TOO MUCH INFORMATION?

Is there such thing as having too much material for your writing? It depends on what you are writing. Say, for example, you are writing a historical novel. Much research will go into the period of time you may want the novel to be set in. Accuracy is of the upmost in writing such a book.

I have a case full of notebooks amassed over many years. They are chock full of notes, poems, outlines, doodles, words, musings and other thoughts.  THough I may not have used it recently, I could go back to them in the future. One reason I carry a notebook with is to record a thought or idea that may pop into my head or have observed. I certainly won't remember it if I don't. Just think of all the ideas lost because I didn't note it.

I have found it useful to read the biography of a poet that I'm discovering. I did this when immersed with the poetry of Sylvia Plath. Doing this helped me to understand what her mindset was. The metaphors and imagery she used in her poems illuminate Plath's work and her state of mind. 

I don't believe that too much information is a bad thing. I see it as being good when one can refine it into a wonderful piece of writing. My writing is much different from what I wrote five years ago. My life experiences have shaped much of what I write. I can't tell you how many times I have written something down, put it away, then picked it up in a future time.Quite revealing and eye opening on how we process information.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Reading and writing, like everything else, improve with practice. And, of course, if there are no young readers and writers, there will shortly be no older ones. Literacy will be dead, and democracy-which many believe goes hand and hand with it- will be dead as well.


~Margaret Atwood

POEM

THE DEBT
by Paul Laurence Dunbar   

This is the debt I pay,
Just for one riotous day,
Years of regret and grief,
Sorrow without relief. 

Pay it I will to the end-
Until the grave, my friend,
Gives me a true release-
Gives me the clasp of peace.

Slight was the thing I bought,
Small was the debt I thought, 
Poor was the loan at best-
God! but the interest!

YOUR FAVORITE

What is your favorite book?

Who is your favorite author(s)?

WORDS OF WISDOM

I took up writing to escape the drudgery of that every day cubicle kind of war.


~Walter Mosley, Novelist (b. 1952)

POEM

LOVE SONG
by Henry Dumas

Beloved,
I have to adore the earth:

The wind must have heard 
your voice once.
It echoes and sings like you.

The soil must have tasted 
you once.
It is laden with your scent.

The trees honor you
in gold.
and blush when you pass.

I know why the the north country
is frozen.
It has been trying to preserve
your memory.

I know why the desert
burns with fever.
It was wept too long without you.

On hands and knees,
the ocean begs up the beach,
and falls at your feet.

I have to adore
the mirror of the earth.
You have taught her well
how to be beautiful.

SCREENWRITING

Screenwriting is some thing I have flirted with but never acted on. A lot of scripts I hear and read about are, in my mind, aren't any good. I admit that I am down sometimes on the film industry. A lot of the movies coming out are lousy or don't relate to me. Maybe I will take a stab at it one day.

WORDS OF WISDOM

If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.


~Maya Angelou

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

This is the book I am currently reading. Booker T. Washington is one of several people that I want to take a second look at.

SYLVIA PLATH WROTE SHORT STORIES AND PROSE

I picked up this book at Strands today. Sylvia Plath wrote much more than I realized.

WORDS OF WISDOM

There's always something to write about. An idea may be right in front of you.


~Genevieve

ONE PERSON ACT

 I am presently writing a one person act about my military experiences. Spent much of my time stateside but it was an interesting experience for a kid from Brooklyn, New York.

QUEER ARTS

Queer Art Organics happens February 12th at Dixon Place on the Lower East Side. 
Celebrating LGBTQ writers and performers of all disciplines. Performance starts at 7:30 PM. The event is free.

DIXON PLACE
161A CHRYSTIE STREET near DELANCEY STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10002
TEL. 212-219-0736