Princess Bride's  "My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed
 my father, prepare to die."

Gone with the Wind, "I don't give a damn, my dear!"

"Luke, I am your father."

When two people gather in a room to talk things through like adults, what happens in mostly pretty
standard; if everything goes right, both individuals shake hands and go back to the world with a
 smile on their faces and one reason less to worry.

However, in the movie world, when you see a dialogue-heavy scene coming, you know it’s about to

 go down.

Unlike the real world, two individuals having a conversation can’t just be a friendly encounter 

(unless you’re watching an indie, low budget or Richard Linklater film); tension has to be present, 

with plenty of drama and rage. In short, shenanigans are likely to ensue and at the very least,
something important will be revealed that may change the course of the plot.

If you decide to continue reading this amazing list, you’ll find the 20 best one-on-one
verbal confrontations of recorded film history.

20. My Dinner with Andre

This movie consists of a single scene of dialogue, stretched for over two hours, in which the
protagonist reunites with an old friend named Andre, who has been involved in an interesting
series of activities in a search for real meaning in his life.

Wally calmly listens as his friend enthusiastically describes what he has been doing all this
time: being buried alive, making a weird play with no audience in a forest, adopting a
Buddhist monk for a few weeks, joining a group of people who were trying to achieve a
kind of enlightened extra-human state. Andre seems to be into new age culture, and he
 and Wally are very dissimilar.

Watching them talk for almost two hours nonstop is quite interesting. The protagonist
disagrees with Andre’s extremism about how the modern world is pointless, but he does
appreciate the comforts that technology offers, whereas Andre prefers a more animalistic
 and natural state of being and savagely critiques the vices and problems of our contemporary
civilization.

Their philosophical dissertations show some of the blatant issues Western society has to
face, such as alienation, routine, self-deception, lack of empathy. It’s an analysis you shouldn’t
miss. Best lines: Andre: “Our minds are just focused on these goals and plans, which in
themselves are not reality.” Wally: “Goals and plans are not… they’re fantasy. They’re part of a dream life.”

19. Manhattan

All Woody Allen films are dialogue driven. His scripts are influenced by a
number of literaryauthors, and most of his texts could be easily adapted
into a play. He also borrows often from the Hollywood golden era and
classic foreign masterpieces, such as “Casablanca”, “8½”,
“Citizen Kane” and “The Seventh Seal”.

“Manhattan” is a mixture of many of his inspirations, including New York,
which may be considered his biggest one. Allen plays Isaac, a chatty
New Yorker who’s dating a 17-year-old named Tracy.
He doesn’t seem to be taking the relationship seriously, but Tracy has
fallen in love with him.

Throughout the whole movie, Isaac treats Tracy like a child and is
condescending toward herin an attempt to undermine their mutual
 affection. He prefers thepseudo-intellectual Mary,but it’s clear
 that he would rather be with Tracy if not for her age.

At the end, Isaac’s attempts to seduce Mary get hampered by his
 best friend. Isaac runs toward Tracy’s building, realizing that he had
always loved her, while the wonderful soundtrack transports us into
ancient Hollywood history. Gershwin’s famous “Rhapsody in Blue” carries the
whole movie until the end.

She’s getting ready to leave for London on a scholarship, and when he realizes
that it’s too late to convince her, Tracy comforts him by saying that when she
comes back in six months, she would still love him. Isaac is not so sure about that,
but is convinced when Tracy says the famous line: “You have to have a little
faith in people.” This scene nicely ties up the film in a nice bow. Shot in glorious
black and white and withamazing performances from both actors, it’s one of the
greatest dialogues in film history.

Best lines: Tracy: “You have to have a little faith in people.”

18. The Third Man

Considered one of the best classic thrillers of all time, this movie’s smart plot was decades
ahead of its time, inspiring future generations of filmmakers with its flawless black-and-white
aesthetic and memorable scenes; namely the famous dialogue on the Ferris wheel.

Holly Martins has arrived to post-World War II Vienna, following an invitation from his old
friend Harry Lime. Just after his arrival, Holly is informed that Harry was run over by a truck
and died instantly. He assists with the funeral and everyone seems to think that Harry was
a criminal. Holly then starts a difficult investigation process to prove the innocence of his
best buddy.

