alfie love @alfieloveswriting - Tumblr Blog

I write almost always in the third person, and I don't think the narrator is male or female anyway. They're both, and young and old, and wise and silly, and sceptical and credulous, and innocent and experienced, all at once. Narrators are not even human - they're sprites.

― Philip Pullman

castrotophic

not sure if anyone is interested in this but here is a list of the most joyfully vital poems I know :)

You're the Top by Ellen Bass

Grand Fugue by Peter E. Murphy

Our Beautiful Life When It's Filled with Shrieks by Christopher Citro

Everything Is Waiting For You by David Whyte

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Is Alive! by Emily Sernaker

Instructions for Assembling the Miracle by Peter Cooley

Barton Springs by Tony Hoagland

Footnote to Howl by Allen Ginsberg

Song of the Open Road by Walt Whitman

Tomorrow, No, Tomorrower by Bradley Trumpfheller

At Last the New Arriving by Gabrielle Calvocoressi

To a Self-Proclaimed Manic Depressive Ex-Stripper Poet, After a Reading by Jeannine Hall Gailey

In the Presence of Absence by Richard Widerkehr

Chillary Clinton Said 'We Have to Bring Them to Heal' by Cortney Lamar Charleston

Midsummer by Charles Simic

Today by Frank O'Hara

Naturally by Stephen Dunn

Life is Slightly Different Than You Think It Is by Arthur Vogelsang

Ode to My Husband, Who Brings the Music by Zeina Hashem Beck

The Imaginal Stage by D.A. Powell

Lucky Life by Gerald Stern

Beginner's Lesson by Malcolm Alexander

Presidential Poetry Briefing by Albert Haley

A Poem for Uncertainties by Mark Terrill

On Coming Home by Lisa Summe

G-9 by Tim Dlugos

Five Haiku by Billy Collins

The Fates by David Kirby

Upon Receiving My Inheritance by William Fargason

Variation on a Theme by W. S. Merwin

Easy as Falling Down Stairs by Dean Young

Psalm 150 by Jericho Brown

Pantoum for Sabbouha by Zeina Hashem Beck

ASMR by Corey Van Landingham

A Welcome by Joanna Klink

From Blossoms by Li-Young Lee

At Church, I Tell My Mom She’s Singing Off-Key and She Says, by Michael Frazier

castrotophic

WOW i had not heard this poem but WOW

writing-prompt-s

To avoid being tortured, you started to explain workers unions to any demon that would listen. Your goal is to cause a strike.

redinkquill

How much compensation are you getting for this?

I’d say my torture proceeds far outpace your pay

Think of you and the other demons as a unit

Think of how much better your bargaining power would be if y’all were a unit

Think how much better your afterlife would be if you started a union

The Devil won’t know what’s coming.

kinavu

On this Earth, there is what makes life worthwhile:

On this earth is the Lady of Earth, the mother of all beginnings, the mother of all endings.

Her name was Palestine.

Her name became Palestine.

My Lady, because you are my Lady, I deserve life.

- On This Earth, by Mahmoud Darwish

Please donate to these fundraisers today, they urgently need to meet their goals by next week

Shahed Muhammad @shahednhall - 21 year old who is sole provider for her family at the moment, urgently needs to raise 30k of her 50k goal to evacuate her sisters who are sick with hepatitis within the coming week, if not herself and the rest of her family. She is still 12k away from her short term goal. Please take part in the raffles being conducted for her

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These gfms have been verified and appear on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's list of vetted fundraisers so please dont hesitate to donate

Tagging for reach

homunculus-argument

More random tropes that I fucking love: Becoming the mask you wore.

Like oh shit, this character who was sent to spy somewhere under a false identity suddenly realises they've started to genuinely become the person they claimed to be? Someone who's been telling the same lies about who they are for so long that they're actually forgetting that the story isn't true? Finding themselves genuinely doing the things they pretend to do in front of people, when they're alone and nobody's watching? Answering to a name that wasn't supposed to be theirs without thinking?

Ooohh-hoh-hoh, you lost track of yourself in pretending to be someone else? You were only supposed to impersonate somebody, a plausible background and a name you came up with on the spot, and now that the people you were supposed to infiltrate have become your true companions? You lost yourself in the game you played, and no you no longer know who you truly are, and where your true loyalties lie? And both sides would mark you a traitor if you came out with the truth. On a scale of one to ten, how bad did you fuck up.

Fuck that is a good trope. Never seen it done badly. Pour that shit on a table and I'll chop it into lines and snort it.

gallusrostromegalus

Some variations on this theme that are good as hell:

"Ha Ha! I'm an evil bastard who has fooled these simpletons into thinking I'm one one their goody two shoes lot with my carefully cultivated mask of kindness and deception via good works and my carefully maintained standards of behavior, so no, fellow evil shithead, I cannot go on your campaign of Orphanage burning, I'm far, far above that kind of gruesome menace, in fact I've even hatched a scheme to build more orphanages- wait. Fuck."

"I got into this mess on accident and cultivated this persona without a shred of forethought but now that I think about it, I honestly don't think I really was a person before, and this hasn't been me inventing a role so much as discovering myself. fuck it was real the whole time??"

"I invented this mask on purpose because I hated who I was. I wanted to become this so, so badly. I've done everything I can to commit to it but when I go to bed at night I still take this persona off to sleep."

