#gary's writing workshop

[anarchopuppy]

FESTIVALS OF RESISTANCE: ORGANIZE TO OPPOSE TRUMP

January 11

Chicago, Illinois: A training about fighting deportations, as part of the week-long “Regroup and Strategize” series.

Sacramento, California: “Call to Action” conference and gathering, featuring a “day of skillshares and trainings” along with workshops, panels, and a keynote presentation from anarchist author Dean Spade. You can find more information and a full schedule here.

January 18

Atlanta, Georgia: A mass mobilization and day of resistance on the two-year anniversary of the murder of Tortuguita.

Brooklyn, New York: A community gathering including workshops.

Carbondale, Ilinois: A community event, currently in the planning stages.

Cleveland, Ohio: 3 pm Coventry Peace Park, 5 pm Rhizome House

Dayton, Ohio: 5 pm, Union Hall, 313 South Jefferson; a community discussion followed by music

Durham, North Carolina: The Triangle Festival of Resistance, a weekend-long festival focused on community defense, resilience, and liberation. For updates and information about how to contribute, consult Triangle Radical Events.

Gary, Indiana: A demonstration against mass deportations.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 6 pm at Nice Hair, with workshops on trans defense, migrant defense, self-defense, and movement defense

Minneapolis, Minnesota: A screening of Fell in Love with Fire with letter writing to prisoners and a discussion about the next phase of struggle at the Seward Cafê at 6:30 pm.

Portland, Oregon: A gathering in a COVID-safer, sober space. Families with and without children are welcome to attend. Food will be provided. You can also find updates about event organizing in Portland here.

Providence, Rhode Island: 3 pm - 9+ pm, AS220

Oakland, California: A march to a community assembly, departing from Wilma Chan park next to the Lake Merritt BART at 1 pm.

Olympia, Washington: The People’s March, 12 pm, departing from Heritage Park; followed by the Festival of Resistance.

Phoenix, Arizona: 3-8 pm, Margaret T. Hance Park, featuring a Really Really Free Market, food, literature tables, and a number of educational workshops

Richmond, Virginia: A community assembly involving panel discussions, workshops, and food, followed by a benefit concert.

Events are also being organized in Salt Lake City, Utah and elsewhere.

January 19

Chapel Hill, NC: The second day of the Triangle Festival of Resistance.

January 20

Indianapolis, Indiana: A Mutual Aid Convergence at Ujamaa Community Bookstore.

January 21

Arcata, California: A march departing from Arcata Plaza at noon—against Donald Trump, in solidarity with Palestine, and in memory of Tortuguita.

January 25

Tampa Bay, Florida: A community gathering and organizing fair for “politics beyond the ballot box.” “Organize with your community to fight for transformative change! Connect with a local project from anti-capitalist orgs, labor and tenant unions, mutual aid orgs, and more!”

Click here for the call to action and most up-to-date list

[directionerplusgleek]

2024 Writing Year in Review

Thank you so much for tagging me @fili-is-gone ! But oh boy, this is gonna be long...

The start of the year was fairly normal, but then I participated in things like AU-Gust, Flufftober, and Fluffcember... There are numbers there.

February

Not My Type - Thomally, modern AU. My first posted Maze Runner oneshot.

March

Hips - Thomally, modern AU

Be Our Guest - Luca/Reader, The Bear (First chapter posted Dec 2023)

April

Thomally Week

Guarded (He)art - Thomally, modern AU, artist Thomas and bodyguard Gally (Ongoing)

Pixie Dust - Thomally, modern fantasy AU, pixie Thomas. Part of an ongoing series of fics that I'm absolutely in love with

The Lies of a Mirror - Thomally, modern AU

To Hunt and Fall Prey - Thomally, supernatural, incubus Thomas and hunters Gally, Minho, and Alby (Two more chapters to be added soon-ish)

Safety in the Dark - Thomally, post-canon

No Matter the Distance - Thomally, high school/college AU

Like a Cat - Thomally, modern AU

In the Shadows - Thomally, post-canon, vampire Gally (First chapter posted Jan 2024)

May

Rarepair Bingo

For Once in My Life - Vinge, post-canon

Meet Me - Alby/Harriet, 50's Greasers AU. The first of a few fics in which Gally, Thomas, Newt, Minho, and Teresa all work at Alby's mechanic's workshop

Be Mine - Brendinho, 50's Greasers AU

What You Want - Garis, post-canon. The beginning of an obsession

A Chance to Try - Brenderesa, canon compliant and post-canon

You Took My Breath Away - Minally, canon compliant

Show You My Love - Gally/Minho/Newt, modern AU

I Died and Yet I Live - Brenda & Newt, post-canon, Newt lives

Never Alone - Naris, 50's Greasers AU

Why Can't We Be Like That? - Thomally, modern AU, hidden relationship (Ongoing. First chapter posted April 2024)

June

Pride Month Bingo

Something to Tell You - Lucus, The Bear. Another obsession began here

In Your Head - Minally, post-canon. Inspired by @scorchedmazes and @winged-bat

Boys, Interrupted - Thomally, 50's Greasers AU, 5+1 things

July

After Forever, Forever After - Lucus, The Bear, post-S03E10

August

AU-Gust; a month of posting a fic every day

Don't Look at Him (Look at Me) - Unrequited Gallesa, post-canon, everybody lives

Blue - Minally, post-canon, soulmate AU

A Safe Haven - Naris, dark academia AU

Take the Long Way - Minewt, zombie apocalypse

A Game of Strategy - Ava and Janson play chess

The Rose - Newthomally, The Bachelor AU

Almost Perfect - Minewt, farm AU

It's a Trainwreck, and I'm the Train - Thomas reflects on his mistakes, modern AU

Babysitting - Thomally, modern AU

The Enemy of My Enemy - Newthomally, future war AU

Cold Feet - Thomally, retail AU

Missing You - Nally, modern AU. The beginning of an obsession with a pairing most people seem not to engage with, but I love them too much to care.

Sparks - Minally, modern AU. Animagus Minho

Her Brother - Nally, royalty AU (Ongoing)

Secrets - Minally & Newtmas, modern AU

Out of this World - Thomally, modern AU. Brothers Gally and Chuck, my precious

Say it with Flowers - Minewt & Thomally, modern AU

A Ghost - Vinge, space AU

I Spy - Minewt & Thomally, modern AU

Seeking Serenity - Minalby & Thomally & Vinge, Firefly AU

Protect You - Garis, fantasy AU

Movie Night - Minewt, modern AU, orphan Newt

Music to My Heart - Thomally & Minewt & Brenderesa, musician AU

Fantasy - Thomally, modern AU

Stress Test - Aris/Gally/Thomas, scientist AU

Meet Your Hero - Minewt & minor Thomally, time-travel AU

Beating Wings and Hearts - Thomally & Minewt, wingfic. (Ongoing, more to be added)

Nurse Please - Minewt, post-canon, Newt lives

You Come Here Often? - Thomally, modern AU

Petal and Patch - Nally, post-canon, everybody lives

September

Deserve It - Nally, modern AU, based on the Tanner and Joseph text chain video

Soultember

Questions - Garis, post-canon, soulmate AU

Beaten and Bruised - Thomally & Brendinho, soulmate AU

October

Flufftober; a month of posting fluff fics

Feo - Brenderesa, modern AU

Corn Maze - Thominally, modern AU

Cardamom - Lucus, The Bear

Maker's Market - Nally, modern AU

Tokens of Love - Thomally, post-canon

Prisoner of Love - Newthomally, modern AU. The first in a few fics surrounding the beginning of their relationship as a three.

