The Challenge
Kaeru wants to study with Kawazu but there’s only one problem: in order to become Master Kawazu’s apprentice, Kaeru must pass a test and write one haiku a day for a month.
These 28 comics were written during the first National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) from February 1-28, 2011 (one haiku-comic a day for a month!)
(*) Written, drawn and posted online on NaHaiWriMo's Facebook page between February 1-28, 2011.
(You can read more NaHaiWriMo comics)
Interviews[top]
This comic was published in The Bulletin/Geppo: a journal of Japanese Canadian Community, History & Culture (April 2014)
Interview with JessicaTremblay, author of Old Pond comics (Day 7)
1. Why is Kaeru writing the haiku, and not you?
I was curious to see what kind of haiku my character Kaeru (a frog) could write, so I decided that it would be Kaeru who would participate in the NaHaiWriMo challenge this month. I was surprised to see that Kaeru's style was very close to Issa's - who loved flies and had lots of compassion for small creatures - while his master Kawazu follows the style of Basho.
2. Why the names Kaeru and Kawazu?
Kawazu is the ancient Japanese word for "frog". It's the word Basho used in his famous poem (a frog dives in / kawazu tobikomu. Master Kawazu represents tradition, the rigid rules of the 5-7-5 syllables.
In contrast, Kaeru means “frog” in contemporary Japanese. As an apprentice, Kaeru will learn the rules (5-7-5, season word, etc.) to later break them. He is intrigued by modern haiku. This difference will create friction between the Master and the student.
3. The combination of a haiku and a comic is interesting. What comes first, the comic or the haiku?
I'm making the comic first, then I'm adding a haiku which must be related to the comic without repeating its elements. The exercise is similar to creating a haiga.
For example, in comic #6, Kaeru finds a toy: the wind-up fly. Instead of adding a haiku about a fly (which would have been too repetitive), I chose to add a haiku about childhood (from the point of view of a frog, of course): full moon / tadpoles growing / legs and arms.
4. Is it your first participation in a challenge like NaHaiWriMo?
No. In October 2010, I participated in 24 hour comic day (the goal was to create 24 comics in 24 hours: created 25!). A couple of years ago, I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and wrote a (very bad) 50,000 words novel in 30 days. Since 2010, I am posting a weekly comic every Monday. Having a deadline helps a lot. It's important to set objectives in order to attain your goal.
5. Is it too late to join NaHaiWriMo?
No, it's not too late. NaHaiWriMo is a personal challenge, a goal you are setting for yourself to write one haiku a day for a month. On Facebook, NaHaiWriMo started on February 1 and will end on February 28, but you can start at any time of the year. ***Update: NaHaiWriMo is continuing in March 2011. Join "NaHaiWriMo" on Facebook***
6. Any advice for the participants?
Post your haiku, even if you are not satisfied with it. Sometimes, you will be surprised to see that the haiku you weren't sure of is receiving positive commentaries and that it wasn't that bad after all. Doubt it the enemy of the beginner.
7. What lesson will the NaHaiWriMo participants learn?
Discipline. Perseverance. Self-confidence.
Interview with JessicaTremblay (February 14, 2011) - Day 14
1. You received a lot of comments this week. Any favorite?
I particularly like this one: "OUAHAHAHAHAHA!" (Rahmatou Sangotte).
Making people laugh is what I like the most.
2.How do you know a joke will be funny?
I never know but if a joke makes me laugh there's a chance it might make someone else laughs.
3. Humor is very important in your work?
Yes. You could say I have a tendency to write senryu, the funny cousin of haiku. One day, I sent some haiku for a theme anthology and the coordinator told me she never laughed so hard reading a submission. Funny thing is... they were erotic haiku! (L’Erotique, Editions biliki)
4.What is your favorite comic so far?
I like the wind-up fly because it's about childhood. We all had these toys you had to wind-up, even cats have windup mice, so why wouldn't a frog have a windup fly? I love the tac-a-tac-a-tac sound to indicate it's an old toy.
5. Are we gonna see that toy again?
No. Kaeru swallowed it.
