#[you inspire me every day to improve and push my boundaries as a writer]

[grimowled]

;ooc

[cryptid-kay]

Is this really a writing post?

I maybe don't actually like write ABOUT writing much, but I wanted to get on here today and state that I've been writing for around 12 years. Started as an edgy fanfic writer, and somehow evolved into maybe a decent writer?

And I wanted to write a post about the importance of writing what you connect with.

Recently a friend started asking about our processes of writing. In this, they asked us about writing exercises/prompts/ etc.

I'm not here to tell you NOT to write using them. But I wanna make a few points.

Writing is Exploration I think I'm not wrong in saying writing is for many of us a way to explore language, explore ourselves, and yeah, sometimes it's therapy. Writing little exercises for me was always super boring because I didn't connect. Or I had to really dig into my brain to find some little piece of me that was interesting enough to write about, and then I'd get lost in it and forget the exercise. It was just a struggle.

IMAGE PROMPTS PEOPLE Alright, I just dissed writing prompts/exercises, but I think if you REALLY need some inspiration. Pinterest. Open the app. Lose yourself in it. Find some artwork that speaks to your SOUL. Then go write about it. Set a timer, whatever your process is. If you want an exercise, use images. Art is emotional, it's personal, and it's interpretive. It's a wonderful foundation for an idea or exercise.

Why I just really hate writing exercises (and you can disagree with me) I didn't grow up with books on how to write. I grew up as a 12-year-old kid who watched movies, read books, and fell in love with characters. And when I ran out of stories on my shelf, I made them up in my head. I practiced writing by writing. There wasn't a "write in the 3rd POV" exercise when I started. There was no, "imagine yourself in X situation," there were just characters and stories and stories, and stories. When I finally got around to wanting to be better at writing I tried the exercises. I tried writing every day. I tried writing what I saw. I tried journaling. I tried basically all of it. I got books, I got online classes, and somehow...none of it improved my writing, it just frustrated me that I couldn't sit down and do a writing exercise like I could an essay question. It lacked all soul and I hated the words I produced. I took a whole creative writing class and came out of it almost determined I'd never be a good writer. Then last year I got stuck after working for 12 months tirelessly on a mess of a trilogy. I hit a wall. And I sat down and wrote a fanfic. Heck, I wrote two. And I read books. And I became 12 again, with stories in my head, music blaring, characters talking, no prompts, no exercises. And I improved. Now I wanna be clear, I challenged myself in my fanfic. I chose POVs I wasn't proficient in, I pushed the boundaries of my prose, but I didn't make it an exercise, I made it a story. I needed that POV because the character needed to be viewed that way. I needed better prose to showcase the nuances of my silly little fanfic. But most of all I needed to connect with the story and have fun. So I'm not knocking writing exercises, but I do wanna say, to all the fanfic writers, to the people languishing because you can't follow the prompts in some "how to write" book, you're not a bad writer. Writing is supposed to be fun. Writing is supposed to connect with us. It's all one big sandbox, so go play in it.

[luminousvision]

Outside

It took ten years to find the freedom to write outside, beyond ordinary topics like Stalin, Hester Prynne, or the oxidation of glucose. It took another ten years to find my voice, which had only one monotonous modality up until that point. But before all of that, at the age six, there was almost nothing. I began my writing journey with precisely four words.

I played inside today.

Jordi, the really pretty girl sitting in the desk next to me (back when prettiness just meant your handwriting was soft, curly and legible), wrote about how she played ball with her dog who then ate two apples for dinner before she took a nap on the bed. The story filled the four ultra-tall lines of penmanship practice paper with all of its swirly and girly serif glory. 

Unlike Jordi, I played inside every day. No more, no less. Each day I would gaze about at my classmates’ desks like an indiscreet cheater, bored and still too Korean to write any more. Every day, Jordi would write about her mom putting on makeup, going to the grocery store, or some other Homeric epic, while I was stuck playing inside day after day. After several identical four-word stories, Mrs. Vanderhorst sat with me and asked what exactly I had done inside. Surely, I had burned Troy or screwed my mother.

Inspired, I transformed my narrative.

I played outside today.

After another week of efficient four-word stories that would have made Hemingway blush, Mrs. Vanderhorst was quite worried. She asked me if I didn't like what I did inside, or why it was better to play outside. But you see, Mrs. Vanderhorst misunderstood my deliberate ambiguity since I was obviously expressing that nothing, inside or outside, was close to meeting the threshold of noteworthiness. The four-word stories captured the stream of six-year-old consciousness with justified writer’s block.

Normally, writer’s block afflicts those who simply don't have the character, perceptiveness, or intelligence to comprehend the endless abundance of notable topics begging to be expressed on paper. But it can also happen when the author’s life actually doesn’t have that abundance of notable topics to begin with. What activity of a six-year-old could possibly be worth writing about? I was completely right to have writer’s block.

I did not fully understand at this precious young age, which meant I believed I simply wasn’t trying hard enough. So, unfortunately, I tried. I exploded beyond the acceptable boundaries of expression and wrote a story. A story! I wrote a story about a peaceful deer grazing on the plains and drinking from a pond. A lion ambushed the deer, which began to run for its life. After an extended chase that exhausted both of them to their limits, the lion finally tripped on a rock, letting the deer escape. The lion had hurt its paw and could not continue the chase. The deer returned to its quiet existence, no longer worried about the lion. My story was the longest of anyone’s in the class that day, flowing gracefully over seven pages.

Mrs. Vanderhorst read my story in careful analytical detail and concluded the struggle between deer and lion did not adequately capture my symbolic coming-of-age story, where the first grade classroom pushes me beyond my comfort zone, thereby redefining my identity. She therefore declared that this story did not fulfill the assignment of writing about my previous day. Mrs. Vanderhorst did not congratulate me in overcoming writer’s block, nor on the excellent quality of prose. My writing grade that month sat at 1 out of 4, or “Needs Improvement”, despite my tour de force.

My teacher’s feedback enlightened me. Writing should stay within bounds of one’s skill, which we can expand incrementally. Writing should stay in bounds of one’s experiences. If you don’t have any notable topics, then please get writer’s block. Do the right thing for your readers.

I, remarkably precocious, absorbed these lessons without hesitation. With my newfound enlightenment, I continued my treatise on the Reflections of Yesterday with: I played inside today.

[chrisemrysfics]

What are you thankful for?

To be honest, it’s rather correct to say pretty much everything in my life. Or to be precise, I can find gratitude in any aspect of my life.

I have an amazing mother, whose support has been fundamental to heal from the deep trauma I had as a child, and all the wounds gained through the teenage years of not quite understanding other people, of feeling deeply sensitive. Her support was also fundamental to being able to feel free to pursue my dream career, to feel free to talk about anything, and in turn through the years I’ve had the immense pleasure to see my mother grow herself, learn for me when I learned in ways she couldn’t due to her own environment growing up. She is my best friend and through the years, I’ve known how truly amazing it is to have her. She always said that she raised us in the way that she was not raised, that she told herself I won’t do this to my children. She wanted us to feel free, to find happiness, and she’s taken both the roles of father and mother. She always look to know if I’m happy, if she isn’t putting too much on me, and she honestly gets too hard on herself, however I’m also very grateful that in the past few weeks, she’s really grown into the sincere wish to love herself and take care of herself.

I have a brother that, despite his own issues, has always been present, has always shown us he loves us, has never liked to see us hurt. What’s truly amazing is that, due to the way my own father treated him once I was born (I rarely say it and I forget it genuinely most of the time, but we’re half siblings), my brother wasn’t kind to me at first, not in violent ways, and honestly I can’t recall, but from what I understand, he was a bit mean to me, distant, easily angered. But my mother made him see my father’s fault were not my own, and when he allowed himself to care for me rather than see me as the reason my father stopped being nice to him, he showed he cared. I think it has surprised him recently to see me truly evolve into an independent person, to my deepest self, as I think he never quite realized I wasn’t a child, teen, anymore. I know I’ll always be his little sibling, despite the joke we often had that it felt more like we were twins. But I know who my brother is in his heart, and him, mom and I, we’re a team.

I have had short terms friendships, with classmates, in general that didn’t last once we weren’t in the same classes anymore, though with some we shared multiple years in the same classes. I’ve had friends on internet who drifted away after a while, and I’ve had a childhood friend that we spent years as friends, before the way we lived our lives just didn’t seem to fit anymore. All these people, I have shared happy moments, and I’m thankful for them all. It’s a blessing that almost all the time, it’s never been argument that has separated us, but a genuine drifting away, where it just happened, that we felt less and less pulled to talk until it stopped. I have had friends I choose to cut off from my life, but I will never forget the good times, and I was blessed to have one come back into my life two years later, and gratefully we also both evolved, the issues that pushed me to cut ties was not present anymore and we were able to discuss things honestly.

The friends I have now, there is so much I feel grateful about. They helped me evolve as a person, to be more honest, to be more open, and I know I still need to learn to open up more. They supported me, even financially at times, and no matter what, I know our bonds are strong, and to me, they are family. The same way my mother and brother are family of heart rather than blood for me, the friends I have now are also heart family. I feel cared for by them, and I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

I also know good people in the two, three servers I’m active in, I tend to be a quiet person in group settings, yet I feel at home in these servers, with these people, and I feel known by them. I also feel very grateful to the people I can see regularly rebloging or liking my posts. And I feel grateful for all the readers I get, and how I can be assured to see kudos mails at least once every two days, if not everyday. Sometimes it’s one, or two, sometimes more, sometimes two/three days do pass at least, but I don’t think I have ever seen a full week pass without at least one or two kudos mail. And that’s so amazing, to know every week, there’s at least one person who read my fic that I can see did so.

I feel grateful that I have my own space, my own home in my mom’s home, we have struggled in the past and sometimes we still do, but our situation vastly improved in the past two years, a big part when mom finally entered retirement. We always made it work, and it’s easier now. It’s way easier to feel free to buy food, to treat ourselves from times to times, and I’m grateful for every single moment I can buy anything for the household, necessities and treats and gifts alike.

I’m so, so grateful I feel free to write, to be a writer. Inspiration, imagination, building worlds and stories, it’s such a core part of myself, and to write as my main activity, it feels like I am constantly indulging myself. In truth, it is my career because it is what I’m legally marked as (independent writer), but in practice? I’m just living my life, freely and happily. I write, I take care of my mom, I relax, I live my days. And there is so much more than being focused on “how much do I earn each month” because there is so much that matters. For the longest while, while sometimes I felt like a burden and had to talk myself up from that mood, I would know that, if I can’t financial support, I can emotional support, I can do a lot of stuff. When I finally did the papers for a governmental allowance, and it passed, finally I could do more, though as seen from this month, sometimes a end of month can be a bit harder. But what I prefer to see is, before we had my brother often help us, and now, for the most part I can help. And whenever there has been support, I’ve always felt so grateful I would spazz internally.