Hoodies - Lucus, The Bear

Chocolate Kisses - Vinge, modern AU

Let You Help - Minewt, post-canon. Sequel to Nurse Please

Competition - Thominally, post-canon

Fairy Dust - Thomally, modern fantasy AU, sequel to Pixie Dust

Coffee for Three - Newthomally, modern AU, part of the series

My Attic - Vinge, modern AU

Get in My Way - Minally, DnD/fantasy AU

Laundry Day - Newthomally, modern AU, part of the series

Maybe - Garis, modern AU

Sleep Through - Thominally, post-canon

Bewitched - Brenderesa, modern fantasy AU, further Pixie Dust fic

Self-Care - Vinge, modern AU

The Paw of Friendship - Newtmas, modern AU

Fires Everywhere - Nalby & Thominally & Vinge, canon compliant and post-canon

To Remind You - Jorge and Minho father/son, modern AU

Signs of Life - Thominally, post-canon

Shakshouka - Lucus, The Bear

Take a Bite - Minewt & Thomally, modern AU, vampire Newt

Tell Me a Lie - Nally, modern AU, soulmate AU

Infant Simulator - Minally, modern AU

Organ Donors - Minally, modern AU, biker Minho

When We're Twenty Five - Garis, modern AU

Minimal(ly) - Minally, modern AU. Based on a typo from the Discord

Wishful - Thomally, post-canon

November

Anything for You - Vinge, modern AU. Written for @nxwtonsxngster

Please bear with me while I reblog my own post to add December because I've hit a limit I didn't know existed; no more than 100 links per post...

[player1064]

for the carraville prompts: jamie’s pov of your fic it’s just not what’s done, and him doing/saying increasingly gay things that fluster gary who thought he’d never have a chance with the straight boy

honestly I could write a full length fic of this I LOVE this idea but I am exercising restraint (read: i am too sleepy to keep writing but want to post it anyway) and cutting it off at 1.3k words. Jamie is so so annoying in this god bless xx

---

1996.

There’s a weird buzz in the air when Jamie arrives at Melwood in the morning, and not the usual frustration he’d expect the morning after the first team have lost a game. Everyone’s grouped in little huddles, hushed whispers that cut out when anyone else walks by, but the weirdest part by far is that everyone is holding a fucking newspaper.

He walks into the apprentice’s dressing room and snatches a paper out of one of the other lads’ hands. He turns straight to the back page, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy there – United won the league, big fucking whoop – so he frowns and flips the paper back to the front page.

Jamie would normally dismiss anything The Sun prints as garbage, but a quick glance around the dressing room shows a few other papers scattered around, all with similar headlines. All with the same photo, printed to take up most of the page, full colour even on a weekday.

The Sun’s headline is not a particularly creative one, but is does get the point across quite succinctly: there, right above the grainy, dimly lit photograph, are the words GAY NEVILLE?

“Oh my fucking God,” he hears Michael whisper from behind him.

Gary Neville, right-back, Jamie’s brain helpfully supplies. Manchester United, 21 years old and already eight caps for England.

His next thought is: what a fucking idiot.

He doesn’t give a shit about the gay thing, not really – he did spend two years at boarding school, he knows what some of the boys got up to there. No, his issue is more that United have just won the league, and everyone knows in a few days they’ll be getting the double when they win the FA cup too. 21 years old, a starter for a team that’s about to make footballing history, a spot in the squad for this summer’s Euros, and the stupid prick’s just thrown it all away because he felt like getting off with someone at a club where anyone could see him.

Maybe he should ask his coaches about practicing in right-back. He has a funny feeling a spot’s about to open up on the England team.

 *

2004.

“Not so brave now that yer boyfriend’s fucked off to Spain, are ye?”

Neville gives him a disinterested look from across the tunnel.

“Not my boyfriend,” he says flatly, rolling his eyes like he’s recited that line a thousand times before.

He probably has, actually. Jamie needs to come up with better insults, something more original. He’ll workshop some for next time.

Still, better to dig in on this one. “No, I s’pose he’s not now that he’s traded you in fer better things. Yer not exactly a Galactico.”

Neville’s expression is still blank but there’s a hint of fire behind his eyes, which tells Jamie that he’s on the right track, that if he pushes just a little bit more he’ll be able to tip him over the edge.

He sees Keane step out from his place at the front of the line, turn to Neville and mutter “d’you need me to –”

“Couldn’t give a fuck, he’s not worth worryin’ over,” Neville replies, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

There’s no time to say anything back, because the referee walks to the front of the tunnel and then it’s time to go start the game.

*

2006.

“How’s it work, then?”

Neville looks up from the bowl of Weetabix he’d been intently focused on and glances around the room, like he doesn’t believe it’s him Jamie’s talking to.

He shrugs. “How’s what work?”

“The gay thing. Did yous get to bring a WAG over too, or is that only for the normal lads?”

“Wouldn’t be a WAG, would it?” Neville mutters snobbishly.

He’s right, Jamie supposes. But that’s obviously not something he can admit, so he decides to lean in to the ‘stupid Scouser’ bit. “Why not?”

Neville squints at him suspiciously. “’cause he wouldn’t be a wife or girlfriend, would he?” He clears his throat, looks back down at his bowl. “If he existed, that is. Only brought my dad over for this tournament, does that answer your question?”

“Hmm,” Jamie says, ignoring the obvious cue to leave and taking a seat opposite Neville instead. “What would they call ‘im, if you weren’t a sad lonely old spinster… husbands and boyfriends… HABs? Doesn’t ‘ave quite the same ring to it, does it?”

*

2013.

“Why’d you never get married?”

Neville – Gary – looks up from his iPad to give Jamie his familiar ‘I can’t tell if you’re having me on or if you’re actually just stupid’ squint. “’s only been legal a few months, give us a break.”

“Civil partnered then, whatever. I don’t get it. You’re rich, you were a footballer. I know you’re ugly but looks don’t really factor into it, if your brother’s marriage is anythin’ to go by.”

Gary scowls at him. “Different measures of attractive when you’re gay. I’ll ‘ave you know men find me quite good looking, actually.”

“Do they fuck,” Jamie snorts, because he’s willing to bet that there isn’t a single man on Earth, gay or otherwise, who finds Gary Neville in his current state attractive. Maybe in his playing days, when he was all lean muscle and intense glares, but not now. “They’re just queuin’ up to get a piece a’yous, are they?”

“Maybe they are. Not that it’s any of your business, but I actually ‘ave a date tonight.”

“And that’s after he’s had a look at you?”

*

2015.

“Don’t go.”

Gary looks exhausted, pale skin and dark shadows under his eyes. His hair needs a trim, his stubble needs a shave, and he needs to not move to fucking Spain.

“Don’t look so stroppy, Carra. You’re about to become Sky’s number one pundit.”

“Don’t want it. C’mon, Gaz, what’m I gonna do for my Monday mornin’ entertainment without tales of your endless bad dates.”

“Most people just read the news.”

 “What’re you gonna do, you’re bad enough at pullin’ as it is without a language barrier makin’ things harder. It’s like you want to spend the next five months celibate.”

“Yer awfully concerned about my personal life, James, for someone who not two weeks ago was tellin’ me that I needed to, and I quote, ‘spend less time thinkin’ about fit men and more on thinkin’ about fit footballers instead.’”

“And I stand by that.”

*

2016.

Jamie’s changing out of his gym clothes when his conversation with Gary earlier in the week echoes in his mind, the dreamy way Gary had said his arms…

The guy probably doesn’t even train as much as Jamie does, probably just exaggerates because for some reason he’s trying to impress Gary. As if Gary is someone you’d want to impress.

He stands in front of the changing room’s mirror and flexes his bicep, notes with pride the bulging vein that leads up from his elbow. It’s a shame, really, that he has to wear suits when he’s on Sky. He’s sure viewing figures would go up if he was allowed to wear something a little more form fitting, maybe he should pitch it to the wardrobe people.

Gary would probably have a fit, his tends to get in a tizz at the suggestion of any change to the strict set of rules he’s got in his head. Jamie had once tried to wear his suit without a tie (because he’d spilled coffee on the one he’d brought, not that he’d told Gary that), and Gary had screeched at him for a good half an hour about professionalism until he relented and went to wardrobe to find a spare tie he could use.

Imagine if he wore a t-shirt. Gary’s head would probably explode.

All the more reason to do it, really.

[mthollowell-writes]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Thanks again to @digital-chance for the tag! You can find their original post here!

1)What motivates you to write?

My own ego (I kid...sorta).