6. You created some comics using the themes (prompts) suggested by NaHaiWriMo (hand, hummingbird, childhood room, fish). Is it because you lacked inspiration?
Not at all. It's partly because I wanted to prove that my comics were created day by day, not pre-fabricated. It would actually be impossible to do 28 comics in advance. Every morning, I wake up 3 hours before I have to go to work to make the comic.
Also, I love challenges. Making a comic on a suggested theme stimulates me, forces me to think outside my usual topics. It helps me keep the pace.
7. NaHaiWriMo is a very demanding challenge. A word of encouragement for people who gave up, or are thinking about it?
Even though you missed a couple of days of writing (or more), you can still continue. You are not "disqualified". NaHaiWriMo is not a contest. It's a personal challenge you give yourself to write one haiku a day for a month. You missed the 12th day? It doesn't matter. Continue!
NaHaiWriMo is in its first year. It's the year you will be able to compare yourself to next year. If at the end of this month, you wrote only 17 of the 28 days well, this will be the score to beat next year. And 17 haiku, it's better than no haiku at all.
To avoid writer's block, try to write according to the suggested themes (prompts), or open the dictionary and pick a word randomly.
1. You are participating in the NaHaiWrimo challenge which means you are writing one haiku per day during the month of February. Are these the first haiku ever written by a frog?
Master Kawazu says his ancestor co wrote Basho's famous haiku but there is no written proof, so yes they might be the first.
2. Besides writing one haiku a day, did you set other rules or restrictions for yourself?
No, except that Master Kawazu just forbade me to write more haiku on flies (comic #7). I love flies. They are my favorite subject. Fortunately, I still have fireflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds...
3. Hummingbirds are not insects.
That's what I learnt recently (comic #8).
4. Your haiku are very short.
Yes.
5. Is this your personal style?
No. I was given a calendar to write my haiku but the boxes are very small so I have to use as little words as possible. It forces me to be brief. However, the danger of writing such short haiku is that the haiku be so bared down that it feels empty and meaningless, or not a haiku anymore.
6. The wind-up fly in comic #6, is it a real toy?
Yes, it's an educational tool to teach us how to catch flies.
7. You love flies?
I could eat one, right now.
Interview with Master Kawazu (February 14, 2011). Day 14.
1. Why did you ask Kaeru to participate in the NaHaiWriMo challenge and write one haiku a day for a month?
To see if he could write haiku.
2. What do you think about Kaeru's work so far?
He procrastinated a lot at the beginning of the week. I wasn't happy that he went to the beach on the 11th day but if he didn't go, then perhaps he would not have written a haiku, so I guess it's good in a sense. A writer must step out of his routine if he wants to find inspiration. He has to experience new things.
3. Which one of Kaeru's haiku do you like most?
"gust of wind / a leaf rises / to the nest" written on day 8 is a great tribute to the haiku "a fallen flower / returns to it's branch / no, it's a butterfly" from Moritake. It's a beautiful image, this leaf-bird rising to the nest. However, I'm not sure Kaeru knew any of that when he wrote his haiku. Kaeru, do you know this haiku by Moritake?
Kaeru: No.
Kawazu: That's what I thought. Beginners often write extraordinary haiku, and they are not even aware of it.
Kaeru: I wrote an extraordinary haiku?
Kawazu: Without knowing it.
Kaeru: Cool!
4. Any advice for beginners?
Start by reading the classics: Basho, Issa, Buson, Shiki... Too often, beginners start writing haiku without really having read any. They read the definition of haiku somewhere, but haiku is more than a short poem of 17 syllables.
5. What books do you recommend for beginners?
Haiku (Patricia Donegan).
6. Kaeru wrote some sad haiku around Valentine's Day. Why is that?
Kaeru fell in love during his trip to the beach but summer love doesn't last. Life also means moments of sadness. You have to accept it. If you don't take chances, nothing bad will happen to you, but nothing good will happen either. You have to take chances. Live a little.
7. Will you accept Kaeru as your student?
It's too early to say. I'll decide at the end of the month.
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