So, working on a giant pile of reading homework, and realize that the paper I have due tomorrow is longer than I thought, and even requires references. So, what do I do? Procrastinate and write a blog post!
I just thought of this. In a middle school English class, the teacher gave us a writing assignment. Thinking back to it, it would be fun to do now that we're all better writers than we were in middle school.
So, here goes.
You're writing a letter to an alien. Someone who has no idea what a human looks like.
How would you describe your hand to them?
~*~
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
References for Writers
Here is a list of useful sites for writers. Books too. There might be a bit of overlap with my "books to read/ stuff to watch" list.
Some of the books are excellent. Some of the books are the only ones I have on the topic, and there may well be better ones that I don't know of.
Some of the books are excellent. Some of the books are the only ones I have on the topic, and there may well be better ones that I don't know of.
And some of these I read a very long time ago. They may be outdated, or I've realized they're not as good references as I once thought. So use your best judgement! And I'll work on keeping it updated.
Writing/World building
A list of Limyaael's rants on writing fantasy
Fantasy worldbuilding questions
A fantasy worldbuilder (Just scroll down and click to download the PDF)
Elements of Setting
Some articles about different aspects of writing.
Query Letters that Get Manuscript Requests
How to Write a (fiction) Book Proposal
Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published
Writing a Novel Synopsis
How to Find a Literary Agent for Your Book
Query Shark - all about writing a query letter.
Publisher's Marketplace
How to Ensure 75% of Agents Will Request Your Material
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A blog called the Bookshelf Muse. Now moved to Writers Helping Writers.
Here's some posts from The Bookshelf Muse:
-A list of emotions
-Theme
-Describing appearance
-Critiques
-Tension
-Taglines
-Marketing 1
-Marketing 2
-Character reactions
~
A website called Springhole, with writing and role-playing tips. Here's a few of their posts I liked:
~Problems with hair and clothes
~Royal people
~Masculine
~Gender
~Random name generators
~Names
~
Five Traps and Tips for Character Development
A website called Writer's Corner plus a couple helpful articles I found on it: character voice and outlining a story
Developing fantasy languages
And more fantasy language stuff, looking at Tolkein's work
Character interview questions I both found and wrote
Information on names.
The Artist's Way, by Cameron
The Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspiration for Writing, by Wood
The Writer's Idea Book: How to Develop Ideas for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Screenplays, by Heffron
Showing and Telling: Learn how to Show and when to Tell for Powerful and Balanced Writing, by Alberts
The Writer's guide to psychology, by Kaufman
The Emotion Thesaurus, by Ackerman and Puglisi
The Positive Trait Thesaurus and the Negative Trait Thesaurus, both by Ackerman and Puglisi
The Essential Guide for new Writers, by Storey.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Browne and King
The Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, by Bykofsky and Sander
The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book, by Susan Page
Successful critiques
Poetry
Poemcrazy, by Wooldridge
The Discovery of Poetry, by Mayes
Kokinshu (Japanese poetry)
Science Fiction
The Writer's Guide to Creating a Science Fiction Universe, by George Ochoa and Jeffrey Osier
Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy: 20 Dynamic Essays by Today's top Professionals (there's not really any fantasy stuff in this book - it's all sci fi)
Space Travel: A Writer's Guide to the science of interplanetary and interstellar travel, by Bova and Lewis
Aliens and Alien Societies: A Writer's Guide to Creating Extraterrestrial Life-forms, by Bova and Schmidt
World-Building: A writer's guide to constructing star systems and life-supporting planets, by Gillett
Wilhelm and Mathison, Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide
The Wildlife of Star Wars
Fantasy
The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference, by Brooks and others.
Fantasy Encyclopedia, by Judy Allen. There's also a book about strange things in the world, by the same author. It's called Unexplained. Some interesting ideas to spark stories.
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, by Matthews
Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien
The Book of Yokai: Mysterious creatures of Japanese folklore, by Foster
Flights of Fancy: Birds in myth, legend, and superstition, by Tate
An article about the different genres of fantasy
Dracopedia, by O'Connor
Dragonology: The Complete book of dragons. They have a whole series of fun books, like about Egypt, pirates, and fairies
The Unicorn, by Hatahway
Encyclopedia of Gods: Over 2,500 Deities of the world. By Jordan
A Practical Guide to Dragons
O'Connor, Dracopedia The Great Dragons
Culture, History, and Places
Disclaimer: Some of these sources are not very respectful to the cultures they discuss - the reason they're listed here is because they're views into the past of some countries, before they were more altered by outside forces.
A timeline of inventions, so you know what to include in your story
A World History Encyclopedia
Two in the Far North, by Murie
There is a company called "The Great Courses" that has DVD sets of many different topics. They're like a semester of classes packed into DVDs.
Festivals Together: A Guide to Multi-cultural Celebration, by Fitzjohn, Weston, and Large
Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Diamond
A book series called The Culture and Customs of Asia.
A book series called Culture Smart
Japan:
A website about Japanese clothing.
