Bibliographys equal headache?

I have been sick, in addition to focusing on my latest new project I have been trying to get back to you guys for about a week.

My latest writing project challenge is focusing on not accidentally plagiarizing anyone, and the realization that I am going to be having a lot of fun getting my bibliography in order. In college the trick was to cite as you go, which is awesome unless you are writing on a topic you are already familiar with and don't remember where you came by the information to begin with.

What I am finding is that I may end up just grabbing every book I have ever read on the subject and the two or three websites that I use as my go to references.

The thought makes me grumpy.

Altar de Muse

This is a Picture of my Altar de Muse as it stands now. It will be changing.

 The Altar itself is inside the Armour that houses all of my ritual supplies, occupying the bottom shelf.

The lace shall that covers the back wall was purchased from a vender at my first Pagan Festival. I was eighteen. The shall itself holds a few fantastic memories, but the fringe makes it difficult to launder so it has spent a lot of time boxed up over the last thirteen years.

The altar cloth is really a pair of handkerchief style scarves that I have had since I was fourteen, they evoke memories from when I was willing to take chances.

The mosaic candle holders (with LED tea-lights) were re-purposed from some of my ritual gear, it had been a set of four but after one broke, I started using them as catch-all's having a proper use for them again pleases me.

The two photos are of the sunrise and sunset over the Great Salt Lake in Utah, my home for almost half my life, and two of the most classically inspiring images known to poets the world over.

In the back center I have made something of a dias using two of my old journals, on it is a silver candle dish, a natural obelisk, an amethyst cluster, a sealing wax stamp... And center is the figure I have decided to use as a representative for my Muse, draped in semi precious stones of Amethyst, Citrine, Peridot and Blue Topaz and holding a slice of Geode to be charged so that I can take it with me and feel a connection to inspiration all day long. On the lower level of the diary dias is a holy stone draped with flourite that flows from under my sea-shell salt dish and out of my onyx bowl where you see Aventurine and Aquamarine beads and a sealed scroll that contains an invocation to my Muse and in front my soapstone incense burner.

Then front and center is my sea-shell dish with two large pieces of Rose-Quartz and across to my small urn which is tossing out beads of Smokey-Quartz, Moonstone, Bloodstone and Green Garnet.

I know it sounds like I went a little overboard on the gemstones, but they were each chosen for a reason, and gemstones are my preferred way to work magick. The Pictures will be moved up to hang from the lace, and I am hoping to find some nice silk marigolds to go in the little urn and I will have to rearrange again when I get my nib-pen and inkwell unpacked.

I hope that this helps give you some inspiration of your own. 

Blessed Be.

New Altar de Muse Offering

Pagan figures or statues are really over priced for what they are, it becomes harder and harder to assemble an altar in this economy as the Pagan shops dry up and things that an excited newly out of the broom closet Witch would go hunting for have multiplied by price a hundred times with no changes to quality or improvements to the aesthetics, nothing limited edition, just greedy artists or retailers taking advantage of "supply and demand."

I have been grumpy about this for some time and so I have made do, as I am not wealthy, and I am not an artist my altar has remained without any physical representation, and I have been comfortable in the knowledge that intent is all that really matters as I browse for things that 'could work,'

I found her.  

In a quiet moment, just me and my shopping addiction I found the most adorable figurine. Nothing Pagan, in fact the artist uses quite a bit of Christian symbolism, but I have loved her for some time.

Willow Tree's Love and Learning Figurine will take a place of honor on my Altar to represent my Muse.

I bought her from Amazon if you like her here is the link; DEMDACO Willow Tree Figurine, Love of Learning.

 With her I bought a pair of blue moleskin journals and a dip-pen with the inkwell, also to adorn my altar. Normally I don't share my altars with the public but I feel really good about this.

New Projects

I don't have anything really important to say.

I am starting yet another writing project, different topic, but that isn't unusual for me. Because of my ADD it isn't unusual for me to have seven or even ten projects going as a time, yes it does slow me down but it also keeps me going. I finish them it just takes a bit longer than it would take someone else. My Partner for instance would be able to finish six projects in the time it takes me to wrap my head around one.

