tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6532335692914790732024-03-13T06:22:49.754-04:00Musings of a Growing WriterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-3229601821339524952013-04-02T13:54:00.003-04:002013-04-02T13:54:34.607-04:00The End of an Experience<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NbmfKN6LCmA/UVsbGvWClRI/AAAAAAAAAN8/vpS0rqJ0ezI/s1600/Ferris+Silhouette.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NbmfKN6LCmA/UVsbGvWClRI/AAAAAAAAAN8/vpS0rqJ0ezI/s400/Ferris+Silhouette.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silhouette of the Woodbridge Ferris statue at Ferris State University</td></tr>
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On the 29th of March my time as editorial intern ran out. It was an interesting experience, which I will not soon forget, but it opened my eyes to a few things. That while I love writing and copy editing, I really am not the best on working on editorial materials or working in an environment where there is no office. These are my own faults, not the company's. The Musa and Penumbra staff were nothing but supportive, educational, and wonderful coworkers.<br />
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Hopefully they find another intern with a little more vigor, and preferably a journalism minor. I know that lack of writing knowledge had my head spinning. An English major knows how to write, to be sure, but we also lack a lot of skill that a journalist might have. We're good at analysis of work, but there is so much more I felt I should have known. Then again an English major may be able to do it, they'd just have to be quicker at learning on their feet than I was. I can think of a few fellow students back at college who might have handled the experience better than I did.<br />
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In the end the internship made me realize that while I may want to try this sometime again in the future, for now I need to focus on gaining new skills for another career. A career I feel I would be more stable in. I decided that this summer I will re-enroll at Ferris State University for a degree in Computer Information Systems.<br />
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I went to a career counselor about two thirds of the way through my internship realizing I needed a change, and this is the path that we found seemed to suit me. So, for now I'm going to say goodbye to the professional writing world and hello to the tech industry. It was fun, but I can honestly say, I didn't know what I was getting into. I may still try to write a novel, but this time it will be as a happy author with a completed manuscript outside of the industry.<br />
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Happy Writings!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-39177149757293123222013-03-25T18:46:00.002-04:002013-03-25T18:51:24.788-04:00What Will The Students of Tomorrow Learn?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm going to take a wild guess and say robotics. At least, I think it will happen here in America. My reasoning is based on an event I recently went to at Gull Lake High School in Richland, Michigan. They were hosting the 2013 FIRST robotics competition in Michigan. I chanced upon the event when I was checking out the local High School flier for the Gull Lake area. FIRST was the cover story and a highlighted upcoming event, and the article promised something akin to the television series<i> Robot Wars</i> I used to love watching as a kid.</div>
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Students from all over my state came to the competition with their robots in tow to put the robots they built to the test. These kids spent several months building and testing robots they made, with the help of mentors who are professional engineers and scientists by trade. Each group was excited and living up to FIRST's name which translates to, "For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." Groups had mascots (who danced to pop music in between competitive rounds,) buttons, posters, and stations where you could talk to them. These kids were enthusiastic and ready to do their best in the ring.<br />
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Morgan Freeman had it right, "It's the Super Bowl...of smarts!" While not as violent as I may have anticipated it being from my earlier exposure to <i>Robot Wars</i> in early thousands, these competitions were still quite the spectacle sometimes exciting and sometimes downright funny. I had a blast as a spectator, but as a writer and fantastical thinker I couldn't help but wonder whether these teams of high school kids would become more common place as time went on. It seemed possible to me that,<a href="http://www.theflyingtoasters.org/" target="_blank"> The Flying Toasters</a> from South Lyon, MI (who were by far my favorite team) might actually become a supported sports/ mathlete team of the future. I also wondered if it wouldn't become part of regular curriculum over time.<br />
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I would venture they will. I hope that programs like this will continue to flourish throughout the U.S. and take kids towards careers that are not only practical, but that will become the superstars of the future. I'll be curious to see how events like these will be incorporated into the books and stories as well. Until then happy writings, and oh, yeah....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xK_wmmBjEtY/UVDTmFpgilI/AAAAAAAAANs/wvBkBNayE0U/s1600/Male+Flying+Toaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xK_wmmBjEtY/UVDTmFpgilI/AAAAAAAAANs/wvBkBNayE0U/s320/Male+Flying+Toaster.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">GO TOASTERS!!!!</span></b></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0Gull Lake High School, 7753 North 34th Street, Richland, MI 49083, USA42.3727942 -85.43862530000001242.3258777 -85.519306300000011 42.4197107 -85.357944300000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-28594516000678407202013-03-01T03:27:00.004-05:002013-03-01T03:55:25.788-05:00 The Patriotic Zombie and Inspiration from Image Generators<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2HzQPSf1zUc/UTBhkxx3zwI/AAAAAAAAAM8/kMXVEstycPM/s1600/Zombie2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2HzQPSf1zUc/UTBhkxx3zwI/AAAAAAAAAM8/kMXVEstycPM/s320/Zombie2.png" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used<a href="http://www.zombieme.com/free/" target="_blank"> ZombieMe.com</a> to make the picture (and GIMP<br />
To even things out a bit.)</td></tr>
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Yay, a new blog post for Penumbra! This was the image (I made) that I had hoped would go with the article, but some things just don't work out. The link and an excerpt from the article are below.<br />
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<a href="http://penumbraezine.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-patriotic-zombie.html?spref=bl">The Patriotic Zombie</a>: by Kristen Saunders.<br />
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<i>Super Bowl Sunday is about as American as you can get. As I sit watching the commercials and writing this story (a few...</i><br />
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I noticed another grammatical mistake I didn't catch before my post went live. Urgh, nothing quite as frustrating as missing things! I quickly glanced at the bottom of the page and realized that I had written, "A bit (of) mindless entertainment," the "of" plainly missing in this particular sentence.<br />
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Hair pulling induced by grammar aside, I really need to think about something new to write about. I don't think Space Opera's are going to be a good subject for me, as the earlier post mentioned. So maybe I should try to find something else to talk about, like art and writing. How one influences the other. I always enjoy creating art as much as writing; I often do them together.<br />
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Some art, like the picture above, is done with cool apps online. I also did a pulp science fiction cover for one of my older story ideas, <i>Dreida</i>, today on an app called <a href="http://thrilling-tales.webomator.com/derange-o-lab/pulp-o-mizer/pulp-o-mizer.html" target="_blank">Pulp-O-Mizer</a>. The generated picture is below.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slMqy6bvEi0/UTBlWTnzi3I/AAAAAAAAANM/McChyZsct0I/s1600/Pulp-O-Mizer_Cover_Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slMqy6bvEi0/UTBlWTnzi3I/AAAAAAAAANM/McChyZsct0I/s1600/Pulp-O-Mizer_Cover_Image.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have <a href="http://growingcompostions.blogspot.com/2012/12/is-it-possible-to-write-original-story.html" target="_blank">another picture</a> of my hand drawn cover art for this story. It's a little more sentimental, but not nearly as crisp or professional looking. I think these silly online apps can be inspiring and I hope those reading have some fun with them.<br />
