“To the Public:  Please Protect and Preserve These New Plantings” (from “One-Way Street,” Selected Writings, vol. 1, 449)

What is “solved”?  Do not all the questions of our lives, as we live, remain behind us like foliage obstructing our view?  To uproot this foliage, even to thin it out, does not occur to us.  We stride on, leave it behind, and from a distance it is indeed open to view, but indistinct, shadowy, and all the more enigmatically entangled.

Commentary and translation stand in the same relation to the text as style and mimesis to nature:  the same phenomenon considered from different aspects.  On the tree of the sacred text, both are only the eternally rustling leaves; on that of the profane, the seasonally falling fruits.

He who loves is attached not only to the “faults” of the beloved, not only to the whims and weaknesses of a woman.  Wrinkles in the face, moles, shabby clothing, and a lopsided walk bind him more lastingly and relentlessly than any beauty.  This has long been known.  And why?  If the theory is correct that feeling is not located in the head, that we sentiently experience a window, a cloud, a tree not in our brains but rather in the place where we see it, then we are, in looking at our beloved, too, outside ourselves.  But in a torment of tension and ravishment.  Our feeling, dazzled, flutters like a flock of birds in the woman’s radiance.  And as birds seek refuge in the leafy recesses of a tree, feelings escape into the shaded wrinkles, the awkward movements and inconspicuous blemishes of the body we love, where they can lie low, in safety.  And no passer-by would guess that it is just here, in what is defective and censurable, that the fleeting darts of adoration nestle.

NB:  One of Benjamin’s ambitions was to write – or rather curate – a magnum opus consisting entirely of citations.

My brain appears to be the gift that keeps on giving. This morning I was able to get up and write for an hour based on what I’d dreamt during the night. It even fixed a few plot holes for me.

But sadly it’s not mine. Damn you/bless you Carles.

http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2009/12/the-most-authenticrelevantsuccessful-artists-of-the-decade-the-best-albumsmp3ssongsartistsbandshumans-of-the-decade.html

Yesterday, I went to a children’s publishing industry Christmas function. It was great to catch up with people in the industry – editors, authors, publicists, illustrators - but the greatness of catching up brings with it the absolute crapness of the question: “When’s your next book due out?”

Last year, it was easier to answer that question: I was taking my time with novel #2, I was crafting it. Well, now, “time” has passed, and I need a darn novel on the shelves. I’m in the awkward space between two novels. My first novel was chucked into the YA pool – it has its fans, sure, but let’s be honest, it made ripples, not waves – so I’m not exactly established, and I can’t say that I’m up-and-coming either, because nothing’s coming.

I need to fix that.

Magnum Opus is taking too long in the oven, or at least, I’m being slack with writing it, mostly because I don’t have the pressure of a deadline. See, with Loathing Lola, I had a deadline. I pitched the idea and the opening, and was given a publishing contract. I was contractually obliged to write something, and I did. I’ve been in the industry long enough to realise that I lucked out to find a publisher that trusted me enough to give me money without a finished product. The odds of repeating that are insanely slim, so, I’ve decided to do things differently this time around – novel first, publisher second.

You all as my witnesses, I’m setting myself a deadline: February 1, 2010. That’s 2 months to write the 30,000 that I have left. That’s pretty do-able. Instead of having a publisher to report progress back to, I’m going to report my progress here, on this blog. Regular readers (Hi, Mum), it’s your job to keep me on track

This morning was devoted to plot work. I got myself a fresh pad of Post-Its and a pen, cleared al lthe furniture out of one room, and got started Post-Iting. There’s nothing more motivational than Post-Iting a plotline. I spent the morning scribbling, scrunching, arranging, rearranging, and scrunching some more. Many a good Post-It died today, but they didn’t die in vain. I give you a mapped out Magnum Opus:

(if all else fails… there’s always foot modeling… right?)

Lately, I have found myself bored with the fashion world. The immense amount of repetition has been getting me down. But ever since I laid eyes on the work of Serbian designer, Marko Mitanovski, my interest has been once more set aflame.

Never before have I seen such a perfect resurrection of fashion elements from long ago. His pieces simply drip inspiration, original to the core. I hope with all my might that these ideas trickle down the chain into some ready-to-wear versions.

Many more images after the jump!

]]> http://thestylecunt.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/sinister-strumpets/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:05:45 +0000 Stylecunt http://thestylecunt.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/sinister-strumpets/

I’m aware that it’s a little last minute for a Halloween post, but better late than never.

