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Saturday, May. 18, 2024

12:26am EDT

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Toe in the Water

by Beholden

Rated: 13+ · Book · Experience · #2223922

A tentative blog to test the temperature.

Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end.

So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.

Signature for those who are nominated for a Quill Award in 2021

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Simply Me

a day ago
In response to "The Way of the World"

I hear you there. They say the grass is greener....too and it's not. lol

1 Like

Beholden

May 15, 2024 at 6:35pm
In response to "Being Consistently Inconsistent"

Not rude at all, Amethyst. The truth may hurt sometimes but it's never rude. And you're especially right that we learn from everyone that we read, even if we're not aware of it.

1 Like

Amethyst Angel🌸📝🪽

May 15, 2024 at 6:28pm
In response to "Being Consistently Inconsistent"

I have no idea about my style… mostly I strive for class and decency. For instance, if a story I found had a lot of swearing in it or was obviously “X-rated”, I wonder who the algorithms would identify it as resembling. Short of such obvious turn-offs, I look for the same level of awareness of the importance of subtle word choices and descriptions in the works of others that I do in my own. For instance, I see you, Beholden, and our friend Jack Tyler, as being on the same level of dignified writing, saying what needs to be said, even if it’s gritty, in the most tolerable way possible. Joey (dare I say it aloud?) is in a separate category entirely. He’s a dear helpful soul who wouldn’t purposely offend anyone, but his love for tapping into the most visceral sides of human emotions, right down to the snot on one’s tear-stained sleeve, can get on my nerves. And when he writes in the Dickensian era, his language becomes nearly Elizabethan, which I thought seemed exaggerated. But one can learn from every style of writing. And I hope I haven’t been rude.

Beholden

May 15, 2024 at 6:06pm
In response to "Being Consistently Inconsistent"

That's the interesting thing - I've never been able to see that I have a style and I wonder whether any of us can. It may be that we're too involved with what we write to be able to step back and view it completely dispassionately.

In the end, I just do what I do and I suspect everyone else does their thing as well.

2 Like

Jayne

May 15, 2024 at 6:00pm
In response to "Being Consistently Inconsistent"

I assure you that you have a distinct voice. I can (almost) always tell a piece you've written without even looking at the name attached to it.

Sometimes, I can pick out an influence insofar as "that is reminiscent of [fill in the writer]" but never "Oh, that's clearly an attempt at [fill in the writer]."

Steven's is probably consistent enough to skew King. That doesn't surprise me.

For those of us who dabble in all the things, the prediction machine will no doubt bounce around.

1 Like

Beholden

May 1, 2024 at 12:36pm
In response to "After the Game is Over"

You're right - I think we all slept an extra hour this morning. Harnessing the energy - I like that idea. Makes a change to have something to harness after all!

Jayne

May 1, 2024 at 12:28pm
In response to "After the Game is Over"

I agree with the habit thing (and the YouTube & breakfast). I was getting more done in a day before lunchtime than I was in entire *months* before GoT.

...now to find a way to harness said energy. Your strategies seem like a good place to start.

Although, I slept in this morning. I figured I earned an extra few hours for one day lol. We all did.

1 Like

Schnujo is Late to Lannister

Apr 25, 2024 at 7:55pm
In response to "Cliché"

Agreed! I hope everyone congratulated whoever came up with that idea for the episode!

1 Like

Beholden

Apr 25, 2024 at 7:35pm
In response to "Cliché"

Thank you for your kind thoughts, Schnujo. I remember that episode of Star Trek! It was really cool - and hard to get one's head around the idea of talking like that. But it did sound quite poetic. What was it ? Something like in the far land of Angevin, Mortello meets the grivensor. And so on. Brilliant!

1 Like

Schnujo is Late to Lannister

Apr 25, 2024 at 7:03pm
In response to "Cliché"

I love how you look at cliches! Good for you! I agree that they have their place and can be used, so long as we are aware of what we are doing and are specifically using them with the knowledge and understanding that they are cliches.

This entry reminds me of an episode of Star Trek (The Next Generation, I think it was) where they were trying to learn to communicate with a new species. If I recall, they could understand the words (through a translator), but not the meaning until they hit upon the idea that they were speaking in local cultural context, basically using cliches.

I've always remembered that episode and thought that was a fun idea.

BTW, you are a REALLY impressive poet! I don't think I knew that. That's a pretty fabulous poem! Well done!!

Thank you for sharing your own ideas on cliches!

July 11, 2021 at 7:57pm

#1013477

Success!

Success!

I don’t mind telling you, I was getting worried. First, Andrea says something about me being known for poetry more than prose. Well, if I were known for anything, of course, but I know what she meant.

And then I enter this period, lasting for two or three months, when I seem able to write nothing but poetry. There’s the blog, yes, but it’s hardly the same as writing short stories, is it? The fact remains that I seem to have written nothing substantial apart from poetry for ages. I’ve never really seen myself as a poet.

So that is why I have been hunting for some contests for short stories ever since SCREAMS!!! decided to take a break. I found a few but couldn’t think of a decent story to write. This was becoming serious.

When Lilli 🧿 ☕

posted on the Newsfeed to advertise her new contest, Only Short Stories (https://www.writing.com/main/forums/item_id/2252653-Only-Short-Stories), I hinted that I was thinking about it. Yesterday I had an idea about the setting. But no plot. It refused to appear.

Desperation struck today and I decided it would have to be one of those “just start and let it tell itself” things. I did and it worked. In the end, I had to be careful about word count and even trimmed quite a bit when it was finished. Now all I have to do is worry about whether it’s any good. I like it but that doesn’t usually mean a thing.

The point is, however, that I’ve done it. And, if I can do it once, I can do it again. Poet, schmoet, I can write anything!

Word count: 279

2 Like • Comment • View 2 comments

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