I love creating worlds and giving life to the various voices inside my head. I love teasing out ideas and constructing (too) intricate plots and scenarios. Writing is my escape from the daily grind (for good and bad) and my main outlet for expression. I honestly wouldn't be me without my writing.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

I'll share something from a short story currently on ice until I get around to editing it. It's tentatively called "Cosmic Self-Serve"

Unfathomable eldritch horrors weren’t on my Tuesday night bingo card but it takes all types to keep a gas station in the black. I took another pack of gum from the rack and popped a stick in my mouth, praying for brain freeze. Cool mint took over my senses and I felt like a person again. Gary won’t be happy with my lack of respect for “stock integrity” but that’s why our corporate gods gave us shrink. Also Gary’s an asshole so screw Gary.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

I'm going to have to give this to September from my Festival Project WIP. He's such a mess of a character despite his best efforts to keep it together. He has a pretty lengthy backstory for "reasons that drift a smidge into spoiler territory." On the surface, he's calm and collected and can weather any storm with clear head, but that comes from a long history of battling demons (both real and internal). He currently puts these talents towards being the Editor in Chief at his newspaper office.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

The initial brainstorming and outlining stage. I love plotting out stories free from the expectation of making the words sound pretty. I do still enjoy making the words pretty but sometimes I stall getting too caught up in that.

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

The dialogue, though I will be the first to admit that I can get carried away with it. I also credit myself as a very meticulous plotter, in the actual plot and with character backstories. I've been told that my shorter stories tend to subvert expectation and go in unexpected places (but this too has its pitfalls as my earlier writing has been labelled as confusing by certain peers in writing workshops).

Even when I'm trying to stroke my ego, I keep offering caveats.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Honestly, how supportive everyone is! We're always trying to build each other up and the discussions I see on my feed where people excitedly talk about their stories and OCs remind me why writing is so much fun. And the games, of course. My god, these games! I love them!

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I recently took the plunge and bought Scrivener and I'm liking it so far. It's a bit of a learning curve with all the features you can play with, but I love how you can organize stories and bookmark things within each text section for referencing. Best of all, (and as far as I'm aware) you only have to pay once for it (unlike some other subscription based programs). With that being said, I do love Microsoft Word for smaller projects and its backup feature.

I also use a timer on my computer (I have Windows so there's a clock app that you can adjust). On days that I'm really struggling to motivate myself, dividing my time into smaller increments can get me through the slog.

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

Egad, what a broad question! I have to think about that for a second...

There's a unique Protestant-inspired church branch within Hollow Grove that's known as the Edelhaus Coalition Church. It's also uniquely American, whose foundation is the old Puritan work ethic that emphasizes hard work as a core tenet that guarantees a path to heaven.

Where it diverges is its belief in The Founder and the concept of The Faithful. The Faithful are the true believers that have gained immense favor with God through their hard work and aptitude. As evidence of his favor, he gives The Faithful powers over nature. The Founder (who many believe was the original historical founder of the town, Goodwin Hollow) was the first Faithful and every Festival of Shadows, the evidence of his will is seen in the resurrection of the recently deceased every festival year. This holiday is celebrated by all in the Edelhaus Coalition church for this reason. It's also why many acolytes within the church opt for natural burial for a chance to walk the earth again.

There's more to it but in the spirit of brevity, that's all I'll say for now.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

I'll say it again, write what you love. There's no point in writing something you don't.

I also want to emphasize the importance of breaks. Sometimes if the words aren't flowing (or there's just so much going in your life), never feel ashamed of putting the pen down and coming back to a story later. The time away can offer fresh perspective. It can divert your attention to something else that you're equally passionate about. I sometimes like to procrastinate on one story with another. If I can't write at all, sometimes reading or watching something can inspire you.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

I'm truly inspired by reading the snippets of stories from @digital-chance (that's two mentions now!) @rmgrey-author @palebdot @tabswrites @writingbyricochet and @fatexweaver. I appreciate the support and interactions I've had with @vintagecivet @macabremoons @friendlyshaped @aestatismors @leisoree @words-after-midnight @axl-ul @nai-nty-8 and @nonsenseramble. Seriously, you all rock and I appreciate all of you!

I'm going to go ahead and gently tag all these beautiful folks listed above as well as some newer mutuals who I hope to get to know more @girlfromthecrypt @elhuei @isherwoodj @poemsbymo @robin-writes-a-lot and anyone who would like to participate!

[arufikalam]

-MENEMUKAN DIRI 2-

Semua berubah saat negara api menyerang. Tapi ini bukan tentang Avatar, the legend of Aang. Bukan.

Ini tentang menulis fiksi yang ternyata tak semudah yang di bayangkan. Mulai dari mengolah ide cerita menjadi premis sederhana yang dapat menerangkan isi cerita secara keseluruhan. Menentukan tokoh dan penokohan yang harus tampak nyata. Berlanjut juga dengan alur dan plot serta konflik yang terjadi dalam cerita, yang mungkin bisa divisualisasikan kelak oleh pembaca. Dan kesemuanya itu butuh RISET. Setelah riset dilakukan, unsur-unsur cerita diperoleh, barulah menyusun outline. Outline ini yang nantinya berfungsi sebagai pemandu, supaya cerita tetap berada di garis edarnya.

Tidak berhenti disana, ketika bercerita pun, perlu memperhatikan diksi, rima, majas dan segala rupa, supaya tulisan menjadi nikmat ketika dibaca. Apakah kamu mulai mengira-ngira bahwa semuanya memusingkan? Memang begitu yang kurasakan. Tapi Mas @kurniawangunadi pernah memberikan wejangan yang menakjubkan, katanya,"Menulislah untuk memulai menulis, apapun itu. Nanti cerita akan terbentuk dengan sendirinya." Aku yang sangat awam ini, hanya bisa mengikuti sarannya. Baiklah, ku nomor sekiankan teori-teori itu, yang penting memulai dulu, pikirku.

Aku terpantik untuk memulainya dengan mengerjakan tugas-tugas selama enam pekan. Awal mula hanya ditentukan tema, makin kebelakang makin kompleks saja. Ibarat langkah sudah terseok-seok, tersandung, terjerembab pula tiada hentinya. Tapi hal itu justru mengajariku banyak sekali hal baru yang tidak hanya sekedar teori kepenulisan semata.

Siapa sangka, secara autodidak, aku akhirnya belajar meriset hal-hal apa saja yang sekiranya dekat dengan keseharian, belajar tentang diksi dan memperkaya padanan kata untuk membuat tulisan menjadi menawan. Kemudian, belajar patuh menulis sesuai dengan outline yang sudah dibuat, mengasah kepekaan dan kepercayaan diri untuk bisa mempublikasikan tulisan yang menurutku itu bagian tersulitnya.

Hal yang tak kalah penting lainnya yang aku pelajari dari Workshop Writing&Publishing ini adalah meluaskan jejaring sosial dan pertemanan, memperbanyak opsi bacaan dari karya teman-teman, dan manajemen waktu, antara menulis, bekerja dan melakukan hal lainnya.

Jadi bisa dibayangkan bukan bagaimana jadi aku dan teman-teman peserta yang lain? Sudah tentu pusing tujuh keliling, tapi pasti menyenangkan dan melegakan perasaan. Tidak percaya? Coba tanya saja pada mereka.

Terima kasih @careerclass @bentangpustaka-blog

[end]

[sheradskygaryeric]

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FAA-Certified Pilot | Flight Instructor | Author of PILOTS Pea

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[myinternshipjourneymroyal]

Entry 6: Career aspirations including goal setting

When thinking about my future career aspirations and goals, there are a few objectives that are in my sight. I would like to become involved in a communications role, overseeing social media, public relations, and customer engagement. I enjoy interacting with people, and am a social person, so I believe that I will thrive in a role like this. This is also similar to my current volunteer role at the Bentleigh Football Netball Club, where I am the social media and communications coordinator. I have enjoyed my time in this role and aim to fulfill a similar role at a professional organisation in a full-time capacity. The enjoyment I have more communications has also led me to enjoy the marketing aspect of media, and I would like to gain professional marketing experience to support my knowledge.

I also have digital content creation and design in my future plans. At my internship at DSR, I thrived in the creative tasks where I was creating and designing graphics and images, and editing the videos for the organisation’s media platforms. Because of this, I have gained confidence in this area, and it is something I developed a deep passion for. DSR allowed me to develop my skills and apply them in a professional, time-pressured environment. Following the conclusion of my internship with DSR, I am now doing freelance work for them in digital content creation and design. This has led me to the idea of possibly starting my own business in the near future.

After working with the Skills and Jobs Centre at Holmesglen, I have now built a strong resume to begin my career. After building on the existing resume that I had, I was able to expand and add detail to better reflect my skills, achievements, and my aspirations. This was an important step for me, as my resume had not been updated in a few years and was updated to reflect my current abilities.

My resume. (Royal, 2023).

Through these workshops, we learnt that a resume should only be two to three pages long (Gary, 2023), and should be customised and targeted to each position (Kellie, 2023; Welton & Moody, 2023). Using key words (Welton & Moody, 2023) and having important, relevant information at the top is also essential, as this can increase the chances of progressing to the interview stage of the application (Gary, 2023). Including a statement is also a necessary section (Kellie, 2023), which is something I did not have on my resume before. My resume, interviewing skills and career objectives have been developed and I feel ready to begin applying for relative positions.

References:

Gary, A. (2023). Résumé-Writing for Success. Nursing (Jenkintown, Pa.), 53(9), 43–46. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NURSE.0000942852.47041.25

Kellie, H. (2023, December 8). How to make a resume in 2024. My Perfect Resume. https://www.myperfectresume.com/career-center/resumes/how-to/write

Royal, M. (2023). My resume [image].

Welton, R., & Moody, L. (2023). CE: How to Write an Effective Résumé. The American Journal of Nursing, 123(4), 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000925500.62874.39

[asfearlessasamango]

1, 5, 9, 10, and 30?

what is the best book you have ever read?

this is sooo hard >:( on the basis of pure storytelling craft, I think a visit from the goon squad by jennifer egan is seriously up there.

5. what book do you think everyone should read?

the fire next time by james baldwin-- critical, prescient, and very clear-eyed about race in the US

9. do you have a favorite author?

I don't have one favorite! I don't think anyone can have one favorite. But since I already mentioned baldwin and egan, who are seriously both very good, I'll add toni morrison, joan didion, f scott fitzgerald, patricia lockwood, and honorable, mandatory millennial lit mention to sally rooney.

10. what book are you reading right now?

*inhales*

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston-- cutesy lesbian romance. Yk that name because she also wrote red, white, and royal blue. On pause from summer, but I'm determined to finish it soon

The Mirage Factory by Gary Krist-- a history of LA's founding through the lens of 3 influential figures. Same situation as above. I will finish this and find closure, I am determined

Writing on The Margins by David Bartholomae-- picked this old thing up at a library sale and am perusing it to inform my TA workshops

Frog by Mo Yan-- for my world lit class. I recommend it

No Plot? No Problem: A low stress, high velocity guide to writing a novel in 30 days by Chris Baty-- for my novel writing class.

Who Says? Point of view in fiction by Lisa Zeidner-- supplementing my novel writing class readings with this one in my free time

I Like To Watch: Arguing my way through the TV revolution by Emily Nussbuam-- a Pulitzer-prize TV critic's essay book. I got it to give to my little brother on his bday and I am rushing to read all of it beforehand

The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook-- also a rush read before I give it to my brother, lmao. It's probably the first cookbook where I feel able to make all of the recipes and inspired to make about 10 of them, so 5 stars

And finally, I'm about to begin Virology: Essays for the living, the dead, and the small things in between by Joseph Osmundson-- a reading for the class I'm TAing. He's a gay leading microbiologist, and the book is about viruses like COVID and AIDS and their impact on our social and political systems. I recommend!

so yeah, that's... nine books. send help

30. is there a book that changed your life?

Looking back on my formative influences, The Core of The Sun by Johanna Siinslao was definitely a big one. It's this finnish author's misogynist dystopia, and i don't want to make it sound like a ripoff of the handmaid's tale but it's definitely very similar! I got it in like 8th grade bc it looked cool and read and re-read it, so it definitely had a major influence on the way 13-16yo me was thinking about gender, sexism, and feminism. can't imagine what i'd discover about myself if I reread it lol

book asks!

[highaltitudedude]

Beyond Listening: How Playing and Creating Music Boosts Mental Health by Gary Dranow

We've all had those moments where a song comes on, and we're immediately transported to another time, place, or emotion. While listening to music is a therapeutic experience in itself, the act of creating music takes this experience to another dimension. From strumming a guitar to writing heartfelt lyrics, the journey of music-making can be a profound tool for mental well-being.

1. Active Expression Over Passive Absorption

Listening to a song allows us to resonate with the emotions it conveys. But when we pick up an instrument or pen down lyrics, we become the storytellers. This active expression can serve as an outlet for bottled-up emotions, frustrations, or even joys, providing relief and clarity.

2. The Rhythmic Reprieve

Playing an instrument or singing demands focus. For those fleeting moments, the world's chaos takes a backseat, and all that matters is the rhythm, the notes, and the melody. It's a form of meditation where one can lose oneself and find oneself, all at once.

3. Building Self-esteem and Confidence

Mastering a musical piece, hitting that high note perfectly, or writing a song that resonates with others can be a tremendous confidence booster. The sense of accomplishment in these moments reminds us of our capabilities and potential.

4. Physical Benefits

Engaging with instruments, especially percussion or wind instruments, can be quite the workout! From enhanced lung capacity due to deep breathing to improved hand-eye coordination, the physical benefits are manifold. And as we know, a healthy body often leads to a healthier mind.

5. Social Connectivity

Joining a band, choir, or even attending music workshops can forge connections with like-minded individuals. This sense of community and belonging can be especially therapeutic for those feeling isolated or seeking a shared experience.

6. The Cathartic Release of Songwriting

Songwriting is akin to journaling but with an added melodic touch. It provides a safe space to confront and process complex emotions. And sometimes, articulating feelings through lyrics can lead to better understanding and acceptance of one's self.

Conclusion: A Symphony of Self

Engaging with music goes beyond mere enjoyment. It's a journey of self-discovery, healing, and growth. Whether you're an expert or a newbie, the world of music creation is vast and welcoming. So, pick up that instrument, voice out that tune, or jot down those lyrics. Your mind will thank you for it.

In harmony with the soul's melodies,

Gary Dranow.

[vickiabelson]

What a glorious reunion with the brilliantly talented prolific songstress, Harriet Schock, who wrote the Grammy-nominated #1 hit, Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady, and her stunningly talented, vocal accomplice, Andrea Ross-Green. It was thrilling to hear them again in perfect harmony with new songs from Harriet’s upcoming album, Paintings (the title track she treated us to is an absolute killer), as well as the mash-up of her Ain’t No Way to Treat A Lady and One Time Lover. We were also treated to my request, Over and Over, one of my all-time favorite Schock classics, and My Now, a new tune from her soon to drop, Paintings. 

We went back to Dallas, her musician doctor father who encouraged her with all his heart, coming to LA, the heartbreak that inspired that #1 hit, being covered by The Partridge Family, Helen Reddy, Manfred Man, Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Roberta Flack, to name just some, her films with Henry Jaglom, ongoing songwriting workshops which attract the creme de l creme in LA and now with Zoom, from around the world. Harriet’s system she maintains is full-proof. Her scores of talented, thriving students offer proof. Come in with nothing, leave with a song. A well-crafted, good one at that, whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner. Interested?  Contact Harriet at HarrietSchock@gmail.com

In addition to Harriet’s new album, there’s an upcoming show at The Coffee Gallery, A Lifetime Achievement Award, Gary Lynn Floyd’s new album, Present Schock: The Songs of Harriet Schock, and Tom Solari’s documentary, Hollywood Town, The Harriet Schock Story. I’m exhausted typing it. 

I adore this woman and her music. Harriet and I appeared in Henry's The M Word and spent countless Tuesdays over the last decade sharing creative adventures and miracles at Women Who Write, where Harriet also performed at least a half dozen times. It was fantastic to catch up with this treasured friend and be treated to her magnificent music. Ditto Andrea! 

Harriet Schock Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson

Wed, February 22nd, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET

Streamed Live on The Facebook

Replay here:

[prismaticstreams]

The nine love languages of NFs, empaths and HSPs

I’ve been thinking more about the five love languages model recently, and decided I wanted to do my own blog post elaborating and adding four extra love languages that many NFs, empaths and HSPs would relate to – creative expression, personal growth, humour and spiritual practices. As well as that, I wanted to add more nuance to the original five love languages popularised by Gary Chapman.

There is a great deal of overlap between the different love languages, and many activities could fit into more than one category. For instance, creating an artwork for someone could be a gift but also a form of creative expression. Cuddling with a partner could be a form of sensual touch as well as quality time. A handwritten letter involves words but also is a gift.

Creative expression:

Personal artistic expression (writing poetry, composing a song/music piece, or creating a visual artwork for someone)

Sharing other’s people’s music or creative works (making a playlist or mix tape for someone, sending them a song that’s very meaningful to you)

Collaborating on a creative project together (being part of a band or choir together, creating a collaborative visual artwork, writing a play with someone)

Religious and spiritual practices:

Praying with or for someone, meditating together, singing or chanting with another person

Participating in private ceremonies or rituals together (celebrating Sabbath with a partner and/or family, pagan seasonal celebrations)

Attending group or public spiritual/religious services or events with another person (going to a meditation group together, attending a church/temple/synagogue service)

Personal growth and healing:

Going to therapy, individually and together (this could include coaching, mentoring and couples therapy)

Attending a personal growth or relationship workshop together

Reading a book, watching a talk or listening to a podcast together and discussing what you are learning

Supporting one another to do inner healing work

Humour and laughter:

Telling jokes to make someone laugh, teasing, flirty banter

Sending funny memes, photos, songs or videos

Creating shared in-jokes or giving each other silly nicknames

Watching something comedic together

Original Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman:

Words and communication:

Words of affirmation (compliments, encouraging words)

Frequent texting/check ins (asking “how are you?” regularly, good morning and goodnight texts)

Handwritten letters and cards

Sharing quotes/articles with someone (usually online but could also include printing an article and sharing with with a friend, lending them a book of interest)

Gifts and financial provision:

Practical gifts (buying someone kitchenware when they move out of home for the first time)

Handmade or sentimental gifts (handmade cards, personalised scrapbooks)

Buying an experience with someone (a holiday/vacation, a hot air balloon ride, etc)

Giving money and financial support

Acts of service:

Helping people with things they need, e.g. assisting someone with illness or disability

Doing acts of service to make someone’s life easier, that are not necessary but a nice bonus (cooking for someone who is healthy and able)

One off favours or help (bringing a meal after someone has an accident)

Ongoing and regular support (driving someone to appointments on a weekly basis)

Quality time:

Spending time together in silence (being the same room doing different things, cuddling in silence)

Quality conversation (listening, asking questions, being emotionally vulnerable)

Doing enjoyable activities together (attending to a concert together, going out for a meal, playing sport with someone)

Physical touch:

Platonic affection (hugs, pats on the shoulder/arm, kisses on the cheek)

Sensual touch (non-sexual cuddles, massage, gentle caressing)

Sexual intimacy (making out, or activities involving genitals/breasts/bottom and sexual arousal)

What love languages are most important to you? Do you prefer giving and receiving in different ways? Do you prefer different love languages with friends or family versus romantic partners? Please share in the comments!

[hardlyfatal]

gary’s writing workshop: lesson 6: point of view, part 2

aka: POVs/Subplots Are My OTP

To discuss the connection between POVs and subplots, first we must revisit the topics of plot structure, flow, continuity, purpose, and readability.

Subplots add complexity and depth to a story.

They give the writer the opportunity to show another aspect of the main character’s personality, how people can wear multiple hats in their lives. Brienne is a fearsome warrior, but she’s also sensitive and gentle. Jaime is a snarkmaster deluxe, but he’s also a huge romantic and secret chivalric hero.

Unless you can find a main plot that somehow showcases all of the above at once – not easy – you need to add a subplot or two in order to provide opportunities to display all the facets of their personalities, not just the ones that are used in the main plot. If you don’t, you run the risk of a story that feels monotonous and characters that feel flat.

Likewise, when a story gains the complexity of subplots, it can start to feel unrealistic, too busy, or even claustrophobic when everything is from a single character’s POV. She’s everywhere at once, has a finger in every pie and no time off. My recommendation is that no main character should be the POV of more than two plots. If your story has more than two plots, it might be best to have the third one related by another character, to permit some fresh air into the narrative.

In the Plot Structuring lesson, we discussed how scenes need to have a purpose: they must connect the prior scenes to the next, and push the plot forward in a substantive way. They need to make sense within the timeline, in forming one in a series of steps from the story’s start to its finish. Similarly, scenes need to make sense regarding whose POV they are placed in.

Who Should Get a POV?

Choosing who gets a POV in a story is a very big and important decision, because they are the character(s) who the story will be filtered through. Their thoughts and feelings and motivations will be visible to us in ways they will not be to the other characters.

The strength of narration tends to become weakened with each character added, because the reader becomes used to one person’s headspace, and then you’re shoving them into someone else. And many writers get so invested in the ratio of POV trade-off1 that the plot’s needs are ignored in order to follow this pattern. Instead of carrying through with the momentum created from the prior chapter, “It’s a Jaime chapter!” they exclaim, and so they switch to him even though they really should be sticking with Brienne, etc.

In other words, there should be a point to why we’re in another person all of a sudden, and that point should not be “It’s easier to describe this scene from the other characters’s POV”. POVs should belong to characters who are either primary in the main plot, or primary in their own subplot. In a romance, that would probably be two people: both halves of the romantic couple. In non-romantic plots or sub-plots, whoever are primary2 characters in them might have the POV.

If you do choose to have multiple POVs in a story, it shouldn’t just be for a single scene or chapter – POVs should not be squandered, as they’re more integral to the flow and continuity of a story than many people think. Shoehorning in a new POV for only one chapter can be a Chekhov’s Gun; if there’s no future to the person having their own POV, if there won’t be follow-through later on, it weakens the story. The reader is left wondering why we’ve been granted access to the new POV character’s head, only to never visit it again.

Exceptions: Sometimes at the beginning or end of a story, an alternate POV can serve as a quasi-omniscient POV, serving to provide information that the main characters have no access to but with a more personal touch, thanks to the character’s limited POV. I’ve done this twice, and looking back, I’m not sure I’d do it again, because in hindsight it feels like one of them is a Chekhov’s Gun and the other is a Deux Ex Machina.

Questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to add another POV to a story:

What inner voice/narrative/introspection is so important for the reader to witness that it justifies adding another POV to the story?

What inner voice/narrative/introspection is so important for the reader to witness that it justifies adding another POV to the story?

Will the story lose something if you don’t have access to the other character’s POV?

Is suspense an integral part of your story? If so, this is an especially important decision, because including other POVs can kill the mystery you need to maintain. OR will the suspense be enhanced because switching to another POV means that the cliffhanger you left the previous chapter on will be permitted to ripen?

If the conclusion you draw to these is that yes, adding another POV to the story will be a good idea, then go for it.

Headhopping

Headhopping is frequent switching of POV from one character to the next. How you define ‘frequent’ is subjective; IMO, more than twice a chapter is too much. Unless there’s a damned good reason for it – i.e. there are multiple strong and important subplots that take place in different locations3 – it’s best to limit the number of narrating characters to the minimum required to write a good story, without dumping in superfluous POV just ‘cuz.

Otherwise, you run the risk of the story feeling chaotic and disorganized to the reader: who’s the main character? Who are we supposed to identify with? Oh, we’re back to the first guy now? Who’s next? If your reader is questioning what’s going on, you’ve killed your readability4.

Having many characters as focal points can prevent the reader from making a connection with them, with the result that they become acquainted but don’t really get to know and identify with any, and thus they don’t become too emotionally invested, losing the compulsion to keep reading. Worse, they might take a disliking to a character and skip chapters featuring him/her5.

Pantser alert: I find that people who don’t plan out their plots, and whose POV each chapter will be written in, ahead of time end up being headhoppers. They’re just writing the story as it occurs to them, one chapter at a time, and when they hit a snag, or can’t figure out how to describe something they want to show, they hit on switching POVs as the solution instead of restructuring.

This tends to result in not only a weaker narrative but also weak characterization in the new additions, since little to no thought was put into it and there’s little actual function the new POV provides besides fixing the corner the author wrote themselves into.

If you want to reveal an event occurring without the main character(s) being present, instead of introducing yet another character6, maybe try to restructure the plot instead; can it be captured on video that the character can see later? Featured on the news/in the paper? Recounted by another character who was there? If the character is perceptive/deductive/good at drawing conclusions, perhaps include hints and signs of what occurred and have them figure it out on their own?

Bottom line: Including more than two characters without compromising the flow of the narrative and without becoming chaotic is possible, of course. It’s just not as easy as many people think it is and often can lead to a weak story. Be critical and selective when you choose to add another POV to your story, and see if there are alternatives, first.

How Many Is Too Many?

There’s no law stating how many – or how few – POVs you are allowed to have. However, a general rule of thumb is that the shorter the story, the fewer subplots (and thus, the fewer POVs) your story should have. More POVs = more complexity, and shorter stories just don’t have the length needed to do each of them justice. You need time to develop a character’s inner voice, and it’s just not possible7 with fewer than ~5,000 words per POV.

Here’s a rough idea of how long various types of stories are, and a recommended maximum number of POVs in each.

Drabble: 250 – 1,000 words. One POV, one plot.

Short story: 1,000 – 10,000. One POV, one plot.

Novelette: 10,000 – 30,000. Up to two POVs, max of two plots if done carefully, otherwise one plot.

Novella: 30,000 – 60,000. One or two POVs, at least two plots.

Novel: 60,000 – 80,000. At least two POVs, at least two plots and max of three plots.

Super Novel: 80,000 – 100,000. At least two POVs, at least two plots and max of four plots.

Epic: 100,000+. At least two POVs, at least three plots.

Switching POVs

Making your way, as a writer, from one character’s POV to another can be done in two ways: a hard, clear break, such as beginning a new chapter or inserting a scene break; and a gradual, smooth transition in the middle of the narrative.

I used to use the latter, and you can see it frequently in my Bleach fic, Become A Ghost. I have come to feel that it weakens the narrative because when you a read a scene, you become accustomed and settle into the mindset of one character… and then sliiiiiide into another’s, and it causes a moment of realization that you’re now in the head of someone else.

It’s not hugely objectionable, but I think it does compromise the readability of the story, and thus I’ve come to eliminate it. My stories now only feature hard POV switches, or don’t switch at all, remaining in a single character’s POV the entire time.

Deep POV

Deep POV is a narrative technique that works to eliminate the distance between the reader and the POV character. There is no headhopping, no visible narrator, and as few marks of authorship as possible. Its purpose is to coax the reader to submerge themselves in the character’s perspective and ‘become one’ with the character as much as possible.

Marks of authorship are things like filter words, dialogue tags8, and any wording that would be unnatural to a character’s narrative. To write with Deep POV, you have to commit to limiting the character’s knowledge to only what they’d personally be aware of.

The first Jaime POV scene in Desperado is a decent example of Deep POV because it’s very introspective and mostly avoids these characteristics. Some still exist, however, so I’ve revised instances of them to be more in line with a deep POV. 

Depending on word choice, it can be as purple9 as you want… or not. Just tone it down, if you have concerns about things becoming too overwrought.

Footnotes

1 1:1, 2:2, etc. i.e. a chapter featuring one main character, then a chapter with the other main character, then the first again, back and forth, etc.

2 This doesn’t mean “anyone who has any involvement whatsoever in the sub-plot”, just those to whom it pertains critically.

3 For example, in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, Jon’s at the Wall, Sansa’s in King’s Landing, Daenerys is in Essos, Brienne and Jaime are fucking about in the Riverlands, Sandor and Arya are fucking about in the Vale, Bran is prancing about the North, Tyrion is all over the damned place, etc.

4 Readability being defined, as mentioned in prior lessons, as how effortlessly a reader can become immersed in a story and move without interruption through it. Readability means there are the fewest number possible of things that can snag the reader’s attention, confuse them, or otherwise drag them back out of the story to the real world. Our goal as writers is to infuse our work with as much effortless readability as possible.

5 As someone who has been told many times that readers are skipping chapters in one story because they feature characters or pairings they don’t like, it’s really fucking annoying. You work so hard to create a complex story, build people and relationships, and weave the plot and subplots through it all in a way that’s at least marginally coherent, and you get “LOL I just haaaaate this character, I don’t read those chapters!” and “Gawd, these other characters bore me, I skip those! Tee hee!”. Well, fuck you very much.

6 Especially if you’ll only be using them for a single scene in the middle of the story: that’s a Chekhov’s Gun situation where the character his/herself is the gun, and not an item or situation.  

7 At least, it’s not possible to do well with fewer than ~5,000 words per POV.

8 We will go over both filter words and dialogue tags in more detail in later lessons.

9 Prose can be called “purple” when it’s so overblown, ornate, or fancy that it distracts the reader and draws attention to itself, and not in a good way.

© 2019 to me

[frozenfries]

Love your writing! May I please request Killjoy, Reyna & Skye cuddling and being fluffy with a fem! reader (general is okay too). Just them in bed or something being cute & cuddly. Thanks in advance!

This was such a sweet request! I’m happy to have finally received one for the game’s awesome female agents. Thank you for reading!

Safe Haven (Killjoy, Reyna and Skye)

Prompt: Cuddling with Killjoy, Reyna and Skye

Word Count: 627

Killjoy

• Always working away in her workshop at all hours of the day, she’s less into cuddling and more into hugs from behind.

• If she’s extra tired, sometimes you’ll make her jump if it’s a surprise embrace.

• She’ll protest halfheartedly at the interruption, but allow herself to be dragged away for a break.

• After a short one, you pour her a fresh cup of coffee and pull up a chair next to her to keep her company for the rest of the evening.

• It usually ends with you dozing off in her lap while she’s chatting away animatedly in the wee hours of the morning about her latest invention, but she’ll stop immediately when she notices you’re out like a light.

• She doesn’t have the heart to wake you, so she’ll just sleep with you, one hand patting your hair and the other under her face as she rests her head on her desk.

• You two will wake up groggily sometime in the afternoon, bones aching from sleeping in uncomfortable positions. But you’re both warm - thanks to a blanket Cypher drapes over you at some point in the night.

• She’ll smile at you through her mess of hair, her glasses askew from sleep, and squeeze your hand. She could get used to waking up with you.

A purpose you never dreamed.

Reyna

• She’s got a different side to her when in bed cuddling with you, so much so that other agents would be shocked if they knew.

• Usually she’s merciless and a bit selfish, blazing into battle and taking what she wants when she wants it.

• But with you, she’ll lay you down as though you’re a delicate piece of glass. Your needs and comfort are placed above her own every time and if you protest, she’ll hush you with a gentle kiss.

• She definitely enjoys teasing you with flirty jokes just to watch you get flustered up close.

• Prior to her time in the Protocol, she created a sanctuary for others and served as a protector of sorts. But unbeknownst to you, she regards you as her safe haven; being in your embrace brings her peace and helps calm her feelings of rage and chaos that may have accumulated throughout the day.

• Her chest pulses and shimmers warmly whenever you two snuggle up.

• She adores being held by you and laying on your chest. She’ll close her eyes and relish in the steady beat of your heart.

• You swear you can feel her hug you a little tighter and bury her face a little deeper in your chest when she tells you she loves you.

Where broken things can mend.

Skye

• She adores exploring nature with you whenever you’ve both got some free time.

• Her hawk will soar overhead and serve as your guide, making sure you two don’t get lost on your adventures.

• Hiking, animal watching and outdoor picnics are her go-tos. After lunch, you two would lay back on the picnic blanket and simply watch the clouds go by.

• More often than not, Gary her Tasmanian tiger will be present. He likes to curl up at your heads and sometimes serve as a pillow of sorts for you two.

• She’s a fan of you laying your head on her chest with one leg slung atop hers and one arm hugging her midsection while she lays back, one arm behind her head.

• She’ll surprise you by turning her head to the side and running a hand through your soft hair. When she pulls back, she leaves you with a beautiful flower on the side of your head.