I also feel very grateful to have found my spiritual path, I’m a curious person by nature, and there is so much you can learn, and then you find what feels right to you, what feels good, what makes you heal yourself more, what helps you. It isn’t that spirituality has made me a better person, it’s that it taught me to love myself in its truest definition, and in turn, I am able to truly show who I am at the core. What I believe in is between me and myself, and anyone who doesn’t judge (whether or not they believe in the same ways), I have no shame and no fear of speaking about my beliefs, of course certain things are more personal, and I don’t feel it’s necessary to broadcast it. But I don’t hide it either, because this is also part of me. The confidence it has given me, the joy in life, the ability to perceive in different manners, I am so grateful for it. To be spiritual is to believe in beings that are non-physical, and to me, those beings have been a very strong source of support and love.

So, as you can see, there is a lot I can be grateful for, and I didn’t even touch details. I’ll feel grateful for finding a fic I like to read, I’ll feel grateful for finding this special offer, I’ll feel grateful for the fun of gaming, and so on. The more I have voiced to myself what I feel thankful about, the more I have seen that there is so much you can be happy about it. And feeling happy is something I feel grateful for in itself! But feeling sad too, I’m thankful it allows me to express what hurts, what I long for, etc. I’m grateful for anger as it will show me when a boundary is crossed, when something doesn’t feel just, etc.

I’m going deep here but to finish: I am deeply grateful to the very ability to feel grateful. It’s more than just feeling gratitude to being able to find things I’m grateful for, it’s the very feeling. If there was absolutely nothing in my life I genuinely felt grateful about, then the feeling of gratitude that exist, and that is lacking, would tell me everything in my life need to change, and I would be grateful that gratitude exist to let me know what needs to change, what is making me unhappy. So gratitude in itself is a blessed feelings, all feelings are, but when you ask yourself what you are grateful about, feeling the emotion is the first gratitude in your life.

[seharfatima1122-blog]

Blur and Creative Photography – Why Your Photos Shouldn’t Be 100% Sharp?

I’ve an image of a blueberry shot at the finish of a spoon with my big scale focal factor. It has an exceptionally constrained profundity of area (DOF). Just, the front of the blueberry is in middle hobby. The relaxation has a first-rate sensitive haze.

The essential observation after I published it on fb become 'it might look better on the off risk that it has been all in canter interest.'

No.

There may be a discernment amongst a few photograph takers who are extraordinarily positioned resources into the information of taking pictures, that absolutely each photo needs to be a 100% sharp. While it is an altogether legitimate decision – and I absolutely bolster the selection to shoot their pics that manner – it is not the 'foremost' decision.

For the ones of us who need to investigate distinct inventive styles, mess around with various focal factors and push the boundaries of what pictures can enable us to do in making craftsmanship, there are a variety of options.

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Note: to resolve, at times a photograph 'only is' out of canter for motives unknown. This text has a tendency to the picture takers conscious resourceful selection to use delicate fine or obscure in a photograph. It might be an unpretentious distinction for some, yet it's far a difference.

Beyond Bokeh

It interests me that numerous picture takers accept as true with all pix 'ought to be tack sharp.' Still, they may be obtainable taking pix of winged creatures, representations or wedding photographs with sensitive obscured bokeh foundations. Notwithstanding, the motives they do as such are impeccably valid.

Some Lensmen Do as Such to:

·         Mellow a diverting basis

·         Bring the difficulty into significant quality

·         Make it tastefully pleasing

·         Supply profundity and three-D sense to the picture

Be that as it may, for bokeh to characteristic admirably, you need some explicit additives present and going on. For example, adequate pleasant focal points, a notable deal of separation in the back of the problem to the foundation, and high-quality sensitive light. Few out of each ordinary shoot gives the ones occasions, nor might everybody be able to manipulate the value of the exceptional focal point.

Remember the possibility that we want lots extra delicate first-rate in our image, such as the issue. Possibly, we want the muse sharp, and the subject obscured – a approach regularly utilized in a few street photography styles.

Should not something be said approximately ICM – intentional camera movement? or However Wabi-Sabi, the Japanese/Zen tasteful of the excellence of illness.

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There is such a full-size quantity of different techniques to peer the world and present our photographs with our unique inventive attitude. In the occasion that that suggests spreading stuff on a channel earlier than your focal point, at that point smear-away :).

Figure out the Way to Love the Blur

Carry your hand as near your face as you could, so you can at present highlight on it. The cease result for the foundation? In the event which you pass middle to the muse alternatively, your hand obscures.

A long way off mountains are obscured as we physically cannot listen plainly that remote.

So, it’s not unusual for haze to be available in our photos. Along these traces on the off threat that we use it all the extra inventively to give our pics a change vibe or inclination, we're upgrading a characteristic issue in our fact.

Painters can communicate to a tree in various routes relying upon their strategy and fashion. It is probably rendered perfectly with each leaf painted as an individual aspect. It would have distinct traces speak me to a trunk and branches, or splendid masses out of sight.

Images can be perky, resourceful, complex and masterful too. We will allow ourselves to cherish difficult to understand.

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Planned camera improvement is famous with stands of trees, delicate coastline scenes, and fields of blooms. To improve it, a whole lot step by step, a few humans expand plastic movie earlier than the focus. Or alternatively fold it over the front leaving a bit opening to shoot via.

We recognise blossom/huge scale picture takers who fold bandage texture over the front in their focal factor for an option delicate impact and to encompass a few shadings too. Extending pantyhose over the front of the focal point is also shabby and feasible.

Spreading oil jam on a channel screwed to the front of the point of interest is sensibly regular for an effective sensitive haze effect.

Lens Choices

Lens with a f forestall of 2.8 to at least 1.4 give a really tight profundity of discipline, which functions the concern and mollifies the foundation. Complete scale focal points are first-rate for this effect.

Numerous picture and wedding photographic artists will have an 85mm representation focal point with a f-prevent in this range. Often explicitly used to obscure the muse for a pleasant impact.

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Lens baby are awesome for his or her embellishment focal factors. Their focal factors provide bunches of innovative haze influences. The 'writer' run permits you to pick an express point inside the photo to be in middle whilst softening the rest of. the 'turn' extend offers a swirly bokeh effect out of sight, and there are unique alternatives as nicely.

'Helios' and 'Vivitar' antique focal factors are encountering a renaissance in prominence. They have got numerous progressive bokeh affects (counting the whirl style) and are very shabby in contrast with lens baby. Nonetheless, they may be vintage guide-middle focal factors and may require an authority mount to enrol in for your slicing area digicam, but might they be capable of can be received at actually affordable expenses.

Have Fun

For some human beings, it has a tendency to be startling to relinquish the requirement for sharpness and hold close the gentler facet. Other people take a seat cheerfully in that put and rarely shoot a traditionally sharp shot.

there’re room inner images as an innovative mechanism for us to be ingenious. To relinquish the obvious guidelines, unwind and have an exceptional time conducting something other than what's anticipated.

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Certainly, a few impacts are strong point, and you won't have any choice to use them continuously. Anyhow, you would not use a fish-eye focal factor each day either.

Having a scope of selections gives you appreciably more diploma to shoot in a surprising manner, consist of your certainly one of a kind take an image. Using unique focal points can enable us to see the sector in new energizing ways and open up chances to make paramount pictures.

Methods to Play 1. Bokeh

Bokeh identifies with the pleasant and smoothness of your obscured basis while you shoot the difficulty with a shallow profundity of field. Various focal factors give a shifted type of bokeh. Often, the higher best brief primes or complete scale focal factors have the smoothest, maximum gratifying bokeh.

Bokeh takes place whilst the issue is closer to the digicam than it's far to the inspiration. Capturing wide open, i.e., f2. eight to f1.2 will give greatest haze of the inspiration.

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So, attempt to shoot your subjects extensive open with a decent profundity of discipline. With the foundation in addition far from them, you'll accomplish the pleasant sensitive haze.

2. Specific Recognition

Whilst you join a limited profundity of field, for example, f2.8, with deciding on a specific piece of the challenge, it's going to mollify the whole thing else inside the photo.

Doing as such makes a lovely effect with blossoms and large-scale symbolism.

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3. Shoot Via

Area something before the focal point to include a few dimensions of non-abrasiveness. It can both totally cover the focal point or be folded over it to just mellow the rims.

·         You can make use of:

·         Nylons prolonged over the focal point

·         Gauzy texture folded over the focus

·         Plastic movie crosswise over or folded over the point of interest

·         Channels spread with oil jam

·         Hold texture or blooms earlier than a part of the focus to consist of non-abrasiveness (normal in blossom images)

4. ICM (Intentional Camera Movement)

Purposeful digital camera movement is the point at which the digicam is deliberately moved amid the display commencing and shutting to feature difficult to understand to the image. An independent thickness channel can assist with supplying you with a touch longer display velocity if taking pictures in sunshine.

You may have seen this applied in shots of backwoods with vertical stands of tree trunks.

5. Vintage Lenses

Take a stab at buying 'Helios' or 'Vivitar' lenses (or distinctive options) and related mounts to your digital camera. A massive quantity of those focal points has unexpected greater visualizations (now and then located as a blame) however may be utilized appropriately for revolutionary photographs.

Read also: DIY Food Photography Backdrops Tips: Make it Easy and Affordable

6. Capacity Lenses

Lensbaby offers a scope of focal factor answers for give you a collection of delicate affects.

7. Filters

Delicate consciousness channels get tightened front of your focal factor and are helpful in photo and fabulousness work. Something else, several people imitate this effect in publish-making ready by way of photoshop.

Conclusion

For the folks that endeavour to have every photograph as sharp as might be predicted beneath the situations, continue with your endeavours. At the off chance that you who want extra variety, adaptability, and imagination to your work, there may be space to play and make that fashion of a picture as properly.

See also: Photography Still Life Things: It can Teach your 3 – Still life photography

It would not want to be highly-priced. The antique focal points may be purchased on line for under $100 (contingent upon cargo and alternate charges).

Give yourself authorization to unwind, test and play, and make something unique!

Approach the sensitive side. We love it here! 🙂

Provide your pictures with us in the remarks under.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Fic Writer Meme! tagged by @aban-asaara, thank you!! a nice meme to self-indulgently wind down with after a stressful day...

What is your total word count on AO3?

160,546. I had forgotten all about the AO3 stats page until having to dig that out, oops. I have more short drabbles etc on tumblr as well (and a LOT of stuff I just... never finished/posted anywhere).

How often do you write?

varies hugely depending on what else is going on in my life. In good times, I aim for daily, at least 500 words. During years I participate in NaNoWriMo, 1500-2000 per day in November. Other times I just can’t make even 500 happen with work/etc. Still more other times, my depression kicks in and I’m pretty useless at everything, and unfortunately go months with no writing at all. 

Do you have a routine for writing?

I try to write in several short bursts. If doing 500/words/day, then two chunks of 250, and some editing/planning on top. If during NaNoWriMo, 4 chunks of about 500 words each. If I really push myself to get them done in sections, I spend less time fiddling around, but the break between them makes it still relaxing/fun.