But you know what?

That's right, I am happy with who I am and couldn't imagine changing myself. Isn't that an unusual thing to see? Yes I have my ups and downs, but I am human I can accept it and move on.

I do keep my active projects organized and even when I set them down (in most cases) I know exactly what I was doing when I left off. With one notable exception, my fantasy story has me tied in knots. I started writing it over a glass of wine and a clove cigarette on a rainy summer day and after a little more than a hundred pages lost my rhythm. It'll catch up with me again in a little while and eventually it'll be a master piece.

Ciao Bene.

Working with your Creation

In a writing, your characters might say "To hell with you, I want to....." Best advice I can give you is to follow their lead, if you fight it too hard then you won't get a very good story.

Example:

My partner and I have been writing together for years, and just for fun we created some original characters and dropped them in a favorite authors universe, that's right Fan-Fiction, written just for us, not even posted on the internet, a few hundred years after her timeline ended. One of the characters we created was a Prince, orphan responsible for his people from the time he was five, and at fifteen... very homosexual, we paired him with the head of the thieves guild and watched the drama unfold. But our Prince slowly became more depressed and wrapped up in his own world, that is until a klutzy refugee literally fell down the stairs and bowled him over. For our poor Prince he fell for her like a ton of bricks, and no matter how hard we tried to force him to continue to be gay, he would not have it, he wanted his refugee girl, and in the end we relented before he did. But it caused some major snafu's in our story first.

Don't be too unbending, let your characters help you, you'll be happy you did.

Character Journal

As I am writing my research project on Diaries and Journals I would be remiss if I didn't interject with this fabulous tool. Keeping a character journal is more akin to keeping your Character's Journal. Written entirely from their point of view it helps you get a better understanding for your protagonist.

You can take the time to grab a hardbound journal or set up a blog, but you want it to be something you write in at least once a week.

Think of it as a first person free write. Maybe after you have walked away from a hard situation in your writing, to permit yourself to understand the 'why's" behind a characters actions. Just let the character speak for him- or herself. What your character journals about will be different from day to day and character to character.

Start with a sentence. Like: "I need to get out more." or "I hate my mother." And run with it, but from their point of view, not your own, and always in the first person.

It will take practice to learn to turn off your author’s and personal voices completely enough to hear the character’s voice, but this really is one of those areas in which practice makes perfect. Don’t let the initial awkwardness of trying to find a character voice keep you from trying.

Or from continuing to journal. Sooner or later, the character will show up. And, sooner or later, he or she will be begin opening up try to coax specifics, it will help you in writing the generals and give you a more rounded character perspective and voice.

Character Creation 101

I know people that start writing on the fly with no idea of who or what they are writing about and through a series of drafts can shake off the slag and draw out a diamond. I am not one of them, I want to know what they look like, how old they are and general personality. Now not to say that I haven't written a story throwing in odds and ends for characters, but the process in proofing out which character had one arm and how many of them have blue eyes frustrates me.

Now you may decide to write some idea that you have and you start typing and before you know it you have twenty pages. It happens.

I suggest writing a general template for yourself, most word processors will allow you to create a macro which will automatically format an entry or enter specific text. My character template is:

*****

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Height:
Weight:
Build:
Hair:
Eyes: 
Tattoos or Distinctive Physical Traits:
Sexual Orientation:
Personality: 
Profession:
Vehicle:
Family & Background:


*****




Now I may not fill in everything all at once, but I will do at least the first eight. Other details can be filled in as the story moves and you become more comfortable with the character. Now if your writing does run away with you and it peters out you can go back and proof, start a new document and key in the information in your form.

Now you may have only casually dropped in:

Name: Jack
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Height: Tall
Weight:
Build: Lanky
Hair: Messy
Eyes: Cold Grey
Tattoos or Distinctive Physical Traits:
Sexual Orientation:
Personality: Has a thing for redheads.
Profession:
Vehicle: White Corvette, all leather interior.
Family & Background:

But being able to refer back to notes will help make you more comfortable as the story grow and you can get more specific. Tall might become 6'3", Hair: sandy blonde.... You get the idea.