Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | Paid | My Orble | Login

Writing Exercises - Fictional Worlds

Insult

August 31st 2010 12:39
Insult
I love you and I always will
but I can't deal with you insulting yourself
at every single turn;
no matter how I try to build you up
you're always tearing yourself down.

It breaks my heart to see
how much you hate yourself
how much you think you're bad
you can't see the good
but I can.

You don't know why I love you
perhaps you never will
but I won't stop loving you.

I hope someday you'll see what I see
see that you're a good person
that you really are handsome
that you really are smart
that you're so much more
than you've ever thought you are.

Please
don't insult yourself anymore
don't call yourself names
realize that every time I say you're a good guy
it's not a lie;
realize that you can be so much more
if only you let yourself.
----------------------------- -------
That's for a dear friend of mine. On another note, both Fictional Worlds and I have had a birthday this month-Fictional Worlds is three years old now and I'm a whole 17 years old. Almost legal-just a hop skip and a jump away, right?

Your Turn
41
Vote
Comments (5)Comments (5) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Book Review: Woman on the Edge of Time

August 25th 2010 12:39


On my trip out of town I finished the book I've been reading for most of the summer, Woman on the Edge of Time. It's an old book but you can still find it on Amazon if you follow this link.

The back cover reads:

Woman on the Edge of time is the fascinating story of Connie Ramos, a Chicana woman in her mid-thirties, living in New York and labeled insane, committed to a mental institution. But the truth is that Connie is overwhelmingly sane, heroically sane, and tuned into the future.

Connie is able to communicate with the year 2137. Two totally different ways of life are competing. One is beautiful-communal, nonsexist, environmentally pure, open to ritual and magic. The other is a horror-totalitarian, exploitative, rigidly technological.

In Connie's struggle to keep the institution's doctors from forcing her into a brain control operation, we find the timeless struggle between beauty and terror, between good and evil... with an astonishing outcome.

Review

As a Reader:

My history teacher recommended this book during my African History class (which should be called a history of Africans and the Americas or something similar, actually). We were discussing utopia and I said I believed it impossible to please everyone. He showed me this book and told me to take a look at it and the utopian future in it.

I did and all I can say is wow. Connie's honest narration is clear, concise, and simultaneously brutal and loving. The language isn't exactly pretty, and Connie could surely make a sailor blush, but it's real. It's true to her existance-a woman whose grown up all her life in different ghettoes and who lost her only chance to escape them several years before the story. Connie is a good woman who isn't really crazy with anything except love for her family. And she's a woman who's been beaten down by society her entire life, for being poor and being brown and being a woman.

I don't know if I've ever felt so connected to a character, or lived in anyone else's head the way I lived in hers. Though my life has been-and hopefully will be-much easier than hers, I felt her pain with her, and I understood it. I felt how she felt when they called her crazy. When she got angry at her niece's pimp, I was angry with her. When she mourned her lost loves, I mourned with her. When she played the doctors' game to get out of the mental institution, I could have played that game side by side with her.

The future to which she travels is amazing, beautiful, pure. As she was amazed first by the stranger from the future, I was amazed. As she decoded the common language of the future, I decoded it with her. As she stared in awe at everything around her and asked her questions, I asked all the same questions and held all the same amazement. I felt I made the same friends she did. When one of the characters died I almost broke down right along with them.

Long story short-though it's a bit late for that-this book is fantastic. I recommend it to everyone, reader, writer, and most of all to every woman.

As a Writer

As a writer I would like to take my hat off and bow my head to the author of this book, Marge Piercy. As I think about it there's nothing I would have changed.

The voice of the narrative is real, the characters are real, and the story of Connie's present is heartbreakingly true. My favourite line in the entire novel is an intense spoiler, but let's just say there were quite a few times when I had to put the book down and take a few deep breaths.

The ending left something to be desired, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. I closed the book unsure if I was satisfied. Despite that, I do appreciate the ending and I think that it was very classy. As a writer I'm absolutely stunned by what this writer has accomplished. It's been a long time since a book touched my heart like this one has.

