Thursday, November 02, 2006

ORF (Obsessive Rule-Follower)

On Monday, I entered a contest to name Duane Swierczynski's upcoming tour for his book, The Blonde. The winner would receive the first-ever signed copy.

Duane stipulated:
To enter, send me an email with the subject line, "I'll Name Your Friggin' Tour" and then give me a suggestion or two. Also, include your mailing address. You don't have to play on the word "blonde," but it might help.

So, I emailed Duane two suggestions: The Natural Blonde Killer Tour and Duane Swierczynski's Tour to Dye For.

I didn't win, but neither did anyone else, really. Duane's picky, and he should be. The tour name should really come from him. In the meantime, he awarded the book to Christopher Swan, who submitted the most (13) suggestions.

Some people say creativity shouldn't depend on rules, but the imagination can be unfocused without them. I enjoy the challenge of expressing myself within the rules:

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when the day is through.
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you.
Because you're mine, I walk the line

No comments: