Craig H Stuart / Follyglass

Writer and fine artist. Appalachian raised, lives in New England.  IIIIIIIIII contact:   storyteller dot craig at gmail dot com IIIIIIIIIIII https://follyglass.tumblr.com/

[nobrashfestivity]

Unknown, Passage of the Moon, 1870

from  Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible, 1840-1900 (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)

[dduane]

The novelist writes from inside. I’m rather sensitive on this point, because I write science fiction, or fantasy, or about imaginary countries, mostly—stuff that, by definition, involves times, places, events that I could not possibly experience in my own life. So when I was young and would submit one of these things about space voyages to Orion or dragons or something, I was told, at extremely regular intervals, “You should try to write about things you know about.” And I would say, But I do; I know about Orion, and dragons, and imaginary countries. Who do you think knows about my own imaginary countries, if I don’t? But they didn’t listen, because they don’t understand, they have it all backward. They think an artist is like a roll of photographic film, you expose it and develop it and there is a reproduction of Reality in two dimensions. But that’s all wrong, and if any artist tells you, “I am a camera,” or “I am a mirror,” distrust them instantly, they’re fooling you, pulling a fast one. Artists are people who are not at all interested in the facts—only in the truth. You get the facts from outside. The truth you get from inside. OK, how do you go about getting at that truth? You want to tell the truth. You want to be a writer. So what do you do? You write.

--Ursula Le Guin, from the "On How To Become A Writer" at LitHub, from The Language of the Night (via @neil-gaiman)

[craig-h-stuart]

I think there is a bit of a correlation here between literature and visual arts.....

When the camera was invented, people could have the scene exactly as it was, so the artists basically said ' why not make it...more? why not make it more colorful, the colors more complementary to make it stronger?' And that was basically Impressionism.

So, yeah, the pretty landscape could be photographed, but it could also be painted in shimmering light that included violets directly against ochres (making them both appear MORE of what they are, more true, more real in their comparison), and perhaps the bridge is bigger and the skies more dramatic. Or less. Artist's choice.

We know what we see, but it is not our duty to make it painstakingly accurate to real life.

[girlfleeshouse]

The maid reeks peculiarly of beetles.

[craig-h-stuart]

....but nobody else in the house knew her secret. Not yet. Since their gloved hands had never dug into the soil, among the rot at the roses' roots, they did not know the scent.

She hoped that they would attribute it to her regular early morning duties, but just in case, she unstopped the crystal of lilac water from the Lord Father's commode and shook it vigorously about herself. Perhaps a little too much.

Oh, why did she have to wake in the dress?

(it was such fine cotton that floated about her and twinkled in the dawn light, the stuff of the finest imagined tales)

She made her way down the stairs and tried to make herself believe that the family would not believe that she was picked, that the gift was only bestowed upon those with their own surname, that they would laugh at the idea of her wearing the dress; a nothing, a nobody, a means to transport firewood and silver platters and light candles, wholly unworthy of being called anything other than 'maid.'

It was a strange thing to have been invisible for all of those years, but now to fear that she would be noticed; that was the purpose, after all, to be noticed–to be accepted–as the official selection of the Garden Court.

The thought did occur to her to lay the dress within the fireplace and set it alight, but she did not understand the magic or the whims of the fairies. What would it mean to refuse this gift?

But for now, Alett bustled through the house wearing the servants' winter mantle over the splendid dress, an undeniable lilac scent wafting about her. It felt a shame to cover the fine emerald-like decoration, but she knew how needy the family's ungloved hands could get when they desired something. Like a fine lace reserved only for the rich, each family member wore the scars of another's petty jealousies.

She hoped she could make her way to the western door before they found out. Perhaps the fairies had saved her.

...........................................................

inspired in part by:

Dress | V&A Explore The Collections

Dress of cotton muslin, gilded metal thread and Indian jewel beetles (s<i>ternocera aeqisignata</i>), Britain, 1868-9

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Cake basket, 1774, London.

[craig-h-stuart]

New devastating insult: CAKE BASKET

[random-brushstrokes]

Umberto Bottazzi - Circe (1931)

[random-brushstrokes]

Vincent Van Gogh - Eugène Boch (1888)

[improbablemaps]

The map's form: labyrinth It shows: names Its purpose: to play game/s

[girlfleeshouse]

The house is surrounded on four sides by forest.