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Happy Writings and Creation!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-6151361351138069952013-02-24T21:44:00.000-05:002013-02-24T21:44:22.746-05:00When if Ever Will a Space Opera be Feasible? <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/michael/blog/images/toroidal%20colony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/michael/blog/images/toroidal%20colony.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toroidal Colony by Michael Anissimov. A design for a<br />possible space colony in the future.</td></tr>
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The last few weeks have lead to a few developed thoughts in my head. Penumbra asks me to chip into their blog once a month. It's part of my internship and I usually have a blast doing it. The subject of space operas however, has left me feeling rather unproductive. How can I approach the nuances of something that has yet to come into existence? That thought inevitably became, "When can we foresee a space opera (In its modern form) happening?"<br />
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Right now the only life forms we know that exist on other planets are microscopic. We haven't seen other intelligent species, let alone gotten to know one well enough to believe that we could be having diplomatic relations with another planet. If we do find other intelligent life in our universe I would be curious to see how they behave. Will they be peaceful, warlike, or like humans have multiple sides to them?<br />
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We don't know what those first encounters will look like or if they will even take place in this universe. I can see science someday taking us to another dimension, another reality. What kind of experiences will that sort of travel bring us? I could speculate, but I would more than likely be horribly wrong.<br />
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We are currently moving towards a more industrialized vision of space in America. I find that rather exciting actually (at least as much as I find it terrifying,) because it may bring us towards discovering much more about space exploration.<br />
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Star Trek is a long way off from becoming a reality. Space colonies like the one above are not something that will likely happen in my life time.<br />
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Life is a funny thing, because if I have to think about what might happen after its over all I can think is, "Well it won't apply to me. Why should I care?" I know in theory I should be excited, should want to push our society towards making those breakthroughs and at the very least encourage the next generation to find an escape planet in case this one should ever fall to ruin to say, a stray meteor over Russia. I should care, but in the end I doubt I'll live to see it and outside of science fiction my interest ends there. I'm more interested in how space companies plan to mine asteroids without having the human error to drop rocks on the earth below.<br />
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My guess is that unless they come here I won't see aliens. I won't get to see humans make the first connection with another species, or the first intergalactic council elect the equivalent of a Vulcan as their level headed leader.<br />
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Right now I don't see meaningful (widely known) alien encounters as a feasible thing. Until we can go on long trips at the speed of light away from earth I will conclude the only space opera's I'll ever hope to see will be ones in the Senate. Those opera's will be much more tedious, and will involve how much money can be "squandered" on machines that will provide planetary protection from gigantic flying rocks. C-SPAN will broadcast them and I'm certain, as ever, we will all skip over the channel and miss that these long drawn out legislation dramas are ever happening in the first place.<br />
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All I can hope is that Space X and NASA manage to make some drastic discoveries during my lifetime which will bring us one step closer to intergalactic story telling on a massive scale.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-19573784596255112622013-02-15T14:24:00.002-05:002013-02-15T14:24:32.415-05:00How Do You Stay Regular?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fiber is not the answer for this particular question. My thoughts on becoming regular pertain to work productivity for the online, home based, self scheduled worker.</div>
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Writing two to three blogs a week is not hard. The idea of sitting down and expressing new thoughts on a daily basis isn't that daunting either. I think the problem I have with writing regularly simply comes down to a lack of discipline. <div>
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I have a calendar that decoratively hangs on the wall in my room/ office. It has Mucha's art on it and I fell in love with it at first sight, glitter and all. I'm certain that if I took a pen or a marker to it and circled days that said "Thou shalt post on these days!" It would get done. However, there is a little part of me that doesn't want to harm the glorious pieces of art on back side of each calendar month. </div>
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I find it peculiar that whenever I write that something needs to get done it gets done. Even if by writing, I mean circling a few random number days on my calendar. I find it peculiar because I can say something all day long (or admittedly even month long,) but unless I write it somewhere, it tends to be left to the wayside. </div>
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It's due to this strange behavior that I try to keep up my diary when I'm particularly stressed out. My diary is really one big to do list that has little notes and random artwork inserted between the pages. However, the diary is usually my last resort and I'm beginning to think that I may need to mar up the beautiful calendar soon if I'm to become a productive member of society. </div>
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The introspective part of this particular blog post makes me wonder what is so compelling about a few written words? Is it because I see it as some sort of promise to myself? Or is it simply like a contract with a date and time, giving me physical proof of time philandered away on the internet instead of focusing on things I ought? I'm not quite certain where the motivator lies in those written words. I know I feel guilty if I neglect something even though I've "said" that I'll do it.</div>
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I think writing down tasks has to do with intentions more than guilt. It's a personal guess, but it makes more sense to me when I sit and think about it. It's like a daily resolution to resolve the little problems in my life. Just like how I decided I was going to have a carrot smoothie today. I did it, and it was delicious.</div>
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So now I resolve to get back to work and to finally start brainstorming some ideas on space operas. Penumbra will need a new blog shortly and I know very little on that particular subject. </div>
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Happy Writings, and better concentration to all the creative people out there!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-5882301872964527802013-02-04T17:25:00.001-05:002013-02-04T17:25:19.892-05:00An Introduction to the Godfathers of Science Fiction<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.waukeganpl.org/sites/default/files/ray_bradbury_by_turk1672-d53chj1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.waukeganpl.org/sites/default/files/ray_bradbury_by_turk1672-d53chj1.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ray Bradbury the man that<br />made me realize the error<br />of my ways.</td></tr>
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This was a piece I did for the Penumbra blog on my lack of literary exposure to the great authors of Sci-fi. I'm currently reading, "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus" by Orson Scott Card because of this piece. I read it only while exercising in the morning, and as ever I have a bad habit of reading five or six books at once making my reading completion rate very slow. Here is a beginning excerpt and a link to the blog:<br />
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<i><a href="http://penumbraezine.blogspot.com/2013/01/introduction-to-god-fathers-of-science.html?spref=bl">Penumbra eMag: Introduction to the Godfathers of Science Fiction</a>: by Kristen Saunders You must forgive me for what I’m about to write, but I’ve committed a most grave sin among passionate science fiction ...</i><br />
