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HALLOWEEN

 

ARTS SHOULD BE ORIGINAL AND DECORPORATIZED

The arts are part of who we are. We can create wonderful works with imagination and perseverance. New York was once a mecca for experimental arts and performances. It may be me but much of modern works are the same. The corporatization of the arts has rendered it staid. 

Yes, there is creativity out there. Are the writers and artists and performers allowed to express it. I am a poet myself and I strive to be original. Originality is what makes the arts thrive. I love to see children perform because they bring energy and freshness. They are not inhibited by societal pressures to be put into a box. 

 More arts spaces are needed more than ever. It somewhere we can create and experiment. We can be like butterflies displaying beauty to the world. I pray that the arts will go back to this.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

To hone my voice, I read everything, from books to cereals boxes, three times: once for fun, the second time to learn something new about the writing craft, and the third time was to improve that piece. 

~Amanda Gorman, Poet

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CREATIVE PERIODS

I have periods when I write only poetry. Then there are times it is just stories. Another time I just wrote outlines. Probably every writer goes through this.  

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SUCCESS

 

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WORDS OF WISDOM

 

PATH FEW TRAVEL

 

As a child I was fascinated by the trails I lived nearby when I lived on Staten Island. When I rode upstate I wondered how far all the trails went. On a few occasions I ventured deep into the forest.

I view writing as walking along a trail, not knowing where it will take me. It's true at the beginning of a story or poem. There are times when I venture deeper into a story and find myself in a new place.

I enjoy this process as it has expanded the depth of my writing. I go places I was afraid to or clarifies what I want to convey. I still love following trails in the forest. In writing, I do the same.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

Writing a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself.

~Robin S. Sharma

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A RESOLUTION

I recently thought about a woman I knew 30 years ago at a place where I was employed. She was an attractive young woman who, I believe, was struggling with some depression. I don't know for sure. I hope she is doing well.

I thought about a story of a young woman who struggles with feelings of worthlessness. She walks on the streets confused and directionless. Many of my short stories are about people who are struggling through life. I do believe that people can be redeemed.   

I could leave the reader hanging, wondering what the protagonist will do. I prefer the protagonist coming to a resolution.  

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WORDS OF WISDOM

The most difficult and complicated part of the writing process is the beginning.

~A. B. Yehoshua, Novelist

IN THE MORNING

I'm at my most creative self when I wake up in the morning. Story ideas are buzzing in my cranium. And I'm not a morning person.

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JUST THINK

 

Some of the world's greatest were written using these instruments.

A DIFFERENT DRUMMER

 There's a saying 'You became what you always wanted'. For example, in relationships, he/she wants a particular type of person as a mate. As time passes, and after many failures, he or she becomes the person they always wanted. 

I am given to creating quirky, unusual characters. I like people who defy the norm and become the person that they always wanted. A woman foregoes marriage and dating. Now just turning forty, she is the independent woman she wanted to be. Her siblings are all married with children. She is alone but happy. Jarvis is a store manager by day and a transvestite jazz chanteuse at night. He had married, raised a family, and earned much respect in his job. Deep inside he harbored his affinity for jazz and women's clothing. When he retired, Jarvis became the person he knew he always was.

When creating characters, there may be a tendency to put them in a negative light because they choose an alternative route in life. I see them as people who go to the beat of their own drum. Some people believe that they are finally living their reality.    

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POET

 

RICHARD HUGO, POET (1923-1982)

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POETS/AUTHORS BORN IN OCTOBER

Sherman Alexie

Amiri Baraka (1934-2014)

Arno Bontemps (1902-1973)

Roy Choudhury

E. E.Cummings (1894-1962)

Judith Kerman

Denis Levertov (1923-1997)

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

Ntozanke Shange 

Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)

WORDS OF WISDOM

For me, the writing process is the same as the reading process. I want to know what happens next.

~Neal Asher

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IDEAS NEVER CEASE

I may not write every day, however, the plums of story ideas are everywhere.