After asking around, the protagonist is convinced that his friend isn’t what he used to be.
Everything points at Harry being a cruel racketeer who faked his death, so Holly tells one of
Harry’s associates that he’ll be around the Ferris wheel waiting for him to clear things up.

Harry, played by no less than Orson Welles, joins Holly at the meeting spot as though everything
were normal. Holly starts talking about all the evidence he has found against him; meanwhile, the
Ferris wheel has started spinning, and we see the landscape moving behind Harry. He doesn’t
seem to care about any of this and threatens Holly’s life if he were to rat him out. The dialogue
itself turns very poetic, as Welles’s character is marvelously written, and he carries the
conversation like a master of manipulation, while his friend is perplexed at his change of
personality.

This is a key moment for the film, in which Welles solidifies his awesome performance and the
mystery is cleared.

Best lines: Harry Lime: “Don’t be so gloomy. After all it’s not that awful. Like the fella says, in
Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they
produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly
love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.
So long, Holly.”

17. Goodfellas

In an attempt of reprising the role of “himself”, Joe Pesci plays a psycho mobster named
Tommy, who’s as crazy as he’s funny, although Pesci’s character is in denial of those aspects
of his personality.

Martin Scorsese structures this dialogue scene wonderfully, using two camera setups that
allow us to see each character’s reactions.

Tommy is telling a story to a group of other mobsters in a restaurant, about how he refused to be
interrogated by cops when they approached him as he was resting in a park. Everyone is
laughing due to the actor’s hilarious way of telling the tale and Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta)
instinctively says to Tommy that he’s funny, who replies, “funny how?” Henry doesn’t know how to
 answer and starts mumbling, so Tommy questions him again with a bit of anger in his voice,
as silence takes over the table.

Soon enough, Henry finds out that Tommy is only messing with him and everybody starts laughing
again. However, we also see how much of a lunatic Tommy is, which makes us wonder if Henry
is safe by his side.

This scene is based on a real experience Joe Pesci had when working on a restaurant. He told
a mobster that he was funny and things went downhill from there, as the guy didn’t take the
compliment too fondly. The director didn’t add this bit to the filming schedule, only he and Joe
knew about it, so the other actors improvised around Pesci’s great performance, and their
reactions are real and priceless.

Scorsese portrays the relationship between these two in a single masterful dialogue that,
on top of being amusing, establishes the movie’s whole rhythm, which is dynamic and unexpected.

Best lines: Tommy DeVito: “No, no, I don’t know, you said it. How do I know? You said I’m funny.
How the fuck am I funny, what the fuck is so funny about me? Tell me, tell me what’s funny!”
Henry Hill: [long pause] “Get the fuck out of here, Tommy!” T: [everyone laughs] “Ya motherfucker!
I almost had him, I almost had him. Ya stuttering prick ya. Frankie, was he shaking? I wonder
about you sometimes, Henry. You may fold under questioning.”

16. Hunger

Steve McQueen cast young Magneto and Davos Seaworth for his first feature film. I was surprised
when I didn’t encounter any swordfights or metal bending/murdering in the whole film’s runtime,
although I did came across a sweet dialogue scene.

Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, an Irish republican who leads a hunger strike while
imprisoned. He has a conversation with Father Dominic about his life, religion and motives, a 
relaxed chat while smoking and displaying a great amount of chemistry. The camera is static
as both men interrogate one another.

Both actors do a great job, as filming a single take from the same angle and with an extreme amount
of lines to remember couldn’t have been an easy task. Though we only see their shapes due to the
dim lighting for most of the scene, the performers are able to express every emotion and keep us
interested for almost 30 minutes and with minimal cuts. Best lines: Father Dominic Moran: 
“I want to know whether your intent is just purely to commit suicide here.”

Bobby Sands: “You want me to argue about the morality of what I’m about to do and whether
it’s really suicide or not? For one, you’re calling it suicide. I call it murder. And that’s just another
wee difference between us two. We’re both Catholic men, both Republicans. But while you were
poaching salmon in beautiful Kilrea, we were being burnt out of our house in Rathcoole. Similar
in many ways, Dom, but life and experiences focused our beliefs differently. You understand me?”