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I plan on reading pieces from all the great Sci-fi writers in the near future, but unfortunately I can only do so many books at once. I'm currently reading "A Storm of Swords" by George R. R. Martin, "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas, and numerous magazines strewn throughout the house.<br />
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Happy Reading and Writing to all of you out there!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-14706888287483792702013-02-04T17:11:00.001-05:002013-02-04T17:11:27.225-05:00Ending a Future and Finding Another<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.benbruno.com/wp/assets/writing_frustration_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://www.benbruno.com/wp/assets/writing_frustration_m.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What January consisted of for me.</td></tr>
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To say January was unproductive isn't quite covering all the problems I've had last month. Preparing my story for a month before and then trying to write up several new story ideas when my first failed made it very clear that my NaNoWriMo was a disastrous failure. It seemed no matter what I wrote I had no connection to it and it didn't feel like I was accomplishing anything. At week three I tossed the pencil across the room, threw my hands up in the air, and promptly gave up on the whole venture deciding to relax for a little while instead.<div>
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Problem was I couldn't really relax. It was becoming clear that I wasn't comfortable with writing regularly. Writing was something I wanted to make a career out of and it still potentially is. My inability to have any creativity made me ask myself constantly, "What is wrong with you?"</div>
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The answer was a mix of several things. One, I'm in the middle of a depression which can make writer's block feel like a real life hell. The self loathing that comes with not accomplishing your own goals makes you not want to get out of bed and to consequently bury your head in the sand so you don't have to deal with the rest of the world and it's expectations. The second was that I've been thrown (by my own will) into a creative business that I haven't really tried my hand at before. Honestly I never took a journalism course outside of high school. And when I did take that course all I did was make poorly drawn Microsoft Paint comics for the school newspaper; a far cry from professional editorials of any sort. Thirdly, I have begun to wonder if my college degree was really what I should have been pursuing for five years with the constant feelings of unsteadiness that I've been dealing with.</div>
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This mess of facts and questions lead to a perfect storm of personal turmoil that I'm working on getting my butt out of. I will always like writing and will probably continue this blog (2-3 days a week instead of daily.) However, it has become plain to me that I need to stabilize my future by setting up some goals. The first of which will include me going back to college while I still can. My father works at a university, so I get nine credits free a semester at my school. I may return to professional editing and writing again later on in life, but for now I want to explore other opportunities. </div>
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I'll start writing for fun on the sides when my Musa Internship is over and keep my skills sharp in any way I can. I'm still artistic at heart, but when it comes to perfectionism in this field I know I'm lacking. Thus, I think as a growing writer I will relegate my writing to a page a day (for fun).<br /><div>
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Depression is an ugly thing, but clearing up your future plans definitely helps with making life feel better. Exercise, a schedule, and accomplishing tasks seem to be factors that help dissipate my lethargy and irritability. However, knowing how many expectations I can have of myself is key too. Making too many goals only makes my problems worse, thus the drop in the number of blog posts I will be doing. For now I'll trudge on and look forward to the days yet to come.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-72400866853024943342013-01-14T20:59:00.000-05:002013-01-14T20:59:12.403-05:00A Short HiatusHello Fellow Writers,<br />
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I am going to take a short break to focus on my novel/ short story project for the rest of January. If I see something truly compelling I may pop back on, but for now I need to focus on this one thing. I've become so obsessed with the technical and methodical way of approaching writing that I've been neglecting the fun aspect of it. In this way the blog has become something of an inhibitor rather than a tool that is helping me be creative.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-u0Eg_I2SE/T87TjeXXXZI/AAAAAAAACH4/mI4MjreNvbY/s1600/Hiatus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-u0Eg_I2SE/T87TjeXXXZI/AAAAAAAACH4/mI4MjreNvbY/s320/Hiatus.png" width="320" /></a>This blog has afforded me quite a bit of insight into different ways to approach how I write. However, I need a short break to start applying some techniques and focusing my writing. February I'll come back and start over, but for now, I need to just do and cut out a few of the little things that are taking my time away.<br />
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Happy Writings, I'll see you in February!<br />
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Kristen SaundersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-46349375075358959172013-01-10T21:44:00.000-05:002013-01-10T21:44:11.255-05:00Reading for Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I spent most of the day reading from books. I read a few pages from <i>Blogging for Business </i>by Shel Holtz and Ted Demopoulos and a few chapters from Orson Scott Card's <i>Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus. </i>It was what my mother would call a "lazy day" and one I spent mainly on my couch slowly reading and absorbing information. I had a feeling Card might have understood some of what <a href="http://growingcompostions.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-do-you-mess-with-expectations-and.html" target="_blank">Chimamanda Adichie</a> was saying in the post I made yesterday. His characters are so complex that they are believable. Even the children he writes say things children would say and do, much to their parent's annoyance. <div>
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I was supposed to focus on writing today but got wrapped up in this narrative instead. I grabbed the paperback from my mother's ancient book collection, dusted off the half inch of dust from years in the back corner of a hutch, and started reading it during my morning runs. After getting through the first chapter I ended up reading it almost all the time in any location. The choices his characters face caught my attention and have made me wonder if I would have made the same choices. </div>
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Writing that makes you question your own choices, without posing direct questions to you, is in my opinion some of the best writing that there is. This work embodies several of those questions and at the same time makes me care equally about the narrative that is taking place on the page. </div>
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Now to tackle some of that writing I was supposed to be doing... Happy Writings!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-76316347493610675982013-01-09T23:18:00.001-05:002013-01-09T23:18:19.062-05:00How Do You Mess with Expectations and Perspective?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chimamanda Adichie is a story teller and in this TEDtalk she tells her own in a way I could never replicate. Her narrative makes you think about what perspectives we keep on the world and how we should be aware of them. She explains how our perceptions of a culture may not apply to every single person or community and results in us losing the richness of the stories around us in everyday life. Stereotypes become the spotlights that shed light in a negative way and reveal little else to the untraveled eye.</div>
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Her speech makes me want to understand the cultures of the world more intimately, and to expand my understanding of the effects of globalization on cultures all over the world. That intimacy will help me visualize Chinese or Indian characters listening to music from around the world and living lives I might not have expected. Understanding that there is as much good that happens anywhere as there is bad can make you realize the depth of human complexity anywhere in the world.</div>