I also have a computer/document setup that works very well for me. I write on a laptop that can scroll between several different ‘desktop’ screens. I have one for fun stuff, and set one aside for writing. The only browser window/tabs allowed to be open on that desktop are writing-related ones--research, youtube clips of scenes, wiki articles, etc. All other fun stuff goes on the other desktop where it can’t distract me while I get through a section. Then over the browser I have two word documents: one on the left titled “[StoryTitle.docx]”, and one next to it titled “[StoryTitleNotes.docx]”. On the left is the “final version” of what I’m working on--aka the working document, with the most current edits/chapters/etc. The right “Notes” one is for outlines, summaries, lines I had to delete but might want to use somewhere else, passages I haven’t gotten to yet but wanted to sketch out before I lost the inspiration for them, quotes that I want to echo the feel of, copied dialogue from the game so I don’t forget it, etc etc. Anything related to the story in the working document that I might want to reference. The notes doc can be fairly messy--my level of organization for it changes from project to project. But it makes it WAY easier for me mentally to delete and tweak things when I can put them somewhere else just in case it turns out the first way was better. 

What are your favorite kinks/tropes/pairing?

Ohh... my pairings are pretty obvious, I’m really into Lavellan/Solas, Hawke/Fenris, and Shepard/Garrus. 

But what I’m really into is Hawke/the concept of found family and also various coping mechanisms+mental health issues; Lavellan/the weight of duty above all else, Shepard/the giddy knowledge that you won’t survive what you have to turn yourself into in order to save everything you love, Ryder+Sam/breaking the boundaries of what it means to be a single conscious entity...  

my big literary kinks are pretty much any narrative that has to do with one or more of the following: self-sacrifice, the transcendence of humanity in pursuit of a goal, the knowledge of the futility of one’s actions, the duality of self plus other, the terrifying and terrible beauty of rage, stubborn and violent perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds, the frailty of people who nonetheless fool everyone into believing they’re not broken. I am also a very big fan of nontraditional formats, and the meta-narrative of a story over usual structure. 

tl;dr: I like my fiction weird. 

Like... I recognize that most of my fics. Do not include a majority of these. And the ones that do aren’t really very popular. The one that gets closest to these concepts is probably the people you love become ghosts inside of you, and like this, you keep them alive which very few people read and got almost no attention. But I knew that when I posted it. I wrote it for me, after finishing the ME trilogy for the first time. The above tropes show up way more in my original writing, while I use fanfiction as a break from these more complicated/heavier themes, and to just have some fun with less technical writing. They’re there, just in smaller doses.

Fics with that sort of bend are WAY harder to search for than ones based on pairings though so like... if you have recs for anything that follows the above themes. please send them to me. i’m dying. please. 

Do you have a favorite fic of yours?

How can I not answer this with Fallout from the Fade? It’s my baby. It’s the longest thing I’ve consistently written, without getting bored and abandoning it halfway through. It will probably take me a while yet (depending on mental health/writing pace/etc) to finish but I know how it ends, and most of how to get there. It’s also the third fanfiction I had ever started writing. The beginning feels rough to me when I go back to it (which an inevitable fact of my decision to post as I write/not use beta readers, which I still think was the only way for me to do this story), but I still think a lot of my ideas were clever and my execution may not have been perfect but it was pretty good. I’ve learned a lot while writing this fic.

And also I love to make people suffer. Knowing that people have shed literal tears because of things i have written fills me with the delightful glee to push forward. 

But really. Comments mean the world to me. They spur me on through rough patches where I otherwise abandon works. I’m really not used to having an audience: most of what I’ve written in my life is original content that I don’t post/share. Having other people also invested makes me feel accountable, in a good way. 

Other honorable mentions: I think Grief is one of my best fics in terms of execution and balance. Less a man than a wild cat and A Slip of the Tongue were both exercises in pacing/timing as well as forays into the highly unfamiliar territory of comedy. The aforementioned the people you love become ghosts inside of you, and like this, you keep them alive satisfies my eternal desire for weird presentation and ideology taking a front seat over narrative structure (I have like. 4 other partial fics similar to this that will probably never be posted because I know they’re what I want to explore, not what other people actually want to read).

Your fic with the most kudos?

Fallout from the Fade, with 626.

Anything you don’t like about your writing?

I wish I was more consistent about sitting down and working. I managed it for 6 straight months when I started the fanfic gig, but to be fair, during that time I also had no friends and spent 5 days every other week camped out in Death Valley with no internet and nothing to do but write and brainstorm. Having the barest scrapings of a social life now that I’ve moved doesn’t do much for wordcount, it turns out.

Now something you do like?

I think I can write about mental illness realistically without it coming across as either overdramatic or idealistic. I like my descriptions, when I allow myself to use them (y���all don’t want to see how flowery most of my works would be without my self control). I have visibly improved since I started writing in 2015. 

i feel like a lot of my original circle on tumblr isnt active/writing anymore but gonna tag some people w/ no obligation… @leviathanmirror  @seekingidlewild @littleblue-eyedbird @loquaciousquark @kayla-bird and anyone else who wants to answer!! feel free to tag me if you do it, im lonely... 

[himbowelsh]

Can I have sth for Webgott and playing on their real age difference? Was it 7 years or 10? Lieb was Web's substitute lit teacher when Web was in highschool, for like a year. Web had massive crush on him. Lieb really inspired Web to pursue his love for literature and do what he loves, not his family wants him to do. So after Webster graduates form Harvard they meet again because of something work related and Web gets bit tipsy on formal party, they share a cab, Web has no brain mouth filter.

There are some people who come into your life that you always remember, and Mr. Liebgott is one of them.David has read about the Greek muses, who lend their inspiration to any hungry young artist that calls upon them. They are inspiration incarnate; they stroke the flames in every creator’s heart. It is the muses that drive him to create, to dream, to feel and yearn the way an artist should. When at a loss, the artist turns to his muse for inspiration. If every artist has a muse, David has often though over the years that Mr. Liebgott must be his.Sure, he hasn’t seen the man in nearly eight years. It seems like a lifetime has passed since David was a senior in high school — painfully intelligent, opinionated, driven, and uncertain. Teenage David had a lot to say, and not enough eloquence to put it to words. He was quiet, until he was not. He was obstinate. His hubris was believing he was smarter than he actually was, and maybe that’s a flaw David hasn’t quite managed to shed yet.Two weeks into his senior year of high school, his English teacher was run over by a car.

This would have been a shame, except Mr. Dike was uninspiring enough that David already decided he wouldn’t be able to learn from him. Besides, he was fine — or would be, once he got out of the full-body cast. Unfortunately, that put him out of commission for most of the year.So, to give Mr. Dike ample recovery time (and save themselves the headache), the school hired a new English substitute for the rest of the year, and that teacher was Mr. Liebgott.Upon first assessment, David decided he didn’t like Mr. Liebgott. He was young, of course (just out of college with his teaching degree still in his hand, ready for anything) and handsome, objectively — but he was infuriating. He had opinions, and didn’t hesitate to share them. He was sardonic. He didn’t take any shit in his classroom, and it into arguments with students on more than one occasion. In fact, he seemed to enjoy pushing his students boundaries, especially David’s.Liebgott asked questions in his class, and knew just how to stir the room into a full-blown debate. He loved reading with a passion, but preached the virtues of comic books. He pored over each and every piece of his students’ writing with a fine-toothed comb.Maybe that’s when Liebgott took a real interest in David. Outside of someone who didn’t hesitate to debate with teachers, David had a well-honed talent for writing that was only improving by the year. Liebgott saw this, and was fascinated by him.Until then, David had been following his parents’ plan for him — go to Harvard, become a lawyer. He never really considered there could be another option. Not until Mr. Liebgott.Without Liebgott’s encouragement, David can’t imagine where he’d have ended up. Certainly not headlining the New York Times bestseller list. Not a literary superstar, at the ripe young age of twenty-four. Not having a party thrown in his honor at the goddamn Met to celebrate taking home his latest award.David Webster is a damn star. Sometimes, he wonders how much of his success is owed to the English teacher who first told him he could do it.(“Listen to me, Web. You’re a writer, and a great one. If you wanna spend the rest of your life sitting behind a desk, go do it. I think it’s a waste. You’ve got fuckin’ talent, and if you just throw it away, that’s your fault. If you wanted to, you could be great.”Liebgott’s eyes blazed, his stare burned. David could not look away.)He’s never seen Liebgott since that day, since that speech in an empty classroom on the last day of school, but he’s sure never forgotten him.Some things seat themselves into you forever, leave an indelible mark on your very soul. Joe Liebgott left his mark on David, and that will never go away.

He can’t help but wonder where his old English teacher might be now.