A wild beast brought to heel.

[goneahead]

The (very) Unofficial Bob Ross’ Happy Trees Poetry Tools Workshop Day 26 —Adding Variety!

Poetry workshops tend to talk a lot about syllables, and stressed and unstressed meter.  Personally, I find that varying length of words and lines is often a much more useful tool in writing modern poetry.

Let’s start with a quote:

“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.” ~~Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

Changing the length of words and sentences creates stronger, more interesting poetry. Let’s look at two examples where the poet deliberately altered the length of their lines:

Your Moon

if I had never loved you, would I have ever known the difference between light and darkness…. in the holding I am whole, and your moon always calls to my ocean. @black-dog-in-the-woods

Did you catch that the poet used an ellipsis for one of the keriji (day 11?) and this poem is really a variation on a waka (day 9)?

if I had never loved you, would I have ever known, the difference between light and darkness (idea 1) … (kireji) in the holding, I am whole (idea 2) , (kereji) and your moon always calls to my ocean. (related to idea 1) @black-dog-in-the-woods

Silent morning– The earth has just been shaken To her core. The birds sing joyfully as ever Above. Quiet day, The only hope lying In the dark. The flowers that surround Soak in the fresh warmth Of the sun. Still night– Sorrow implanted In their abandoned hearts. He begins his ascent Towards dawn. @moment-of-november

Way back on day 3, we talked about dissonance (deliberately changing the meter/length of a line) and on day 9, we talked about how Asian poetry traditionally is several smaller poems/ideas linked togeher. Did you catch how the poet used dissonance between each idea as an extra emphasis?

Silent morning– (dissonance) /The earth has just been shaken To her core. The birds sing joyfully as ever Above./ Quiet day, (dissonance) /The only hope lying In the dark. The flowers that surround Soak in the fresh warmth Of the sun./ Still night– (dissonance) /Sorrow implanted In their abandoned hearts. He begins his ascent/ Towards dawn. (dissonance) @moment-of-november

Tip! There are also times when this tool isn’t useful: When the poem is about something that is boring or repetitious. For example, a poem about a teacher droning on and on. When the poem contains action,or a sense of movement. Short, abrupt lines tend to convey action/motion better than longer lines.

Have fun writing happy trees!

[ownedbybooks]

End of Year Reading Tag 📚

I was tagged on my main account by @therefugeofbooks so I thought "what a better way to start my new bookblr blog, then through my 2021 readings?". Thanks for the tag, Caah! <3

Let's go to the questions:

did you reach your reading goal for the year (if you had one)?

No, I didn't :( But I almost reached it! My goal was to read 55 books and I finished 2021 by reading 44 books. I was happy, though, because I've read 40+ books!

what are your top 3 books you read this year?

The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller;

La vie devant soi, by Romain Gary;

Time's Divide, by Rysa Walker.

what’s a book that you didn’t expect to enjoy quite so much going in?

Proteja-me, by Mila Wander & Josy Stoque. It was clearly from the beginning that it was a more madure and erotic book. And even though i like the spicy scenes, till this book I haven't found one that had a really good plot, characters and writing. So I started reading it with precaution, knowing it was going to be hard to me to like it. But, surprisingly, IT WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED. The writing was great, the characters had depth, the plot was more than the "i want to fuck her/him", it had drama, it discussed important topics, it had emotional growth, the majority of the female characters respected each other (even though they might despise each other at some points). Great, great, great reading!

were there any books that didn’t live up to your expectations?

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. I think that great part was from the fact that I already knew major spoilers about it, because of pop culture references. But still, I was hoping I was going to enjoy the read a bit more.

did you reread any old faves? If so, which one was your favourite?

I did reread some books, but none were previously my favourites. I don't even know if I can considere one of them my favourite rereads of 2021 ahhahah Maybe Glass Sword, by @vaveyard since I decided to finish the whole series and for that I needed to reread the first 2 volumes :)

did you dnf any books?

Only the ones I couldn't finish before the new year arrived (but spoiler: i already finished one of them):

Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop, by Timothy Samara;

Broken Throne, by @vaveyard

did you read any books outside your usual preferred genre(s)?

Even though I LOVE Historical Romance movies and tv shows, I'm not very used to it as a book genre.

So, after binge watching the first whole season of Bridgerton on 2020, I decided to read the first book of the series: The Duke and I, by Julia Queen. I thought it was okay (apart from a specific scene), but still I feel I'm not 100% used to this genre.

what was your predominant format this year?

Well… e-book and digital reading. Even thought I've read a lot of physical books, e-book was 50% of my most read format.

what’s the longest book you read this year?

Horror Clássico, a 3-in-1 ebook: it has together Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula. I am now considering myself an gothic literature affectionate hahhaha

what are your top 3 anticipated 2022 releases?

I'm not much in touch with releases… So I don't know…

what books from your tbr did you not get to this year, but are excited to read in 2022?

I don't normally do TBRs, only during read-a-thons. But I'm going to answer this question based on my "Want to Read" pile from Goodreads (which for me is kinda like a TBR):

Oscar et la dame rose, by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt;

The Mirror & the Light, Hilary Mantel (I have even already bought it!);

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins;

Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare;

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien

[brooklynmuseum]

Springtime in Brooklyn by Nancy Rosoff, Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator, Arts of the Americas

As I look out my window at the falling rain, I know that these April showers will soon be followed by May’s flowers. The vibrant colors of budding trees and blossoming flowers give us hope that we will overcome the current crisis, and the world will be rejuvenated, stronger, and more unified. The following works from the Brooklyn Museum’s diverse collection celebrate the arrival of Spring and our hope for a healthy and more peaceful world.

Brightly colored plants and flowers made of faience once decorated the walls of the Great Palace of king Akhenaten at Amarna. Sun light and the disk of the sun itself became the focus of religious worship in the Amarna period (1353-13336 B.C.E.). The floral motifs of these tiles were meant to evoke rebirth of life brought about by the sun. See the artwork in our open collection.

While the Nile was revered as a life-giving place, the desert was also teeming with nature. Here one can see animals breeding in their desert environs. To the right, a feline is showing interest in another feline. At the lower left, a male antelope, mounting his mate, rears his head into the row above. At the lower right, the hindquarters of an antelope giving birth and the emerging head of her calf are partly preserved. The bovine calf at center left completes this depiction of the cycle of life. See the artwork in our open collection.

This detail from a Nasca mantle not only illustrates some of the plants and animals native to Peru’s South Coast, but it also conveys how the society’s spiritual beliefs are connected to agricultural seasons. The blossoming huarango tree seen here represents life and is shown growing out of a human trophy head on the back of a pampas cat. The trophy head symbolizes death but it is also a germinating seed from which life sprouts in a never-ending cycle of life, death, and rebirth. See the artwork in our open collection.

This late-seventeenth-century painting from viceregal Peru shows Saint Joseph standing hand-in-hand with the Christ Child in a field of blooming flora and enclosed within a border of bright carnations and lilies. Saint Joseph’s popularity flourished at this moment in the Spanish Americas as he embodied ideals of fatherhood, marriage, divinity, and masculinity. Here, he holds a stem of white lilies, which symbolize his holiness and purity. See the artwork in our open collection.

This sculpture would have served as a means for people to contact spiritual intermediaries for aid. Its raised arms are said to refer to prayers for rain, crucial to survive and thrive in arid the Mopti Region of Mali. See the artwork in our open collection.

The use of naturalistic floral motifs, such as carnations, tulips, and hyacinths, was a trademark of the design workshop of the Ottoman court in Istanbul in the mid-sixteenth century. This design principle was adopted in central and distant areas of the empire and applied to different media, such as manuscript illuminations made in Istanbul, textiles made in Bursa, and tiles made in Iznik and Damascus. This octagonal tile from Syria brings the beauty of spring indoors permanently. See the artwork in our open collection.

Vibrant greens and blues bring a spring woodland scene inside the Museum, creating an eternal verdant landscape. The effects of changing sunlight or a passing cloud can animate the glass used to depict the stream, tree trunks and leaves. Originally installed in the Universalist Church of Our Father at Classon and Atlantic Avenues in Brooklyn, the windows were purchased by the All Souls Universalist Church on Ocean Avenue and installed in 1945, before coming to the Brooklyn Museum a few years ago. Tiffany Studio was extremely skilled at creating panoramas that open onto lush, brilliantly colored vistas. See the artwork in our open collection.