15. Casablanca

Holding the unbeaten record of the world for “most times the movie’s title is mentioned in its
runtime”, “Casablanca” is really the classic of classics. People don’t usually think that is the best
movie ever made, but within its historical context, “Casablanca” set the tone for decades of cinema
to come.

American Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and his squeeze Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) were forced to
 flee Paris just when their relationship was consolidating, because Hitler just couldn’t go down
without committing every crime imaginable, he also had to cockblock Humphrey Bogart. However,
Ilsa suddenly decides to ditch him with a letter, which is the equivalent of sending your loved one
a Snapchat of you raising your middle finger as a breakup tactic.

They see each other again, after a long time, in Rick’s popular nightclub. He possesses some special
visas that Ilsa and her revolutionary husband need in order to escape from the Third Reich
persecution and flee to the United States. He’s reluctant to give up those documents, because of the
 great harm Ilsa caused him; Bogart’s character often states that, after what happened to him,
 he only cares about himself.

However, in the final scene, Rick makes a huge sacrifice for the greater good. He was planning to
give Ilsa’s husband the visa but stay with his former girlfriend in Casablanca, because she claimed
she still loved him. At the moment of truth, he gives them both the visas and stays alone, with one
of the most memorable lines in the history of film.

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/the-20-best-dialogue-scenes-
in-cinema-history/

Dabbling in my Journal

Good afternoon! Glad to see you drop by and tell us what you are working on. Or maybe you are just taking it easy. Is your mind as actively creative that won't shut off even when you are relaxing? Even when I take it easy, my mind wanders and dwells on the current project in progress. I even dreamt of a scene last night of the character, a sorcerer causing all the mayhem. 

Sitting on the porch under the shade of the red umbrella and the oak tree is nice on a spring day.

Let us know what inspires you.  Listening to nature feeds the soul.  For this process, I prefer the handwritten in pencil method.  It's not so permanent on the screen yet.  

Hope to get through some scenes today,

one that creates the pivotal moment of the story my character is going to endure. Going to take a bit of research as well. Make the story credible, lure the reader in.

A Niche Kind of Place

 

Happy Friday!   It's been a horrendous week.  Too much to do and little time for writing or anything creative.  What is your system on gearing up to write or cerate a work of art?  Maybe it's sketching or freehand.  I like a variety and it all depends. I write much more than working on art projects but easily switch hats as it comes. Try out some natural sounds with music. Dan Gibson is superb if you have not heard his music.  I recall many Sunday nights when Hearts of Space would come on.   Just great to listen to or write or create to.

Do you dabble in writing, journaling, creative writing, editing or any field of the arts? From painting, photography, drawing to graphic arts. My BA degree is in graphic communications. What programs do you use? This is the place to join to inspire and share expertise on a project, a technique that works for you that one may struggling with.  Perhaps you are an aspiring writer or artist.  Maybe you want to sell your artwork and need advice how to do so.   Feel free to join us as creative minds work together.   This place is for anyone who loves art and writing. 

If this is your first visit with us, enjoy and look around. There are many stories to look at and we have a great bunch of good people happy in their creative worlds. 

Take a nice diversion from your usual routine and try something new. 

   

The Long Road Back

 

From the journal of Arcanus

I entered Eolca under a spell of illusion. It wouldn't do to be caught here. I was the empire's greatest enemy. Never had I envisioned strolling the Via Circuita with its stunning view down the terraced extinct volcano, not without compelling reason.

That reason was curiosity. The invitation came from none other than Wayacth, the empire's greatest sorceress. I had clashed with her before over the desert skies of Guyeveh. Her fellow Red Claws hit hard and fast, much to our detriment. This could be a clever trap--save for that legendary Red Claw honor. If she assured my safety, it would be so. 

I ascended the busy steps up Mount Nuerca. The heights were dominated by lavish villas, which clung to the mountain beneath the lofty fortress of the Sybils. Once admitted through the gate by an elderly maid, I dropped the illusion, much to her horror. "Announce me to your mistress. I am the archmage Arcanus."

