Words Of Wisdom

You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.


~Octavia Butler, Writer (1947-2006)

College

Many people have begun or will start college vey soon. I started college again in 2002 at the age of fifty four. I received my bachelor's degree in 2008 in childhood education and minored in English.

I have learned much about this journey and offer a few tips.

1. Go to a place where you believe you'll receive the best education. The name of the college is unimportant.

2. If you are struggling, seek help. College isn't high school. You will learn things that will carry you through life.

3. Don't compare yourself with anybody else.

4. Appreciate your accomplishments. I was thrilled to know that I was a B student, something as a young person I never attained.

5. Have confidence in yourself. There will be struggles but those tough times will make you stronger.

Black Horror Writers

Very rarely do you hear about African American authors in the horror genre. There are many of them who produce some excellent stories. Here is a partial list of some of them.

Octavia E. Butler
Tananarive Due
Walter Mosley
Linda Addison
Brandon Massey
Chesya Burke
Steven Barnes

Words Of Wisdom

It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.


~J.K. Rowling

Writing Horror Stories

I never imagined myself writing horror stories. My spouse writes them and receives great responses about them. I never knew she had this talent. I tried my hand at and wrote a couple of horror stories. I found that I enjoyed writing them.

Edgar Allan Poe was the author that influenced me to try. His stories such as Fall of The House of Usher and Murder At The Rue Morgue were the impetous to my starting. Another author was Bram Stoker. His story, The Judge's House, is one of my favorites.

I prefer the psychological horror where the protagonist is bedeviled by curses and unseen forces which he/she uses all their wits to survive. I haven't written any stories of late but I'll be back at it real soon.

Trying A Diferent Genre

Over four years ago I tried my hand writing poetry. My short story and essay writing had gone stale so I wrote poetry to get the creative juices flowing. I have now written over one hundred poems.

Trying different genres can bring depth to writing. Disciplines for poetry writing is different from play writing (I've tried my hand here). I find it challenging but I need that on occasion.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is my favorite author. He wrote some amazing short stories such as The Fall Of The House Of Usher, The Pit and The Pendulum, and The Murders In The Rue Morgue. Poe wrote poetry of which The Raven is his most known. His description of architecture is uncanny.

Poe was a tortured man bedeviled by loss, poverty, alcohol. When I read is work I see vividly his own life. His mysterious death was a sad end to a brilliant writer.

Words Of Wisdom

The purpose of going to college is to get a well rounded education.

Go to a college where you believe you can get the best education. The name of the college is unimportant. 

Words Of Wisdom

Empathy is the most mysterious transaction the human soul can have, and it's accessible to all of us, but we have to give ourselves the opportunity to identify, to plunge ourselves in a story where we see the world from the bottom up or though another's eyes or heart.



~Sue Monk Kidd 

Writers Are Readers

I was a tutor for five years back in the early 2000s. I helped adults with reading and writing in preparation for taking the GED test. I discovered that those folks would didn't read much struggled with writing. The reverse is also true.

I have read bios of numerous authors and one common thread was that they read almost constantly. I read that the late lead singer of the 60s rock group The Doors, Jim Morrison was a voracious reader. I was blessed with parents who were readers. Today, I am a voracious reader who reads at least one book a month. I once read four in a month. 

It is important to read and read and read. As a writer you want stimulate your mind by seeing what others have written. I find it helpful to read another genre that you normally wouldn't read. That's how I started writing poetry over four years ago. Same thing with horror stories. I need to be challenged. My vocabulary has improved also.

My advice is to read! Read! Read! and read some more.

Words Of Wisdom

The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.


~Charles Baudelaire, French Poet (1821-1867)