Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Surrealism, Sharing Personal, Milestones & Choosing Books

Today's blogs....

Blog City – Day 387 - Thursday

Prompt: Surrealism means writer, author combines unrelated images or events in a strange dreamlike way. Have you ever had this experience?

         

If you see a bus crash into someone’s front porch while a caged dog barks in the side yard, near a man in a business suit who is grilling hamburgers, you might call that asurreal image. Things that are surreal combine unrelated elements to create a bizarre scene.
The adjective surreal comes from Surrealism, a movement that produced films, writing, painting, and other art forms that often contained irrational, disjointed images. So, surreal describes something that’s a bizarre mix of elements, often jarring and seemingly nonsensical. Images can be surreal, like the melting clocks in Salvador Dali's paintings, but so can strange, dream-like moments in everyday life. From: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/surreal

I had to look this word up... feeling a dumb, yesterday. I have been supplying a lot this week and writing with serious thought does not come so easy after a day in a classroom.

I looked over the images and found I am drawn to the surreal. This artist is amazing.... http://abduzeedo.com/surreal-world-igor-morski
I love the natural world twisted into odd aspects – the woman of lush, leafiness.

Seeing these juxtapositions in our world bring a focus into the strange and unusual – I have always seen myself as a little different, odd, but in a way that is not bad, but like I am living just on the cusp of life – aware, but watchful. At a distance. I guess that is where I feel safe.

Blog City – Day 388 - Friday

Prompt: How do you determine what you want to share from your life in your blog? I've noticed more and more lately outside of WDC, that more and more blogs are showing their families, their homes. Should we be concerned about how much we put out there? What are the risks?

I feel pretty safe sharing here on Writing.com. I don't blog offsite as yet... probably because of this issue. How much do I share? How do I want others to see me?

I don't feel comfortable with everyone knowing exactly where I live... not until I feel comfortable with those who are reading my blog. Here on Writing.com, I have a pretty good idea who is reading my blog and commenting... to me, these are my friends, my fellow bloggers.
Beyond Writing.com is a wide open space. It is scary out in the open. A vulnerable place to be. A place where the haters can come and dump on you.... so I choose to say here and build my skills before venturing too far.

As it is I respect my husband's wish to be unnamed and though I talk about him, I don't use his name. For friends, I use their first names only. I think I am pretty open... but I tend to not talk about or write about issues that I deem to personal. I want people to like me. We all have our warts and flaws.... there are just somethings you don't want the world to know about. I also find I share in the comments section of my fellow bloggers if they have shared an aspect of themselves. This way I can let them know they are not alone in their thinking.

Welcome To My Reality - Week sixty Six

2. What has been your most important milestone so far on Writing.com and what is the next milestone you are looking forward to achieving?

As far as my most important milestone... I am not sure which I would pick... I think I would have to consider the overall influence and impact Writing.com had made in my life.

I have a lot of little goals in the works... it is often interesting to look back and notice that I have managed to accomplish so many things. Like blogging most days for the past year - this month is the first in a long while that I have not blogged everyday. I have shared my writing and found that many people have given me encouraging reviews that builds my confidence to try more. I have won or placed in many contests in my two years here. I am surprised and pleasantly pleased at the recognition.

Writing.com is my home base for my writing. I come here for inspiration and encouragement. I also come here to learn from others - through workshops, forum discussions and reviewing (both in the giving and receiving) In my reviews I hope encourage and help my fellow writers and learn from their approaches.

As of today, I have 150 pieces - books, static items and a blog - here on Writing.com. I also have 243 reviews. I have 129 Merit Badges and 29 Awardicons. All I am proud and honoured to have. I remember when I started with only one lonely (1) after my name and wondering how I could get my number to grow. Becoming active and getting involved taught me how to do that.


5. What do you look for in a book? What makes you choose a particular book to read out of all the many you could choose?

This is a good question. I have found that many of the books I have read, other than my romance favourites - which I read because I love the genre and have a few authors I admire ( Jill Shelves, Lori Foster and Carly Phillips are my top romance writers), are books recommended by Oprah. I have not read all her book club choices but a few, like The Poisonwood Bible, have made an impact on my life. That in the reading of the book, my soul sits up a little straighter and takes a shift in perspectives. Her most recent recommendation was Ruby by Cynthia Bond. I saw the interview with the author on Sunday. I was enthralled enough to go out and buy it right away.

It is a powerful book - one that plays on gender, race and religion. It is not a book for the faint of heart. The emotions the book evoked in me was startling - even discussing the story can bring me to angry tears right now. The brutality. The rawness. The pain and anguish makes me want to slug someone - to fight for Ruby - kick some self-righteous ass and also hug the poor girl and let her know she is loved and is loveable and worthy of a good life.

This book touches on gender and race issues and also delves into the dark side of organized religion - when people twist God's Word for their own self serving ways. It is this hypocritical aspect that keeps many away from God and it is just as sinful as anything else.

To me, God is love and kindness. God is entwined in nature and holiness is pure and given freely without judgment. It is the embodiment of Ephram Jennings as he goes to Ruby, the girl he has always loved. It it his patience and love that pulls her back from the brink of insanity and helps her to stand on her own two feet and fight for herself and the others who died in the battle against the twisted, brutality of cruelty. Her past tries to drag her under, to drown her, but she learns that she can stand up and fight. Ephram's love give her that hope and that drive to survive.