Haiku for You

Okay okay, twist my arm, I'll post the haiku I wrote for class!

"From a Window"
Through the iced window
soft flakes of snow fall silent
A blanket of white.

"Winter Moon"
Bone-white winter moon
frozen in the black night sky
Stars of crushed diamonds.

"Wet Street"
Asphalt black and slick
like glass reflects the neon
Rain in the city.

Haiku

We have to write three haiku poems for our creative writing class tomorrow. I've never been good at writing poetry, but I like the structure of haiku. Three lines, the first line containing 5 syllables, the second line 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables, for a total of seventeen syllables. That's it: 3 lines, 17 syllables, no more, no less. Haiku focuses on one specific image or thought, usually with a reference to the seasons.

Very structured and specific, but some of the most beautiful poems are haiku. Maybe I'll post my three when I get them written. Maybe, but like I said, poetry is not my strong point.

Coraline

The Neil Gaiman young adult novella Coraline is now a movie. I haven't read this one before, but of course my curiosity has been piqued (damn Publicity Machine).

A Writer's Worth

Discussing a poet in my creative writing class on Friday, the teacher mentioned the poet, a friend of his, once said his poetry book sales barely generated enough revenue to pay for a six pack of beer. He was a beautiful writer--like so many other talented poets and writers, but all of them had to supplement their income by working other jobs to pay the bills.

I got to thinking about true talent and high salaries: are the two mutually exclusive? It's discouraging that so many phenomenally talented writers and artists die penniless and unknown. There are freelance writers out there who couldn't get a bank loan or qualify for any sort of financing if their lives depended on it. They can't list on their applications that their credit is their character of a swashbuckling pirate that women fantasize about; or a demonic terrifying dentist that makes us think twice before scheduling a cleaning.

Stories and books written hundreds of years ago, books we all study and enjoy today, were written by the most brilliant creative forces of our time. Yet many of them could barely afford to buy food; famous artists, whose works grace the walls of prestigious museums to this day, were not acknowledged until they died dreary deaths, either by suicide or laudanum overdoses.

Shouldn't writers or artist be paid more? After all, writers create characters who live in our minds and hearts forever; they fashion immortal princesses and silky lethal heroes of which inspire nightmares and fantasies that take us out of our humdrum and sometimes depressing lives. A certain painting can cause us to weep with joy, reaching in and finding the core of our humanity.

Yes, a lot of writers and artists become wealthy, but the number of those that get lucky and have their books made into million-dollar movies, and the writers who are just as talented but struggle to pay their rent is lower. Maybe it's partly luck, but perhaps it's also the shrewd ability to know what will sell and what won't.

But, like my professor says, If you want to be a writer because of the money, you'll never make it. You don't do it for the possibility of fame or riches; you do it because you have to. There's no other choice; there's nothing else you can imagine doing.

New Stephen King Book Available

Stephen King has a short story collection out called Just After Sunset. As much as I love King's novels--I've been a loyal fan of his since I first read The Stand when I was sixteen--I tend to get more excited about his short stories. The book is available in both print and online editions.

I noticed on his website King has started a foundation for freelance writers and artists. It's called The Haven Foundation, and this organization financially aids freelance writers and artists who cannot work due to illness or injury.

Plot Impasse

Help.

I am stuck at a plot impasse for my book I'm working on; it's a very rough and clumsy beginning, but I think it's a great storyline that will form a very enjoyable novel.

As is so typical of my personality, when I get stuck on something, I put it away and try to pretend it doesn't exist. Just like with my guitar practicing, I was smoothly sailing along, loving it, and then Rick said it's time to learn barre cords. I don't know if you are familiar with barre cords, but they are VERY hard! So, of course, I haven't picked up the guitar for months. See, when things get challenging, and I have to work hard to conquer something, I just close my eyes, cover my ears and wait for it to go away. I'll pick it up again, but I hate that I just hide when things get tough.

Needless to say, I haven't worked on the book for some time; instead, I have been writing a few short stories, trying to pretend the book isn't sitting there gathering dust (figuratively, it's on my laptop), trying not to think about the characters growing stale and not speaking. I know what I want to happen; the plot is clear in my mind--the story's raison d'etre--but I am stumped on how to make it happen.

Oh well; I'll figure it out. I will not let myself sabotage this, because I truly believe this book could be great. It needs to be finished; I have to write this. I start school next week, and I'm sure I will learn some tricks in my creative writing class to help me pull this off.

Twilight at Bedtime

Yesterday a colleague from work brought the book "Twilight" for me to borrow. I was surprised that she even remembered, because I had casually mentioned my mild interest in reading it to her a couple of weeks ago. Very thoughtful of her to remember.

Anyway, I'm about twenty pages into it, and so far it's pretty good--not as gripping as I anticipated, but good. I'm hesitant to say that because I don't like to judge until I have read the whole book, but also I don't want to piss of the legion of rabid Twilighters out there! I would like to visit the place where the story takes place, though. I've always wanted to go to Washington state or foggy San Francisco: someplace that's rainy and green and cloudy all year. I guess I'm a weirdo; I've always loved the rain and the cold.

I always read before bed; I can't fall asleep until my eyes start to feel heavy and finally slip closed, while the book slides out of my hands and thuds to the bed.

So I'll read "Twilight" before bed tonight, and then have shadowy vampire-filled dreams.

New Story Almost Finished

I will block off some time around work this weekend to finish a short story I'm working on. It's so bizarre how much of writing fiction is out of the writer's hands. When you start writing something, whether it's a novel or a short story, I think a lot of it ends up being different than what you had in mind. Sometimes, it ends up being the complete opposite of what you set out to write; it's almost like bits of the writing process are done without your awareness. Eerie, but true.

This story has been fun to write; I guess it is tagged as chick-lit/erotic fiction, but there's no blatant sex thrown in to cover up the lack of plot or story. I never thought I would ever write something of this genre, but I have to say, it's been really fun. I know there is a place for it, and I'll submit it to some places as soon as it's ready to be read by their cold analytical eyes.

I notice a few writers put their work out their on the internet, they post each chapter as soon as it has been written. This writer keeps her serialized story online, for the whole world to see as it's being written. She invites people who visit her blog to point out incorrect grammar and offer advice and critiques.

I once put up an excerpt of something I wrote, but not the whole story. I guess I can't get past the whole someone-might-steal-my-work mindset. Not clear on the legalities, but I think anything written by someone is automatically copyrighted; however, an idea cannot be copyrighted, just a completed work. So be careful about sharing your ideas until you get them down on paper. Plus, I feel so protective and vulnerable about what I write that I can't imagine letting it be seen by anyone except me, not until it's been edited and revised. I think it's important to not have any input from anyone until the story is finished, because any outside input could interrupt the whole organic process.

Anyway, I'd like to hear from anyone who puts their unpublished work out there; has anyone ever had anything published this way? Anyone had a problem with their work being copied without their knowledge?

The Future of Print Media

Interesting piece via Writer's Digest about the future of print magazines. Bleak statistics and massive slashing of media jobs aside, it's an exciting and revolutionary time in the media and publishing world. The faces of journalism and media are evolving, and we are all witness to their historic changes.

Note the rising number of niche markets in magazines, both print and online; writers everywhere can reap the benefits. The concept of mass market is no more, which makes it easier for writers to break into many specific markets.

Follow the link below to read the full article.

"The Death of Print Magazines and Other Fairy Tales", Writer's Digest.