He’s four glasses of champagne and five fruity vodka drinks in before he recognizes the man in the dark suit.To be fair, it should have hit him beforehand. It should have occurred to him ages ago, when he spotted his casual posture despite the formal setting. He should have known the moment he saw those dark eyes, that slicked back hair, that grin like the edge of a knife.But David doesn’t really recognize Mr. Liebgott until he’s nine drinks in and crashing into his chest.“Sorry,” he mutters, straightening himself up with no small amount of help from the other man. ���God, sorry, I’m — pretty tipsy.”“You don’t say,” he replies, and it’s that voice, more than anything else, that drags him back to the forefront of David’s brain.(you could be great)He blinks up into the unfazed expression of Joe Liebgott, and finds himself stammering. “I — uhh, sorry, did I — your suit —““It’s fine,” Liebgott replies, and smiles,It’s not fair. Six years may have passed, but he’s still every inch as gorgeous as David remembers. Liebgott’s no longer a substitute, and David’s no longer an awkward, hormonal teenager, but he feels every inch one as he straightens up under Liebgott’s cool gaze. His throat feels tight. His head is spinning in the way it wasn’t a few seconds ago. He swallows back the words on the tip of his tongue, undoubtedly something stupid and embarrassing like, “you’re the reason I’m here.”Instead, he manages, “I was just going home.”“Leaving your own party this early?” It’s past midnight; Liebgott doesn’t really look surprised. Instead, he seems concerned. “You’re not driving.”“No, I was gonna —“ Find a limo, somewhere, or call a taxi is he had no other choice. David would have gotten home somehow. All he knows is that he’s ready to leave. This party has been amazing, but it’s all so much, too much, and he’s ready to be home.He’s swaying a bit, but Liebgott’s grip on his elbows steadies him. The other man looks like he’s fighting off a grin. David wonders if he’s being laughed at — he can’t tell, and doesn’t care. Liebgott has an amazing smile.“Why don’t you sit down, Web?” he offers (picking up that old nickname again, like it’s nothing, like no time has passed at all). “I’ll get a ride for you.”David lets Liebgott lead him to a seat and ease him down. The party bustles around him, but he only has eyes for Liebgott as he raises his phone to his ear and makes a quick, quiet call. He feels dazed. Part of David is locked in the here-and-now, while the other part of him is being dragged years into the past. He wants to laugh out loud, but that would be too conspicuous. Instead, he takes another vodka cup, and drains it in one gulp.By the time Liebgott returns, David is well and truly drunk. The other man takes a look at him and whistles. “Alright. A limo’s waiting out front. You ready to blow this joint, Web?”“Couldn’t be more ready,” David says — or hopes he says. His tongue garbles the words, but Liebgott just nods and takes him by the arm. David is proud of the fact that he walks out of the party without tripping over his own feet once (though if he leans on Liebgott more than he needs to, who cares?)The limo is waiting out front for him, just like Liebgott said — though he’s surprised when Liebgott slides in next to him, slamming the door shut behind him. For a moment, David can only blink at him. His bemusement must show clear as day on his face, because Liebgott snorts. He runs a hand though his hair, mussing it from it’s immaculate coiffed state, before offering David a shrug. “I wanna make sure you get home okay. Call it teacher’s responsibility.”“You’re not my teacher anymore.”Liebgott’s lips twitch. “You’re right.”He directs his gaze out the car window as they begin to move, and David can’t help staring at him. It’s the same face he allowed himself to get lost in during the lessons Liebgott always managed to keep interesting. How many times did he trace the fine-boned features of his face and feel himself flare with frustration, fury... or something even hotter?Now, Liebgott is right next to him. The ghost from David’s past sits besides him in flesh and blood glory, and David can hardly believe it. Surely he’s dreaming. That’s the only excuse. The vodka got to his head, and he’s going to wake up to find himself passed out under a table, hungover and very alone...He doesn’t realize he’s listing sideways until he lands against Liebgott’s shoulder. The other man starts, alarmed, and David grunts. “Sorry.”To his credit, Liebgott doesn’t seem disturbed at all. “No problem, Web. Stay there if you want.”“Hmm.” Liebgott’s shoulder is comfortable. David allows his eyes to close, inhaling the rich scent of him. It goes to his head even more than the alcohol; he feels drunk on sheer proximity.He knows he should really keep his mouth shut, but after a few moments longer he can’t stand it. “You know,” he slurs, aware that he’s talking in Liebgott’s ear but not really caring, “I used to have the biggest crush on you.”He feels Liebgott go still. “Oh yeah?”“Yeah,” David emphasizes. “I mean, I hated you. Like anything. I thought you were a bastard, could hardly stand you.”“Web, good thing you’re more charming in your books.”“But,” he says, and exhales a laugh. “You were something else. You were the only one... who believed in me, you know? Wouldn’t be where I am without you. I used to think... I’d see you again, I guess? I hoped. Wondered what would happen, since... since you...”“Since I’m not your teacher anymore.”David nods, cheek smushing against Liebgott’s shoulder. “Exactly,” he says, then groans. “Aaaaand it happened, and I’m drunk, and an idiot.”“A New York Times bestselling idiot,” Liebgott remarks. “Couldn’t agree more.”David pouts. “You’re making fun of me.”“Haven’t I always?”“Until you got serious,” David replies. He remembers how Liebgott loved to antagonize, but he could always turn solemn in an instant. Now, when he forces himself to look at Liebgott’s face, he catches that unmistakeable glow in his eyes. He is devoid of any humor; he is intense and sober, stealing David’s breath away.Liebgott exhales. The breath caresses David’s cheek, and his eyes flutter.“God, Web,” Liebgott groans. “You love torturing me, dontcha? When you were eighteen, you were a brat —““Hey.”“Now you’re grown up, and gorgeous, and I’m not your teacher anymore, but I still can’t get close to you because you’re dead drunk.”David hums to himself, pillowing his head against Liebgott’s chest. He is solid and firm, rhythmic heartbeat echoing beneath David’s ear. Liebgott sighs, running his hand up and down David’s shoulder.“We’re pretty close now.”“Yeah,” agrees Liebgott. “But I can’t kiss you when you’re like this.”David’s eyes pop open, growing wider as he processes Liebgott’s words. That intangible feeling, the one dancing just far enough out of his grip to keep him from putting it into words, rushes back full-force. He’s afraid that he’ll wake up tomorrow to find Liebgott gone — that he’d never been there at all.“Then stay,” he whispers. “Be here tomorrow.”He looks up and catches a flash of Liebgott’s smile. He shakes his head and squeezes David’s shoulder, just enough that David’s last question of him being real vanishes.“Well, I’ve waited this long,” Liebgott chuckles. “You’re really something else, Web.”Hearing his muse say that, David thinks, is the most incredible thing this night has brought him. Liebgott is right; after six years, one more night doesn’t make much of a difference. When David wakes up tomorrow, he will greet a ghost from his past in the very tangible present... and just maybe he’s been waiting for Liebgott all along.

[elliegratrick-blog]

Virtual studio visit

Saskia Cameron- Email Conversation!

Me and my friend had organised a trip to go visit Saskia Cameron in Banks Mill Studio. I had found Saskia’s work on the Banks Mill website when looking what creators were based there. Her work instantly drew me in. I particularly like her  series of woodcut illustrated train tickets, following the West coast line. The blocky shapes, quite angular shapes used still show a sensitivity and sense of tranquility. The medium of printing means marks and textures come from the screens and lino which gives her work a lovely tactile feel. Unfortunately this visit was planned just around the time corona virus really became serious. It was safer for all our sakes to do the interview over email. It’s disappointing as I would have liked to see the space she works in and what is on offer after you graduate but not much can be done! 

How did you get into illustration? I studied illustration at Edinburgh College of Art - I had done a foundation before that and honestly I don't think I really got the opportunity to try enough stuff there, I wish it had been a bit less narrow! I knew I liked drawing and I was good at it, and I was too impatient to do animation at the time, so I picked illustration! But I think overall it was a good choice - what I really love about illustration is how good it is at transcending boundaries, and now I dabble in textiles, graphic design, all sorts. Top 3 illustrators that inspire you? Oh man this is a hard question. I love Sophy Hollington's work - I work a lot in woodcut and lino myself and it's great seeing that someone else is out there doing that too. It's a weird medium to work in nowadays as it can really restrict how you work to a deadline, but usually if a client wants it they're willing to put up with those restrictions. Roman Muradov is a really great illustrator in the truest sense of the word - his work is clever and clearly communicates concepts visually. Jesus Cisneros is brilliant, his work always pushes me to loosen up and open my horizons about what drawing and narrative can be. Honestly although I do look at a lot of illustration, I think the most important thing is to have people who AREN'T illustrators to inspire you, don't get stuck in an echo chamber of your own discipline. Other creative people who really inspire me are: Jon Zabawa (graphic designer, illustrator, art director, allsorts man) Braulio Amado (graphic designer artist type - he's prolific and so creative) Palefroi (this is arguably illustration, but they're a collective of two, and focus on print, art, installations, small press and animation) Ako Castuera (artist and ceramicist) Ali Smith (writer) And that's just contemporary people - I like to look at a lot of stuff from the past as well, and if you asked me next week I'd probably have a different list of people! When you create a new illustration, what is your process? Research > rough exploratory sketches > thumbnailing > work up a couple ideas > pick one and refine it into the final thing. What's your favourite thing to draw right now? I'm really into drawing people's gardens at the moment, especially those ones that are really overly 'done' you know, with sculpted hedges and garden gnomes and stuff. I just think they're really weird. Is illustration your sole income or is it managed around another job? Nope! My illustration work has always always been wrapped around at least one other job. This has varied from cafe/bar jobs, to admin jobs, to teaching. At the moment, I teach part time on the graphic design course at Nottingham Trent. Most illustrators I know work other jobs most of the time - it's pretty standard, especially at the start of your career. Personally I like this, I think I'd go a bit crazy if I was working alone on my own work all the time. I try and stay open to what my working week looks like, because at the end of the day I need an income, and freelance work can come and go. For me, I don't plan to ever go full-time freelance - I don't like the pressure it puts on my work, it can suck the joy out of it when you need it to provide all your food and shelter. Honestly I still consider myself fairly early career, I'm only 26 and it can take a really long time to carve out a creative career, particularly if you don't come from a wealthy background that can offer you a safety net. I worked full time my first year out of uni as a studio assistant, then went from that to working 3 jobs, then did a masters at Glasgow School of Art and now I've moved back home to Derby and until recently I've been working 3 jobs again! Wrapping an illustration career around that has been tough going, so for me it's only now that I feel I have the time and space to start making this all work properly. If illustration is an income, is the work you produce mainly through commissions/selling prints/etc? Mostly commissioned work! I need to develop more of a passive income, and I'd like to get into selling work more. So far it's mostly practicality that's been stopping me, as I've moved every year for the past 4 years. I'm hoping to be a bit more settled soon! Do you find putting your work out there on Instagram helps? And what’s your attitude towards social media? There's no good answer to this. Yes, it helps. I've had a fair bit of work come through Instagram - and most art directors/clients out there look at it even if its not their main way of finding illustrators. But it's not the be all and end all, the work I've had through it is just a product of having my work out there in the world for people to see - that's the important part. So exhibitions, physical and digital mailouts, networking in person, all of those things are just as likely to find you work. Social media is good for getting seen, but it can be a bit of a sinkhole. My attitude is to use it but not get too reliant on it - really I should be a lot better at updating mine, but I find real life gets in the way a lot! Thanks for reminding me to actually get organised with that. Do you find it more productive having a separate studio space vs working from home? Oh my god yes. But as a caveat - I have never had the luxury of a dedicated space at home. I think if I lived somewhere with a spare room I could convert to a studio it would have a pretty similar effect. Studios vary a lot too - I'm on my own in this one, but usually they're shared spaces. I think my dream scenario is to find shared studio space so I have other creative people around me to bounce ideas off and keep me motivated! I think however you work, it is important to get out now and then. Either for a walk or for your second job, whatever it is. If you can say What are your ambitions or future projects? My current plans are a bit up in the air at the moment with the corona virus! As I was saying above - I'm finally getting into a position to push my illustration career a bit, so I'm working on getting some new, self-directed work together. I'd like that work to be a bit multi-discliplinary, and to involve making work to sell so my income is a bit more diverse. I have a lot of big ambitious plans, but for this week I'm just focusing on keeping alive the commission that came in last week - I know it could be a difficult few months ahead and it could be my last in a while. After that, at least I'll have a lot of time to work on personal projects, so hopefully at least my portfolio will benefit! I have a collection of illustrations that I'm working on putting into a book of some kind, and I'm starting to work on getting a collection of prints, textiles and objects together over the next 6 months to start an online shop! I'm looking to get into a more permanent work/home/life set up soon, but who knows - life looks like it's being put on hold for a while. It’s really interesting to hear from an young illustrator and relieves my own internal pressure of having to ‘have my shit together’ as soon as I graduate. I am particularly interested in the people who inspire her as they are from a variety of disciplines. It motivates me to expand my horizons and not be so narrow focussing on work by illustrators. The rebellious and chaotic style of Bráulio Amado is something I’m really drawn to. It welcomes me to accept my own mistakes and be more loose and free with my drawings. Not worrying so much if a hand looks like a hand! The colours are vibrant and full of life. 

