day 49

i still wouldn't have a clue about how to overcome or solve my novel problem, so let me procrastinate a little and tell you about my day yesterday. in reverse order.

yesterday night i went to a translator's meeting organized by no man's land (see link list english, too). it was a meeting set up especially for people who translate from german into english. after all, of all berlin, nine people attended. i like how everyone has a forum here. just as expected i was the youngest attendee. but since there wasn't a set schedule for the meeting and how it should proceed, i became first to read a couple of my translations. i read So Many Words I Now Chow, my translation of mr. sartorius' poem So viele Wörter ich jetzt esse and an untitled poem by h.c. artmann. i got helpful comments, hints and ideas for both of them. for example, i wasn't quite aware of the extent of "colloquialness" of the word chow. they suggested the word devour instead, so i'll have to see what i can do about that. apart from myself, one poet read a beautiful translation she made of a prose text describing some mountain range. we all got really into it and discussed her choice of words for a long while. to everybody not involved this must sound terribly nerdy, but i enjoyed it a lot and will definitely go for the next couple of meetings held while i am here in berlin.

during the day, out of sheer desperation, i decided to partake in another competition, a poetry competition this time. i have known about it for a long time and have let it's first deadline pass because i didn't really feel the topic at the time: Erst gestern, Only Yesterday. after it came to my attention, however, that the IGdA has extended the deadline up to may 15, i decided to give it a shot nevertheless. apparently they weren't happy with the replies they got the first time around, so i figured i might as well try and wrote a trilogy that chronicles a girl's thoughts on her love life. the middle one has a very poetry slam tone to it, so i might prolongue it in one way or the other and use it some time soon. we'll see. the most urgent problem at the moment, for sure, is how to best come to my novel's rescue.

yesterday morning i walked to the alexanderplatz ("alex") and bought a new charger for my phone. on my way there i took a wrong turn that led me through the better part of prenzlauer berg. what should have taken me 20 minutes took me one hour plus. well, at least i have a better feeling for berlin distances now.