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Her tale really helped me to widen the horizon of my thoughts onto what the intricacies of an individual might be. What a character may be exposed to in the world is much more vast than their own culture. For instance though I am white American I have an intense love of Japanese culture and can often be seen dancing to K-pop and J-pop. Mind you I've been listening to this genre of music for awhile, long before Psy came into vogue. Random exposure to the world around us makes me think of the movie <i>Slum-dog Millionaire. </i>The main character who knows Benjamin Franklin is on the American one hundred dollar bill is in its own right an interesting narrative. Someday soon I should get around to reading the book and see if I obtain anymore enlightenment from what lies written on the pages.</div>
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There is so much that can be learned from this twenty minute piece. After watching it three times I still feel I have not grasped all that she has to offer in her biographical narrative.</div>
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Take a break from writing and enjoy watching!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-21013911069918432452013-01-08T23:31:00.000-05:002013-01-08T23:31:01.775-05:00I Found My Groove!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/003/7/1/another_year_another_page_by_fukari-d5qa605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/003/7/1/another_year_another_page_by_fukari-d5qa605.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Another Year Another Page</i> by <a href="http://fukari.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Judyta Murawska</a></td></tr>
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Apparently yesterday's creative reboot was exactly what I needed for my writing. I can hear a thrumming buzz in my ears as new thoughts whiz by for several short stories that take place in a future China. I'd say it's a dystopic collection, but the thing is I think dystopia's are happening all the time. We just don't tend to notice the dark things going on around us in America. Western thinking has made us believe that we are beyond the reaches of losing our civilized nature as a collective. Losing our humanity seems laughable when there's a Walmart, drugstore, hospital, religious house, bank, and Salvation Army down the street. Thing is, take away electricity or introduce something like a plague onto the cities of today and I don't think it would take that long for things to slide out of balance. Societies are meant to eventually fall whether by disaster, war, or internal collapse. No government can last forever.<br />
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My government rants aside, the entire time on my two hour car ride home today I was happily thinking of new ideas for short stories. I wasn't trying to weave the characters together so it worked well. If it becomes more later, awesome! If not, I won't be crying about it. Most importantly the stories I'm thinking of make me want to draw. When I feel compelled to create and visualize a character and universe it is extraordinarily refreshing. I feel a bit of my old self reviving. The girl who wanted to take on the world and prove she had something great in her jumps out of the closet like she's been locked in there for a year or two. Though I feel more of an amateur now than before, it's kind of refreshing to know exactly where I stand. That and it makes me feel comfortable enough to start searching for my own writing voice. To craft it beyond the obvious and delve a little more into the details.<br />
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Richland, a town nearby, has a writing group and I need to start attending. It meets twice a month and with any luck one of the writers will have been published. I need to meet some people who know the ropes of publishing and acquaint myself with them in person, not just read their articles on my phone and laptop.<br />
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I'm excited about what 2013 has pushed me to do this year and with any luck I'll find just enough success to keep me moving forward. That and with all this creative energy flowing around, who knows, I may post some personal art here in the near future.<br />
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Until then, Happy Writings!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-62853208225887536802013-01-07T14:34:00.000-05:002013-01-07T14:34:16.176-05:00Reboot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://neutralgood.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Reset.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://neutralgood.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Reset.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Monday mornings are good for a change of routine. Although I've talked of nothing else for the past month I've decided to let <i>God Syndrome</i> sit for awhile and focus on a compilation of short stories. I'm thinking they may have a shared theme like strong women, or an area of land. I'll start writing and let it flow from there.<div>
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I was inspired to make my pieces into smaller chunks by the article, <i><a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/why-do-most-writers-start-with-novels_b63360#more-63360" target="_blank">Why Do Most Writers Start With Novels?</a> </i>by Jason Boog. It's a relatively short piece, but it definitely is something to think about. With the writer's block I'm experiencing coming from character development I figure short stories are a good way to flex my brain muscles and obtain some focus.</div>
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My friend is at just over 9,000 words and we are both supposed to be at 11,000. I'll start over again and hope that in some miraculous fashion I can manage to catch up even a little bit.</div>
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Time to put on some good music and obtain some focus. Happy Writings!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-59170473692064700172013-01-05T00:19:00.001-05:002013-01-05T00:19:54.088-05:00What Do You Do When You Feel Your Muse Has Died?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kenliu.name/binary/ken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://kenliu.name/binary/ken.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Ken, and this is his <a href="http://kenliu.name/blog/" target="_blank">blog</a><br />which I will read at a later date.</td></tr>
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I'll start off by saying four days into my personal nanowrimo and I'm already hitting the nail on the coffin head. I didn't type at all yesterday and right this very moment I would like nothing more than to crawl into bed and go to sleep. It's technically Saturday (even though I'm still counting it as Friday night) and I've yet to break the first 1,612 words that I needed for the first day. This however is something I'm going to need to work through. I'm keeping today's post brief so that I can devote a little more time to my project, but I thought I'd leave you lovely readers with a link to the blog that inspired me to keep trudging through the mud. To keep writing despite the fact that I feel a little disconnected to my own story line right now.<br />
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While I work for Penumbra EMag I often truly find inspiration on their blog. The post <a href="http://penumbraezine.blogspot.com/2013/01/write-more.html?spref=bl">WRITE MORE</a>: by Ken Liu tells aspiring writers a simple message to, "write more." It may be easier said then done, but experience is the giver of wisdom and I am certain this seasoned writer knows what he's saying.<br />
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Happy Writings!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-42864681101254375982013-01-04T00:02:00.001-05:002013-01-05T19:16:11.229-05:00Convention Crazy!Jumping back into the work schedule brings me to a peculiar topic. Conventions. Musa is having me compile a list of conventions to help its authors share their writing with those of like minds and interests. I've been compiling lists of science fiction, horror, romance, fantasy, and general book conventions for the past couple days with location information and links to event and artist coordinators. The lists are insanely long and I never imagined there were this many conventions every year. Almost every weekend has one and several weekends have multiple gathering's all across the United States.<br />
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Despite my lack of knowledge on the number of conventions, I am aware of their power and existence. My first experience with a convention was <a href="http://youmacon.com/" target="_blank">Youmacon</a> 2007, an anime convention that was in Troy, Michigan. Anime conventions usually cover anime (Japanese cartoons) and manga (Japanese graphic novels.) I've loved manga and graphic novels ever since I was introduced to them in seventh grade. When art and writing meld together you get a unique story telling experience. It may not be literature, or require the depths of your imagination to visualize what is going on, but there is humor there that you can't really get anywhere else. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made the helmet and scythe. It took a lot of work, but I had one hell of a time during the con.</td></tr>
