Occasionally some rare and small blog comes along that can completely change your outlook on what writing is supposed to be.
Teasparrows on livejournal does just that. Check them out!
Example of their work:
Untitled by shipsvsplanes
Mathematics has stolen my bones and has left me having heart-to-hearts with bedroom walls. You see, we're discussing the future of humankind and taking bets on who could care less. We're tracing our memoirs on the necks of our lovers and then casting them off to sea, never to be heard from again. And we can't even make them out anymore, but we can still hear them screaming 'Breathe in, breathe out, baby' and that is all I hear but I, myself, am a stubborn one who just doesn't play fair. And, these bedroom wall friends of mine, they just don't care.
Untitled by paintonthewall
I thought that if I threw my phone into the television,
it would make a nice sound. A satisfying crack,
glass raining onto the carpet. I really just want to wake you
up. Shake your bones and kiss your ears. Someone says,
"Words are a dangerous currency," and baby,
I'm flat broke, these are dust pockets, bad checks,
overdrawn thoracic cavities. Oh, how you hate it
when I use unfamiliar words, how small you say you become!
You get small and I get to sit around and feel my organs
disintegrate. Boo hoo, how sad we both are! How typical!
That's right, I'm hiding behind emphatic punctuation.
The next steps are: invitations to strangers, tasting
new bodies, leaving traces of rum on the doorknobs,
burning the furniture. This is, this is, this is.
We never had the definitions right.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
The New Look of 'Confessions'
I finally had the time to get good and annoyed at the current layout, so I have updated, based off of a magazine picture I have hanging in my room.
Don't like it? Think it's sloppy? Then you do it. ;)
The last one took me five hours, and I've given this about three, so there. Be happy.
Don't like it? Think it's sloppy? Then you do it. ;)
The last one took me five hours, and I've given this about three, so there. Be happy.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Artsy Blogs
Fabulous new blogs for you to check out. These are not of a writing theme; more of an artsy rebel kind, but we are all kissing cousins here in Art World.
A World of Birds
Little People Project
Wooster Streer Street Art Blog
A World of Birds
Little People Project
Wooster Streer Street Art Blog
Friday, March 09, 2007
Young Blood
A recent community spotlight on liverjournal, called add_a_writer, has given our kind (haha, don't you love that? Our kind) the blatant opportunity to find each other.
Which has led me to some very interesting contacts, among them a very amateur (but eager and grammatically correct and multiple-clause-forming) writer, not even a writer yet, more of a fledgeling.
Did I set out to corrupt him and bring him to our ways? Of course! Being a writer is the best thing in the world! Aside from being, you know, like... some.... really... really cool guy... or something.... Myself, I think being a Magic 8 Ball would be pretty freakin awesome.
But this encounter with the Youth of Writing America (of which we all are, fellow teenagers), led me to recall some very painful writing beginnings.
Where were /you/ when you were 14 and had no clue what was going on and were just beginning to seriously write and think you might want to do that for the rest of your life? Writing was first like a crush, then a serious crush, then your blushing girlfriend, then your serious girlfriend, then your fiance, and then suddenly you wake up and find out you're married -and either will skip about the room fantastically ecstatic or have one of those violent and passionate careers with writing as both your lover and mistress, angel and devil, and a bunch of other contrasting terms. For more on this topic, see 'Lorca' and 'duende'.
(Insert creative and realistic picture of the duende here, since all of the google image searches produce nothing useful)
I did not think to target this blog at the younger population, mainly because it's suck a sticky and awkward phase, and I only know how I went through it, and couldn't possibly be of any real help, but now my feet are in it and I've lost my shoes, so I might as well stay.
That said...
WARNINGS TO YOUNG WRITERS!!!!!!!
1) Under no circumstances should you have ANYTHING to do with poetry.com . It is a scam. A big one. It will cost you your heart and dreams and leave you embarassed and upset, and probably out 60 bucks. Don't believe me? Type in 'poetry.com, scam' in google and read.
2) Under no circumstances should you have anything to do with the Pink Palace of Poetitude, or any other poetry or fiction sites, such as fanstory.com. The sites that cost you money are BAD.
3) You should, howerver, have things to do with Fanfiction.net and FictionPress.com as these are genuine sites which cost you nothing and will provide guaranteed feedback, provided you don't suck. And indeed, there are many careery opportunities for sucky writers. Look at Nora Roberts. (Don't anyone say anything about Stephen King because that man is both cheap and genius. Read his autobiography; it's not only wonderfully informative, it's a great insight into the mind of a real writer.)
4) Write short stories. As someone very wise once said, whose name I am too lazy to look up, the money is in novels, but short stories and personal narratives keep your writing lean and mean. And it's true.
5) Do NOT get a 'beta'. Have good friends who like your writing; do /not/ be dependent on them to edit or read your stuff. Edit your own writing. This is most vital. You can be a crappy writer as long as you rewrite brilliantly. Someone smart also said that.
Note: This is a beta fish, not a writing beta. Real beta's are your normal, wannabe-editor friends, like this:
ALSO NOTE!: There is a distinction between being a writer and being an editor. Some people are born editors. It is good to have relationships with these people, but only RARELY let them edit your stuff. Editors cannot be trusted, and they have wicked pens.
