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Betting man that I am, my face melts into the crowd wherever the action is to be found. In the alleyways of Terminus, watching bum brawls with a c-note riding on some hobo that just rolled off a southbound Union Pacific. Around Buford Highway after dark, placing my last dollar on a punch-drunk cockatrice with the heart of a Samurai and talons freshly dipped in blood. OTP, up way out yonder in Hick Lynch County, wagering the rent on a game of Hillbilly Roulette, possibly the second most dangerous game in the world, followed only by Shark Polo... where you'll also find me, along with the other underwater gentleman gamblers, observing the match from the observation lounge of a luxury Casinomarine. It should come as no surprise then to find me in good spirits at that most literary of bloodbaths - Write Club Atlanta . For there is no finer duel to be witnessed than one with words, as it is the duel that heralds or concludes all other duels.
Now, to those who have not attended one of these verbal bouts of pugilism, a few of the basics. Copy and pasted straight from their web page due to sheer laziness on my behalf:
"2 OPPOSING WRITERS.
2 OPPOSING IDEAS.
7 MINUTES APIECE.
AUDIENCE PICKS A WINNER.
Writers compete for cash going to a charity of their choosing."
And there you go.
But having witnessed more than my fair share of these matches over the last few months, certain patterns begin to register on even the most wine saturated of observers. One begins to recognize a series of strategies, fighting styles, combat maneuvers and finishing moves deployed by the myriad contestants. You start to notice the rookie long before their first stammer into the mic and a professional just by the way they take the stage with a smile. But don't think the smile will always beat the stammer, this is the stage after all, that intermediary zone between art and real life, and on it, it takes more than confidence alone to win the match.
Here then, for the novice witness of the Club of Write, are some of the more familiar types of combatants and their myriad fighting styles.
The Weeper:
Fear the Weeper, for s/he is here to do one thing and one thing only - dominate by the power of tears. The Weeper has delved into the blackest depths of their psyche, dredging up radioactive break-ups, a graveyard of dead relatives, the tragedy of being and the finality of nothingness all wrapped up in a seven minute time bomb of raw despair. Styles include : "The Wait it Gets Worse", "Hope Have No Fury" and the classic "It Doesn't Matter if I Lose - We're all Dead Anyway."
The Narrorotic:
Everyone's got a story to tell... except the Narrotic who has a hundred of 'em and can't wait to share each one with you. This is one of the riskiest styles in Write Club, offering simultaneously some of the strongest and more forgettable pieces. In the right hands you can be whisked away to another world of adventure, romance and the comic timing of fortune. But in the wrong hands you will slowly find yourself on the wrong end of a long anecdote to nowhere. Styles include: "This American Strife", "Fantastic Voyages into the Mundane" and "The Crypt Creeper."
The Ranter:
They're mad as hell and they're not going to let you take it anymore. One of the strongest styles of Open Mic-Fu, when orated with a heart filled with equal parts piss, vinegar, passion and a self-deprecating sense of rage. These performances can often stir in the audience a great desire to reshape the world or to squirm uncomfortably in their seats. Some can do both at the same time. Styles include: "Mister Smith goes to Push-Push Theatre", "The Tin Foil Hat" and "A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Internet".
These are the predominant styles, though there are certain combinations of these three that create a few sub-classes. A few examples:
The Confessor:
Weeper + Narrotic. Styles: "The Dear Diary" and "Love's Labor Lost and Found".
The Anchorman:
Ranter + Weeper. Styles: "Today in the News" and "The Mini-TED conference".
The Speed Reader:
Narrotic + Ranter. Styles: "Catch Up With Me if You Can" and "The Race the Clock".
I don't believe anyone has attempted yet a Weeper/Ranter combo as one style tends to completely overwhelm another.
So there you have it for those of you who get it. As always you'll find me at Push-Push on the second Wednesday of the month at the Write Club, where I'm always ready to put my money where their mouths are.
For more info: http://writeclubatlanta.com/
Now, to those who have not attended one of these verbal bouts of pugilism, a few of the basics. Copy and pasted straight from their web page due to sheer laziness on my behalf:
"2 OPPOSING WRITERS.
2 OPPOSING IDEAS.
7 MINUTES APIECE.
AUDIENCE PICKS A WINNER.
Writers compete for cash going to a charity of their choosing."
And there you go.
But having witnessed more than my fair share of these matches over the last few months, certain patterns begin to register on even the most wine saturated of observers. One begins to recognize a series of strategies, fighting styles, combat maneuvers and finishing moves deployed by the myriad contestants. You start to notice the rookie long before their first stammer into the mic and a professional just by the way they take the stage with a smile. But don't think the smile will always beat the stammer, this is the stage after all, that intermediary zone between art and real life, and on it, it takes more than confidence alone to win the match.
Here then, for the novice witness of the Club of Write, are some of the more familiar types of combatants and their myriad fighting styles.
The Weeper:
Fear the Weeper, for s/he is here to do one thing and one thing only - dominate by the power of tears. The Weeper has delved into the blackest depths of their psyche, dredging up radioactive break-ups, a graveyard of dead relatives, the tragedy of being and the finality of nothingness all wrapped up in a seven minute time bomb of raw despair. Styles include : "The Wait it Gets Worse", "Hope Have No Fury" and the classic "It Doesn't Matter if I Lose - We're all Dead Anyway."
The Narrorotic:
Everyone's got a story to tell... except the Narrotic who has a hundred of 'em and can't wait to share each one with you. This is one of the riskiest styles in Write Club, offering simultaneously some of the strongest and more forgettable pieces. In the right hands you can be whisked away to another world of adventure, romance and the comic timing of fortune. But in the wrong hands you will slowly find yourself on the wrong end of a long anecdote to nowhere. Styles include: "This American Strife", "Fantastic Voyages into the Mundane" and "The Crypt Creeper."
The Ranter:
They're mad as hell and they're not going to let you take it anymore. One of the strongest styles of Open Mic-Fu, when orated with a heart filled with equal parts piss, vinegar, passion and a self-deprecating sense of rage. These performances can often stir in the audience a great desire to reshape the world or to squirm uncomfortably in their seats. Some can do both at the same time. Styles include: "Mister Smith goes to Push-Push Theatre", "The Tin Foil Hat" and "A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Internet".
These are the predominant styles, though there are certain combinations of these three that create a few sub-classes. A few examples:
The Confessor:
Weeper + Narrotic. Styles: "The Dear Diary" and "Love's Labor Lost and Found".
The Anchorman:
Ranter + Weeper. Styles: "Today in the News" and "The Mini-TED conference".
The Speed Reader:
Narrotic + Ranter. Styles: "Catch Up With Me if You Can" and "The Race the Clock".
I don't believe anyone has attempted yet a Weeper/Ranter combo as one style tends to completely overwhelm another.
So there you have it for those of you who get it. As always you'll find me at Push-Push on the second Wednesday of the month at the Write Club, where I'm always ready to put my money where their mouths are.
For more info: http://writeclubatlanta.com/