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Youmacon 2007 was one of the smelliest experiences of my life. It consisted of no AC and lots of nerds with body odor packed tightly together indoors. In spite of the smell there were artist's there who created my favorite animes and mangas. More importantly I got to know people who had the same interests I had and got to explore the culture further. I vowed I would come back and I did from 2010-2012 with friends in tow. Thankfully that experience was much less smelly. Those years the convention was at the Detroit Marriot where AC killed the stink of a couple thousand of people. In 2011 I went as Celty Sturluson (image above.) I was randomly chosen to do a free photo shoot with a bunch of people who wore costumes as a hobby. Costume's are a major part of anime conventions and I chose to take part that year, spending a good day making and putting together the outfit.<br />
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It's a zany experience and I have a hard time believing that any other convention could top the craziness factor of anime cons. However, I think in the future I should also start scooping out the lists I'm currently making for the Musa authors. There's professional aspect as a writer and an editor that becons me to attend. I hope I learn something at one of these conventions, but I also hope that it doesn't lack a fun atmosphere. I may not wear a costume, but I wouldn't mind an improptu writer's circle or a panel about online publishing.<br />
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I love these gatherings and hope I'll be at one in the near future.<br />
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Happy Writings!<br />
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P.s. Day three have thoroughly neglected writting. This creativity block is killing me. I will do better on the weekend.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-45909560161561678342013-01-01T22:09:00.001-05:002013-01-01T22:09:02.455-05:00What Makes a Book Musical Worthy?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://danitorres.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/11/lesmiserables.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://danitorres.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/11/lesmiserables.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The content better be as good as the size!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Black mascara streaked down my face as I hiccuped, sniffled, and quietly bawled my way through <i>Les Miserables </i>this past weekend. The music has been so inspiring to me that I have been playing it at every opportunity I've had since I saw the film. There's something about a musical that reaches into your soul and makes you feel a person's triumphs, losses, and emotions more than any other medium. However, I did not realize until the opening credits that <i>Les Miserables</i> was a book written by Victor Hugo. I will be curious to see if the book can emit as much feeling as the soaring music that captures a listener's heart. In short, I'm adding the gigantic tome to my incredibly long reading list.<br />
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Several books have taken on new life and have been adapted for the stage as musicals. One of my personal favorites <i>Wicked </i>was originally <i>Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West</i> by Gregory Maguire. Other triumphant transitions from the page to the stage include <i>Ragtime, The Color Purple, Big River </i>(<i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin</i>,) <i>Oliver, My Fair Lady </i>(<i>Pygmalion</i>,) and <i>Cats </i>which was based on a children's book called <i>Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats</i> by T.S. Elliot.<br />
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Plot lines don't always match up between the play and the original. <i>Wicked </i>and <i>My Fair Lady</i> are shining examples of drastic changes from the leaves of a book to a full on drama extraordinaire. (Others in the list above may differ from their play counterparts, but admittedly I haven't seen all of the plays or read all of the books.)<br />
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So my question, one that will require more research, is what causes the spark to go off in a stage write's head? Creativity has always flowed in my veins, but it did not seem to spark the fire that takes a novel to another stage. Whether that stage be a movie, TV show, radio drama, a stage play, or a musical It's always baffled me how someone could rework a novel into something more than it was. Mind you I don't think all medium transitions are a success, but it must take some sort of inspiration to make someone take a novel they've read and make it more.<br />
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Is there some quality in a book that makes it easy to transition to a musical, or is it pure determination of the play write or composer to make music from what he/she knows? Do the novels have something in common that makes them so heart wrenching on stage? I mean it's not like we've seen romance novels become stage plays. My opinion is that <i>Spider Man</i> became a musical to make a profit and nothing more. Maybe it's amazing and I'm missing out, but until someone tells me it's outstanding, I will remain skeptical. What makes a novel, or any story become a great musical? If you have an incite or ideas please share them. I'd be curious to see what other people think.<br />
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P.S. Day one of my personal novel writing month. My writing buddy has been updated and we are ready to go! From here on out I drop the pen and move to the key board. With 1,612 words to write a day I've got to conserve my energy. So I'll let a computer do my word counts and keep my wrists from cramping up by sticking to tapping keys rather than writing on paper.<br />
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Happy Writings!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-29789173214084800292012-12-30T23:52:00.002-05:002012-12-30T23:52:46.111-05:00Can You Love What Drives You Crazy?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrxczvJ5B81r04gz0o1_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrxczvJ5B81r04gz0o1_400.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm certain we've all been here at some point.</td></tr>
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The easy answer to this question is yes, yes you can. All those little flaws that make you want to deck your brother or sister, slap your lover, or tear the page out of a good book may seem like pure hatred, but the truth is it comes as part of the mental package. The flaws that drive you crazy do so for a reason, and often those reasons are nearest and dearest to your heart. I know there are things that I do which I will never understand. Procrastination for one. They make me want to tear my own hair out almost as much as watching people destroy themselves or each other out of selfish wants and needs. The world is a messy place and it's more than just bodily problems. We make "drama," add to our emotional problems, and do down right crazy things for those we know and ourselves.<br />
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Let's face it, no one is a saint. We try, we really do, but at the end of the day we are only human.<br />
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Some of the best stories I've read involved characters who felt just in what they were doing, and I almost loved them as much as I hated them. They were ruining or thwarting my favorite character's efforts in a way that seemed downright dastardly. Thing is, stuff like this happens in our every day lives all the time. Some girl stole your best friend's boyfriend and mercilessly flaunted the fact to her face. Your grandparent got robbed by some kid who was just trying to make it into a gang. Your school rival got the job you had been trying to get for the past five years and it was only because he or she was flirting with the boss to get it. Crazy crap happens and it's all around you. The key is writing about some of that stuff when you are angry or peeved. Capturing the thoughts of that moment are so revealing about what is happening to a person in a rage. Then, after some time trying to see what you have written in another light. I, for one, had a moment like that tonight.<br />