6) When you get your first praising reviews, do NOT get overexcited. This admonition is basically pointless, since you will anyway. Do NOT become dependent on the approval. If you are dependent on public support, you will lose the respect of your fellow writing community. As someone ELSE very wise once said, 'It is better to write for the self and have no public than to write for the public and have no self'.
7) Consult my list of 'Things Every Teenage Author Needs'. It's very useful.
8) Become infatuated with yourself. Seriously. Every writer has a large ego anyway; might as well get yours early. This will lead to all sorts of exciting self-discovery and love of your profession, and then you can grow up to be exclusionary and snobby like me. ^^
9) It's best not to pester older writers with your crap writing, but when you have to, you have to. Try not to be annoying.
Did I forget anything?
Which has led me to some very interesting contacts, among them a very amateur (but eager and grammatically correct and multiple-clause-forming) writer, not even a writer yet, more of a fledgeling.
Did I set out to corrupt him and bring him to our ways? Of course! Being a writer is the best thing in the world! Aside from being, you know, like... some.... really... really cool guy... or something.... Myself, I think being a Magic 8 Ball would be pretty freakin awesome.
But this encounter with the Youth of Writing America (of which we all are, fellow teenagers), led me to recall some very painful writing beginnings.
Where were /you/ when you were 14 and had no clue what was going on and were just beginning to seriously write and think you might want to do that for the rest of your life? Writing was first like a crush, then a serious crush, then your blushing girlfriend, then your serious girlfriend, then your fiance, and then suddenly you wake up and find out you're married -and either will skip about the room fantastically ecstatic or have one of those violent and passionate careers with writing as both your lover and mistress, angel and devil, and a bunch of other contrasting terms. For more on this topic, see 'Lorca' and 'duende'.
(Insert creative and realistic picture of the duende here, since all of the google image searches produce nothing useful)
I did not think to target this blog at the younger population, mainly because it's suck a sticky and awkward phase, and I only know how I went through it, and couldn't possibly be of any real help, but now my feet are in it and I've lost my shoes, so I might as well stay.
That said...
WARNINGS TO YOUNG WRITERS!!!!!!!
1) Under no circumstances should you have ANYTHING to do with poetry.com . It is a scam. A big one. It will cost you your heart and dreams and leave you embarassed and upset, and probably out 60 bucks. Don't believe me? Type in 'poetry.com, scam' in google and read.
2) Under no circumstances should you have anything to do with the Pink Palace of Poetitude, or any other poetry or fiction sites, such as fanstory.com. The sites that cost you money are BAD.
3) You should, howerver, have things to do with Fanfiction.net and FictionPress.com as these are genuine sites which cost you nothing and will provide guaranteed feedback, provided you don't suck. And indeed, there are many careery opportunities for sucky writers. Look at Nora Roberts. (Don't anyone say anything about Stephen King because that man is both cheap and genius. Read his autobiography; it's not only wonderfully informative, it's a great insight into the mind of a real writer.)
4) Write short stories. As someone very wise once said, whose name I am too lazy to look up, the money is in novels, but short stories and personal narratives keep your writing lean and mean. And it's true.
5) Do NOT get a 'beta'. Have good friends who like your writing; do /not/ be dependent on them to edit or read your stuff. Edit your own writing. This is most vital. You can be a crappy writer as long as you rewrite brilliantly. Someone smart also said that.
Note: This is a beta fish, not a writing beta. Real beta's are your normal, wannabe-editor friends, like this:
ALSO NOTE!: There is a distinction between being a writer and being an editor. Some people are born editors. It is good to have relationships with these people, but only RARELY let them edit your stuff. Editors cannot be trusted, and they have wicked pens.
6) When you get your first praising reviews, do NOT get overexcited. This admonition is basically pointless, since you will anyway. Do NOT become dependent on the approval. If you are dependent on public support, you will lose the respect of your fellow writing community. As someone ELSE very wise once said, 'It is better to write for the self and have no public than to write for the public and have no self'.
7) Consult my list of 'Things Every Teenage Author Needs'. It's very useful.
8) Become infatuated with yourself. Seriously. Every writer has a large ego anyway; might as well get yours early. This will lead to all sorts of exciting self-discovery and love of your profession, and then you can grow up to be exclusionary and snobby like me. ^^
9) It's best not to pester older writers with your crap writing, but when you have to, you have to. Try not to be annoying.
Did I forget anything?
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Visual AHHHHHHHHHHHHHness
As a writer, you are also a reader. Let's not get into lecturing on how great readers make great writers; that is for another post, or perhaps even unnecessary.
As a writer, you are also an observer.
And sometimes, observing takes a great toll on the mind... like observing four hours of television every day... or observing the hell out of your cereal box.
Sometimes the materialism and commercialism gets to be too much.
So, take the idea of author and artist Keri Smith, and cover up the labels with something creative!
Read this post for ideas.
As a writer, you are also an observer.
And sometimes, observing takes a great toll on the mind... like observing four hours of television every day... or observing the hell out of your cereal box.
Sometimes the materialism and commercialism gets to be too much.
So, take the idea of author and artist Keri Smith, and cover up the labels with something creative!
Read this post for ideas.
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