Модная съемка от Тима Бертона

Trend Shooting of Tim Burton

More images after the jump.

Maquetación~ Nonsense In The Dark

More images after the jump!

When it comes to purse searching, I feel adrift in a sea of hopelessness. Most purses are, to put it simply, extremely dull. Your insipid bags and jejune clutches bore me to tears.

A quick interruption! What is the deal with clutches? It seems like the worst idea on planet fashion. I know, I shall place all my important belongings into a tiny purse with no strap or handle, and be made to carry the damn thing all night around the discotheque. It seems unbelievably easy to lose. It also fails as a sensible zombie deflector, without the strap I doubt you could build the momentum to knock them down.

To continue, purses are dullsville, yadda yadda.

Until now! From the Ukraine with lots of love, Litarbags has released these remarkable marvels.

Now THIS is worthy of my arm. Why has it taken so long for this sandworm larvae bag to be birthed into existence? This company definitely has my seal of approval. I’m sure that if all the bags were made in black, the girls over at Corn On The Macabre would be all over this.

More bags after the jump!

I have this ritual when it comes to getting feedback about my work. No matter how positively-slanted a feedback email might be, the second I read it and see two negative (but constructive) words, I get indignant, feel heartbroken, have a minaturely epic nervous breakdown, and descend into hate-filled rants about the world. But by the next morning, I’ve ditched victim act, seen it isn’t as bad as I thought it was, and am practically bursting with creativity. Even the stuff people didn’t have a problem with – I have a solution for it. Everything’s going to be BIGGER, BETTER, BOLDER,  and altogether more B-ier. All because of an epiphany.

It was an epiphany that made me go with first-person present ten months before the release date with Loathing Lola. An epiphany that made Lucy a bad guy, Tim not a love interest and Lola not an object of loathing. Many of these little epiphanies shaped Loathing Lola, and all of them came about after feedback.

Feedback keeps writers on their toes. The second writers aren’t on their toes, and are too comfortable with their own brilliance (real or imagined), is the second they come up with the Matrix sequels. Feedback is good. Heartache is good. Epiphanies are great. They’re all part of the process.

Now, context: A few months ago, I mentioned prepping MAGNUM OPUS for the publisher. I sent off a three-chapter teaser, just as I did with Loathing Lola. I heard back on Friday. They liked, but they were teased, not sold, it still needed more development. There were some questions raised about its intended audience. Cue small nervous breakdown. Cue epiphany.

I don’t think I’m writing for kids anymore.

Random lolarity

Those who have me on Twitter or Facebook already know about this, but after the epiphany, I was walking to my Friday night shift at the stadium. Coming down Oxford St mall in Bondi Junction, I’m thinking happy thoughts, you know, eminating positivity and all that junk – it’s a new beginning after all – and bam, smacked right in the head by a suicidal Kamakazee pigeon flying in the opposite direction.

Thank you, universe.

Designer Ceren Keyman is fabricating a plethora of turkish delights. Handbags, jewelry, and soon a a collection of furniture will be available for our viewing pleasure. 

I have always regarded purses with disdain, they’re just so boring and far too easy to lose. This is the first one that I would never let out of my sight.

Keyman Designs

More photos of her jewelry after the jump.

There is a serious paucity of white clothing in this dreary black and gray world. If only it was easier to clean…….

 More images after the jump.

I happen upon these images by mistake, and felt the need to share them with you striplings. My favorite photographers are the ones who create movement in a still image, I bet you can guess my leviathan. You can postulate that the combination of this style of photography mixed with a fashion editorial sends me reeling with joy.

By Bruno Danyan

More after the jump!

In a continuation of the last post, here is an amusing photo editorial.

Pasen y vean by Moises Gonzalez

More images after the jump!

Recently, I have come to accept that Etsy is a viable source for clothing acquisition. In the past, I wrote the website off as a gathering of silly crafts, but these designers have changed my mind.

I need everything in this post, stat!

Disapora Cage Top $175 ~Louise Black Corset $189.50 ~ OctopusMe Earrings $120

Post Tattoo Socks $13 ~ OctopusMe Necklace $65 ~  Disapora Cage Dress $185

OctopusMe Choker $120 ~ Diaspora Rubber Top $55 ~ Antiseptic Corset $750

By Louis Robertson

This list is a work-in-progress and represents some of the lessons life has taught me. I started it as a “gift” to my children and wanted it to be something they could return to again and again to help put things into perspective and to add focus to their lives. QuoinMonkey, whose opinion I have always trusted, encouraged me to share it with a larger audience. I agreed hoping that the readers of red Ravine may find something in this they can use.

