I am so sorry for not posting over the past few days! I know I promised to keep the site updated more than this, but real life always has a way of hindering important things, like blogging! That being said, I may be touch and go for a while because there are some family issues occuring at the moment. So, if I dissappear again for a few days, please do not spam me with hate or feel abandoned. I will still be here for you in the end. I do propose that during my absence YOU, the readers, should keep the site alive and thriving by posting comments, leaving love, attempting the writing prompts and so fourth…
Now that the somewhat long winded appology is out of the way, I would like to dive right back into the pool. How would you all feel about a NEW and improved writing prompt? Whilist shopping for valentine gifts, I came across a HILARIOUS book of poetry. It was entitled “Zombie Haiku” and had me rolling on the floor laughing *ROFL for all you net nerds*…. seriously, it was the funniest thing I had read in ages. Check it out if you have the chance…..or if you’re looking for some direction for today’s prompt.
I would like to stick with the Haiku prompts because they are simple, fun and readers are more likely to submit their own poetry and/or take the time to do the prompts. So, what I want from you today is a VAMPIRE haiku. It can be anything related to the topic! Go out, amaze me and write on!
It’s bed-go-sleepy time for me. Sad, but true. I had a long (not too strenuous) day of subbing and I am ready to pass out. Snores and all that junk. Though before heading off to slumberland, I thought that you may all want something new and pretty to look at or read.
I have been contemplating painting a new picture as a V-day gift, I’m thinking some sort of nude zombie woman type thing–and nothing says love like rotting nudie ladies….or something. I think it should be something to go with the last painting I made for him–hopefully he will wind up with a set. Would you like to see the last painting I did….pshhhh, of course you would!
Ta-da!
On to the write side of business… I hope everyone has been following along with the writing prompts, I realize that they occasionally lack imagination, but they are all great practice for any budding or accomplished writer.
Today I would like you to make a list of ten things you hate, despise or frown upon. It could be anything from your pet peeve of the word pet peeve to an unfounded hatred of Jennifer Lopez. Anything goes. Once you’ve made your list, I want you to turn it into a free verse rant poem! These should be highly entertaning. As always, feel free to post your finished product as a comment on this thread. I look forward to reading some great rant poem. I’ll even go ahead and post my own if I can get some “class” participation!
As for today’s guest stars… Captain James T. Kirk and Spock…No joke. :)
<3
I believe we were doing “The Time Warp” in the picture above. Karaoke is one of my favorite things to do–aside from writing and failing at life. This part of the post isn’t really related to writing, merely my life. Life is a terrible thing, it likes to kick you in the balls–figuratively speaking–while you’re not looking and that’s lame. Karaoke, however, is my solace–the one place I can go to get away from it all. (It doen’t hurt that I’m good at it either…)
I suggest that if you are suffering from writer’s block or just having a bad day that you should go out and do some karaoke–even if you have the worst voice known to man. Others may not appreciate your vocal talents, but hey, screw ‘em!
As for yesterday’s blog, I rather enjoyed the comments! If I had known that dedicating my literary rag to a groundhog would solve all of my problems, I would have done that straight away! It all seems to clear now :) I loved the comment guys! Thanks.
You get one great big thumbs up from me!
On to the writing prompt!
So, today, this is what I want from you cats: We’re going to stay in the same realm of thought. If you’ve been following us, you know the recipe for a cross out and/or ransom note poem. Today, I would like you to create a cross out or ransom poem, but I want you to use source material that is not the norm. Go to your cook books, car manuals, remote control instructions, etc and select two pages from two different sources. Once you’ve gotten this far, do a quick read-through and start circling things that pop out at you–don’t think too much on this one, you want the words that grab your attention right away! Once you’ve gotten at least 20 words/phrases and less than 100, the poem can start to take shape. You can rearrange things to your liking and even use connector words to make the poem flow a bit better! Let me know how things go!
Instead of today’s poet or writer, we’re going to have today’s karaoke singer…which is me! :) Enjoy… or don’t!
Gotta love impromptu luau fun! (Being Hawaiian, I am always ready for a luau and I have a plethora of outfits!) That being completely non-related to the post….
Two posts in one day, are you proud? Anyway, instead of telling a story or imparting some of my random wisdom, I would like to ask a question. My cousin and I were tossing around the idea of starting our own literary rag. We both have degrees in English Writing and we’re both unhappy with our current careers. It would be a dream to run a productive and popular literary rag and we really just don’t know how to go about it. We also have another cousin (With a degree in English! Us Hawaiians love English degrees… our current life situations remind me of Avenue Q!) we could get involved.
So, what I am asking for are ideas on how to start up a literary rag and pointers on how to be successful. Basically we need starter instructions. So, have at it friends and thank you ahead of time. I hope at least some of you are trying your hand at my recent writing prompts!
Ladies and Gentleman (…This is Mambo #5–Yah, like you were not all thinking it!),
As predicted, I spent a few days away from the alluring blue glow of my computer screen. As attached as I am, I sometimes need to disconnect. (Though, after a while, I start jonesin’ and here I am again…) Regardless, I hope everyone had a great weekend.
I’ve just received my shipment of “The Idiom,” so, if anyone is looking to score a copy, let me know and I will send them your way. I have a limited number at the moment, so it’s a first come basis. (Though, if I run out, I’ve been promised extras–anything to spread good writing!)
That being said, I’ve been receiving a fair number of rejections as well. (Though, those were expected…) The newer material is having a rough time manifesting at the moment, but I am sure a slew of new potential publications will go out in the near future. Advice to everyone… submit, submit and submit again–perhaps with a bit of revision in-between submissions.