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There's nothing like experiencing a bit of my own stupidity. Even now I'm shaking my head wondering how in the heck I managed to miss that tomorrow was New Year's Eve. Time flew right past my brain and made me think it was next week, not tomorrow. Somehow, I managed to believe that December deserved another week of existence for 2012. There was so much I was going to get done in that extra week too! I wanted a certain project for Musa done by tomorrow and was supposed to be working on my notes for my 50,000 words in January. That has all been reduced to one day's work and as luck would have it the road will have a couple hours of my attention (again.) I'm seething and have no one to blame for myself. Sometime in the future, I'm certain I'll look back at this and laugh. Who knows I may even be glad I was late because of some of the inspiration I got from the film adaption of <i>Les Miserables </i>tonight!<br />
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I'm definitely hitting a learning curve. Now, I have some work to do! Happy Writings to all of you and may it be an outlet for all those moments in your life you feel the steam pouring out of your ears.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-79008330122210711332012-12-27T17:52:00.000-05:002012-12-27T17:52:33.160-05:00How Do You Develop Your Writing?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/185118_403993442987957_225841143_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/185118_403993442987957_225841143_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is The Buck. However, it wasn't full when we were there.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It's amazing how ideas come in the oddest times and places. The shower is my temple for thoughts that are here one moment and gone the next. Thankfully, my most recent experience at The Buck in St. Joseph stuck with me.<br />
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After having spent the majority of the Christmas holiday with family it seemed only logical that I go and visit my beau. As usual I had fun and was thoroughly distracted until he finally went to work. It is challenging to ignore your loved ones when writing calls. I still need to gain a little will power in that area. That aside, we had a marvelous time yesterday gallivanting about St. Joseph, Michigan. I bit into the most juicy burger that had fresh crisp vegetables, perfectly melted cheese, and fries that had all the right seasonings to make a girl forget about calories and consume the whole plate. Guilt followed a bit afterwards, but I went walking in a blizzard afterwards. I'm certain I shivered through enough energy to worry about calories at another time.<br />
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While I was dining on this perfectly pulverized patty and devouring every morsel a thought jumped into my head. I should discuss one of my recently discovered writing flaws, my inability to describe why something was, cool, really nice, awesome, great, good, okay, or fine.<br />
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In my mind I was finding it hard to move past those words. To go from, "they were awesome shoes," to "they were fun emerald green triangular flats capped with gold metal at the front," was something I had been having a problem with.<a href="http://pinterest.com/hermea/" target="_blank"> Pinterest</a> made me aware of this issue.<br />
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I use Pinterest as a social media meeting of the minds with both individuals that I know well, and people that I do not. Whenever I add a picture I always include a description. However, as time passed I realized I was adding simple descriptions that didn't emphasize why these pictures I was collecting were interesting to me. All I had were a bunch of pictures that essentially said "This is SO cool!" <br />
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Repetition drives me nuts, and I am certain does so for many other readers as well. Thus I made it my prerogative to start stretching the boundaries of my descriptions. Writing can be so rich with different textures of language. It can be so much more than one word exclamations of "coolness." This writing challenge is taking what I would say in conversation and morphing it into something that others will actually enjoy reading. Like a verbal chocolate truffle that melts in your mouth, I want the words that are written to be captivating and melt seamlessly into the folds of your mind.<br />
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Development of writing comes from many different places. It comes from social media use, speech, blogging, and article construction. Self observation, which can be slow and difficult, is essential to self improvement. Consistent Pinterest descriptions and elevated blog writing is my first stepping stone. Though with January so near <i>God Syndrome</i> may be the bearer of some of my small successes.<br />
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Happy Writings!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-46684880946447756362012-12-24T19:47:00.002-05:002012-12-25T00:08:41.760-05:00Christmas Eve Musings<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/486333_10200095724145048_1029554276_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/486333_10200095724145048_1029554276_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom took this picture a week ago from our living room.</td></tr>
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The fire is blazing in the fire place as we play sappy hallmark movies on the TV. My mother and I baked a German cheese cake, which is light and fluffy and only a little sweet. The baking has caused the house to fill up with the smell of lemons. It's all intoxicating enough to lull me into dozing on the couch.<br />
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I've been bad about writing notes for my book since I went north. It's hard to stay motivated around the holidays. Especially with all the lovely cooking that is constantly being pumped out of the kitchen. It's enough to put a girl in a permanent carbohydrate induced stupor. Despite the holiday slow down I've continued to work on a side project for Musa, which I'll pick up again tomorrow night.<br />
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For now I will simply reflect on all that I am thankful for as a writer and editor this year. I am thankful I have a family who supports me while I'm on transition towards my new career. Without Celina Summers and Brandie Tarvin I would not be growing as a writer or having this amazing opportunity with Musa Publishing. My family is comprised of some of the most amazing story tellers I know and I will always be inspired by their tall and fantastic tales that lead me to the industry. I'm thankful for the brush I had with Michelle Bardsley (a romance novelist) a few years ago and the guidance she gave me then.<br />
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I have plenty to work on for the next year including finding a writing group and reading through the brand new sixteenth edition of <i>The Chicago Manual of Style</i> that is sitting under my Christmas tree. My mother and I know our gifts to each other, but we wrapped them and put them under the tree anyway. Forging a path forward for the new year is something I'm enthusiastic about. Leaving a string of ink, type, and graphite trailing behind me in ever greater volume.<br />
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Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-24362621198718230882012-12-21T22:56:00.000-05:002012-12-22T19:10:05.599-05:00How Do You Make Holiday Deadlines Fun?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nutrivize.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/longbeachstuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://nutrivize.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/longbeachstuff.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most beautiful thing to this writer on a deadline!</td></tr>
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So, I've come to the conclusion holidays and work should never mix. Ever. Then again, if I had my way, there would be no Penumbra in November and December. Readers would be very sad to have to live without their speculative fiction. That and they may demand to have their money returned to them. Something I'm certain my boss would not be pleased to hear.<br />
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I have far too much fun visiting family and kibitzing with friends around a table full of warm seasonal drinks. I enjoy hugging my sisters and scratching the ears of my old dogs as we discuss favorite foods, funny stories, and cute quirks. I also enjoy the prospect of ending my day without having to write, though this box of chocolates I'm gnawing on is making the whole experience much more marvelous.<br />