Things I Wanted You To Learn

1 – As long as you remember me I will stay alive in your memories. You are my legacy, my magnum opus.

2 – I am very proud of the person each of you has become. Although I did not say it as much as I felt it, you are the source of my joy and pride as a father.

3 – You can achieve anything! If you can imagine it, you can do it, but it will take hard work. It will not come easy, but if you believe in your ability to achieve, know you have the desire to see it through and persevere, then it can happen. Oh, and a good plan helps.

4 – Everyone has worth! Even the marginalized — especially the marginalized — have something to contribute to your life. You need to work beyond the visceral feelings, put yourself in their place, and look for the lesson.

5 – You are constantly being presented with opportunities to learn and grow. God doesn’t give things to you, rather he allows opportunities to be presented to you and it is your responsibility to recognize them, learn from them, and grow.

6 – Don’t get stuck in the past. What happened, happened. No amount of rehashing, bitching, complaining, or wishing will change the fact that it happened. Look for the lesson and move on, but understand that sometimes it may take years for the lesson to present itself to you.

7 – When someone has the ability to really irritate you, either by their actions or beliefs, step back! Try to identify what is bothersome and put a new face on it. For example, that person who is always butting into your conversations? Ask yourself, What purpose does this serve to them? Are they lonely, feeling marginalized, friendless, or just trying to get noticed? Then wonder what their self worth may be to have to do this to feel alive, noticed, or a part of something. Maybe even wonder how things must be at home for them. Now ask yourself “How can I help them feel better about their life?” But also remember, sometimes people are just jerks.

8 – Always remember that you are loved and have a large family to fall back on when things are tough. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; it is not a sign of weakness. It took me 43 years to realize that allowing people to step up and take some of the burden from me is often a gift to them.

9 – Remember the lesson I taught you as a kid about power. You have a reservoir of power that you control. Be stingy with who you give it to. That kid that knows he can make you mad by calling you fat is taking away some of your power. To get it back you need to be aware of your reaction and change it. This will not only help you with your personal interactions but is essential when trying to break a cycle of reactionary behavior. Once you fall into a pattern, the pattern will repeat itself until something changes. Changing your reaction will make the interaction more real and will cause you to look at it from another perspective. Once you change the pattern it will either fall apart or create a new trigger to a new pattern. Listen to that little voice that says, “Why do we always have the same argument over and over?” and use that pause to look for the pattern, and then change it.

10 – Make at least one person smile every day. Find something to compliment them on. Do something unexpected for them. Tell them they are important to you. Some days it may be the catalyst that changes their lives or the start of a chain reaction of passing the smile on. When you are given the choice, make a positive impact rather than a negative impression.

11 – Challenge yourself to be the best person you can be! Don’t settle for okay, strive to be great! Do each task to the best of your ability. Make it a game or a challenge. Don’t just do the job to check it off a list, do it so you can stand back and say out loud, “I did that!”

∞ ∞ ∞

About Louis: Louis Robertson (R3) is a divorced father of two teenage children who lives in South Central Pennsylvania. His day-to-day life centers on his children and teaching them about responsible living. He earns a living as a computer systems consultant.

Louis has experienced medical challenges since he was a teenager. After his first liver transplant in 1993, his perspective on life became more focused and his appreciation for the little treasures life grants increased. When he learned he needed a second liver transplant, his focus moved to preparing his family and children for a future without him. He now is a candidate for a third liver transplant and lives his life watching for life lessons he can pass on to his children.

Feeling: equal parts nervous and excited.
Listening to: that song the Black Eyed Peas ripped off on their new album, ‘Mancry’ by Freeland.

Today’s the big day. I pitched Magnum Opus, novel #2 to my publisher.

I know I’ve been slack with the blog, my bad. I’ve been writing heaps, and I keep delaying blogging. But now, the day I’ve been holding off for a good month, has arrived, and so, it’s worth a commemorative blogpost.