I’m not sure how many of you tackled the writing prompt (I hope at least a few!), but here is the new random writing prompt. It is along the same lines as the last. You may use a magazine or newspaper for this one as well, but this time you are not limited to one story, you are limited to one page–one side of one page to be exact. You may take any of the words you find on the page, cut them out and paste them on a new piece of paper in any order you see fit to do so. This is your “Ransom Letter” poem, though it need not actually be a ransom letter. It may be in any shape or form and on any subject. The only restriction is the one page rule. So, have at it and enjoy yourselves!
How are we today friends? I am a bit tired, so I will be heading off to napland soon (It’s a beautiful place, you should visit it sometime!). Lucky for me, I have tomorrow off of work. So, I will apologize ahead of time, but I may not post for a few days. I tend to wander off away from my computer when the weekends hit, but I will always return to you, my readers.
As for the videos, I hope you’ve been enjoying them. Bukowski is my favorite poet and Steve Kowit is just a great guy (Seriously, check out In The Palm of Your Hand by Steve Kowit, it’s a great poetry workbook!). So, for today’s video, I would like to share another one of my favorite poets… Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
I have a friend who tore off across the country (well, not all the way across) to see Ferlinghetti read. All for the sake of poetry, how wonderful!
I like that the blog has slowly evolved into the style of letter writing. I think letter writing is a LOST art and it makes me sad that e-mail, while environment-friendly, has taken over. Letter writing was such a beautiful craft that will soon be lost. I cherish snail mail and LOVE LOVE LOVE when I receive a hand-penned letter.
The Lost Art of Letter Writing
*In addition to today’s random letter writing theme, I realized that some of you readers may not have been ready for the Bukowski… thinking to yourselves… “This is disgusting” or “This is soo crass!” Well, it was, but you can’t deny that you were thinking the same things he was saying. That beer shit does feel good and you know it!And here is some Kowit for you.
For those of you in the Madison, Wisconsin area, the local chapter of “The Onion” is calling for freelancers. So, if you’ve a penchant for comedic writing or social journalism, this may be the job for you. I’ve already submitted my application because…. who doesn’t want to write for “The Onion”??????????????????????????
What you need: Resume/CV, Cover Letter and Writing Samples (No Comedy)
I’m fairly certain they’re looking for skill at this point, the comedy can come later. If you’re interesting in potentially joining the team, go to the Madison Craiglist and check out the Writing section of the job ads. It was the first listing this AM and as such should still be near the top. Good luck.
As for the “teaching,” I am at it once again. Or not at it as the case may be. This class has been particularly challenging because they are supposed to be working on a project and I have no idea what the project actually entails. So, I don’t know if what they are doing is actually work or not? Some are composing rap songs and some are typing papers, but I have no way of telling if what they’re doing applies to the project in question. There were also a few playing games and they’ve informed me that they are already done with their projects. I also do not know if that is true, but I have nothing else for them to work on….so……..
Oh well, I guess.
__
My writing is still up and running in The Writer’s Eye Magazine. So, if you haven’t taken the time to go and see it, do it now.
I find that the art of substitute teaching is a strange creature. Generally, when you’re teaching grade school, you just carry out the lesson plans as planned. The only difference between the teacher and the sub in this realm is the behavior of the students (Which we’re not going to get in… I’ve had some interesting experiences…). Generally grade school course materials aren’t too difficult to grasp, so it is very easy to just step in and teach off the cuff.
High School, for some odd reason, is very different. I’m not sure whether the teachers think that subs are stupid or perhaps that they cannot function as actual teachers… but teaching high school is always silly. The subs are usually matched up to their assignments, meaning that if you went to school for math, you would most likely sub in that field and so fourth. I went to school for English and for a time was placed in English assignments, but that wore off because I wanted to span out into grade school after having been confused for a student one too many times.
But, my point is that subs are just as qualified to teach as actual teachers, you need to have a degree to do both and even if you’re degree isn’t in teaching, as a college graduate you have mastery of at least one subject.
Anyway… in my experience, the high school teachers want you to either administer tests, pass out worksheets or pop in videos… and while I don’t mind an easy day of work, I do mind not being productive. The students don’t watch the videos and the worksheets usually go untouched… testing at least gets something accomplished. I also don’t really know what to do with myself if I don’t actually have to teach anything. Is it okay to just sit at my desk typing away? Or should I be doing something else? You can only scold and/or check on the students so many times and walking in circles really gets nothing done. I feel so counter productive when I am just expected to babysit a bunch of teenagers….
Sigh, at least I wrote this blog while sitting here and babysitting.
After reading Junie B. Jones with one of my third grade students today, I’ve taken to altering my words to fit my mood/needs, thus the title. ‘Sponsibility is a word that Junie B would use loudly and proudly.
That being besides the point…
Today, I would like to talk about the responsibility of being a writer…. and the liability, I guess. Now, obviously if you’re going to steal someone’s name and character to write about them, you need their express permission. This much I understand…
But where does the line get drawn. If you’re using first names of people you know and/or capturing their character with words, it it part of your responsibility to tell them that you’ve written about them… or can you just let it fly?
I know some published writers that write about their family members and never tell them or show them their books because they don’t want to share what they’ve written…. waiting until they die off to share it with anyone that could have potentially leaked the information…
Is this the responsible thing to do? Or is it okay to just write about people and not tell them, hoping they never find our (or perhaps that they stumble across it and wonder to themselves..”…was this written about me?”)
I’ve just been thinking about it today. I’ve written about many people and I don’t feel that I am responsible for telling each and every one of them that they appear in my work. I’ve told a few people that I thought would apprecitate it or that I see on a constant basis, but I have no desire to look up past lovers and send them copies of my poems…