The scurrying maid cast back fearful glances, bringing us into a cool foyer lined with antique weapons. Presently Wayacth entered from a side chamber, hair regally piled, dressed in gauzy lavender. She led us to a study with a glorious view of the Pedale Sea. We faced each other on matching white divans. 

"You rate," she began, "at the seventh tier. Do you know mine?"

"Of course: the sixth tier, highest in the empire."

"No longer. I am back at tier one."

Shocked, I awaited the story as the maid brought in a platter of rose custard and baso wine, that bitter test of Red Claw stoicism. 

Wayacth was the victim of a high-level sleep spell in the senate. On awakening, she felt something was wrong, a fear borne out by failure to conjure a simple mage light. She paused, testing me. 

"Your magic link was severed," I said. Practitioners of the psionic arts are capable of it, and are frequently employed by the anti-magic Inquest fanatics."

"I have restored it," she said bluntly. 

I clutched my staff. "Impossible. Unheard of!"

"It happened thusly: I have my grandfather's ability to sense magic links in academy candidates. Unlike him, I can visualize links--even my own."

"Astonishing!" I must learn the secret of this. It would be my price for whatever she wanted of me. 

She went on. "I ordered my maid Sapillia to turn away all visitors, and see that I was not disturbed during the long night. Partly in the dream state, I repaired the link with agonizing slowness."

"Whom do you suspect of the crime?"

"Yisrilla."

Again I reeled in surprise. "The imperatrix?"

"I believe her responsible for her husband's death. She now fears the Red Claws, and has ordered our base here relocated to Daumastia." 

The imperator's dragon flight had been ambushed over the frozen Yaglukk region by dark realms raiders. 

"And what," I asked, "has this to do with me?"

"I must re-learn all my spells, and in record time. I need someone to spar with, one who will truly challenge me."

"You speak truly about the punishing challenge, girl. And if you regain your tier six?"

"Then I will settle with Yisrilla." She gave me a moment to digest this. "You have no more liking for her than I. Her reckless courting of the dark realms endangers both our eastern borders."

I laughed, releasing the pent up backlog of surprises. "I know you for a determined woman, Wayacth. You have already achieved the impossible. We will begin your comeback at Khot, City of Thieves, as neutral ground."

She grimaced: an aristocrat in such a slag pile?

"Agreed, Arcanus. But don't expect me to call you 'master'." 

The Creative Way and God

 

Keeping on the creative wave lengths.  Being creative is also a spiritual as well personal development.  Sometimes we have a creativity block or our personal censor tells us we are not good or our work is meaningless.  Julia explains ways to override that negative censor.    Trying out morning pages or freewriting in the journal helps tremendously.  How this works is write whatever comes to mind.  

For those with kids and busy routine, find the time in the morning, at least five minutes to write in the morning.  Try it for a week and it will help you break through that creativity block and put aside that censor. It will make your profession better and have a better inner spirituality. Her works have helped me write and create better works of art and have inner peace within. My gift to everyone when my books are published is to be a gift, an escape from the hectic world we are in.  

Grammar Series: Parallelism in Writing

 

We are launching a new series to encourage and inspire writers of all kinds.   One of the best techniques in writing is parallelism. It makes us remember certain points in the manuscript.  It's sort of like getting across a meaning or emphasis a sentence.  It adds balance to smooth out the sentence and flow.  

Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. Parallelism examples are found in literary works as well as in ordinary conversations.
This method adds balance and rhythm to sentences giving ideas a smoother flow and thus can be persuasive because of the repetition it employs. For example, “Alice ran into the room, into the garden, and into our hearts.” We see the repetition of a phrase that not only gives the sentence a balance but rhythm and flow as well. This repetition can also occur in similar structured clauses e.g. “Whenever you need me, wherever you need me, I will be there for you.

It is used in a variety of literary works.

Poetry

John Donne’s

“Good we must love, and must hate ill,
For ill is ill, and good good still;
But there are things indifferent,
Which we may neither hate, nor love,
But one, and then another prove,
As we shall find our fancy bent.”

Charles Dickens

Tale of Two Cities

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

It creates a harmony of ideas in a literary work.   One of the most invaluable tools that will strengthen your work. 

Assignment:  Write three parallel sentences.