A Dear John Letter, Angsty Freshman Edition

Dear Brandon,

I could say that I am afraid to write this letter.  Somehow the act of writing awakens passions for you more urgent than before.  What can I say besides that I miss you, and at the sending of this address I will do so even more fervently.

Darrowwood Part Three

3.

            Behind the door she could scarcely hear another soul in the house. She sort of preferred it that way. It made it a lot easier to read her subscriptions to the various publications she had received as gifts over the years. Her favorite writer was one Patricia Longbone, a steely-eyed investigative reporter whose pen was as sharp as her glance.  If a poster had existed with her face on it, Monica would have tacked it to the ceiling.  As things were, she had to be content with sticking some of Patricia’s award-winning articles up there, and a few interview quotes.
           "Beware of stories too full of coincidences. No thing is a coincidence."
            "Follow, catch, question."
            "Go where the story begins."

            Monica happened to look at the alarm clock. The red display read 8:05. She cursed under her breath, grabbed her jacket, and high-tailed it over to Jenny’s house.

So Serious Saturday #9

Fiction needs a basis in reality. Exercising non-fiction muscles once in a while benefits an active imagination, channeling creative energies as it focuses on a subject. So Serious Saturdays will be an active place for critical essays or writing about reality in the context of real events - even when it is not written on Saturdays.

Type: Persuasive Commentary

Threat Posed to The Largest Form of Flattery

Writing what you know: good thing or bad thing or neutral thing?

We all get influenced by what is around us; what we read, see, and hear becomes a part of us. Going to the park inspires a poem, an old song becomes a new song in our hearts -- sappy, but true. Van Gogh was inspired by some of his contemporaries. Novelist J.D. Salinger was inspired in part by Scottish poet Robert Burns. There are literally millions of other examples and cross-references in literature, poetry, art, and music.

The question is "How much credit does the inspiration for a new work receive for the new work?" Specifically, is the Blurred Lines copyright decision a dangerous precedent for all creative work after it?

Craft Wednesday #5 A Word About Sequels

This blog needed a place for talking about writing. "Craft Wednesday" will be me talking about all things writing: how to write, why to write, and my own craft journey. I hope to learn and share experiences with you.

A Word About Sequels

Whenever there's a nice, somewhat original story I applaud its unique efforts to stand alone. Then a sequel comes out. Then another story. Soon there are so many books that it seems like I will never read (or buy) all of the stories.

Thank you, Alex Rider, for pushing my straining bookshelves to overflow capacity.

Whatever happened to a story staying finished? There is no Gone With the Wind canonized sequel - plenty of fanfics, though. Oliver Twist stays in one volume. In her narrative, Madam Bovary carries on her caprices to the end of the book, and that's it.

None Alone Four

4.

            It runs up my back. Eventually I stop fighting them and turn to see what it is. Whatever it is has barbs and is dark and small. I lose sight of it as it rolls up my shoulder to the base of my neck. A question forms on my lips, but once again they charge and I am called to the flashing blades and spear points. The shield on my arm begins to splinter, crack. My sword flies faster than I can keep up.

It is a pinch on the back of my neck like cactus spines. My hand reaches there before it is brought back with the sword to bat away the metal scratching figures on the surface, hot and white figures in the noonday. I taste their sweat, and my own running down my face, as I brace against the ground before pushing off, shoving them away.

Darrowwood Part Two

 2.

 It showed up in her message box before finals.  The subject line read: “Re: Darrowwood Prep Camp.”  Monica did not remember ever having corresponded with a Darrowwood Preparatory, wherever that was, but the email informed her that a letter would arrive at her home shortly.  Google searches displayed a picturesque cabin fronting the vast woods of West Virginia, and several pages of prestigious awards and laudatory comments from past members.  Her right index finger tingled on the keyboard.

So Serious Saturday #8 Water Wisdom Part I

Fiction needs a basis in reality. Exercising non-fiction muscles once in a while benefits an active imagination, channeling creative energies as it focuses on a subject. So Serious Saturdays will be an active place for critical essays or writing about reality in the context of real events - even when it is not written on Saturdays.

Type: Humorous/Informational/Persuasive

Water Wisdom

Yesterday was World Water Day. Maybe you've wondered how to reduce your water usage. Or maybe you have considered being more water wise, but think that it takes a huge commitment.  Here are some factoids about water and water use.