Commedia

Excerpt From The Innamorati: Anna and the Masks

Actors, Artists, Commedia, Mask Work, Novel Excerpts, Research Notes, The Innamorati /

Very early in the novel I sought to establish a fantastic relationship between Anna Forsetti and the Commedia masks she creates. The masks speak to her, they are very alive and responsive to her mood. For Anna there is an interconnection between the womb which creates a life within it and a mask like an […]

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Homeric Sirens II: Enchanters of All Mankind

Commedia, Folklore, Historical Fiction, Magic Realism, Nature, Research Notes, Sirens, The Innamorati, Writing Process /

I am trying to remember that moment in writing The Innamorati — constructed mainly around the characters of the Commedia dell'Arte– when I decided I needed the Siren Herminia to join the cast. I cannot now conceive of the novel without her — but neither can I recall conceiving the necessity of her in the

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Excerpt from The Innamorati: Erminia’s Song

Actors, Commedia, Magic Realism, Mask Work, Myth, Nature, Novel Excerpts, Research Notes, The Innamorati, Writing Process /

This excerpt is taken from Chapter Eight in The Innamorati when Erminia finds herself in the piazza, watching a performance of the Commedia troupe, the Libertini. She is stunned by the magic of Anna Forseti's masks. And their power incite in her the longing to be fully the fantastic creature that she is, threatening to

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Excerpt From The Innamorati: Erminia, the Siren

2 Comments / Commedia, Magic Realism, Myth, Nature, Novel Excerpts, Sirens, The Innamorati, Writing Process /

I am working on a series of posts on my research on the sirens — all of which went into creating the character of Erminia, the siren in The Innamorati. I decided to provide something from the novel as an opportunity to see how the research transforms into character. So here is the chapter where

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A Middle of the Night Meeting With the Commedia

8 Comments / Actors, Artists, Authors, Commedia, Historical Fiction, Magic Realism, Mask Work, Problem Solver, The Innamorati, Three Sisters, Writing Process /

I realized in the middle of the night that everything I had imagined about the plot structure of Three Sisters was insufficient unto the task. I had assumed I could move from one sister's narrative to another, forming discreet and somewhat separate interludes. But, I realized as I turned over on the pillow that If

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