She mentions a shared studio space which something I hope for in the future.  Working on your own, I often get in my own head and overthink my pieces. Being in a space with other creatives definitely boosts your own creativity and you can ask questions. It gives another opinion on your work and ways to improve. A shared space opens up avenues for collaboration and collectives. Hopefully I will stay in contact with friends from uni and could be something we all do together!

Action plan:

definitely look at manicured gardens and draw my own! there needs to be a poodle or worm shaped bush

explore more artists from different avenues possibly looking at film/ book festivals for directors, authors

read more books (i have the time now we are quarantined)

[cloneradio]

THE NAMELESS DECADE

My Meticulous Ranking of the Top 200 Records from 2010-2019

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   Get Off My Lawn

Like anyone who isn’t a woke Brooklyn or Wicker Park urbanite dilettante, I find myself aghast at the ludicrous end-of-decade lists that the dominant music blogs shat out of their collective identitarian sphincters. Music can be political but it should never be politicized. First comes the music, then comes the message. But contemptible virtue signallers are attempting to flip that script. 

This was the decade that outrage culture infected every aspect of the zeitgeist, and in the decades to come, it is my hope that the pendulum swings back towards some semblance of sanity.

If you’d headed over to Pitchfork or COS or Vice, you’d be led to believe that the consensus opinion is that if music isn’t espousing, progressive, pisspants propaganda or isn’t created by some class deemed to be of an aggrieved social or ethnic minority, then it is unworthy of critical consideration. If it ain’t woke, don’t fix it apparently.

Well, I’m not woke. And music doesn’t need to be woke to push the boundaries of human creativity, ingenuity, courage and vulnerability. If I’m coming across as bitter, then I’ve succeeded.

The classic albums of this decade were copious and endlessly inspiring. Yet so much of the best material was neglected wholesale by the abject, self-important, amoral, payola-accepting, click-baity hacks that purvey the bulk of today’s music news and editorial content. Out with the guitars and in with the Antares Harmony Engine. Out with attitude and in with trigger warnings. Out with controversy and in with orthodoxy.

Contrary to popular belief, Charlie XCX, Drake, Cardi B, Lana Del Ray, Post Malone, and Frank Ocean are not in fact the voices of our generation. Here, you won’t find acts who filter their “content” through brigades of writers and marketing teams and focus groups. I promise you will not find a single Beyoncé or Taylor Swift record on this list. This Nameless Decade was when the so-called journalists began fawning over the same vacuous Top-40 shite as the average 13-year-old white girl from the suburbs. The top of the sales charts are now nearly indistinguishable from the anodyne, vanilla critical analyses. I feel compelled to turn their own vernacular against them and dare them to “do better.”

Music is not content; music is music.

...so I’ve created my own alternative, which I hope provides anyone who lands here with a bountiful consolidation of the best music of the now and the recent past. The passage of this Nameless Decade also brought with it the inevitable and merciful death of the genre. The lines have blurred into afterthought and the possibilities grow exponentially with each passing month. With these frontiers now melting (and with the relative ease that the average consumer can now discover once obscure acts and recordings via Spotify and other streaming providers), there truly has never been a time more conducive to the proliferation of creative output. There has never been a time when so many people could access cheap or stolen recording technology and make their own impact. Their influence too will ripple through time in ways that will help us learn innate truths about ourselves, each other, and the greater universe we temporarily occupy. This is the best time in history to be a songwriter, and it will only continue to improve in the decades to come. Few could articulate this more eloquently than Nick Cave, who, in the 2014 documentary 20,000 Days On Earth said this:

"In the end, I am not interested in that which I fully understand. The words I have written over the years are just a veneer. There are truths that lay beneath the surface of the words; truths that rise up without warning like the humps of a sea monster, and then disappear. What performance and song is to me is finding a way to tempt the monster to the surface, to create a space where the creature can break through what is real and what is known to us. This shimmering space, where imagination and reality intersect, this is where all the love and tears and joy exist. This is the place. This is where we live."

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   The Definitive-ish Ranking

- This list is meant to be enjoyed as a whole. A great deal of thought and dithering and appraisal went into the placement. Not once did I contemplate the greater societal impact of the components of this collection. Nor did I defer to my objectivity bone. This is strictly what I liked most. For example, I appreciate Kendrick Lamar, but his music just isn’t my jam. To Pimp A Butterfly’s impact was immense, but to me it just doesn’t rank.

- Bands generally peak over a span of a few albums or during a single decade. Thus several acts make this list on multiple occasions.

- Despite my disdain for wokeness, I'm a proponent of diversity of opinion. Again, music first. Some of the acts on this (Refused, The Knife, Parquet Courts) are woke AF.

- I included performance videos unless due to death or recent release these videos don’t exist.

- Furthermore, these year-end and decade-end round-ups often neglect brilliant records that land in the final 8-10 weeks of the year. This is done so the blogs can get their content out first, because clicks outweigh integrity in this game. So I’ve included a handful of beautiful records from the waning weeks of The Oughts that deserve further dissemination and amplification. It’s my list and I’ll do what I want.

- (Forgive the lack of apostrophes in the headlines. I assurer you it’s a formatting issue, not continued egregious grammatical errors).

Please follow these links to enjoy the playlists I’ve constructed to go along with this exhaustive aggregation:

The Nameless Decade: Top 200 Records 2010-2019

- This playlist consists of all of the choice cuts of the records on this list

The Nameless Decade: The Leftovers

- Here I hastily threw together a compilation of other singles from the decade. I no doubt forgot about more tracks than I included here, but I did my best to quickly wrangle in the best singles: the popular, the esoteric, and everything on the spectrum between. Hopefully it’s teeming with surprises.

If you want to jump ahead to the Top 50, click here

Otherwise, without further adieu, I present...

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   NEXT PAGE >>>

[elizabetheverson]

Just...write it? What designers teach us about the art of working

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for gimmicks. 

Write me an article about the effect of aromatherapy on productivity and I’ll buy cinnamon-scented candles. Share the latest on color research, and I’ll plaster my office wall with poster-board in just the “right” shade. 

Heck, I even adjusted my room temperature and the ambient noise level in an attempt to joggle my brain forward. But the reality of writing is that no gimmick, no adjustment, is going to make up for the most important advice: get your butt in the chair, put your fingers on the keyboard, and WRITE.

The recent interview series Abstract:The Art of Design on Netflix is chronicling design specialists at the top of their fields. Visual artists, set designers, architects, shoe designers, and more are engaged and questioned about their history. Even as they answer questions, their work is shown, dropped into the screen, and revealed in a truly fascinating videographic storytelling style.

 In and of itself, the series is worth watching just to see how the cinematographers break the interview-clip-interview paradigm and put the subjects into the screen, sometimes literally dropping them there, with the use of visual effects.

But the common thread so far (I’ve reached episode 3, and watched 1&2 twice since the series premiered) is that of just flat-out showing up. The “blank page” faces every one of these masters, and they work...nearly every day. 

They say it in different ways, but the advice translates into: butt in chair, hands on keyboard...go!

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“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

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 “Amateurs wait for inspiration, the rest of us just go to work,” (Stephen King) is one of my favorite quotes shared by Christoph Niemann, the first artist (S1:1)

Friends and I talk about being astonished when we attend writers’ workshops, how many people who call themselves “writers”---aren’t writing! A breakout-session leader asks people to raise their hands, “How many hours are you writing per week?” The numbers are so low, I’m shocked. I’d think it was shyness, but in talking to people at lunch, I’ve heard the same excuses again and again:

“I’m going to get started again, I just have a few pages I keep working and re-working, and when those are ready...”

“Well, I have all this work. You know, day job, and no time. Say, did you see Game of Thrones last week?”

“I’m doing research. Have been. For months. Well, now that I think about it, I guess it’s been a year...”

And the worst one:

“I just haven’t felt like it, lately.”

Are you kidding me?

Christoph Niemann (S1:1) is shown working on a new cover for The New Yorker. He draws a chart for us as his voiceover speaks...announcing he is suspicious of days when he feels “good” about his work. He’s noticed a pattern, that when it seems to easy or too  happy, the work is often not nearly as good as when he’s in a state of struggle. 

The shoe designer, Tinker Hatfield, often did some of his greatest designs when he was exhausted from a 24-hour design session. 

Working against deadlines was a common theme. Working within constraints was another issue. Some were self-imposed, others were external. Budgets. Time. Dimension.  

But everyone HAD TO REACH AN END POINT. And move on.

In stage designer Es Devlin’s world, the constraint in one case was about creating an other-world experience in a shallow stage in a box-shaped theater. Another was seeing the multi-dimensional experience of a concert in a world where every possible angle’s being captured by smartphones. 

And yet of these master designers remarked that often what was irritating and frustrating also proved to be stimulating. Constraints and challenges, even rejections, forced their creativity forward. And each came up with remarkable solutions.

Story was a big deal to each artist.

Legendary Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield speaks of the challenge of working to communicate story and functionality through design. His life has been about pushing boundaries but still retaining enough connectivity to the expected to bring people with him instead of alienating them.

Again, the common thread was  “go to work, go to work, go back to work.” 

Christoph Niemann says: “Ultimately, my whole approach to what I do is 95% effort and 5% talent. I really see it as a sport. You probably won’t become a tennis player if you don’t stand on the court for six hours a day and whack balls over the net. And if you do that, you have to be incredibly untalented for it not to work. But I think it’s tempting to think as a creative professional, you sit there and you’re creative. So much of it is just doing it everyday for hours.”

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“Ultimately, my whole approach to what I do is 95% effort and 5% talent.”-Christoph Niemann

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Good days, bad days. 

The day after the design you’d worked on for months got flat-out rejected. The day you got an “emergency” please-draw-this call and chose to answer it.

Everyone wanted to generate the highest quality, every one has high standards, but the day-to-day reality is ---you have to show up. 

You can’t wait to feel right, get the scent and the temperature and the ambient sound perfectly balanced to summon your muse. And you can’t wait for conditions to be beyond perfect or you’ll never “finish.”

Headache? So what. Show up.

Sleepless? Get to the page.  

Sure, get out into the world, too. But treating writing (or design) like it’s too precious and delicate isn’t going to help anyone improve. The fears involved with facing the next project will not go away by avoiding digging in and doing it.

“We will sit in a room – me and Jeremy [Herrin, the director], or whoever I’m collaborating with – sometimes two years before an audience are going to sit in these seats and we will be trying to craft how they will feel,” Es Devlin remarks, in this 2015 article by Holly Williams in The Independent. She goes on to say : “The choices you make in how you allocate any minute of the day are a reflection of your expectations of what you’re going to [achieve] – and I think my expectations are quite high.”

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“The choices you make in how you allocate any minute of the day are a reflection of your expectations of what you’re going to [achieve]”-Es Devlin

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Refusing to share or submit work until everything is polished to some impossible standard of perfection isn’t going to help finish that short story, or that novel. Or even a sentence.

And yes, it sucks some times.  Many days, many years, even, your work will be no better than proverbial fish-wrap. It’ll get worked-over and rejected, and you’ll feel hurt. Because you have passion about your work. 

