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I have discovered Flash Fiction!

I don’t consider myself behind with the times, in fact, I actually think of myself as entirely up to date with the trends, or at least I thought I was. But after reading about Flash Fiction and being introduced to it by one of my readers’ Emily, I am absolutely in awe of this creation. Why did I not find out about this sooner? I just don’t know, it’s definitely something I am interested in because as I mentioned in previous posts, I don’t see myself ever writing a novel. Maybe saying that is putting the thought in my head that I could never write a book, and well, I am really okay with that. But Flash Fiction is something that could definitely work for me.

I feel so excited about this new thing, but at the same time, I am trying to curb my excitement a bit because of that whole “eyes too big for my stomach” thing I blogged about… I don’t want to take on more than I can commit to or physically do. I’ve talked about a lot of “projects” before that never saw the light of day – I even seriously considered Wattpad as a place for my fiction writing to live (other than here, of course). But I created a profile, and for two weeks, I stared blankly at my profile page without typing a single word. I did the same thing at AO3 with the sincerest of goals to release my hidden Star Wars fan fiction ideas on the world and just didn’t. I’ve thought about why I do this, and I honestly think that’s something for another post because… Flash Fiction!

I’m going to do a little more reading, I think before I start or write anything or label anything “flash fiction”. I already have ideas, and today, I spent a day off work looking after my Mum, and during the time when she was sleeping, I came up with at least three different ideas for fiction that I could really enjoy writing. So ideas are not the problem. I suspect fear is, yet again, the boogeyman under my fingertips, stopping me from doing anything with my writing.

It’s something new, I know, but I think I could actually do this. A new adventure lies ahead!

To be continued…

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Kylo Ren and Rey – Darkside, Lightside, The Glowing side!

I found this beautiful art by Kasiopea on Tumblr and instantly saw this image as two separate images both black and white with a mysterious “glow” around the outside. Don’t ask me why I saw that, that is just what popped into my head! Obviously, the original is perfect and beautiful and awesome, but that is what I saw, so I had to at least try and make it happen.

I wanted to learn this technique for a while after seeing it in action on Tumblr (a lot of people use this technique to make their otherwise dull and bland images or quotes come to life). It’s so simple, I almost cried 😂 (but seriously) – it’s really easy.

I’ll be writing a neat and quick tutorial post about it soon but until then… and here it is in practice:

KYLO REN:

GLOWINGREDKYLORENKASIOPEIA

REY:

GLOWINGBLUEREYKASIOPEIA.gif

And the original art:

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Mother

With eyes bluer than the sky, a burning, vibrant determination still lingers there
She sits and whispers to herself
The sun shining in through the window, leaving a trail of light upon her aged yet beautiful skin
I am of you, for you, with you
I am forever yours
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Song Writing Prompt 01 – Evanescence “My Tourniquet”

I am throwing myself entirely into the writing prompt process after having read the pros and cons of using prompts from various websites online. I think I’ll try this for a bit and see how things go before I decide it’s a waste of time. It’s always best to give something a good go before writing something off entirely, right? (excuse the pun).

When writing poetry, I’ve always found it easier to do when I’m writing about sadness, loss, grief, pain, heartache or love. I don’t know why this is, all I know is that most of my poetry is formed from both real and fictional experiences. Nobody can know which is which of course, because it’s so much more mysterious that way!

I also write my poetry from a free and unhindered place, which means it’s not formal or in any particular style. My poetry comes straight from within, not necessarily from my heart alone, but the process works for me best when I can feel the words forming. I also do not write a lot of poetry. I haven’t written in years, in fact. This is the first time I’ve actually wanted to write a poem in such a long time. I know that this is partially because I feel safe about writing here. I feel inspired by my readers and feel more confident to write freely.

I tried to focus on the following words in the song to write the poem below. I have very little knowledge of whether my words and the song lyrics connect. I simply used the song’s momentum and let my imagination do the rest.

WORDS6SONGPROMPT01.png

If I say I see heaven in your eyes, will this lead to regret? Will you make me feel small?
Will you even be there, to catch me when I fall?

As wounds slowly become scars, this is how we live. When love ceases to exist, when there is nothing left to give

But I will still be here, I will never turn away. I’ll hold out my hand to you, through the storm, through the heartache, through the pain…

If I say I still see heaven, even as you walk away. Will you even remember me, or will you curse my name?

How I wish I were the one, strong enough to turn away. Now I am lost in the storm, crippled by the heartache, broken by the pain.

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Why I don’t believe in “Short Attention Spans” online

You’ll notice with a lot of articles today, mainly via online magazine sites, newspaper sites and similar online portals that when an article is posted, it is usually published with a “4 min read” comment next to it which will vary depending on the length of the article. This, I can only assume, is an attempt to attract the majority of readers who have short attention spans and spend a minute maximum taking in what the author has written. Any longer than this and nobody will read what you write. Isn’t that how it goes?

