Alex's Poetry and Prose

It seems to me that an important part of characterization is often left out of works by my fellow fledgling authors. The conflict of the story is presented, the characters resolve it, and the conclusion is presented. The piece that seems to be absent is "downtime". Even in very life threatening situations, a person will eventually require some time to sit down and process the events that have happened to, because of, and around them. Even the grittiest of action heroes or the most valiant protagonists cannot simply jump from one source of conflict to the next with no time to internalize everything. It wears a person down. After the conflict is established and the daring escape is made, the first thing on the protagonists mind isn't going to be, "What now", its more likely going to be, "Well...F**k". Giving characters time to internalize the conflict allows the reader to see the character's vulnerabilities, which in turn allow for that important empathic connection between reader and protagonist. Downtime doesn't have to be idle, either. The characters should always be moving forward with the plot, but part of moving forward realistically is the inclusion of internal conflicts and emotional setbacks. Also, not everyone is cut out to be a hero. A character might grow into that role, but few civilians you find on the street are going to immediately do the heroic (or even the right) thing when presented with a dangerous situation. That's why heroism is special: it is difficult and painful and emotionally draining. So when setting up your story's plotline, allow moments for that internalization to occur, so as to make future acts of heroism realistic and relatable.

I only knew laughter after I had learned to cry first.

If you do not remember to save!

It has come to my attention that the words “fan fiction” carry a stigma of poor quality and cliché themes. While it is true that many fan based works are lacking in the formal editing department, I argue that just as books labeled as Young Adult fiction can, and often do, possess a quality and voice that surpasses that of the more “refined” pieces of fiction aimed at adults, fan fiction can often surprise you with its quality, inventiveness, and satirical wit. What is fan fiction, if not a piece of satire? Its purpose may not necessarily be to point out the ironies and flaws of the base material, but there is nothing new or unique about derivative works. In fact, the ability to take an established setting, characters, and theme and expand upon it in innovative ways is, in my opinion, a sign of a gifted storyteller. Sure it may never be able to be published professionally for fear of copyright infringement; but does the fact a piece of writing does not directly profit the writer act as a sign of poor quality? Does someone writing something just because it makes them feel the joy of creation cheapen the piece itself? I argue the opposite. If you want to be a professional writer, you have to make some sacrifices in your craft to appease the market. In fan fiction, all you need to do is interpret the chosen media with all the creativity and joyous zeal of a child opening their first book. So if you are one of those literature aficionados who have considered fan fiction to be a lesser art, I urge you to give them a try. You may have to search to find that diamond in the rough, but I assure you, it will be worth it.

Ok, so I got the first 5 chapters of my novel all polished and good, and then I save it. I then copy that saved file into my backup. Turns out, I saved the new version into the backup, and erased it with the old one. About 45 minutes of digital salvaging later and I got my file back. Now, I saved it in like a dozen different places with several different names. Remember kids, don't override files, make new ones.

Hello anyone who might actually be reading this! I guess I should introduce myself. I am a 19 year old aspiring author and psycolinguist who is currently trying to draft my first book of a (suspected) seven book series (13,000 words down *squee*). In my research of the publishing industry I found that the key factor I was missing was my "author's platform", and so I started this blog with hopes of sharing some of the smaller pieces of my writing with the tumblr community in hopes of finding an audience who would appreciate my art. I am also looking for opportunities to write guest posts for other's blogs and collaborative projects to join. I will try to keep a consistent stream of content coming, but the type and quantity of that content will likely vary with my personal life (and my mercurial temperament). I am happy to be here and hope to find other writers who are trying to get their first books off the ground. Thank you everyone.

When a friend takes you somewhere "fun" and tells you to act natural.

For far too much fair facticity was found

I want to remember the horizon.

I stop to check my altitude again, and at long last, I am high enough. I adjust my line and climb downwards. One I have lessened the slack enough; I let myself dangle from the rope. I reach into my pouch and carefully take out my delicate instrument, the most important tool of my art. The sun is just about to set. I ready my instrument, bringing the scope to my eyes, and take aim. Just as I thought, he is sitting on a branch in the tree adjacent. I ready my camera, and as the Northern Spotted Owl takes flight at nightfall, I capture it.

Now I know that I can only be what I am.

For now I find I have awoken 

The meaning of life is a complicated question with a simple answer: Change. Life is based on conflict. Conflict breeds progress, and progress is the ultimate form of change. It is my belief that every sapient being on earth is like variable in a mathematical symphony, calculating perfection. In order to achieve maximum efficiency, every sapient being needs to act. They need to choose an idea, act on it, and then share the result with others. They could do this rapidly on several things, or they could spend their entire life on one project. It doesn’t even matter what it is. Every piece of art, every machine, every business, every book, movie, word, and deed is a calculation. Every act of charity and every sadistic deed are vitally important to the evolution of intelligent society. For example: if the atomic bomb was invented later in history, the equation would have fallen apart. Any piece of music and any good story need some dissonance. Luckily, the nature of humanity provides that, so no one needs to put any effort into creating it. Any change in the universe leads to an infinite amount of change over an infinite amount of time. What matters is whether that change will result in a net positive or net negative. How you define that is up to you. In the end, humanity will result in the universe being infinitely better or worse, defined by the individuals who will never live to see it. It is because of that every individual being and every individual creation is vitally important. The actions they take and the things they change will be of insurmountable importance in the end. A Down syndrome child or a childish drawing on a refrigerator is just as important as Bill Gates or the Mona Lisa. The perfect society is one where everyone finds something that they think is beautiful, create from it, and share those creations with others. That is my belief. You do not need to share it. I just hope that you will consider it when deciding what you want to make your life be about in the end.