The only way your skills will improve is by shaking off the fear and running right back at it. Getting a coach. Finding another way to get back to the page. Use the setback to spur you into even greater exploration of creativity.

We operate in the early stages of our own creative development itching to be to do more than we’re able, right out of the gate. I’ve mentioned the series by Ira Glass, where he states we have to keep going, even when our skills aren’t reaching the level of our expectations.

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“We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. “- Ira Glass

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Tinker Hatfield spoke of “waiting for the technology to catch up with the concept” when it came to creating a shoe he dreamed about for decades. But relying on what worked years ago doesn’t cut the mustard.

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“I think that the art of marketing, the art of promotion and the art of storytelling is definitely elevated and we have to get better every year.” Tinker Hatfield

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So, what do you do while you’re waiting for your inner “story-crafting technology” to catch up with the story idea? How do you get “better every year”?

Practice. 

Read a lot. Study what you’re reading. Each of these designers was well-versed in other people’s work within their fields.

Look at other creative work. Inspiration comes for design from metaphor, context, cultural cues, the natural world. 

And, yeah, sure, it’s okay mess around with the color of your office walls from time to time. Take a hike. Get out of the office. 

But always, always, always get back to the page.  Back to the story. Back to work.

Don’t “think about writing.” Don’t say you don’t have the time and proceed to tell me all about the latest television series you’ve been watching. And don’t wait to “feel like” it---because you never, ever will.

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“That’s what it takes to get what you want. Not big scary leaps once a year. It takes small, but irritating moves every single day.” ― Mel Robbins, Stop Saying You're Fine: Discover a More Powerful You

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So quit looking for quick-fixes first. 

Go! Get your butt in the chair, put your hands on the keyboard.

And...just write it.

Keep creating!

Elizabeth Ellen Everson

[missandrogyny]

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation 2016

so!! @alivingfire tagged me in this thing!! originally i wasn’t planning to do it but i figured that eh i should so i at least have something to refer back to next year yay

1. List of works published this year:

if i had the chance, the things i would do to you

that lace shirt

somethin’ bout you

blind from this sweet, sweet craving

to kill the mess we’ve made

day 3: tossed salad

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

i think i’m most proud of somethin’ bout you?? like, when i got the prompt for the spring exchange i was so excited, but also kind of nervous because it was such a huge idea and i’d never written an idea that huge before. i tend to stick to plots that are fluffier, simpler, and less…plotty, so to speak, so having the spring exchange prompt and spinning it the way i wanted to (with the kidnapping and the d/s, etc.) was daunting. there are definitely still parts that i would want to change in it, parts i would rewrite if i had the chance, parts where you can tell that i just got so sick of my own work, and i still want to give it a sequel, but yeah. to me that feels like a child i sent in to a spelling bee and although he didn’t really win any awards, he was still good enough to be in the spelling bee.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

probably my work for the 30 days of smut. i just…didn’t really know what i was working with. like, i didn’t know what the authors before me were doing, and i was way too shy to actually message them and ask and discuss plot, so i just sat on it until a week before it was supposed to be submitted and thought ‘fuck it, i’m just gonna do whatever’. also it was written in past tense, which i completely forgot how to do rip so i spent a lot of time just…reading it and trying to make sense of the tenses and crying over words

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

i’m always, always going to be proud of this paragraph. i don’t really know what came over me at the time of writing, but when i finished i just had this and i just…loved it so much.

(Later, Louis wakes up to find Harry sound asleep beside him. It’s dusk, and the soft light of the afternoon makes him look unreal, almost ethereal. He looks like a star, or perhaps some shooting thing—a meteor, or a comet, maybe. Louis watches as he breathes, as his chest rises and falls, watches the way the light seems to bend to him, making him look like the most beautiful thing to ever exist.

And Louis wants to save this moment, wants to keep him like this forever, naked and asleep in bed, but he knows better—he knows that Harry is a star, and you cannot keep stars like this to yourself. He knows that stars don’t belong here, don’t belong in dusty bedrooms beside boys with sticky fingers. He knows that stars belong in the sky and boys belong on the ground, and even a boy with the stickiest fingers will never be able to keep a star down.

So he gets dressed—slowly, quietly. Harry doesn’t stir at all, too lost in his dreams, and that’s good, because that makes saying goodbye that much easier. A sleeping Harry won’t draw him in with sea foam green eyes and cherry-red lips. A sleeping Harry won’t entice him to stay.

He takes a mental picture, embeds it into his brain, makes sure he has something to remember this by. Then he presses a feather-light kiss onto Harry’s hair, before he’s making his way out the door, closing it gently.

He doesn’t lock the door behind him anymore.)

5. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

whew. i get so many nice reviews on my fics, because people are too nice to me and too kind and they give me more credit than i deserve, honestly. some of my favorite ones are the long ones, the ones that ramble on about the parts that they liked. i also like the ones when people said they stayed up to read it because they couldn’t put it down–it’s so, so flattering, because there are a bunch of fics i stayed up for, and i know the feeling, and people having that feeling over my fics are just ❤️ 😫 (although y’all should…really sleep skjdhfkjads sleep is important)

oh!!! also, i absolutely love it when i get reviews from other writers!! like for example dolce has left a review on…two of my fics and i have each review screenshotted and saved on my phone and i look at them when i’m sad jskdhkjhads i scream about dolce reviewing my fic to anyone who’ll listen tbh

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

it’s kind of shallow, but writing became really, really, really hard when i changed my laptop last august. i don’t know why, it’s like i can’t produce anything i like on my laptop. it’s a psychological thing i’m still trying to get over, even until now.

oh, it was also really hard after my uncle died.

7. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you

ummm. i’d say the way i characterized niall in “if i had the chance, the things i would do to you” surprised me at the time i wrote it. i still have no idea how he turned out like that. but i like it hahhaha.

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

i think i became a bit more willing to experiment? last year was my first year writing 1d fic so i just mostly stayed in my comfort zone, writing the things i was sure about. this year saw me publishing fics that pushed my boundaries a little bit. somethin’ bout you is one. another is to kill the mess we’ve made, princess’ birthday fic. princess likes things i don’t normally write, so i tried to like, tailor the fic to her interests, which was why it had a bit of angst. my entry for the 30 days of smut was also just one huge experiment, i wanted to see if i could write harry getting rimmed. apparently i could.

also!!! i started actually, properly outlining my work. it’s a messy outline, but it’s an outline, nonetheless and it makes me feel like a proper writer every time i have to refer back to it jsfjkhads

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

i hope that next year (2017) writing comes much easier? of course that’s kind of…like a farfetched ideal, writing will always be difficult but i can always hope, right? i hope that i’ll also be able to write longer fics, maybe even publish a chaptered fic one day with a long plot. i hope to also get a better grasp of harry & louis, and all the rest of the 1d characters, so i can improve the depth of character/write fics with different ships (lirry, anyone? also i want to write an ot5 smut fic that’s my dream). i also want to have a better grasp of angst to be able to spin longer, more complex plots! i have so many hopes why am i so optimistic

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

i, of course, have to mention the person who got me to continue writing 1d fic after the first two i posted in 2015, the person who still consistently makes me write things and every time i give her an idea, she always says “why don’t you write it???” like wow that belief in me. the person who always reads my fics beforehand and screams about the parts she liked/parts she didn’t like (you have no idea how nerve-wracking it was to publish a fic she didn’t read beforehand. because it was a surprise. for her.) princess @britishhusbands always the best and always, always grateful for you.

other writers inspire me too, like rachel @alivingfire honestly rachel you are a huge, huge inspiration and i always tell people you’re the true mvp in the larrie fandom. @crazyupsetter is a huge inspiration as well, whoknows fics are always amazing. um. this year i also read another hazy may for the first time and @/delilah, i just. i think about it a lot. J @latitta are an immensely talented writer, and your words and your works always push me to be the best. @tornorrows i love you and your works, thank you for your words. @haydolce incredibly, incredibly talented, and your fics always make me so happy.  @gloriaandrews and @100percentsassy i love your works, whether you write it together or separately, and they’re always a joy and a pleasure to read.

oh!! j @harrysramonesshirt shares the same love for pretty words and quotes and poetry as i do, and she always sends me stuff to inspire me. it’s actually because of her i started a sideblog where i just reblog all the pretty words/quotes/poems i like, and refer back to it when i need inspiration (if you’re curious, you can find it over at @/stylestiques haha) j, thank you for the poems, the words, the another hazy may playlist you made, which has been the only thing i’ve been listening to for the past few months–you’ve been such an amazing source of inspiration.

other people hm. @louisdarling i love you, you know that, you don’t have to do anything to be an inspiration, you already are. @loveliestlarry all the best, amanda, i’m still a shit replier (will i ever not be haha), but thank you nonetheless. 

11. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

uhhh. usually the only thing that shows up from my real life in my works is whenever the character works out/boxes/goes to the gym hahaha. mostly, i draw from other people’s experiences–the small things that other people do, stories they recount back to me, or little throw away comments that they make, usually that’s where i get the inspiration. 

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

i think just. don’t be afraid to try out new things. like if you like an idea/prompt but are afraid you aren’t good enough for it, try your hand at it anyway. you might just surprise yourself. 

also. “fake it till you make it”. a lot of people have an idea but are afraid to write, because they might not be good. i’ll be honest–most of the time i just bullshit my way through fics. so just. bullshit it. don’t be afraid to write shit.

(wow i’m the worst at this)

13. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

i’m excited to finish my cuddling fic, which has already taken WAY TOO LONG. 😠. i also hope i’ll be able to finish this other fic which has also TAKEN WAY TOO LONG. i’m also looking forward to starting princess’ bday fic this year. AND RACHEL @alivingfire AND I HAVE SOMETHING PLANNED AND I’M SUPER PSYCHED FOR THAT. WE HAVEN’T HAMMERED OUT THE DETAILS YET BUT. IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY, REALLY FUN.

14. Tag three writers whose answers you’d like to read. ;)

@turtlekz and @backonefish and @tornorrows hiiiii if you haven’t done this yet!!!!

*All answers should be about works published in 2016. Also, you can skip any questions you hate or don’t want to answer, but please leave them on the list so that others can do them if they want. :)

[markgottliebliteraryagent]

Penn State Professor John Gastil & CSU Assistant Professor Katherine Knobloch

I got the chance to sit down with two authors who have a surprisingly optimistic view about politics and democracy. John Gastil is a professor at Penn State, and Katie Knobloch is an assistant professor at Colorado State University. They have collaborated on research for more than a decade, and Hope for Democracy: How Citizens Can Bring Reason Back Into Politics, forthcoming from Oxford University Press, is their first book together.

How did you come to writing, or did writing somehow find you?

JG: I’ve always loved writing. When I was in junior high, I wrote a terrible epic somethingorother about a space battle. Derivative garbage, I’m sure, but I was hooked.

KK: My family still jokes about a long fairy tale I wrote in the third grade called “Princess Marie’s Dream.” I wouldn’t say that I always love it, but it’s always been a part of my life.