Now, it’s one thing to be a published author, and quite another to stay published, so I always get nervous when pitching new ideas. Loathing Lola wasn’t a Harry Potter-esque $ucce$$ that guarantees that whatever I write next will be published, so I had to be 100% sure this was perfect before pitching it.  Magnum Opus has been brewing for five years, full-time for one, and I absolutely love it, but that doesn’t mean that others will.

So, now, I’m left waiting, ready for the Powers That Be to choose the story’s fate. If they give it the thumbs-down, what then? Do I seek out other publishers, or do I let the idea die? I don’t think I’m ready to consider that question just yet…

Here’s hoping I never have to.

This is the 16th year of Decorex Joburg and the 2nd year that Badec Bros Mosaic will be exhibiting our design prowess at this prestigious design expo. Our sister companies, Kingfisher Landscaping, Badec Bros Wooden Decking and Badec Bros Deco will also be displaying their individual artistic ideas and products, in conjunction with Badec Bros Mosaic.

Badec Bros Mosaic, previously known as Magnum Opus Mosaic, will be showing off with their chic and sophisticated mosaic art. Kingfisher Landscaping will be strutting their stuff with ground-breaking landscaping design. Badec Bros Wooden Decking will be showing off with their professional and elegant wooden decks, in all shapes, sizes and finishes. Badec Bros Deco will be flaunting their trendy ranges of interior and exterior décor products, such as steel pots, sculptures, trellises, pergolas, gabion walls and classy benches.

This year, Decorex Joburg will run from 6 to 10 August 2009 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. The theme for this year’s expo is New Fusion and aims to promote environmentally friendly designs and products. Our innovative and inspiring stand will be in Hall 3. Keep these dates in mind and pay us a visit at Decorex Joburg 2009! We look forward to bowling you over with our ingenious ideas and designs.

Should you be interested in having Talita Badenhorst design and quote you on a unique mosaic for your home, garden or company, you can contact her on her e-mail address at talita@badecbros.com She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to stun you with her creative ideas.

I am entranced.

The prodigious doll lamps of the Russian sisters Lena and Katya Popova have sent my head spinning. Every element of the design is worth note, as the intense detail is nothing short of breathtaking.  I am aware that these Rococo geishas have made their rounds on the online blogscape, but I am surprised that the effect of these images has not lingered. This is true, raw fashion inspiration. It is imperative that these dresses be brought to full size scale.

Review of Different Types of Post

In this post, I outline a number of different types of blog post and literary form and whether or not they are likely to be found in my million words blog.

A. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BLOG POST

Darren Rowse identified 20 different types of blog post (these are all non-fiction)

20 Types of Blog Post

For each type he came up with, I will write a few notes on how I might use each one and the likelihood of using each one on this blog:

1. Instructional

At the moment, I can’t see a place for using instructional posts here in my blog. I’ve just cast a glance at my whiteboard to see some of the areas I may blog in and this doesn’t seem to fit the context of this blog at all.  I have on occasion used it in my niche blog – explaining how to get somewhere or how to do something.

2. Informational

My niche blog is full of informational posts.  I anticipate using this quite a lot on this blog site, particularly for setting the background for some of the discussion topics I propose to tackle.

3. Reviews

I haven’t so far used the ‘review’ technique.  I am considering doing book and product reviews for my other more career-focused blog but have not as yet.  In terms of this blog, I think the kinds of reviews I’m likely to be conducting are on books, paper and websites relating to specific topics. In fact, I have over the past year or so downloaded vast quantities of ebooks, signed up to loads of self-appointed gurus in various internet-related fields and so forth for free email hints, and have not read most of it.  This will give me the push I need to actual do that!

4. Lists

Lists have the potential to be used on this blog though it’s more likely within the context of a bit of research or similar.  A list for its own sake is unlikely to find its way on to this blog.  Depends how desperate I get on the word count front I guess!

5. Interviews

I’ve not yet done any written interviews on blogs, though I have done a couple of radio interviews related to my ‘career’ blog.  It’s not impossible I may find a context for an interview.  However, at present the blog is anonymous so I don’t quite know if anyone will be interviewed for an anonymous blog!

6. Case Studies

I have used case studies on several occasions on my ‘career’ blog and there may be a case for using them here on this blog, in fact glancing at my proposed topic list, there almost certainly will be.

7. Profiles

I haven’t as yet done any profile blogs, but I can see that as with the case studies, there may be occasion to use these within the context of this blog.

