on writing
negotiating with the dead, margaret atwood | joan didion | anais nin | james baldwin | on earth we’re briefly gorgeous, ocean vuong | james baldwin | “the malice and sexism behind the ‘unmasking’ of elena ferrante”, jeanette winterson
cherry valley forever

titsay

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#extradirty
Today's Document
DEAR READER
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Misplaced Lens Cap
Xuebing Du

JBB: An Artblog!
Game of Thrones Daily
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izzy's playlists!
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"

pixel skylines
dirt enthusiast
Three Goblin Art
Sweet Seals For You, Always

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@writingsofalostjulia
on writing
negotiating with the dead, margaret atwood | joan didion | anais nin | james baldwin | on earth we’re briefly gorgeous, ocean vuong | james baldwin | “the malice and sexism behind the ‘unmasking’ of elena ferrante”, jeanette winterson
it was never gonna work out but i experienced all these seemingly profound unreplicable moments that were romantic and moving and made me feel alive and still none of it actually means anything in the long run. but thats okay. sometimes a beautiful moment is just that. a moment. and you have to leave it alone and just be grateful that it happened. woooow
hair is washed. i am lovable and capable of loving again
Life is just so much better when you’re out and about. Walking around a shop, grabbing lunch at your favorite restaurant, a cold beverage of your choice as both hydration and accessory, the fresh air and loud busy surroundings of a world constantly moving forward. I feel like the plastic bag camcorder freak from American Beauty. The pure poetry of it all.
i am fine so long as i don’t remember i’m alive & a person
has anybody else been struggling with thoughts
does anyone know if its worth the potential disappointment to have hope for a better tomorrow
I hope your love grows as your flowers do - that you never leave them wondering if you love their tired wilted petals just as much as you love their sunshine summer hues.
-where she grows / made of earth -
katherine arden, from the bear and the nightingale
Self improvement is great but ultimately? you have to accept your self. Yes you can eat better, exercise more, read more, set boundaries, love your self, but it all comes down to this. Some days you won’t have the energy to do any of these things. And you’ll look in the mirror and think that this is not enough. That’s a lie. The biggest love for self is to live slowly. To rest. To really rest. Have a nap. Eat what makes you feel good. Read if you want to. Embrace yourself and accept that you cannot and will not be ever be perfect. Accept that you are good enough. You don’t need to keep busy all the time. you don’t need to go out all the time and post on instagram. You don’t need to journal if you don’t want to. You don’t need to make art if you don’t want to. Breathe, give yourself grace and compassion. Give yourself the love and tenderness you so badly need. Be gentle with yourself. You are trying and it is good enough. You are good enough.
A beautiful poem that illustrates my point
My enjoyment of writing, my productivity, and the quality of my work improved tenfold when I started embracing slumps and taking them as an opportunity to read everything I could get my hands on, watch lots of films and shows, go to the theatre, play games, hang out with friends, visit new places, and generally absorb life and marinate my brain in the art of storytelling.
Take from that what you will.
"If reincarnation is real I wonder how many people stare at their own art in museums, listen to their own music they made in a different life and read books they don't remember writing"
~ Unknown
Emily Skaja, from “Self-Portrait With Hawk & Armada”, Brute
Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
Every 21st century piece of writing advice: Make us CARE about the character from page 1! Make us empathize with them! Make them interesting and different but still relatable and likable!
Every piece of classic literature: Hi. It's me. The bland everyman whose only purpose is to tell you this story. I have no actual personality. Here's the story of the time I encountered the worst people I ever met in my life. But first, ten pages of description about the place in which I met them.
Modern writing advice: Yes your protagonist should have flaws but ultimately we should root for them and like them from the beginning :)
Charles Dickens: Here is the worst ugliest rudest meanest nastiest bitch you’ve ever met in your life.
Modern writing advice: Make sure your POV character goes through a significant arc! Make sure they are changed by the narrative! Make sure they learn a lesson!
Narrators of every book of the 19th century: the lesson I learned is these people fucking suck, sayonara you freaks
Modern writing advice: It’s all about the character overcoming obstacles and learning! They learn their lesson so they can fix their mistakes and make good choices in the future! It’s a character arc! It’s called growth! Readers love it!
Everyone from ancient times through the 19th century: would you like to watch a Guy fuck up twenty times in a row
Somewhere or other, C. S. Lewis points out (and I'm paraphrasing here) that every era of writing has its own tropes and its own blind spots; its own failings and its own successes. This is why it's important to read in lots of different eras: so you can see what does and doesn't work, in the long run, and be able to make your own informed choices about how to write.
Good read on how sometimes something becomes too real too fast…..I need! To learn! To stop running from it!