"That's the real me. The mask is the real me too. Why are you mad? I never lied to you, you're the one who's surprised there's more than one side to me. Did you always just think of me as some one-dimensional character, playing a role on your stage? Did you ever think of me as a person?"

The super double negative where someone thinks they've discovered a traitor who lied about who they were, and they start playing games to get the traitor to reveal themselves- seeing all the little inconsistencies, the way they play at being helpful, getting closer to them to discover more secrets- until it's time to call them out and reveal who they REALLY ARE-!

... Only to find out that the initial inconsistency, the original clue was a simple misunderstanding and all those deceptions were the normal weirdness of being human, all those secrets were normal social boundaries. They're not a traitor. They're just some guy you've been stalking and hallucinating a backstory for.

You know who has been working with a secret motive this whole time? Who has been lying about their intentions and infiltrating the lives of others with ill intent?

You.

You're the one who got lost behind the mask.

And now you've revealed that to everyone :)

zo1nkss

Tbh some of u take romanticized writing way too literally and it is killing ur media literacy.

"Growled?! Like a dog?!?!" No like a human person making a low rumbling groan.

"Fanfiction writers overexagerate words too much." Do you not understand that fanfiction as a culture is deeply rooted in the romance genre? The entire basis of fanfiction was to romanticize Spirk.

Exagerated language is a huge part of romance as a genre. It's necessary to give the exagerated, romanticized feeling. It effectively serves as rose colored glasses. It helps build and maintain sexual tension. It's an incredibly useful tool in creating a visual image for the reader to follow.

Please stop looking at completely normal terminology and curling your lip in disgust. Just because its not the way you would tell that story doesn't mean the story is told wrong.

luna-azzurra

Some tips to help you improve your writing style:

1. Read widely: Reading a variety of genres and authors exposes you to different writing styles and helps you develop a broader vocabulary and an understanding of various sentence structures. For example, if you want to improve your descriptive writing, read books by authors known for their vivid imagery like J.R.R. Tolkien or Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

2. Write regularly: Like any skill, writing improves with practice. Set aside dedicated time for writing, whether it's a journal entry, a short story, or an essay. Consistency is key. By writing regularly, you'll become more comfortable expressing your ideas and develop your unique voice.

3. Be mindful of your audience: Tailor your writing style to suit your target audience. Consider their level of familiarity with the subject matter, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're writing a scientific paper for experts in the field, use technical language and provide in-depth analysis. On the other hand, if you're writing a blog post for a general audience, use accessible language and relatable examples.

4. Use active voice and strong verbs: Active voice makes your writing more direct and engaging. It emphasizes the subject performing the action rather than the action itself. For example, instead of saying "The ball was thrown by John," use "John threw the ball." Strong verbs also add clarity and power to your writing. Compare "He walked slowly" with "He sauntered" or "He ambled."

5. Vary sentence structure: Experiment with different sentence lengths and structures to maintain reader interest. A mix of short, medium, and long sentences can create rhythm and flow. For example, a series of short, punchy sentences can build tension or convey urgency, while longer sentences can provide detailed explanations or set a contemplative tone.

6. Use precise and vivid language: Choose words that convey your meaning precisely and evoke vivid imagery. Instead of saying "The flower looked pretty," you could say "The delicate blossom bloomed in vibrant shades of crimson and gold." Specific and descriptive language brings your writing to life and engages the reader's senses.

7. Edit and revise: Good writing often requires multiple rounds of editing. After you finish a draft, take the time to review and revise your work. Look for clarity, coherence, and grammar errors. Consider whether each sentence contributes to the overall message and whether the organization of your ideas flows logically. Don't be afraid to make significant changes if they improve your writing.

8. Seek feedback: Share your work with trusted friends, colleagues, or writing groups. Constructive feedback can help you identify blind spots and areas for improvement. Consider their suggestions while maintaining your unique voice and style.

Floriography: Resources for Writers

For centuries, flowers, herbs, and other plants have been used to convey meaning, both in life and in literature. Many of the greats, including Shakespeare, Austen, the Brontë sisters, and Steinbeck referred to floral symbolism to delicately weave into their intricate works. Flowers influenced art for generations before us, and with luck, they will continue to inspire artists for generations after us--long after we've become them.

Victorian Floral Code.pdf

Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Flower Language by Jessica Roux

Language of Flowers Wiki

Hanakotoba - Japanese Flower Language Wiki

Ikebana - Japanese Flower Arrangement Wiki

Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers

Floral Emblem Guide

Plant Motifs In English, Russian, and Tatar (pdf)

Flower Language Myths

Language of Flowers.com

#culture #language #writers #author #writing reference #reference #victorian flower language #poets on tumblr #japanese folklore #slavic folklore #motifs #creative writing #indie author #floriography #for future reference #resources #writing tips #writing advice #writing tools

magicmooshka

Hi artists if you’re reading this I need you to know that it’s EXTREMELY necessary to have a folder on your phone called “bragging” where you save the screenshots of your favorite comments and sweet messages and shares and artist follow backs. So when you feel like your art sucks and you’ve only ever received praise out of pity, you can look back and realize that that feeling is wrong. The best way to combat imposter syndrome is to record your accomplishments. Keep reminders of your hard work and its reward. Actively try to be self-obsessed. Ok that’s all, go eat some fruit while you’re at it!

magicmooshka

oh yeah this applies to writers too