8. Link Post

I can safely say that I done a number of link posts.  They can be very useful, putting links to ‘hidden’ information in one place – on one of my link posts in my niche blog, I tracked down links to a number of obscure but important documents, reports, contact lists which was of use to people involved in a major accident in my city.  Having said that, this may more properly fall into the category of Collation Posts (see below). There is a good chance that I will be doing a few of these here!

9. Problem Posts

These deal with more negative issues relating to products or services.  I’m not sure that there will be much call for problem posts on this blog, except as providing a backdrop to some of the more forward looking areas I plan to cover.

10. Contrasting Two Options

I will almost certainly find myself in the position of contrasting two or more options at some point in this blog!  Some decision trees and Bayesian probabilities may find themselves creeping in!  (I can almost hear you rubbing your hands in anticipation – what could this blogger going to be talking about!!)

11. Rant

I have certainly ranted now and then and probably will do so again.  On the whole, though, I try to avoid politics and religion online.

12. Inspirational

Well of course I’d love to make inspirational posts, and in fact some of my posts have attracted private email along those lines.  I may or may not make any in this blog.  That is for you, dear reader, to decide!

13. Research

Rest assured, you are highly likely to have a heavy dose of research thrown in the mix here in a number of different areas!

14. Collation Posts

Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, this mix of research and link post will find its way in to this blog!  I have some fascinating topic areas to develop for you GRIN.

15. Prediction and Review Posts

I’m not sure that any of my posts will be of this form, except for the one at the end reviewing whether or not I achieved my goal!

16. Critique Posts

Yes, you will certainly be getting some of these.  They are an essential part of research and development!  For the record, I prefer to use the ‘feedback sandwich’ method rather than the ‘seek and destroy’ method for criticism! I remember two brand new PhD students sitting in on one of our weekly sessions where researchers presented their work to date on a regular basis while their colleagues fell upon it like a pack of wolves tearing it to shreds.  This was popular sport on Fridays, while painful, it certainly helped researchers toughen up their arguments or examine their thought processes.  The two new PhD students said to me afterwards as I bathed my bloodied brow – “is that normal? I don’t think I could take that much constructive criticism”. Yes, there are ways to do it and not to do it. I prefer the more pleasant route.  Comments are invited, but destructive comments are not.  Remember the golden rule, criticize the message not the messenger.

17. Debate

Given the nature of some of the ground I intend to cover, there will almost certainly be some debate posts herein.  I’m also hoping that readers will join in via the comments threads and give some healthy discussions.

18. Hypothetical Posts

I can imagine that there may be scope for several of these within this blog and within the topic areas I am thinking of covering. They would be great for comment-makers to get involved in.

19. Satirical Posts

I don’t think I will be using the satirical form on my blog.  I may or may not use some satirical remarks within posts.  However, I have found that satire can very easily be misunderstood.

20. Memes and Projects

I can’t right now think of any memes but something may turn up!

B. LITERARY FORMS

Literary Forms

1. Allegory

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, but I would consider it unlikely, that I will have a use for the allegory form in this blog!

2. Anecdote

Yes, indeed.  Anecdote shall follow anecdote, yeah until the end of the year.

3. Aphorism

Naturally, a blog par moi will be chock full of concise expressions of insight and wisdom!  Of course, you are free to choose any of my sayings as aphorisms.

4. Autobiography

My blog will, of necessity, be partly autobiographical.

5. Ballad

I think not.

6. Biography

I imagine there may be occasions where I give a short biography within the context of some of the topics I plan to explore.

7. Black Comedy

Somehow I doubt it!

8. Burlesque

Unlikely but maybe not impossible.

9. Confessional Poetry

Well, apparently this is a form of poetry where the poet “discusses intensely personal subject matter with unusual frankness”.  I guess it may be possible to try and slip one or two of these in!  Worth an experiment or two!

10. Didactic Literarure

It is highly likely that you will find some instruction or education disguised as literature creeping in here.  A lot of ‘bloke’ fiction is like that – where they give kit lists or instrument assembly details (see “The Secret Hunters” by Sir Ranulph Fiennes for example!)

11. Dirge

I can certainly experiment with embedding a short poetic expression of grief within my literary corpus here!  Yes, for sure!- aside: when I think I’ve done these things, should I identify them in a separate list – eg “here is a dirge what I wrote” type of thing!

12. Drama

It’s possible some dramatic compositions may find themselves herein. 

13. Dramatic Monologue

There may be a context for a dramatic monologue – particularly in the fictional piece I’m thinking of writing.

