Month: June 2017

Body Language: An Artistic Writing Tool

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Clowns,  nothing to see here. 

          OK… Lets be real for a second. I am terrible at remembering to do this blog.  I will do the topics,  just not a daily thing like I had planned. I apologize for the hiccups.  I am in a couple of writing workshops that are taking more of my energy than I planned. Add to that my novel is progressing nicely,  and the chaos that is my life… And I end up with a blog that does not get updates as often as I want it to. 

         So topic of today is clowns. Now I have been a clown.  In parades,  and store openings,  as my family did own a radio station.  My grandma did the grand openings in costumes and I went along as a clown.  It was incredibly hot,  and I grew to hate that costume. In general I think clowns are creepy,  and thanks to Tim Curry in It I have been quite afraid of them for years.  Still,  having just tonight I found myself wanting to see the remake in the theater.  

        What is the part about clowns that causes fear in so many?  I am not sure.  I think that it is the creepy forced smile that is painted on so many of them.  Are you afraid of clowns?  If so,  why? 

Villains 

      First off,  I apologize for being a day late in posting. The headache monster visited yesterday,  so I got little of my work accomplished. 

      Villains are tricky.  We as writers often see the villain as a tool,  two dimensional concept of evil…as a reader though I am here to tell you that is the end of a story.  Even worse than plot holes,  a two dimensional villain is enough to ruin an otherwise great story. 

       I have a sure fire way of testing my villains.  I give them flaws,  make them as realistic as I can. Then I imagine them in town and let the mental movie unfold… I as I am watching ask myself three questions… 

1) Is the character sympathetic?  A villain who we can sympathize with will make the story more interesting.  Also I am one who thinks that the story should leave the reader wondering if they are happy with the villains defeat. 

2) Is there a way to defeat the villain?  Though I think that the villains defeat should raise questions about how the reader feels about it,  defeat is usually in the life of a villain. And a overpowering villain is often no fun for the hero… Unless the story is not supposed to get the happy ending. 

3) what are the traits that are showing up most with your villain?  Has s he/ she got flaws or traits that you should pay closer attention to? A good villain often has fears,  and accomplishments that they are proud of.  This makes a far more rounded character. Villains are still characters,  and the story is best when you treat them as such! 

Honoring Female Storytellers from All Perspectives: Why Feminism and Feminists Need to Stop Dividing Women Breaking the Legacy of Silence #42 | weekly column | Kim D. Bailey 

Kim D. Bailey's avatarKim D. Bailey

What’s important, in feminism and any other form of activism and advocacy, when it comes to writing, movie-making, art, or any other expression from a human perspective—is that we honor the story and learn from it.

The end goal is to see things in a new way, from a new perspective, and to have not only an enlightened or educated awakening, but compassion and empathy for those we have just watched on the big screen, or read about, or heard speak at a Women’s Rights Conference.

When women begin to criticize and demean other women’s methodologies and origins of their stories, they practice a form of oppression and suppression, essentially mimicking those who came before us; those who told females of all ages to shut the fuck up because you’re causing a scene and you’re an embarrassment to the rest of us. Their criticism is exclusionary. They are saying, in…

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10 Types of Writer’s Block

Write Bravely

Lol…. I am not the world’s most active blogger.  Every so often,  to try to get myself used to a schedule I try to do “topic” challenges.  I will try to do one a day starting later today. Yes I only have 24 topics.  I am always willing to hear suggestions for more. 

Nerves and reality 

So I decided that I need to step back for a day or so from my projects in progress.  I do this so I can get perspective on the story.  So I returned to another project,  a game world idea for D20 rpg.  I set up the pen name for the project a while back.  As it happens,  this project got sidelined due to life getting busy,  and the fact that I was writing on my phone.  This made the project in question so much harder.  The other stories were not as layout oriented in the writing.  So I am now able to use my laptop,  and I really have no reason why I should not put it into my current projects. 

So I transferred what was done and realized that I have barely scratched the surface of what needs to be done with this.  So I started to do it and the networking to be seen… And now I am sitting here laughing at my impetuous nature.  The other projects will likely be ready for the editor in two months or less.  This one is not likely to be available for at least six.  I am being a wee bit optimistic about it.  So I will be busy writing if I want to release everything this year. 

Expectations and excitement 

     I have been busy this week on a emotional rollercoaster.  I will not burden everyone with the downs,  for more than one reason.  At least partially because it is not all my story,  and also because I really don’t want to do the whole complaining and ranting thing.  

       So I will share the good end of the spectrum that has been my life this week. A friend of mine decided to start a magazine.  She is doing it to raise awareness on mental health issues.  And she asked me to help with it!  So I am getting to be a part of this awesome magazine,  and in the beginning too. 

          The magazine is taking submissions. Here is a copy of the post she made about it :

       Escaping The Vault –  Magazine is now accepting art and written materials pertaining to mental health awareness. 
For our first issue we are looking for: 

-Written materials: poems, stories (fiction & non-fiction), articles, essays, letters etc. 
-Art work: paintings, photography, digital art, drawings, comics etc. 
Topic: PTSD

Word count: 300 to 1k

Max 5 Submissions

Accepting submissions from all ages. 18 and younger requires parental consent.
Deadline: June 30th

Email: lettersofmayanthology@gmail.com
BEST ART PIECE THAT TRANSLATES THE TOPIC PERFECTLY GETS CHOSEN FOR THE COVER
************************

Future Deadlines:

August 30th: Suicide 

October 30th: Domestic Violence

…. 

I am extremely excited about this!  I have already submitted my first article.  The magazine will be wonderful and paperback.  Please do check it out and spread the word!