[craig-h-stuart]

...it is a surprise to be sure, but how much can an everchanging house surprise the girl?

...yesterday there was nothing but the hush of dove feathers in the armoire where her May coats were stored...

...the day before that she found her heart above the mantel in the twilight parlor (she could still feel its murmur in her mouth)...

...so, when the walls were comprised of copses of silvery-white birch, complete with her descendants' portraits hung upon them, she thought 'how strange, how peculiar' but it was not about the forest that was now her world: it was how the portraits sang a song that she herself had just begun to sing that morning....

.......................................................................

if you're interested in more like this, follow @girlfleeshouse and @follyglass where I've put together over two hundred stand-alone original pieces of fiction, all quick-read, mostly magic, some cozy.

[danskjavlarna]

Source details and larger version.

[moonandris]

In case anyone is unsure how to get their writeblr dash more active...

People get busy. Life happens, and we can’t always be super active on our blogs in the ways we want to be (this is where I am currently). These are some things I like to do after I feel like I’ve been away from my blog for a while that also help the community and other writeblrs out. ♡

♡ Look through the latest writeblr introduction/active writeblrs/looking for active writeblrs/creative writing/etc. tags and make it a priority to  r e b l o g  everyone’s intros and latest wips and such. This helps introduce yourself to others as well as helping everyone else out in the community by giving active blogs more attention and interaction.

♡ Follow and interact with the people you see in the tags! We are the lifeblood that keeps this community alive and without us the writeblr community wouldn’t exist on Tumblr. Use that to your advantage!

♡ Write a writeblr reintroduction! Let people know you’re still alive and kicking and looking to be more involved in the community. Make posts that reintroduce your WIPs, characters, and more.

♡ Don’t be afraid to message writers and ask them about their WIPs and characters, as well as asking for others to look over your WIPs and see what they think of them. I can’t speak for others but my inbox is always open and I love chatting with other writers and hyping each other up! It’s the best.

♡  Participate in writeblr tag games and get to know the fellow writers in your community and what kind of genres they like to write in, what their writing styles are like, how often they like to write, what their favorite tropes are, etc.

♡ Reblog. Reblog. REBLOG. It’s great to receive a like on your writeblr posts but reblogging is what keeps our community thriving and helps others get more eyes on their work. It’s a great way for writers to support other writers, and really, that’s what the community is for. :)

Feel free to pm me or add more if you’ve got any tips. :)

[moonandris]

🩷🩷🩷

[craig-h-stuart]

I've gotta remember to do more of these things....

and also, my writing (over 200 short stand-alone pieces, mostly quiet cozy-fantasy) can be found here: @follyglass

[jessicaroux]

I’ve been working on a new spring product collection, and I can’t wait to share it with you all soon! In the meantime, here is a sneak peek at one of the illustrations in the pencil stage.

[psikonauti]

Bernard Picart (French, 1673 - 1733) Puzza in the likeness of Isis, Seated on a Lotus Flower, 1723 Engraving

[sewerfight-deactivated20250114]

Imagine a bee rn in a hive muttering "the beekeeper is not real because he is not intervening or helping me at all with this disastrous relationship I have with another bee". now imagine that's you talking about the good lord. now imagine a dog with a propeller hat on

[xenobotanist]

[61below]

Filing this in my memory right next to this thread:

[random-brushstrokes]

Maxfield Parrish - The Lantern Bearers (1908)

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Drawing, 1812, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

[craig-h-stuart]

Now I want a story about a red-coated gentleman in a top hat and his giant pigeon friends.

[non-binary-laurie-strode]

You’ve been hit by 🔪

You’ve been struck by 🔪

A Roman Senator 🔪🔪🔪

[iamfuckingweeping]

CAESER ARE YOU OKAY

ARE YOU OKAY CEASER

[monamoni]

Lake Superior , Canada 🇨🇦 / USA 🇺🇸

[redarmyscreaming]

Welcome to the sea of death.

[memories-of-ancients]

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy

[naamahdarling]

Call the Great Lakes the Great Lakes the way you call the Fair Folk the Fair Folk.