14. Dystopic Literature

I’m not sure whether my novel is going to end up dystopic or utopic.  Potentially both!

15. Eclogue

Well, well – I never knew there was a separate name for poems between shepherds before! Unlikely, I would say, that I shall find a use but having said that….  one never knows…. I guess it depends on what, precisely, is being shepherded!

16. Elegy

Very possibly, but just as an experiment you understand!  I can see that writing a million words and encompassing many styles is going to force me to do some wider reading to understand structures better!

17. Epic

It would be great to experiment with this form.  I can see that it may be possible within the context of the meisterwerk.

18. Epigram

It is for you, dear reader, to determine whether anything I write is worthy of the title ‘epigram’.

19. Essay

A lot of what I may churn out may be classified as essays.  The key here is ‘non-fiction’.

20. Fable

It’s possible I may find use for use of the fable form within the fictional work.

21. Fiction

Without doubt, dear reader, fiction will find its way into this challenge!

22. Legend

My large fictional work may well be able to cope with some legends.  The more I am reading and noting about these literary forms, the more I am envisioning my big piece.

23. Lyric

Hmm.  That would be interesting to attempt would it not?

24. Memoir

My memoirs – by Topics De Jour. What involvement have I had in any historical events?  Long pause for thought and lots of hums and hahs!

25. Metafiction

This is possible, I guess!  To comment on the act of writing the fiction at the same time as writing the fiction being the most probable enactment.

26. Myth

I can certainly see that there may be some myths – existing or invented by self – appearing in the magnum opus.

27. Noir

Possible I suppose, whether within the major work, or in a minor work – to be considered.

28. Nonfiction

Definitely.  Not a lot else to say on that!

29. Novel

I am anticipating that a major part of the challenge will take the form of a novel.

I may use some of the forms such as epistolary, historical, ideas, picaresque, social protest within the work.

30. Novella

I may find the inspiration to do separate novellas as I write, but it is by no means certain.

31. Ode

I don’t think I will explore this at this juncture.

32. Parable

I may find a place for some home-made parables here, but not sure yet.

33. Parody

I don’t think I am aware enough of individual author styles to successfully parody so I will not be doing this intentionally.

34. Pastiche

The same goes for pastiche.  Any such work produced by me during the course of this challenge is likely to be by accident rather than by design.

35. Pastoral

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility but probably doubtful.

36. Play

Highly unlikely that I will find an appropriate avenue to produce a play during the experiment.

37. Primitivist Literature

I am not sure whether an element of this may creep in, but I think if it does it will be by a character rather than by the author – if you follow me.

38. Propaganda

It is possible that I will include some of this, though whether knowingly or not is another matter.

39. Prose

99.9% of what I write is likely to be prose by definition!

40. Prose Poem

I cannot imagine doing this intentionally during the course of this challenge!

40. Romance

I may include non-realistic stories within my oeuvre, using romance in its wider context (see the link at the start of this section for what that is!) rather than the narrower ‘love’ definition it has now.

41. Satire

I’m not sure my writing skills are developed enough to attempt satire deliberately at the present time.

42. Science Fiction

I think you may find that my masterpiece is probably going to be classified as science fiction.

43. Short Story

I may write some short stories during the course of the challenge.

44. Short-short story

Again, I may write some over the duration of the experiment.

43. Soliloquay

I may find use for the soliloquay form at some point in the next few months, maybe even in the ‘meisterwerk’.

Conclusion

There are a range of blog forms and literary forms that I may use over the course of the challenge.  In particular, I have found working through the list of literary forms and considering whether they have a place within ‘the meisterwerk’ or elsewhere in the challenge has actually sparked some ideas off in my head for structuring elements of the large fictional piece that I now envisage accounting for a substantial element of the word count.

Keeping count:
Post 0003, word count (as by WordPress): 2222, cumulative total: 6300

Other Million Word Challenges

First I thought I should find other million word challenges and see what they are about, and whether they were successful or not.

Using google.co.uk as my search engine and entering MILLION WORD CHALLENGE as the search term, I came across an interesting project here: Millon De Palabrasl

This is more about reading than writing a million words.  It is a community literacy campaign based in the Los Angeles area aimed at promoting a culture of literacy in the home and academic achievement at school. It’s not entirely clear from the website whether it is ongoing, though it is possible it ceased in May 2008.  I’m interested to discover this project because I am interested in education – and I guess I will blog a lot more about that over the course of this challenge. There was a global literacy campaign earlier this year called “The Big Read” The Big Read – Global Literacy Campaign – not very well publicized in my opinion – I only found out about it a couple of days before the end!