I recommend this book absolutely and completely to anyone, especially women of all ages, backgrounds, and colours.

You can buy it on Amazon here.
33
Vote
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Prompt of the Week: Alone

August 24th 2010 12:58


I'm all alone out here
and for the first time
my mind is clear;

all the stress of the city
just fades away
I'm so glad
I got out yesterday.

I've figured things out
though I'm not jumping for joy
I don't like the decisions I've made
but I've gotta do
what I've gotta do
though I'll hate
saying goodbye to you.

Going out there I felt so free. For the first time I was traveling by myself and with my own money and it felt great. I slept on the dock and I didn't mind it. What's better than to be alone on a cool summer night with a beautiful lake? Possibly not getting eaten by the local musquitos, but I don't mind the bites.

Exactly what I needed, that's what I said this trip would be. I left Toronto confused, my only thoughts those of escape, and I returned with certainty in my steps. The path ahead can be seen for miles, though the sharp rocks are sure to cut my feet. I must pause now, take a breath and brace myself for the pain.

And in just a few weeks, I will surely know pain.


Your Turn
40
Vote
Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Prompt of the Week: Losing You

August 17th 2010 12:07

Photo from: Nathan F's photostream on Flickr

[ Click here to read more ]
46
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Looking in the Mirror

August 10th 2010 12:30
Mirror
Looking in the Mirror


For the first time today when I looked in the mirror I liked what I saw. She's strong and I like the fire behind her blue eyes. She's got smooth flowing red hair that's slowly turning blonde, bleached by the sun's rays. She's got long well muscled legs that someday would be great in a martial art. You can tell by her grin that she's a little bit evil, but it's easy enough to look innocent. She could sit there all day and make cute faces; she'd have the whole world kneeling before her by the time she was done. Or maybe not, who knows


[ Click here to read more ]
48
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


What Counts as Writing Time?

August 9th 2010 12:59
When creating and following a writing schedule, you must also decide what to include in your writing time. This will vary greatly depending on the kinds of writing that you do. For a writer of non-fiction or even historical novels, research is so essential to writing that it takes up writing time. For a high fantasy writer, worldbuilding is essential so it takes up writing time. For a blogger, sometimes even things like email are part of 'writing time'.

I have two different kinds of writing time: fiction writing time and blogging time. My fiction writing time is divided into worldbuilding, plot building, editing, and writing various short stories and novels. Blogging time is divided into writing posts, responding to comments, preparing workshops, and brainstorming. I've also started setting aside time for my other website and its blog


[ Click here to read more ]
65
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (8)Comments (8) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Prompt Of The Week

August 3rd 2010 12:36
Today's prompt is:

Dreams
[ Click here to read more ]
76
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Dianna G - Category: Poetry, Writing Exercises
   


Prompt of the Week

July 27th 2010 12:12
Today's Prompt Is:


[ Click here to read more ]
61
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (1)Comments (1) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Dianna G - Category: Short Fiction, Writing Exercises
   


Prompt Of The Week

July 20th 2010 12:25
Today's prompt is:

Write 500 words about falling in love
[ Click here to read more ]
71
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Prompt Of The Week

July 13th 2010 12:58
Today's prompt is:

Write 500 words about kittens.
[ Click here to read more ]
134
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Dianna G - Category: Short Fiction, Writing Exercises
   


A Couple Blogs

July 9th 2010 12:44
Today I don't have much for you, just two blogs and some news about my personal life.

