Cookbook

For about a year I have been working on putting together a recipe book, something to fill with Heirloom recipes and simple cheats, my family knows about it, and I have shared a few progress updates on Facebook. But last week I shared my first (well not exactly first, first share not first recipe) original recipe online at AllRecipes I wanted to share. I am really excited. I wanted to solicit people to go take a look and try my ICED Chai for Cheaters.

It fuels me and keeps my appetite down on hot days, allowing me to get my writing done in peace!

Science of Writing II

As a writer you here a lot about "Voice." This is the flavor from you that flows over into your writing, but beyond that when editing your own work before submitting you should know when and how to recognize what flavor or Voice you should use.

There two types of a “Voice” when writing.

Passive Voice: This is a lecture, an instruction it has little flavor or personality and is most often used for business presentation, academic writing or articles.

Active Voice: This is interactive, involved and encompassing it has flavor and style and should be used in story telling, poetry or when you are looking to engage the reader.

Science of Writing I

From my perspective there are three ways of writing, people can argue, but my approach is simplified and any written work can fall into one of the three categories.

Method Writing: This is the Process that is used by many writers early on. Many Refer to it as “Write what you know.”

Creative Writing: This is an Anything goes writing style, where its your world and what you say goes.

Biographic Writing: Where you put yourself in another person’s position and write from their point of view about their life.

Now when I write I may combine any two methods but my standard rule is "Never the Three shall Meet."

Update on My Life

On Sunday I took the time and smudged my house, I went around through every room with Sage and Salt-Water. It was like lifting a veil. I felt grounded for the first time in weeks.

I think I have a clear course of action and direction to go with my life, I have figured out how to handle Roulette, that situation has caused more stress than it should have.

I'm working on a change of scene for my life personally. I will be moving soonish if my job cooperates I will transfer, if not then I'll quit. Hard to leave a 60k a year job during a down economy but I feel that Utah is suffocating me. Literally these last few weeks with it being the worst Fire Season on record, I'll post pictures of the Fire here in Tooele as soon as I can.

Beyond saying that there isn't a lot going on in my life.

The Sea Shift

Sea Shift: A term used in writing to describe a sudden change in direction.

Like an undertow which often appears calm on the surface is deadly just out of sight because of the returning current off the waves. "An underwater current flowing strongly away from the shore, usually caused by the seaward return of water from waves that have broken against the shore." This is not unusual in water. But the redirection or sudden shift is what I'm talking about.

One of the greatest tools available to a writer is misdirection. Making your villain the childhood friend or business partner. Look at the right hand so the audience can't see what the left hand is doing. It builds suspense.

Why do I bring this up?

Well I wanted to include writing tools with my process so I was thinking that I would marry termonology and definitions with the Blog. But this particular addition is because in a recent Google search all the results were about the tidal changes in the North Atlantic, that's off the North East coast of the United States. When I use the term, I could care less about geography.

My Tunes Yo

Everyone knows that writers (for the most part) have playlist's or music that help them evoke the right tone for whatever they are working on. I am eclectic and have many types of music, artists and sounds that I enjoy depending on what I'm working on. At the moment I have put together a collection (No particular order) of songs that are helping me set the pace for my current project.

My YouTube Playlist

Poetry Practice

I said I would be practicing and meant it its taken me better than two weeks to work up to sharing it but here is my first Piece of Poetry in Four Years! Not my best but I'm not looking to share my old work (unless you want to read it).

"Beyond Sight and Sound"

In the intimacy of my mind, I find that thoughts can bind.

My heart pounds in the shadow of my souls wounds
With every Pulse comes my last breath
That gentle sound pulling me into the ground.
Still my chest rises with each trial that passes
Still there is more...
Like a hawk in hood and jesses.

In the Intimacy of my mind, I find that thoughts can bind.

The well is empty, a pressure builds from within
An ache that I crave
Still I have fallen in that heady tailspin.
Dancing and spinning whirling through life
Like a bottle in the tide
A trapeze act bound and tied lifted in strife.

In the Intimacy of my mind, I find thoughts can bind.

~30th June 2012~

PRACTICE!

So I am practicing at least, I have started writing a story that has been clinging to my peripheral thoughts for a few years. I decided my start should be a little cliche, so I wrote a prophecy for the main character(s) I'm not entirely pleased its not as lyrical as I wanted but the content is there, I can clean it up later right?

I mentioned that I need to get back into high gear with my Poetry and I think that as I work on it I'll be able to revisit the prophecy. All the content I wanted is there and that's what a rough draft is about. This story has needed to be told and has been taunting me for a while but it's achingly complicated and will be an exercise of skill for me. I'll likely be pulling every tool I've ever heard of out of the Writer's Work-chest.

Here is a snippet:

"Even now as the great reside
Within shining palace hiding whats inside.

Shadows grow long and whisper in Darkness
Talk of what was, what is and what will come!

As the lands of the Nine, glory and green
Come to Bended knee that the Palace may glean."

Sort of the Prologue or introduction portion of my Prophecy, the finished verse is much longer and while I'm not fully happy with it I'll still have time to refine it. I'm following the basic outline for creative prophecy. The Situation, Bad Outcome, The Solution (Prophesied happening/person), Good Outcome. We'll see how it works while I go burn incense to my Muse.

Poetry that Use to be

I know it sounds trite, but at one point I was a fairly good poet. In getting back to my writing I thought that would be a good place to start, its been more than four years, since before I started at my current job, that I was able to sit and write poetry.


Now I know this thoughts Genesis,stems from recent changes in my life. That doesn't make the observation any less valid. I was thinking over where I am and how much I have changed. Trying to reclaim the person I was without losing the person I am. I have hit some low points recently, but I know I am stronger than those depressive impulses.

Trying to find that creative spark to get my Writing on the move again, I was reading some of my old college assignments from English. Now to put it in perspective I have always loved poetry but I didn't think I was any good at it until my English professor lavished some pretty exalted praise in the margins of my papers. When I diagrammed someone else's writing and waxed poetic about what it could have meant and when I wrote poetry as part of a class assignment.

I don't know when I stopped writing Poetry, but I think that is going to be one of the first steps I take towards reclaiming my Voice.

Altar de Muse

Okay! Okay... I admit I am a spiritualist by nature. As such no true quest could begin without inference to the Gods! Well in this case a Muse if you will. Not one of the Nine maidens from Greek myth, this one is special, because you see... She's mine.

I'm not so vain as to think that I have one of Zues's daughters at my beck and call but maybe a great grand-daughter or perchance a great-great-great grand-daughter or other such nonsense.

 Her name is unknown to me, likely because she has no many. But in her honor I will build an altar. This is something that I will have to think about.

The Colors, the textures, the candles, the statuary. Will I have a plant? Will I have a fountain?

I have an idea for something of blue and gold. Satin overlaid with lace... Candles one for darkness and one for light. A goddess statue.. I don't think there will be a fountain or a plant. Not to start. Since I am a write then so is she, an inkwell steal pen and scroll.

Rambling and Talking to myself now, I'll post updates as the idea ferments. Since I'm in the process of moving it might be a little while.