SUBJECT: The Man in the Attic We moved into a new house toward the conclusion of my high school career. One difference I noticed between our former 1-story home and new 2-story house -- the sounds. Only In Real Life... Let's get you oriented: If you sat on the main couch to … Continue reading Wild Story Idea from Life
Over the weekend I was nominated by Dronstad for the Real Neat Blog Award. Thank you, man!! (I've been so busy with and mentally drained by summer classes that I've written few posts this semester [You've probably noticed]. This week, a part of me wanted to whip up a short, no-brainer post. But a bossier, … Continue reading The Real Neat Blog Award
Thank you, Alexa, for nominating me! Check out her blog "The Novel I'll Never Write." (I particularly like her short fiction A Winter Scene.) The Rules: Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog. Add these rules to your post. Answer all the questions below. Display the award picture in your post. … Continue reading Entertainer Blogger Award
I think Curiosity is right up there with Creativity - it's challenging to relay, with no guaranteed result, and yet is vital to the artistic process. And honing it is weird. I think most stuff out there now is "how-to" with step-by-step methods of being creative, straight forward instruction of where to look for "ideas," … Continue reading Teaching Curiosity
A few weeks ago, when one of my professors was 30 minutes late for lecture, I doodled a random stretch of story. Here's What Happened I started with the idea of adult friends meeting up (do I want it to be "modern?"). Two guys walk to the Main Guy's new home which is one of five mansions on … Continue reading Short Story Improv: Bears Wear Pants
Last year was awesome for books. In 2016 the campus library kept sending up the Book Signal nonstop, and I kept bursting through the doors like Batman to save more books than I could gracefully carry. (Batman adopts Robins, I adopt paper thoughts - it's a sidekick collecting thing.) This past year I focused on a few different arts, short … Continue reading 2016: Book Nerd Like Batman
I talk to myself. A lot. All day, about everything. Heck, when I'm in class or in public and can't, I feel like I'm holding my breath (crazy??). How I Collect Quotes Most of the quotes I keep are my reactions to everyday stuff or T.V. shows (e.g. Supernatural, TWD - I get very involved … Continue reading Where Disembodied Quotes Come From
What do teachers think when they grade written assignments? I think most student papers probably fall between the two extremes: (EXCELLENT) so clever and grammatically glorious that teachers glow with approval, and (*&^%?!) so disappointing they don't know how to grade it fairly without dipping it in red paint and placing it solemnly atop a funeral pyre. Captive Audience Just like in fiction writing, I consider … Continue reading Professional Audience
I don't get "story inspiration." I get "character inspiration." And then those characters grow up, run off, have adventures, screw up, tell bad jokes, mature, make friends, tell more bad jokes, make enemies, figure out what they stand for, and come home to tell me all about it. And that's where stories comes from. Fluffy Bunnies … Continue reading Bunnies Can Be Heroes
When I was earning my AA, I had a history professor (PhD) who was also a fabulous storyteller (going to class felt like episodes and I had to come back next week to find out what REALLY happened; AH! She was so good!). I would absolutely take her class again, just for her. Aside from being educational … Continue reading Epic History-Inspired Story Ideas
Duri Rolvsson 