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Tomorrow one of my blogs for Penumbra is due. It will be an easy thing to write, but it is not my ideal of fun at the moment. I will just have to motivate myself with some music or continue to down copious amounts of sugar until I can't help but smile. I'll work on it tonight and edit it tomorrow before I send it in for posting. I won't have "bellow" instead of "below" this time. I don't think I could take the humiliation if I did.<br />
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My writer's block left me on the drive north today and I quickly wrote two pen and paper pages of notes for <i>God Syndrome</i>. I'm not wholly satisfied with it at the moment, but at least I got my grey matter into functioning order again. Next week I start the plot mountain for the book; I was surprised to find myself excited about the prospect of moving forward with it.<br />
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I'm exercising regularly now, so I'm sure just a few more pounds of chocolate will get me through the rest of the holiday season.<br />
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Have a Merry Christmas this weekend. Happy Kwanza. I hope your Hanukkahs went well. And for all the Pastafarians happy Holiday. Good will to all!<br />
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Happy Writings.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-12405782014066824082012-12-21T00:13:00.002-05:002012-12-21T00:15:44.524-05:00Rambling Through Writer's Block<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5k8wud7Ls1rp3pelo1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5k8wud7Ls1rp3pelo1_500.png" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How writer's block feels. </td></tr>
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<span id="goog_351330522"></span><span id="goog_351330523"></span>The past few days I've been reworking the look of this blog. I'm still not one hundred percent sure about the typography, but overall I like the page set up that I've chosen. I;m trying to find how personal versus how professional I want to make the page look. I'm also planning the Ray Bradbury blog post for Penumbra and putting together a long overdue list for work. Honestly, the last thing I'm thinking about today is writing.<br />
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Part of my lack of focus may be from my notes for <i>God Syndrome. </i> Last night I realized I hadn't done some basic character building for the book. So I spent a good hour or two writing little notes about hobbies, interests, family, education, physical looks, and locations for the book. I filled only three quarters of a page and felt like I hit a wall. It's some of the most basic stuff, but I was so focused on research I forgot to start building some basic profiles. Now I'm having the challenge of trying to build a character I don't feel entirely familiar with.<br />
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The holidays are upon us, meaning that I will be migrating back and forth across the great state of Michigan. I'm just thankful I don't have to traverse an entire country. At least not yet! I wrapped Christmas presents and made plans to visit my Father tomorrow, before Christmas Eve. Though whether I'll go or not will depend on how clean the roads will be tomorrow. Snow is pounding Michigan, but not where I currently am. All the schools in my hometown have already closed for tomorrow, essentially extending the Christmas vacation.Though, my younger sister is probably sad since her band concert was cancelled. I however have been deprived of the traditional winter wonder land, I am stuck in the gray land of cold unrelenting rain. The kind of rain that makes you want to get back into bed and dream of better locations.<br />
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Part of me hopes that going home to my Father and my half sisters will bring back some of my imagination and that I can dive back into my notes and my blog with vigor. I need a recharge and some silly inspiration. For now I'm going to get some rest and hope that dreams may be inspirational.<br />
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Happy Writings and Happy Holidays!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-3109603043675591672012-12-19T21:30:00.000-05:002012-12-21T21:53:34.453-05:00When Does Fiction Become Reality?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I follow <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/?nav=lgh" target="_blank">Media Bistro</a>'s RSS feed, Galley Cat. They recently released a list of TED Talks that were made by writers. John Green talked about learning communities and his experience with them online. However, the most interesting aspect of his speech was the idea for something immaterial to become material. His example was Agloe, New York. Agloe was a town that only existed on a map as a matter of copyright. However, because the town was printed on so many maps people started to visit the area. Eventually a general store was set up and the town became real.</div>
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The idea that what we write or draw may become real someday is not foreign. We have been seeing science fiction become part of our everyday life for years with things like holograms, small computers, better space technology, and medicine. </div>
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I can imagine in a few years a couple fantasy creatures coming to life with the use of biotechnology. The movie <i>Splice</i> really pushed the boundaries of what biotechnology could create, even if it did have a dark twist. We already have glowing cats and rabbits that have been created in labs by taking the genes from luminescent jelly fish. Spider silk is being harvested from the milk of goats who've had spider DNA injected into their code. I imagine eventually you will be able to pick up your very own norwegian ridgeback dragon in the store. Of course it would have a better temperament than the one of J.K. Rowling's imagination and come in toy size, like poodles.</div>
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What we create in fiction in any way has the possibility of coming to life. Especially if we find people who have an interest in that fiction. Agloe, New York became a real place because there was business driving through trying to find the town. It made sense to set up shop at the crossroads. There would be a market for dragons I'm sure. Though not ones that could breathe fire! Think of all of the lawsuits that would bring.</div>
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I will be curious to see what future minds will imagine for their science fiction stories, and what pieces of fiction will make their way into reality. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-10302468697803425582012-12-19T00:42:00.000-05:002012-12-19T00:42:06.978-05:00What Does Writing About Tragedy Help Us Accomplish?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/erniepyle/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/1_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/erniepyle/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/1_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ernie Pyle, the man with the white goggles, was a WWII<br />
journalist . His experiences were cataloged in <i>Brave Men</i>. </td></tr>
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The shootings in Newton, Connecticut were a tragedy. Something, I admit, I have a hard time feeling sad about. I am human. I cry when people I know die, when my animals die, and when I know a person's story. Fred Weasley never existed, yet his passing still made me cry simply because I knew enough about him. However, I have a hard time feeling any sadness when tragedy strikes outside the scope of people I know.<br />
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I imagine immersion has a lot to do with feeling close to the situation. Immersion in a community, a family, a fake world, or a town can certainly effect you. Journalists have to deal with this whenever they immerse themselves in a community.<br />
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A couple of days ago <i>The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma</i> released <a href="http://dartcenter.org/files/en_tnj_0.pdf" target="_blank">a guide </a> on how journalists should deal with tragic events. They mentioned Ernie Pyle (picture above) a WWII correspondent who wrote from the battle front. He was one of the first writers to travel with soldiers and write about war in as we know it today. His accounts would capture the death of people he knew, the mental break down of soldiers on their way home, and the horrors of war in general. His book <i>Brave Men </i>is an excellent depiction of the horrible things that occurred there. His book was something that allowed the reader to become immersed into the midst of the war.<br />
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Writing is a communication tool that helps translate a tragedy into something everyone can feel. To watch the soul poor out of a child's or soldier's eyes is something that when put into narrative form tugs at the heart. When the details are revealed, a person is known, an experience is described in detail we begin to understand that outside community.<br />