Are there any books or authors that have influenced you along the way?

KK: Katherine Cramer’s Talking About Politics was pretty transformative for me. It was one of the first times that I’d seen a political scientist take citizens seriously. Michael Schudon’s The Good Citizen also helped me understand that as democracy evolves so does our understanding of what it means to be a citizen. Both gave me hope that we can find ways to make democracy better.

JG: In college I discovered books that used social science to make compelling arguments. Alfie Kohn’s No Contest challenged the assumption that competition is good for us, and Barry Schwartz’s The Battle for Human Nature argued that behaviorist psychology was ideology more than science. I can only aspire to write so well.

“There is real reason to worry and to resist the forces that undermine our democracy.”

The title of your book is Hope for Democracy: How Citizens Can Bring Reason Back Into Politics. The state of the U.S. government seems pretty bleak--is there any real hope for democracy?

JG: There is real reason to worry and to resist the forces that undermine our democracy. Our system is threatened every time elected officials try to make it harder to vote or they try to distort the process to make some votes count for more than others. That shows a contempt for democracy itself. Fortunately, there are counter-trends, and we bring those to the foreground so that readers can appreciate the reform efforts that are strengthening democracy in the US and other countries.

KK: Like John, I don’t think the problem is democracy itself. The problem is that our governing institutions are becoming less democratic. Many of the things we take for granted as democratic institutions are still "new," or they were built in distant historical contexts. Too often, politicians reshape those institutions to bolster their own authority while diminishing the public’s power. Maintaining democracy requires reforms that ensure the public’s access to good information and let them shape our collective decisions.

What are a few key ways that we as a society can improve our system of government and elections?

KK: I’m a big fan of anything that makes voting easier. Vote by mail and extended early voting are two small changes that could be implemented nationwide. We also need to create opportunities for people to talk to and learn from one another. Some cool processes like Participatory Budgeting or the Irish Constitutional Convention give citizens the chance to learn about, discuss, and make decisions regarding public policy. Those reforms also give people real power, which they exercise responsibly. In Participatory Budgeting, community members get to decide how a pool of government funding gets spent. The Irish government has held referendums on recommendations from their public processes, resulting in the legalization of both same-sex marriage and abortion. Their success shows that change is possible.

You write about how concerned citizens are finding new ways to make their governments more democratic and effective. The central case study in your book is the Oregon Citizens' Initiative Review. Why has the Oregon process been so effective?

JG: The Citizens’ Initiative Review uses a small randomly selected group of voters to study a ballot measure, then write a one-page analysis that goes in the official voter pamphlet. This project has worked well partly because it began as a modest project. The Review never tried to take on too many different initiatives, and it kept its focus on a simple task--writing just one page of key findings and pros and cons in simple language voters could understand.

KK: That’s exactly right. As a result, we saw the Review panels deliberating well over four or five days. And voters found the Reviews helpful when it came time to vote.

“I hope that we continue to see more new voters and that people begin to understand that their votes really do matter.”

What do you think this next election cycle could bring about in our country?

KK: It’s harder than ever to predict what’s going to happen in elections, but I’m excited by the increase in voter turnout in the 2016 midterms. I hope that we continue to see more new voters and that people begin to understand that their votes really do matter.

JG: I’ll stick my neck out and make this forecast: the Democratic Party will have a dozen viable candidates competing for media attention through the entire primary. Heading into the convention, the leading candidate will have a thin margin and no majority because the Democrats don’t have winner-take-all primaries. The raucous convention that follows will give voice to attendees, who could choose a nominee who embraces a bold policy agenda focused on fighting corruption and empowering citizens. This could be a persuasive message for an electorate that still feels shut out of Washington after having elected a populist outsider in 2016.

“We wrote a book that tells stories about real people fighting for democracy.”

Is it liberating to work in a collaboration in the book writing process? What's it like working with a co-author?

KK: Yes. I often get to the point in writing where I can’t really read what I’ve written anymore. Being able to hand it off to a co-author gives me a break from the work and lets me see it with fresh eyes when it comes back. Collaborating also makes me a better writer. John is funny and makes great analogies. Trying to speak with one voice forces me to push the boundaries of traditional academic writing.

JG: And Katie’s writing kept me grounded. We wrote a book that tells stories about real people fighting for democracy. When I needed to bring a new academic theory into our story, I’d remember how concrete Katie could make that information, then I’d try to do the same.

How did you find your current literary agent and get your latest book published with Oxford University Press?

JG: I attended the Pennwriters annual conference in Pittsburgh in May 2017, just a few months into the Trump presidency. The agents I met with were excited to work on a book that offered a hopeful message about politics. In the end, I chose you, Mark because of your reputation, your interest in representing an author—not just a single book, and the power of Trident Media. We settled on Oxford because of their success publishing books on democracy and because the editor we worked with there, David McBride, is a wonderful collaborator. David’s irrational and enduring affection for The Big Lebowski also helped seal the deal.

Oxford University Press seems like a terrific and prestigious publisher for those writing close to, or within, academic publishing...are you excited to work with OUP?

KK: Absolutely, particularly for my first book. Oxford has published some of the most important works on democracy, like Iris Marion Young’s Inclusion and Democracy and John Dryzek’s Foundation and Frontiers of Deliberative Governance. It’s humbling and a little intimidating to share their same publisher.

“Work hard, do your best, and then let it go.”

Do you have any advice for writers looking to become published authors?

JG: The best advice I can give is to find a co-author like Katie. You want someone who thinks differently from you but shares your sense of humor and style, a diligent collaborator who inspires you to sharpen your argument and your words. Having a friend writing alongside you can make an otherwise solitary task into a joyful collaboration.

KK: Thanks, John. One of the things that John taught me is to celebrate the submission more than the publication. Work hard, do your best, and then let it go. You can’t control the outcome, but no one is ever going to read your work if you don’t take that risk.

[vizzuality]

Dear Diary, writing is hard.

Camellia Williams, Lead Writer.

This blog can also be read on Medium.

Sometimes writing is hard. Really hard. I stare at the screen as my eyelids droop and my mind wanders onto every topic except the one I’m supposed to be writing about. I hate those days. But on other days, words flow uncontrollably from my brain, through my fingertips and onto the screen. Usually to the sound of ELO’s Mr Blue Sky. On those days I read what I’ve written and think, hey, this ain’t so bad.

Writing is a creative process and despite the plethora of advice out there on how to structure your writing and publish more frequently, sometimes you’ve just gotta sit down and start bashing out those words. (But not loudly, no one likes a noisy typer). I’ve been Vizzuality’s Lead Writer for almost two years now and I’m feeling nostalgic as I approach my 50th post on our blog. Combing through the archive, I’m aware of how much I’ve developed as writer and feel an urge to record this moment in time, so I can look back in another two years and see how far I’ve come. By sharing this with you, I also hope that someone in similar shoes to those I was wearing two years ago will find inspiration and courage to take their writing into the next chapter.

Before I joined Vizzuality, I spent almost five years working for very serious and closely scrutinised organisations. I enjoyed my role at these places but I had strict boundaries to work within. At Vizzuality, we don’t have boundaries or rules (just common sense) and it took a little while to get comfortable with the fact I could write in a more personal style and be blunt in my opinion. And this my friend, is where the joy of writing blooms — in honest and open expression.

Of course, my path from then to now wasn’t all roses. At first I really struggled to capture the tone and voice of Vizzuality. I’d keep reverting to the safe, impersonal style I’d been practising for so long. The breakthrough came when Craig suggested I develop a persona for Vizzuality. A persona with human characteristics, preferences and opinions that I could refer to when I needed to channel the voice of Vizzuality, and not my own. So, I did, and that persona became known as Andi (who’s gender neutral by the way). Now, when I’m having trouble expressing Vizzuality’s view on something, I think to myself, “What would Andi say?” Andi helps me decide what to share, or not share, on social media too. With this approach I feel confident and comfortable channeling Vizzuality’s voice and representing the company.

Once I’d got Vizzuality’s voice right in my head, it was time to work on my own personal style and make it shine brighter. I love that I can publish under my own name — it means I take greater ownership over what I put out there and I’m building up a portfolio that charts my progress.

I believe there are two conditions that help a writer looking to improve. The first is voracious appetite to read anything and everything around them. I find inspiration in poetry, classic novels, glossy magazines and snappy non-fiction. Tabloid newspapers are great if you need ideas for attention grabbing titles. Sure, I don’t always finish the book — life is too short for boring, badly written books — but even the duds teach me something on style and structure.

A few of my current and all-time favourite reads.

The second thing that’s always helped me progress as a writer is having people around me who push me and encourage me to do better. These unbelievably patient people are willing to read my writing (even the crap stuff), give me constructive suggestions, and share links to articles they think are well written. I’d much rather someone review my writing and give me an honest review — like “this is boring”, or “I didn’t understand what point you were trying to make here” — than a “sure, it’s fine”, brush-off. At the end of the day, this kind of feedback and support will force you to critically look at your own work and make improvements to your craft.

So, here we are. Blog 49. The penultimate blog before I hit the big 5–0. I feel like a train that’s seconds away from hitting full speed. I can’t wait to see what I’ll be writing in another two years. Whatever stage you’re at, whether you’re new to writing, or an expert who scribbles in their sleep, we’ll always be on this never-ending journey of improvement. And that, Dear Reader, is what makes it all so exciting.

This blog is dedicated to the amazing ladies, and gentleman, who helped make me the writer I am today — Lynne Labanne, Anna Knee, Sophie Higman, Louisa Wood, and Craig Mills. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me!

[mediacalling]

10 Helpful Social Media Writing Tips For Businesses

Your social media strategy may include brand awareness, lead generation or customer retention and these factors are all achieved through one thing. Excellent social media writing skills.

In this article, I’m going to share with you my social media writing tips for business so that you too can hone your communication and hit those all-important KPIs.

1. Use Your Casual Voice

First, you really need to hone your brand voice. What are your brand’s values and how are you going to get them across on social media?

Understand that your social media accounts are not supposed to be a replica of your website. Even if you are a serious corporate brand, you will need to soften your tone and make it more casual. Remember why people are using most social media in the first place — to connect with friends — and why they follow your Facebook page instead of just visiting your website.

Remember too, that while casual, your tone should be adjusted for each social media network.

For example, on Linkedin, the professional network, you might say “The Agorapulse team has compiled a list of the best social media writing tips. Click below to read them.” On Facebook, where it is considerably less professional, you might say “Need to improve your social media writing skills? Check out our hot tips.”

Takeaways

Avoid lengthy or convoluted sentences

Stay away from colorless “business-speak”

Don’t use an unnecessarily long word if there is a shorter alternative

2. Keep It Short and Simple

Social media isn’t the place for deep musings, case studies, or pasted stories. Although Facebook gives you 400 characters, please don’t use them all! The optimal length of a Facebook post is 40 characters and after that point engagement wanes. Studies even show that some of the most shared posts are just 11 words and incorporate video and emoji like Buzzfeed below:

If you want to share a blog or story with your readers, then introduce it briefly and include a link to it.