This elaborately decorated cabinet brought ever-blooming flowers into the owner’s bedroom. Inspired by Japanese precedents, New York’s most important late-19th-century furniture manufacturing firm Herter Brothers employed different colored woods to create the densely packed, abstracted flowers and leaves on this luxurious, yet functional chest-of-drawers. See the artwork in our open collection.

In the Japanese tradition, cherry blossom season is a time for celebration: the world wakes up after a long winter and people head outside to gather under the pink-and-white canopies created by trees that seemed barren only a week or two earlier. This year the picnics were cancelled, but in nature the show goes on whether there’s an audience or not. See the artwork in our open collection.

In this painting, Gustave Caillebotte offers a glimpse of his private garden in Petit Gennevilliers, a small village on the Seine opposite Argenteuil. The apple blossoms are rendered in thick touches of paint, which contrast with the sketchy treatment of the path that leads toward the denser foliage beyond the tree. See the artwork in our open collection.

Nothing celebrates Spring more than this dazzling child’s cap with its delicate beadwork on vibrant rose-colored velvet. It was lovingly made by the mother or female relative of a little girl who would have worn it with pride during special occasions. See the artwork in our open collection.

A table set with bread and coffee in a blooming garden along a sun-dappled path conjures the pleasures of the warmer months to come. Robert Delaunay would become known later in his career for more abstract work, but in this early painting the 19 year old artist was still working under the influence of Impressionism. See the artwork in our open collection.

Redolent with the sweet scent of peonies, American Impressionist Ernest Lawson paints his flowerbeds in a dazzling display of jewel like tones in the Cos Cob art-colony located along the Connecticut shore. See the artwork in our open collection.

This Balinese cover features bright brocade rosettes in purple, blue, red, yellow, and green. The gilded gold overpaint features patra cina designs borrowed from Chinese floral patterns. Together, they create a glittering textile that is awash with color and floral motifs. See the artwork in our open collection.

One of the Brooklyn Museum’s most important Japanese paintings is a folding screen showing a group of urbanites walking together, followed by a musician and a servant with a big box. The only clue that they are heading to a cherry-blossom-viewing picnic comes from a woman who extends a branch of flowering cherry back toward a group of men. Attached to the branch is a long strip of paper of the type used traditionally in Japan for writing poems. What does the poem strip say? We don’t know, but it seems fair to guess that it serves as an invitation to romance. The screen reminds us that the spring tradition of partying beneath the cherry trees wasn’t solely about communing with nature. See the artwork in our open collection.

Inspired by Japanese folding screens or byōbu, Elizabeth Boott Duveneck’s five panels bring the natural world into the interior of the house depicting all four seasons from Autumn Foliage to Apple blossoms throughout the year. See the artwork in our open collection.

Beginning in the early 1930s, Consuelo Kanaga became one of few white photographers to make artistic portraits of Black Americans. This closely cropped and sharply focused image of a girl’s face with a flower was likely included in Group f.64’s inaugural exhibition in 1932, which announced a new realist direction in photography. Considered radical in its time, Frances with a Flower explores powerful ideas about beauty, gender, and race. See the artwork in our open collection.

Mary Wollstonecraft was a renowned women’s rights activist who authored "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," (1792), a classic of rationalist feminism that is considered the earliest and most important treatise, advocating for equality and education for women. Akin to the nature of Spring, Wollstonecraft's life symbolized the fruition of a legacy—from which infinite linages of women continue to reap the fruits of her labor. See the artwork in our open collection.

With rose-patterned leggings and an elaborate floral armature/headdress, Nick Cave’s Soundsuit transforms the human body into a lush garden. Since the early 1990s, Cave has been fabricating inventive sculptures out of scavenged materials, which he often overlays with beadwork, stitching, and other embellishments. One of the first, crafted from twigs, was made to be worn and created a rustling sound, which led to the eventual name of such works: Soundsuits. Cave’s costumes draw from a variety of sources, including both African and Caribbean traditions of masquerade. See the artwork in our open collection.

Posted by Nancy Rosoff with contributions from the Curators and Curatorial Assistants of African, American, Ancient Egyptian, Arts of the Americas, Asian, Contemporary, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, and Islamic Art 

Photos: Gary Alan Bukovnik (American, born 1947). Rhododendrum, 1980. Lithograph on paper. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the artist, 81.15.2. © Gary Alan Bukovnik(Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Tile with Floral Inlays, ca. 1352-1336 B.C.E. Faience. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Egypt Exploration Society, 35.2001. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Relief with Desert Scene, ca. 2472-2455 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment. Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 64.147. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Nazca. Mantle ("The Paracas Textile"), 100-300 C.E. Cotton, camelid fiber. Brooklyn Museum, John Thomas Underwood Memorial Fund, 38.12; Cuzco School. Saint Joseph and the Christ Child, late 17th-18th century. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 41.1275.191 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Dogon. Nommo Figure with Raised Arms, 11th-15th century (possibly). Wood, organic sacrificial material. Brooklyn Museum, The Adolph and Esther D. Gottlieb Collection, 1989.51.39. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Octagonal Tile Depicting Peacock in Prunus Tree, 16th century. Ceramic; fritware, painted in black, cobalt blue, green, and manganese purple under a transparent glaze. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Jack A. Josephson, 1990.21. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum);  Tiffany Studios (1902-1932). Dawn in the Woods in Springtime, 1905. Stained glass window. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of All Souls Bethlehem Church, 2014.17.1. Creative Commons-BY; Herter Brothers (American, 1865-1905). Chest-of-Drawers, ca. 1880. Ebonized cherry, other woods, modern marble top, brass. Brooklyn Museum, Modernism Benefit Fund, 1989.69. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando) (Japanese, 1797-1858). Suijin Shrine and Massaki on the Sumida River (Sumidagawa Suijin no Mori Massaki), No. 35 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 8th month of 1856. Woodblock print. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.35 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848-1894). Apple Tree in Bloom (Pommier en fleurs), ca. 1885. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of William K. Jacobs, Jr., 1992.107.2 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Woodlands. Child's Cap, ca. 1890s. Velvet, cloth, beads. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Edward J. Guarino Collection in memory of Josephine M. Guarino, 2016.11.2. Creative Commons-BY; Robert Delaunay (French, 1885-1941). In the Garden (Dans le jardin), 1904. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor, 86.28 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Ernest Lawson (American, 1873-1939). Garden Landscape, ca. 1915. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Laura L. Barnes, 67.24.10 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Cover, 19th or early 20th century. Silk, pigment. Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 45.183.110. Creative Commons-BY; Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic, ca. 1624-1644. Ink, color and gold leaf on paper. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Frederic B. Pratt, 39.87. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Elizabeth Boott Duveneck (American, 1846-1888). Apple Blossoms, 1882. Oil on wood panel. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Joan Harmen Brown, Mr. and Mrs. William Slocum Davenport, Mrs. Lewis Francis, Samuel E. Haslett, William H. Herriman, Joseph Jefferson IV, Clifford L. Middleton, the New York City Police Department, Mrs. Charles D. Ruwe, Charles A. Schieren, the University Club, Mrs. Henry Wolf, Austin M. Wolf, and Hamilton A. Wolf, by exchange, Frank Sherman Benson Fund, Museum Collection Fund, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, Carll H. de Silver Fund, John B. Woodward Memorial Fund, and Designated Purchase Fund , 2005.54.3 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Consuelo Kanaga (American, 1894-1978). Frances with a Flower, early 1930s. Gelatin silver photograph. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Wallace B. Putnam from the Estate of Consuelo Kanaga, 82.65.10 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). The Dinner Party (Mary Wollstonecraft place setting), 1974–79. Mixed media: ceramic, porcelain, textile. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography; Nick Cave (American, born 1959). Soundsuit, 2008. Mixed media. Brooklyn Museum, Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2009.44a-b. © Nick Cave (Photo: Image courtesy of Robilant Voena)