Category: Writing

Blogging Vs. Writing

Posted March 7, 2010 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Writing / 0 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my writing and my blog. The question I’ve been asking myself is;

Does my blogging affect my writing?

It’s true that I haven’t been writing much since I’ve started this blog. I think it really isn’t a bad thing, I believe that I’m beginning to discover more and more things that I need to know. I’ve discovered more about myself and writing while blogging than I thought imaginable. Previously I would write without any preparation; I never worked with character profiles, research, story boards, etc. But now I’ve started to work smarter.

Research is the main lesson learnt for me, so much so I’ve signed up for an interesting writing course; Writing Historical Fiction. Basically it’s all about recreating times, events and places in history accurately and evocatively. Outlining the resources available and methods for researching the details of every-day lives. This workshop will give you a broader knowledge of resources from which to access historical fact, and methodologies for translating that fact into compelling prose.

So I don’t feel guilty that I’m not writing, I feel like I’m learn basic and fundamental tools that will improve my style. I think I’ve learnt more about myself and my writing style in this blog than in just trying to write.

One big advantage is the great community on WordPress.com, I’ve started to find some great minds to bounce ideas off, as well as push me along the way. I know my writing will improve; my editing (hopefully) will improve too. But all in all I’m enjoying learning and sharing what I’ve learnt more than anything else.


The Author-Reader Relationship

Posted February 17, 2010 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Writing / 0 Comments

Like Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions left me with a lot to think about. In the mists of this satirical story there is a whole other element; the book explores the effects of an author-reader relationship, mainly with Kilgore Trout and Dwayne Hoover. The book the sent Dwayne Hoover was in the form of a letter from the creature telling the reader he is the only real person in the world, everyone else were robots, and later in the epilogue the creator has a conversation with Trout.

It’s an interesting concept, and one I haven’t really thought about before, but it is something to ponder.


NaNoWriMo and Automatism

Posted January 28, 2010 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Writing / 6 Comments

André Breton, not only a poet but the founder of the Surrealist Movement took a big interest in Freud’s works on the unconscious mind. Breton found an unexpected beauty in the ravings of the unconscious patients. In attempt to capture that untapped beauty, Breton discovered Automatic Writing. A process of writing where the content does not come from a conscious thought from the writer. In some cases the writer does it in a trance but most of the times the writer does not thing about what he writes, they just write to see what comes out.

This lead to Automatism; which coved Automatic Writing, Drawing and even Music (most commonly in Free Jazz) is part of the bases of the Surrealist Movement. André Breton described the movement as “Pure psychic automatism” an attempt to capture pure untapped beauty.

Now days Automatic Writing is not used too often, but projects like NaNoWriMo, though not intended as a Surrealist project seems to push writers into a state of Automatism.

NaNoWriMo is a creative writing project that takes place in November where the participants try to write a 50,000 word story in 30 days. With a time frame like that, planning and story boards are out the window for the writer. This kind of deadline tends to lead to a lot of Automatism, giving a writer insight to a whole new way of writing.

Automatism seems to produce some very random and unusual content, but also some unexpected beauty.


My Thoughts on Writers Block

Posted January 24, 2010 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Writing / 0 Comments

I’ve been reading a few articles about how to cure writers block, but I thought it was about time I weighed in on the subject. I’m in no means an expert or have any answers what so ever, but I have found something that has been writing for me lately.

For me I’ve got a passion for music, so what I did was start a music blog, I’ve written a music review every day as well as adding interesting music news. This has gotten me into the habit of writing something every day.

As this habit has grown I’ve started to build an addiction. I feel like I need to write more and more every day. I’ve decided to write a cultural lesson now and I’ve also been writing ideas and concepts to work into stories.

Also there is something else that helps me and is a good idea for every aspiring writer. I believe it was Stephen King that gave this piece of advice to people wanting to be writers. He said “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write.” So read, read, read! Read everything and anything, just to get styles concepts and ideas planted in your mind.

When asked, “How do you write?” He also said “one word at a time.”


Learnt from Literature: Multiple Viewpoints

Posted December 28, 2009 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Writing / 0 Comments

Frankenstein is my all time favourite book and it is the subject of my first of hopefully many ‘Learnt from Literature’ topics. This book is a shining example of multiple view points. It did this flawlessly and managed to draw the reader in on both sides of the story. At the beginning the villain seems clear ‘Monster Frankenstein’ is the problem, but then you read it from the monsters view point you understand that maybe he isn’t a villain but a victim.