Takeaways

Your social media page is a great place to link to your blog not to copy and paste it

Use emoji to illustrate your point instead of explaining it in long sentences

Use fewer words as a teaser to your link, video, or infographic

3. Think CTA!

Your CTA or Call To Action is something you need to be aware of every time you write for your brand.

Does that mean you need to be constantly promotional? No. But you do want your fans to take action, don’t you? Whether it’s to read your article, watch your video, join a conversation, share a post or attend an event. There is always a desirable response.

A good formula for a social media post starts with a thought-provoking question and an invitation for your followers to take action as shown below at Contentworks.

Takeaways

Be punchy and direct with your CTAs like “Watch Now” or “Read More”

Ask a short question or make an impactful statement to pique interest

Don’t confuse your fans by asking for too many actions. For example: “Watch our video then come back and comment and share our post.”

4. Keep It Personal

Focus on using pronouns such as “we” “I,” “me,” and “you” as opposed to “the company,” “the client,” or “the team.” Remember, you are trying to build connections and engagement — so lecturing your followers from your high corporate tower just doesn’t cut it.

Write as though you are speaking directly to each fan and you will see a much better engagement rate. Check out this example from Barclays, a huge international bank, who keep it personal.

Takeaways

Explain to your CEO why informal language works better on social media

Tailor your style and words to suit each of your social networks

Speak directly to each fan to improve your engagement rates

5. Research Pays Off

You can be the best writer in the world, but if you don’t do your research then your posts just won’t resonate with your audience.

For example, say you are a beauty company and you know your target audience is women. What else do you know about them? News flash: are billions of women in the world and they are not all alike. 😉

To write well you need to understand who you’re writing to. Create a persona of your audience. Understand their interests, lifestyle and values. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to write for them.

Takeaways

Create a persona for your target audience and pin it to your desk so you never forget who you’re talking to

Include data in your posts – for example, “85% of our customers surveyed love this new shampoo”

Tailor your language to your audience. If they are females aged 13-18, don’t use the same words as you would for females aged 30-45

6. Break Some Punctuation Rules

You may be a professional writer but social media writing isn’t like writing your master’s thesis. That means you can break some traditionally held rules when it comes to creating social media posts. Here are some examples that go against the grain:

Twitter

It’s OK to miss out punctuation, abbreviations, and words to save on character limits like my friend Ed Leake.

Facebook

Unlike email or web text where block capitals are considered rude or aggressive, it’s OK on social media! Use block capitals to create excitement as I have done at Charli Says. The same goes for exclamation points (in moderation).

Instagram

It’s fine to hashtag words or replace them entirely with emoji like Tacobell. In fact, if you don’t use emoji, then you are probably missing out on engagement!

Takeaways

Incorporate hashtags in your sentences especially on Twitter and Instagram

Just because you have a long character limit, doesn’t mean you should use it. Short sentences are best.

Breaking a few rules doesn’t mean poor grammar or bad spelling

7. Write Great Replies

Posting updates is only part of your job as social media manager. You also need to construct on point replies to your fans.

This is where you really need to understand your brand voice and how you will respond to fans on social. Are you the cheeky brand that likes to play with fans? Are you the straight-to-the-point brand that answers questions without chatting? Either way, it’s important that your social media team are briefed and answering questions in the same style.

This is where the new Saved Replies tool from Agorapulse comes in handy. These are not bots or autoresponders. Think of them as canned responses for each of your social profiles. This saves a ton of time and can eliminate spelling errors when you’re in a hurry.

To create a new saved reply, click on “Create a new reply.” First, name the reply, then add your text into the field below. The next time you go to respond on that channel, you can choose from a list of easy drop-down replies.

How cool is that?

Takeaways

Your replies should be in the style of your brand so your audience enjoys the same brand experience throughout

Your replies should be friendly, polite and informative

Don’t be afraid to pass the client to your support team, just be sure that this is communicated properly

8. Check Your Spelling and Grammar

It doesn’t matter how much fun your brand is, how casual you want to be, or how many abbreviations you’re using. Your spelling and grammar needs to be good.

Poor spelling and grammar reflect badly on your brand and will give your audience the impression that you are not on top of your game. If you are targeting and posting in different languages, then be sure to have a native speaker checking the posts before you go live.

Use a tool like Agorapulse to target Facebook posts and assign them to a native speaker of a given language.

Takeaways

Don’t rely heavily on the spellchecker, it will detect incorrect spellings but not whether your sentence is grammatically correct. For example, “we are baring all” or “we are bearing all.”

Use native speakers to write posts or at least check them before they go live

Don’t rush – read your content through before you post it

9. Learn to Write Great Captions

You can have the best product in the world but if you don’t know how to caption it, then it’s just plain dull! In the same way that a headline can make or break an article, a caption can make or break your post.

This is especially true in the tech world where you need to summarize a products’ functionality in very few words to make it stand out. Whilst I’m a proud Android user, I admire Apple‘s ability to write good captions. A good caption may be funny or informative, depending on your brand, but it does need to summarize the product and create intrigue.

Takeaways

Remember, you don’t need to write pages about the product in your caption, simply link to a blog or product page

Always include a link to purchase or view the product

Keep your sentences short and punchy for added impact

10. Keep It Perky

Unless you’re managing the social pages for a funeral home, you need to maintain an upbeat and positive tone to your posts.

I understand that this can be tricky, especially when you’re having the worst day ever, but you need to put your brand hat on and get happy! Your updates, captions, and headlines should be exciting, inspiring, and positive to drive your fans to take the next action.

Takeaways

If you have a complaint on your social profile, then acknowledge it publicly and then take it over to private messaging

Use positive words to inspire users to take action

Don’t allow negative emotions to seep into your posts or replies or you will create a dark mood on your pages

Social media writing can take a little getting used to but it’s also fun. If you’re managing the social pages for your brand then you can also see it as a chance to push some boundaries and get to know your community.

Which of these social media writing tips will you try first? Comment below and let us know.

The post 10 Helpful Social Media Writing Tips For Businesses appeared first on Agorapulse.

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[10cities10years]

I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

Over the span of my illustrious adulthood, I have changed jobs more times than I’ve gone to a barbershop. Due to my decade-long itinerant ways, that was essentially inevitable, but even if I had stuck with one home, I can’t imagine stomaching one career for very long.

I’ve never had the luxury of choosing a job that matched my career ambitions. I worked at Forever 21, for god’s sake. Paying the bills has always taken precedent over holding out for a dream job, though there are definitely careers I would love to try.

I recently applied for a particularly enticing position with the New York Times as a travel writer, a “dream job” if ever there was one. I’m not going to be hired, I know that. (Yes, yes, I hear you chiding me to put positive energy into the world, but I’ve been screaming “Oprah’s going to give me a million dollars” at my mirror for years and it still hasn’t happened.) Even knowing the odds are slim-to-none, I had to apply. It would have haunted me for the rest of my life if I hadn’t.

This particular job would be especially gratifying because it involves the three things I love most in the world: Travel, writing, and photography (not necessarily in that order). For most of my life, writing has been the main focus of my creative output, but there are times where I find greater satisfaction through other outlets.

Currently, while I’m enjoying traveling (next weekend, I’ll finally be making my first visit to Paris), the activity that’s giving me the greatest thrill is photography.

This photo was published in the After Happy Hour Review.

Behind the Lens

I studied photography in high school. “Studied” is perhaps not exactly accurate. After learning the basics in Photo 1, I took three straight semesters of Advanced Photography (because, for some reason, that was allowed) and spent every available moment sniffing the fumes in the darkroom, attempting to Frankenstein cool images with light tricks and merged negatives. Of the hundreds of experiments I tried, maybe a dozen of them resulted in anything remotely compelling.

My days of shooting and developing film ended with high school as the costs grew increasingly prohibitive and I no longer had free access to a darkroom (I considered Matthew McConaughey-ing around, but I just didn’t have the moustache for it). So, while I will always relish the stark look of film (particularly in black and white), I’ve been shooting in digital ever since college and I’ve come to appreciate the versatility it provides.

How I was in the darkroom, stumbling through hours of failures to achieve one shot I loved, is essentially the same way I am as a photographer. For every shot that comes out well, I have four or five (or fifteen) lousy photos that I just delete. With digital, I can afford to fail. If I were still shooting on film, that technique would have bankrupted me years ago.

I miss film, though, no question. I miss spending hours in the darkroom. It’s not quite the same rush staring at Photoshop for three hours (but I do it).

Whatever the tools, I am enamored with photography, both as an art form to appreciate, and a medium with which to express myself. I wouldn’t call myself a particularly skilled photographer, but I am eager to learn and constantly trying to improve. My aim is to understand more about my tools, both my camera and the photo editing software. And, then of course, my own eye.

The Eye

During 10 Cities/10 Years, I was usually alone when I explored. People don’t tend to get too enthusiastic about wandering their own city, so I spent many afternoons walking aimlessly, just me and my camera. My photography from those years, as a result, generally reflects a solitary eye looking for the sublime or unusual in the ignored or seemingly mundane.

I will always enjoy that sort of photography, but as with everything else in life, I’m compelled to keep trying new things, pushing against the boundaries of my style.

For the last year, I’ve been attempting to photograph more human subjects, mostly candid. Major cities are a fruitful place for this, because the citizens there have all essentially grown to accept that they’re being photographed or filmed all the time. Don’t get me wrong, some people definitely aren’t happy about being on camera.

Most of the time, though, people just look through me when I point a camera in their direction. Those are the results I enjoy most.

Now that I’m in Europe, I find an essentially never-ending supply of remarkable vistas to inspire me to reach for my camera. There’s so much unexplored territory (by me) that I never grow bored of shooting. Even better, I’m surrounded by fellow displaced travelers.

My co-travelers here in Madrid afford me a bevy of opportunities for collective candid shots and unplanned moments (like when they’re trying to pose).

Additionally, I’ve even gotten in a few “model” shots, which is a whole other world of photography that I’ve never even considered trying my hand at.

In the past, I was always hesitant to shoot people (er, photograph people); there’s something so intimate about photography, it can feel strangely intrusive. But, of course, that’s also why it’s so compelling as a medium. I envy the boldness of photographers who manage to capture truly evocative candid images, the kind that feel like you’ve been granted a private window into someone else’s life. That’s what I aspire to.

I’m growing and I’m learning. I’ll keep pushing myself, because I enjoy it.

It’s not that I believe I’ll ever cultivate a career in photography. That’s extremely unlikely, and honestly, probably not even something I’d want (trying to monetize art always makes me queasy). I simply find immense satisfaction in nurturing the hobbies and pastimes that give me a reprieve from whatever job I find myself stuck in at any given moment.

I’ll always have to find some gig, more or less temporary, to pay the bills. As long as I have my creative outlets, though, I’m able to bear any job for at least a little while. Even Forever 21.

    Shuttering: On loving #photography and developing as an artist. #Photos #Art #Writing #Travel I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Over the span of my illustrious adulthood, I have changed jobs more times than I've gone to a barbershop.