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Writing does more than this however, as the Dart Center pointed out writing can help the writer deal with a tragedy. They do this by writing for themselves about the events. Reports are simply not enough (It is speculated Pyle still had post traumatic stress disorder). There are things journalists know that they cannot share with the public. Things they might hang on to that they shouldn't. Writing, talking with others, and any other manner of therapy can help in those situations. It can essentially help everyday people deal with the most abhorrent of situations.<br />
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Writing can help us communicate on a deeper level. It can help us know our fears and nightmares in a way that can be communicated to all. Fiction can do this just as well as a journal of real events. That communication of every aspect of life is something that can help console not only a reader, but a writer as well. Sharing these thoughts can even make a person like me, who feels detached from Newton, find a way to feel its effects.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-78381295585521432642012-12-17T17:35:00.000-05:002012-12-17T17:35:03.412-05:00Do You Have a Mothering Complex?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/b9dac0b819dfaf3e90f3664e4a84a3b1/tumblr_mf5mcsq3gy1qe959eo2_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/b9dac0b819dfaf3e90f3664e4a84a3b1/tumblr_mf5mcsq3gy1qe959eo2_500.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of <i>Tell Me Your Happy</i><br />by <a href="http://yuumei.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Wenqing Yan</a></td></tr>
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<b>Mothering Complex</b>- Wish to keep your characters safe from truly evil individuals. Unwillingness to allow your characters to die. No trauma of any sort befalling any main character, often causing little to no character development.<br />
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I'll admit right now this is a term I made up. If there is a real mothering complex in the <i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders </i>I apologize. This blog has mainly to do with writing, and since I made up the term I will admit I have a problem.</div>
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I have a mothering complex.</div>
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I like my characters to be happy, to be quick on their feet, and I don't like to see them get hurt. I don't like to see them have their friends die or experience heart ache. I like them to be safe and sound.<br />
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Part of my upcoming notes for <i>God Syndrome</i> will include a detailed plot chart. In there I hope to create some true hurdles for my characters. A place for them to experience life to it's fullest, including the crappy parts of it. I'll make it a personal goal for my character to experience death in some way. The reason I'm doing this is because I have a tendency to tell a story full of roses with only minor characters dying on the side. Often the deaths have gone unnoticed by the main characters. I've been analyzing some of my old writing and I've come to realize how little readers and characters get to know those who die. It's a clean cut that doesn't have you balling like when Fred Weasley or Sirius Black died in <i>Harry Potter. </i><br />
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I suppose you could say that you don't need to have those moments. However, I think it's important that on some level writing mimics life. That sometimes when shit goes down everything isn't okay. My favorite pieces of writing have always had a bit of tragedy in them. <i>Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</i> trilogy, <i>Harry Potter</i>, and from my comics <i>The Demon Ororon </i>are among the pieces I have read that I loved and yet made me cry. So one more writing goal for myself is to break my mother complex, and to give my character a life. One that is measured by both successes and failures. One that has that little stroke of reality to make you feel your own life in that moment.<br />
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Its one heck of a goal and I certainly haven't decided who will pass on, but in the end it is something I want to experience as a writer.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-41706286110301582832012-12-14T16:33:00.000-05:002012-12-14T16:33:10.949-05:00Is It Possible to Write an Original Story?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4eh9POHSVzQ/UMuDiFCwCZI/AAAAAAAAAGY/3gADQV1CViU/s1600/Dreida.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4eh9POHSVzQ/UMuDiFCwCZI/AAAAAAAAAGY/3gADQV1CViU/s400/Dreida.png" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made the cover for a SF course I took in college.<br />
I had decided to make a comic out of the manuscript.</td></tr>
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One of my greatest fears as a writer is to write a book that's already been written. I admit sometimes I'll see a book already published with a flap copy that is similar to an idea I have. So, instead of reading it, I put it back on the shelf. Afraid that my thoughts were already someone else's.<br />
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I think that's why I stopped my first major project, <i>Dreida. </i>I had written two full chapters, almost thirty pages, when I became acquainted with the movie <i>Blade Runner</i>. While the stories weren't even fifty percent the same, they did have very similar elements. The main underlying question they both had was, what makes us human?<br />
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I had plans to add alien cultures. The story was going to take place between India and Germany. The characters were going to be a bit over the top, a little science fiction mixed in with fantasy. I had side stories about the scientists who created the humanoid beings called humanisapiens. Humanisapiens are biologically human, save for a few minor brain adjustments that makes them emotionless and obedient.<br />
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The thing was, those plans felt silly after I had watched the movie. Part of me is now worried that <i>God Syndrome,</i> my current project, will be similar to some other story line I'm not yet aware of. Part of me thinks I need to get over this worried mentality. The story, as far as I know, is original. Unlike <i>Dreida</i> I've been taking notes on this baby for almost a month now. I have thirty pages of just notes on viruses, deities, doodles, and plot ideas. I should feel secure that even if this sort of story has been written before, that I can do it in a way that is better. In a way that is all my own.<br />
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However, I won't lie I'm hoping that <i>God Syndrome</i> is an original piece. One that won't make me want to chicken out. Right now though, I feel pretty certain I'm on the right track.<br />
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Happy Writings!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653233569291479073.post-54582158159065263752012-12-13T11:01:00.001-05:002012-12-23T00:26:35.916-05:00The Futility of Utopia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11500000/Seven-of-nine-as-Borg-seven-of-nine-11538147-303-423.jpg?1355930788487" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11500000/Seven-of-nine-as-Borg-seven-of-nine-11538147-303-423.jpg?1355930788487" width="143" /></a></div>
A piece I did for Penumbra's blog. I had to laugh though. As soon as it went live I realized I made one of my notorious spelling mistakes, using bellow instead of below. Not only that, I used are instead of were in a terrible tense mix up. Grrr. Oh, well it's out there for all to laugh at. I checked over that piece too! Though, I probably didn't let it sit long enough. Here's the link and a really short excerpt...<br />
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<a href="http://penumbraezine.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-futility-of-utopia.html?spref=bl">Penumbra eMag: The Futility of Utopia</a>: by Kristen Saunders What is utopia? It is an ideal community or society possessing highly desirable or perfect qualities. The problem lies...<br />
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The next issue deals with Ray Bradbury. I'm currently acquainting myself with his works. I never read <i>Fahrenheit 451</i> like everyone else did in middle school. I picked up <i>Lord of the Rings</i> instead. So we'll see what Bradbury's works inspire me to say.<br />
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This, as ever, was a shameless plug.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308879651138854291noreply@blogger.com0