I am sure there is a survey written somewhere online that proves this theory but for me, using WordPress, it’s very much the opposite. This could just be a random thing, or it could be how it is for some writers. I have discovered in the time that I’ve been blogging that how much you write is almost as important as what you write. If I write shorter articles, they tend to get fewer eyeballs on them than posts where I have written more than 500 words. I don’t know why this is, I suspect it’s because when I write more than 500 words, I am either writing a personal blog post about my life or I am writing about the pursuit of writing and blogging in general. These are two topics I know are more popular than other content I have posted (WordPress stats can be helpful in that regard).

So from this experience, I can see the following trends with my writing (this is an entirely personal thing that I just decided to write about, and it does not take anything away from those writers who choose to write smaller updates or posts than I do).

WORDS5

This proves something, and that is that stats can be helpful if you use them casually and don’t get bogged down with the details. And it also shows (for me) that WordPress really is designed for writers, the art of writing and the written word just like Instagram is intended for imagery (although, Instagram has introduced different tools to try and shift very subtlely towards their users integrating text with their images).

That said, it doesn’t mean you can’t change trends with your content. I am a writer first and foremost, but I’m also a photoshop addict which is why, you may have noticed, that I’ve slowly started integrating my own graphics into my articles to combine the two things I love to do and to enhance the overall experience for my readers. This is a BIG deal for me. I want people to not only like what I write but to enjoy the experience. If I do this and stay true to myself in my writing, attention spans will matter very little.

 

 

 

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PiXimperfect Tutorial – Create Light Rays in three Simple Steps with Photoshop

I’ve recently discovered a new Photoshop channel on YouTube, and it’s actually amazing. The host is one of a kind, and his tutorials are so unique and refreshing. I imagine tutoring would be a daunting task even for the most dedicated and talented artists, but Unmesh Dinda makes it look so effortless, and his approach and charm makes it easy to follow along.

The tutorials aren’t separated by difficulty level because Unmesh’s tutorials are designed for basically anyone to learn, even beginners. And I think this is one of the best things about his channel. I put this to the test by taking on the following tutorial, and I am pretty much sold so expect to see a lot more of Unmesh’s tutorials on my blog in future.

How to create Light Rays in three Simple Steps with Photoshop

The object of this tutorial is to learn how to turn a rather dull image of sunlight in a forest into something worthy of a thousand likes on Instagram (if that’s your thing). Who doesn’t want people loving their pics? And the great thing about this tutorial is you can apply these techniques to any image using different filters such as Color Dodge and blur filters such as Radial Blur. I will definitely be using this technique in other photos!

Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FEw2BrsTek 

Time: 15 – 20 minutes

Level: Any

Comment: I think Unmesh Dinda is the original Guru of Photoshop and I don’t say that lightly. If you follow along with any of his tutorials, you will see exactly why he has more than a million followers on his channel. He is basically a Photoshop genius. All example assets are provided as well, which is, really awesome.

Rating: 10/10 – PERFECT RATING

Note: These images are very high quality 6000 x 4000. Here is the before:

Light Rays - PiXimperfect - Sample Image.jpg

And here is my edit after applying Unmesh’s techniques. Pretty cool, right?

Light Rays - PiXimperfect - FINAL.png

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How to discipline my lack of discipline in writing

I’ve started many projects on this website and failed, too. I have been reading about writing challenges and how NOT to overwhelm yourself with goals that are, shall we say, industrious. My problem has always been “eyes too big for my stomach” – this may sound funny, but for me, it’s an actual thing. People closest to me think it’s cute (well, I hope they do!) but it’s a habit that I seem to have with almost everything I want or try to do, and not just with eating. I always end up biting off more than I can chew. This is not cute, this is annoying, well, sometimes. And it’s the best way to set yourself up for failure.

So this time, I want to try and approach writing prompts again, but with challenges in mind, so I don’t have to make them up as I go. I tried doing this with creative writing prompts, but I became disheartened because nobody commented on my words, and I felt I wasn’t reaching my audience. I think this is all part of being a writer and growing as a writer, but it’s the not-so-nice side to writing online. If you say that you’re only writing for yourself, you’re probably not being 100 per cent honest, and if that’s the case, unless you’re a fiction writer, you should perhaps consider another interest. I don’t mean this to sound harsh, but sometimes, you have to face hard realities, right? Being real is what it’s all about. When I write, I try to discover things about myself every time. This, to me, is the essence of writing and why I chose to write in the first place.

WORDS4.png

Some ideas for writing future posts:

  1. Taking a random song from an artist I like and writing about the song – what it makes me feel, what I think the song is about etc
  2. Taking random creative writing prompts from online websites – this worked for a bit when I first tried it, but I’m willing to give it another go and hopefully, improve and gather interest 🙂
  3. Taking prompts from Pinterest – there are many creative blogs on Pinterest, and some of them are set up just for writers and writing prompts
  4. Visiting favourite blogs or websites I like and taking ideas from posts I read (I’ve done this before, and I think it works really well)
  5. Writing about a different emotion every week (so not a daily challenge)
  6. Writing about random poems and writing about what I think the poet is trying to convey
  7. Writing a book or movie review

I think the best thing about this list is that I can add to it whenever I want if I find other things to write about.

Looking at this list, I am already beginning to feel a little uncomfortable because some of these ideas will be stretching my skill as a writer. And now I know I have no choice but to do this and push beyond my comfort zone like I mentioned in this post.

I wish myself the best of luck 😁😂