Salt Institute for Documentary Studies

Located in Portland, Maine, the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies offers a 15-week immersion program for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in documentary writing, photography, or radio.
This blog is an update of current Salt students insights and musings.

4/08/2008

............dude........

This shit is hard....I'm realizing more and more that I'm a writer trapped in the body of someone in radio....Radio is so challenging and rewarding because you are making a story based partly on supposition but also an informal logic. You are required to be morally and ethically sound but also tell a story with conflict and drama, two devices that aren't necessarily rooted in logic. Plus the audience only gets to hear you once. Someone in my class has a great story with a great character who is unfortunately naive in the most aggravating way; my first inclination is to satirize, but that's something left for a.....well...........satire, or a "mockumentary". I like those a lot, because you don't have to be as truthful as you would normally be. I've also started smoking again; I'm not proud of it but cancer just tastes so good. Sweet, sweet cancer. In fact, I don't think I've eaten anything today, cause I've been busy plowing through tobacco and coffee. Transcribing.......makes you want to rip your arm off and beat a small child over the head. Not really, but it's crossed my mind.

Also, not everyone has a story. You hear that a lot. "Everyone's got a story". Not true. Some people are boring and willing to let their lives coast until a dream comes and takes them away to a happy place. Don't follow these people. Find someone who tells stories that make everyone listen. Like elderly people. Maine has the greatest old folk you've ever seen. I'd do a story about some guy's enema if he made me laugh, which after the day I've had, shouldn't be that hard to do. Enough whining. I'm gonna go buy some smokes and transcribe...

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