Here is a second million word reading challenge another million word reading challenge aimed at getting children with English as their second language reading books in English.

Further checking reveals quite a few schools around the world involved in million word reading challenges of one form or another.

Schools are not the only bodies organising such challenges as this article from a prison indicates NOTE THIS IS A PDF FILE LINK Million word reading challenge in a prison PDF FILE

Now I turn my attention to challenges based around writing a million words!

I changed my google search phrase to: THE MILLION WORD EXPERIMENT.

In this blog T-Party Million Words Writing challenge the T-Party state they are going to do a writing challenge but without ploughing through their archive I can’t see whether they ever did it or how successful it was! Gosh, by clicking a couple of links I discovered they’re probably known by people I know….  small world eh!

The author, Craig, of this blog Year of A Million Words set out to write a million words of mainly fiction through 2008.  At some point he added non-fiction in to the mix.  His motivation was to improve his fiction-writing skills leading to publication of work. He managed 800737 – that’s extremely good going and if I make it to that I shall be pleased, though of course disappointed if I don’t make the magical million mark.

In this blog, Million Words Blog,  the blogger’s aim was to write the million words ‘they’ say you need to have written before you can get published. I can’t see anywhere whether this was successful or not!  Memo to self – make a clear counter or something so people can see the outcome!

Well, that’s about it really, as everyone knows, if it isn’t on the first or second page of Google it doesn’t get found.

What does 1 million words look like?

It may be interesting to get this in mind.  My “morning pages” consist of 3 long-hand sides of A4 and cover approximately 1000 words, normally a few more.  In longhand, therefore, 1000000 words would be around 3000 pages.

In terms of books, a typical paperback novel may also have around 1000 words per 3 pages, this depends obviously on how big the font is and how much space there is between paragraphs and other formatting tricks, though these are normally concentrated in self-help books where 200 words is printed in a large font with lots of pictures and captions to make it fill more pages and sell for a large amount of cash.  Call me Cynical if you like – I’m working on mine right now <wink>.

So, in essence, a million words looks like around 12 Agatha Christie’s.

My writing history

At school, I used to find writing 500 word essays quite difficult – that’s because I was never taught the trick for non-fiction and got all the way through university (a highly mathematical subject – no essays necessary) and out into teacher-training – where my first 2000 word essay in some sociological theory or other was thrown back in my face with the words “Where are your references? This is all your own thoughts – who cares about your thoughts on the subject”.  Deary, deary me – and there was I thinking that all those words I was ever asked to write had to be original thought! To me, quoting someone else’s ideas (albeit paraphrasing them, précising them and so on) was copying.

My English teacher used to love my essays because they were full of original ideas.  For Literature, we were allowed to choose authors to study and my selection included Aldous Huxley and George Orwell.   I had my own interpretation of their books, and my teacher used to say to me “I love your essays, your interpretations are so original and backed up, but please promise me one thing – in the exams you will follow the party line.  Original thought at age 16 is totally discouraged. You must give them the standard interpretations.”  (Probably highly appropriate comments considering the content of 1984, Brave New World and Animal Farm!)  I duly did this. I don’t recall what grade I got – obviously not an A else I might have remembered! But I passed it anyway. This was many decades ago when in the UK we still did things called O-levels and only very few people got A for anything, and it was actually possible to fail exams.  My solitary A was in maths.

I quit literature at 15 though to focus on maths and physics, and so was never trained in the art of academic essay writing.  After going through a tough time on teacher training – we had to regurgitate shed loads of essays on sociology, pedagogy and so forth, my dad finally said to me, “You know what the trick is – copying out of 1 book is plagiarism, copying out of 3 is called ‘in depth research’” so finally, the key was in my hand.  It was a very painful year – not just because of the need to write all those essays – for heaven’s sake I was there to learn how to teach physics not writing – why did they not feel it necessary to force those students training to teach humanities and the like advanced calculus which I figured would be about as hard for them as writing a 6000 word essay was for me!