I'll start with the links so if you don't care you can ignore my personal b****hfest


[ Click here to read more ]
73
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Prompt Of The Week

July 7th 2010 12:57
Sorry that today's prompt is a day late. Today's prompt comes from something that happened to me earlier this week. First I'll give you the prompt and then the backstory:

Pick one of your best remembered dreams and turn it into a short story.
[ Click here to read more ]
146
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Prompt Time

June 29th 2010 12:13
Today's prompt is:

Write 500 words to the prompt 'Taking Risks'
[ Click here to read more ]
112
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (6)Comments (6) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Dianna G - Category: Writing Exercises
   


5 Great Blog Posts

June 25th 2010 11:16
I mentioned earlier this week that due to my wrist, I won't be posting as much here. However, though I will be focusing my writing on other things, and I will be writing less, I'll be reading more than ever. This week I've read some amazing blog posts that I would like to share with you:

~Dear Muse: is a correspondence between author and muse in which the muse is fired. The muse then comes back with a letter asking why the writer doesn't look at their own actions


[ Click here to read more ]
91
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


My Summer Writing Goals...

June 23rd 2010 12:05
Summer has, for most students at least in the GTA, officially begun. My school ended on Monday and now I lie in wait for marks... but what will I be writing this summer? I've got big plans for Fictional Worlds and for my website and I'm hoping that summer will give me the time I need to put a lot of these plans into motion.

What's coming up in my writing life


[ Click here to read more ]
113
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


The Writing Olympics

June 22nd 2010 12:19
I've only just discovered the 2010 Writing Olympics over at YoungWritersOnline.net, which has just begun. I won't be participating but it sounds like a fantastic set of writing challenges. Follow the links to find out more:

~How It Works: A Brief Explanation for the Proceedings of the Olympics
[ Click here to read more ]
94
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Freedom is Painful

June 21st 2010 12:31
Well I finished school on Friday... all of my assignments have been completed and now I get to sit and wait for marks.

What else happened on Friday? I woke up in lots of pain. Where was the pain? If you guessed wrist, you're close-my entire hand seized up, and it's been hurting ever since. Tomorrow I'm going to look into the matter of getting myself a proper family doctor with the hopes that I can be sent to a specialist before July is over. It's no longer just painful, it's become almost crippling


[ Click here to read more ]
109
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Creating a Fictional Blog

June 4th 2010 12:59
A fictional blog and a blog about fiction are far from being the same thing. This blog is a blog about fiction; a fictional blog is written from the point of view of one character and is essentially that character's blog. Depending on the context of your character's life, you may or may not allow comments. Comments should be responded to in character. It's a great way to get some publicity for your writing and your character.

What does this have to do with your Dear Diary project? Well, given a little bit of editing, your Dear Diary might make an excellent beginning for a fictional blog. It may have its own story arc, but that doesn't mean you can't add more to it as you go along


[ Click here to read more ]
71
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (3)Comments (3) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Mining Your Dear Diary Project for Short Story Ideas

June 3rd 2010 12:54
There are a thousand and one things you can do after having written a Dear Diary Project. One of these is to examine your Dear Diary project closely, looking for ideas that can be turned into short stories.

For example, you might have discovered a crucial fact about your character but not have explored it fully. Now is the time to take that crucial fact and ask who, what, where, when, why, and how. You might discover an abusive relationship in their past, a friend's death, or even a beautiful moment that kept them going when times were dark. Explore those things and follow them to their natural conclusions; you might just find a great story arc


[ Click here to read more ]
76
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (3)Comments (3) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


What Next: Profiles and Biographies

June 2nd 2010 12:46
What can you do with your Dear Diary project? Well, before looking at what can be done with the Dear Diary project itself, let's take a look at what can be done with all the information you got from your project.

Those of you who have been reading Fictional Worlds for a while may be familiar with my Expanded Character Profiles. In fact, you may have even filled a good chunk of one out for your Dear Diary character. You may have been missing large portions of this profile before. Now is your chance to fill out the entire profile


[ Click here to read more ]
78
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Next Page (21-40)



[ Fictional Worlds Home ] [ Create A New Post ]

Dianna G's Blogs

5756 Vote(s)
158 Comment(s)
105 Post(s)
Moderated by Dianna G
Copyright © 2006 2007 2008 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]