Of crowns, cats, and commas

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It’s a few days after the coronation of King Charles III, and my thoughts are filled with pageantry and ritual, acceptance and rejection, and with roles and responsibilities. Filled, also, with history unwinding over the centuries and 21st century commentary thereon.

Many see in black & white, but I quite like lingering in the grey in between. Where patience and perspective reside, even while acknowledging that reason and equity and evolution knock on them with the urgency of change.

As I linger in the grey, I have written “By a whisker”, a 100-word piece of nonsense (below) to mark the occasion of the placing of the crown on the head of a mere-mortal man whose birth landed him with a load more significant than any I would ever wish to bear.

By a whisker

I loved polishing the stones, rubbing against them to bring out the shine. But I don’t like to work long hours, so, over the months since September 8, 2022, I did it in bursts, as the mood struck me. Then I overheard the man say it would happen on May 6, 2023, so, I buckled down, put my full weight into it, and, just as the ancient heavy door opened and that man in the white robe reached for the crown, I was satisfied. My own white fur had done the job. Polished the jewels. Fit for a king. Purrfect.

***

In my own world, in which there are significantly more cats and commas than there are crowns, I have been celebrating the publication of my essay on the relationship between writers and their editors; it appears in the May issue of Brevity magazine. To have a ‘craft’ essay accepted by this well regarded journal of creative nonfiction is a feather in my writing cap and I am very pleased.

Writer and Editor as Creative Collaborators 

“…The editor must have the courage to push far enough to help birth the best piece of writing possible — without breaking the writer, and the writer must have the confidence to push back when it’s too much. Ultimately, it is our work, but before it can see the light of day as published piece, we benefit from an editor willing to coax and coach us up and over the hurdles of review and revision…” Read the full essay here.

***

The hardest thing about a new role is to live up to the competing expectations of tradition and of change; the hardest thing about a writing success is to produce another in its wake. My hope is for success for the newly crowned king. And for me, too. Whatever that might look like for each of us, as the days and months unfold and history continues to tell our story. 

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Tuxedo cat photo by Luku Muffin on Unsplash
Write/edit photo by hannah grace on Unsplash

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 9, 2023 at 8:17 AM

    Congratulations Amanda! great published article in Brevity. I'm so happy for you. I too like lingering in the grey and quite like your perspective of thinking of this as a place of patience and perspective. It is in these shades of grey that something new can be created. Thank you for continuing to share your writing with us. Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amanda Le RougetelMay 9, 2023 at 9:59 PM

      Thanks for letting me know that you are a sister-lingerer in the grey, Karen! And, as always, thanks for reading my writing.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 9, 2023 at 5:40 PM

    I reread your essay again, and it is also a crown, maybe not as weighty, but still a crown. Great job on all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PamelakatMay 10, 2023 at 12:29 AM

    How great to see you published in Brevity again! I really appreciated your topic, as it reminded me of one of my favourite workshops from our MEA years, taught by the great Marjorie Anderson. She had a similar approach to the collaboration between writer and editor - a relationship that requires great sensitivity of the editor, and a light touch with the red pen.

    And I love your little nonsense piece, "By a Whisker". Cats and crowns do go together!

    ReplyDelete

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