Having got the golden key, I had to learn how to apply it correctly and after taking innumerable courses in this and that and holding various management positions in big companies necessitating the vomiting up of ‘reports’ on numerous occasions, my talents developed and after going back to uni at a ripe old age to undertake scientific research, in 2001 I had a substantial piece of work published in a prestigious journal in my area of science – it may have been 15-20k words, I’m not entirely sure now without looking it up!  Nonetheless,  the copy editors didn’t have TOO much of a field day with it, I am not devoid of knowledge in the grammar department!

My big piece was the PhD – now of course it was full of equations and tables and so on and so forth, but I think the final word count (excluding the math and figures) was around 60000 – spanning around 200 pages.  I finally proved to myself I could write!

As I mentioned in post 1, I have been keeping 2 blogs.  The first for around 18 months now, in quite a niche area,  which gets a respectable number of referrals off google – it’s focus is very much giving people information but I also add relevant anecdotal posts about my life and times in the niche.  The second blog is about 6 months old, but I haven’t really developed it yet, I’m gradually adding posts to build content before I start publicizing it. I have posted 3 or 4 longish articles – 1500 words or so and am developing my own style.

Morning Pages

I’ve mentioned these a few times now in my first two posts, so I probably should say a little more about them.

A few years ago now, I read a book by Julia Cameron called “The Artists Way”.  Essentially, its about releasing your creativity, overcoming writer’s block and so on. Julia discovered the method herself and it forms one of her two basic tools – the other being an “artist’s date” which you should take each week – she recommends 2 hours somewhere inspirational, completely alone – no partners, friends, children accompanying you.  Artists Way – Basic Tools

The morning pages should be 3 pages of long-hand – size of page not specified – single or double sided pages – not specified.  It is not supposed to be creative or perfect, just IS. It can be a long whinge, or just “I don’t know what to write” written over and over.

Joan Bolker’s “Write Your Dissertation in 15 minutes a day” has a similar logic to it but instead of focusing on the quantity of writing, she focuses on the time length.  Every day, spend at least 15 minutes writing something, anything – and if it’s on the subject of your dissertation so much the better!

I have used “morning pages” a number of times in the past, though it has to be said this is the first time I’m doing them first thing in the morning – my life before was too hectic to contemplate that – the whole commute – get to work thing – was my morning focus.  However, I used to do them in the evening at some point, and I did a variation at work where I was required to multi-task heavily and had constant incoming to deal with – taking myself off in to a quiet ‘breakout’ table in the back of the big open plan office and just writing ‘stream of consciousness’ in one book which was labelled “N’s Brain” (N being me – grin) and then reviewing the dump and picking out actions from that and writing just those out in another book was very useful on a number of occasions.

I am at a wonderful time in my life though now.  I have basically retired, at a youngish age and without the pension, but am free to spend many hours contemplating my next steps so I have committed myself to doing the morning pages in the morning!

People’s definitions of ‘first thing in the morning’ vary and on the web I came across those who do them before they get out of bed and those who don’t.  ( I’m not someone who works in bed – since I became a ‘grown up’ with my own place at the tender age of 36, I have banned anything other than sleeping equipment from my bedroom – no tv, computer, storage under the bed, anything. Too much of my life was spent living/sleeping/eating in one room).

My normal morning procedure is to get out of bed, visit the bathroom, feed the cats, make a coffee, fetch my clock, throw open the doors from my living room to the garden, make myself comfortable and then start, so we’re normally looking at 30 minutes out from getting out of bed.  I’m happy with that.  I couldn’t concentrate if I had two furry faces miaowing at me for their daily fix of Snappy Tom’s Fisherman’s Basket in Jelly while I was writing!

Adding 4 or so hours of published writing on most days into the mix is going to prove challenging! I’m just approaching 4000 words for today and its nearly 5pm already! I’m hoping it will get easier  with practice!

I also think I need to put up a weekly ‘aims for the week’ so non-posting (such as tomorrow!) is not judged as ‘failure’ but seen to be planned!

Purpose of Writing

While looking up various references for the last section, I came across this gem Dissertation Research Blogspot:

“Peter Elbow, the author of Writing Without Teachers (a radical text when it was first published in 1973), and B.F. Skinner, known for his invention/discovery of behavioral psychology, both believe in writing in order to think, rather than thinking in order to write. “

This distils nicely my purpose in doing this challenge – I am writing in order to think, to get it all out and look at it in the cold, hard, light of day and the net.

Keeping count:
Post 0002, word count (as by WordPress): 2078, cumulative total: 4078