Monday, March 02, 2009

Coming Into The Home Stretch

Half a year ago, I unwittingly embarked on a journey of self-discovery when I began what I thought would be a fairly straightforward project: writing a storyline for a comic book called Violence Girl, loosely based on my experiences as a punk musician. As with most journeys taken without a road map, I had a vague notion of where I was heading but no idea of how to actually get from Point A to Point B. I just got in the vehicle and naturally headed towards East LA: my birthplace, the place where my mother, father and half-sister are buried and the place I will always consider home.

Six months of almost daily writing have passed and I find myself on the final leg of my journey. Strangely enough, it feels like I’ve been to hell and back when the truth is I haven’t left the familiar surroundings of my home in the desert north of Phoenix. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved that the end is in sight. I’m 50 this year and my story only covers the first two and half decades of my life, a time when I discovered the world, life, love and death. I lived and discovered so much in those years but it took the writing of this book to make the biggest discovery – me. Writing about my childhood forced me to look in the darkest corners of my memory where the monsters were hidden. Writing about my adult relationships made me realize how much I’d been affected by my own parents’ examples. It was as if I was seeing myself clearly for the first time and I didn’t always like what I saw.

As I said before, I’m looking forward to typing the final words on the final page of Violence Girl. It’s my sincere hope that someone out there who is dealing with their own monsters will recognize a bit of themselves in Violence Girl and know that there is a way out of the darkness.

Starting this week, we will be taking down all of my previous posts starting with East LA Bobsleds and working forward. Over the next few weeks, the entire Violence Girl series will come down permanently for more editing and revisions. Thank you to everyone who joined me for the ride.

8 comments:

Matt "Max" Van said...

Just asking because the Violence Girl story has been utterly compelling for me: What are your plans for it? Book? Graphic Novel?Other?

Anonymous said...

Shirley Manson (Garbage) said in an interview today "I'm 42...I felt like I wanted to do something in my life that scared me. You get to a point where everything is too comfortable." Do you identify with this observation and was writing this autobiography a way of "scaring yourself?" You say you're not a writer but you've obviously stuck with it (thank you, BTW).

Jenny Lens said...

Thank you, Alice.

Mando said...

I truly hope to see it as a comic.. I hope I can get through it before it comes down. It reminded me of a real life "Love and Rockets". I'm so bummed that I just came across it. Good luck! You are an amazing writer

Unknown said...

Thanks Mando, as you can see, the earlier "chapters" have already come down and will be revised and edited over the next few months. I also hope it can be made into a graphic novel or comic.

To anonymous who asked the question re: Shirley Manson. I think she is making a point I agree with, although I might not characterize it as "scaring myself" but I do feel the need to challenge myself and always try to learn something new. Doing things that are out of my comfort zone has always been one way of growing for me and I seek out opportunities for personal growth.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Alice.

Anonymous said...

i missed the last 2 months of posts and now frantically trying to catch up before they come down. what did i miss - why are they coming down?

not to scale said...

I followed for the first bit and even shared with a friend of mine who grew up near you and remembered some of the social unrest events. Life distracts and i missed past everything punk rock, but I'll impatiently await publication. You're a wonderful writer with a fabulous, strong tale. Have you considered doing it as illuminated text? Punk Rock Biblical Font #17 LARGE...thanksomuch

o!...i thought of you because i thrifted a chapbook today from 1970 that includes Bobby Bird http://www.thenitmustbetrue.com/byrd/byrd1.html and his Cincos Puntos Press http://www.cincopuntos.com/