When I do write I think back on this story and wonder if I could replicate a similar scenario, I want to blur the lines and challenge the reader. I believe that’s the makings of a good writer.


Into the Mind…

Posted December 22, 2009 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in My Poetry / 0 Comments

In life I am misunderstood,
I am a creature of confusion,
I do not understand the world I live in,
Was I put here by mistake?
Or is there a purpose of me?

In an attempt to understand a mindset I wrote that bit of poetry. Trying to understand I asked myself the following.

What is differing in the mind of a killer?
Are they not like everyone else?
Are they not someone that was pushed over the edge by society?
What makes one person turn out this way is it just a state of mind?
Are we all capable of this?


Tomorrow

Posted December 22, 2009 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in My Poetry / 0 Comments

I’m not afraid of tomorrow
I’m only scared of myself
Feels like my insides are on fire
And I’m looking through the eyes of someone else

Yes they are lyrics from a song, but there is something about it that just sticks with me, I’m not sure what it is. But it just rings try, possible from past mistakes or just from observing others interactions.


Darkness

Posted December 22, 2009 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in My Poetry / 0 Comments

Darkness, it swallows me up whole
Covers me in its cool, familiar feeling
Makes me feel safe
In this world I feel unsuited
But in this darkness I feel at home.


I lost my light in my room, and I felt so comfortable with it out, I just felt completely alone and isolated from the world and I wrote the above words, I don’t think it’s a poem but it’s a description of how I felt.


Crush

Posted December 22, 2009 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Vignettes / 0 Comments

I stalk the hallway, my steps were light and my breaths shallow. I can feel my heart pounding blood through my veins, the blood feels warm as it rushes to every inch of my body. My finger tips and toes tingled, I felt a shiver run up my spine. Thoughts come flooding in ‘What am I doing?’ ‘Is this a mistake’ ‘What if I fuck up?’ These thoughts taunt me, but I block them out to the best of my ability. I was on a mission, I need to reach that goal, I mustn’t fail.

This hallway felt so dreary and had a smell of musk in the air, it was dusty and yet it was constantly used, not by anyone important, they all seemed like lifeless drones, granted they didn’t dress that way. The men all so casual with the way they dressed, like they didn’t care about anything but themselves and, yes, that was truly the case. The women on the other hand definitely cared, they cared about getting noticed, and they wore clothes that did just that, leaving nothing to the imagination and inviting unwanted remarks which left the males rejected and confused. Not that I cared, I wasn’t paying attention, I wasn’t here for the view, I was waiting for something special. In comparison these people were formless and void.

And then she appeared, almost floating through the door way, a smile the lit up the room, making it feel bright, almost like the sun just woke up. She cheerfully walked down the hall towards me. It felt like everyone had disappeared, and I felt lifeless, scared and clueless. My palms began to sweat as she walked this way. The most beautiful woman I’ve even seen, even though she didn’t show it off, it seemed more exciting trying to imagine what was underneath. She seemed to have dressed so she wouldn’t get noticed, possible wanting to be loved for more than her body, wanting to offer her mind and soul.

I had heard a lot of wonderful things about this woman but until now I was too scared to say anything. She had smiled at me in the past and I have seen her looking in my direction but I didn’t think anything of it, maybe she was just being friendly, maybe she wasn’t looking at me at all. She was getting close. I had to make my move or it will be gone again. All I could hear was footsteps and all I could see was her, her scent filled my nose that unforgettable smell of French vanilla and cocoa. Smelt good enough to eat.

She stepped closer, I had to do it, and it was now or never. My head was spinning and my heartfelt still, everything felt still, I took a deep breath and I managed to get the nerves up and let out the timidly word ‘Hello’


Dreams

Posted December 22, 2009 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in My Poetry / 0 Comments

I’m only happy when I dream at night,
’cause all I dream is you.
It’s the only time of the day
When I’m not feeling blue.

I dream of your love, tenderness,
And embrace…
That beautiful smile on your face.

I dream of the time we were together.
It makes me feel so good…
Really special.

When I wake you’re not around,
And I feel blue again.
But I know, when I close my eyes
At night…
I’ll dream of you again.

From a very dark place this poem sprouted, looking back at it, It’s not to bad, but I didn’t post it earlier because I didn’t feel it was a good time to post it