Simon and Schuster's guide to Bonsai
Japanese Homes and their Surroundings, by Morse
Palaces of Kyoto, by Ishikawa
Flower Arrangement Art of Japan, by Wood
The Art of the Japanese Garden, by Young
Shogun: The Shogun Age Exhibition, from the Tokugawa Art Museum
Journey to the Heart of Aikido, by Holiday
Aikido: Its Heart and Appearance, by Saito
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture, by Benedict
The Japanese Arts and Self-Cultivation, by Carter
Becoming Bamboo, by Carter
Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Roots, by Picken
The Book of Tea, by Okakura
Wabi-Sabi: For artists, designers, poets, and philosophers, by Koren
Zen in Japanese Culture, by Suzuki
Ki in Daily Life, by Tohei
Japanese Swordsmanship: Technique and Practice, by Warner and Draeger
The Craft of the Japanese Sword, byYoshihara
Bushido: the soul of Japan, by Nitobe
Hiroshima, Hersey. Stories from survivors of the nuclear bomb that hit Hiroshima
Understanding Japan: A Cultural History (Great Courses series)
The Japanese Woman: Traditional Image and Changing Reality, by Iwao
Modern Japan Through its Weddings, by Edwards
With Respect to the Japanese: Going to Work in Japan, by Condon and Masumoto
Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien
The Book of Yokai: Mysterious creatures of Japanese folklore, by Foster
Japanese Yokai and other supernatural beings, by Marks
China:
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, by Chang
The Great Gardens of China, by Xiaofeng
China, by Bailey, Knapp, Neville-Hadley, Roberts, and Steinhardt
Chinese Ornament, L'Aventurine
Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang
China's Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty, Benn
Daily Life in the Forbidden City, by Yi, Shuqing, and Yanzhen
Dress in Hong Kong, by Szeto
5,000 years of Chinese Costume, by Chunming
Ruling from the Dragon Throne: Costume of the Qing Dynasty, by Vollmer
China's Sacred Sites, by Shunxun and Foit-Albert
Huangshan Mountains, World Cultural and Natural Heritage
Chinese Paintings, from the China Council for Promotion of International Trade
Chinese Painting, by Chow
Folk Customs of China, Huanxing
Jade, Palmer
Book of Songs (Chinese Poetry)
Tibet:
Tibet: The Secret Continent, by Peissel
My Tibet, by Rowell
Tibet: A Handbook, by Hoffmann
Tibet: A Guide to the Land of Fascination, by Majupuria
A Portrait of Lost Tibet, by Tung
The People of Tibet, by Bell
Nomads of Western Tibet: The Survival of a Way of Life, by Goldstein and Beall
Palace on the World's Rooftop: The Potala Palace of Tibet
Folk Cultures of Tibet, by Chophel
Tibet is my Country, by Norbu and Harrer
Seven Years in Tibet, by Harrer
India:
India Unveiled, by Arnett
A World of Food: India, by Ganeri
Being Different, by Malhotra
My India, by Corbett
Sacred Horses: The memoirs of a Turkmen cowboy (about Turkmenistan)
Saudi Notes: Two years in the kingdom, by Neale
Europe:
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Royal Britain, by Phillips
Medieval Combat: A fifteenth-century manual of swordfighting and close-quarter combat, by Talhoffer
Renaissance Swordsmanship: The illustrated use of rapiers and cut-and-thrust swords, by Clements
The Complete Renaissance Swordsman: A guide to the use of all manner of weapons, by Manciolinos
Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated methods and techniques, by Clements
The Medieval Longsword, by Windsor
The Beginner's Guide to the Longsword: European martial arts weaponry techniques, by Fick
Venetian Rapier: The school, or salle, by Giganti
The Art of Falconry, by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen
The High Middle Ages: 1200-1550, by Rowley
The Wars of the Roses, by Hallam
The Age of Plantagenet and Valois, by Fowler
The Wise King: A Christian Prince, Muslim Spain, and the Birth of the Renaissance, by Doubleday
Saint Fernando III, by Fitzhenry
Daily Life depicted in the Cantigas de Santa Maria, by Keller and Cash
Vatican City, by Roncalli
Scythian Gold, by Reeder
Lovely is the Lee, Gibbings (Ireland)
Scotland: A concise history, by Maclean
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, by Hamilton (Greek Mythology)
Heroes, Monsters, and Other Worlds from Russian Mythology, by Warner
Searching for Bobby Fischer, Waitzkin (Communist Russia)
North America - the traditional:
Handbook of North American Indians, by Sturtevant (A huge multi-volume set)
Stars of the First People: Native American star myths and constellations, by Miller
North American Indian Arts, by Whiteford
Great Speeches by Native Americans, by Blaisdell
American Indian Healing Arts: Herbs, rituals, and remedies for every season of live, by Kavasch and Baar
American Indian Medicine, by Vogel
American Indian Dances: Steps, rhythms, costumes, and interpretation, by Squires and McLean
Arts and Crafts of the Native American Tribes, by Johnson and Yenne
Good Medicine: Traditional dress issue, by Hungry Wolf
19th Century Plains Indian Dresses, by Jennys
The Indian Tipi: Its history, construction, and use, by Laubin
Tipis, Tepees, Teepees: History and design of the cloth Tipi, by Holley
Focus on Feathers: A Complete Guide to American Indian Feather Craft, by Forsythe
Pow-Wow: Dancers and Craftworker's Handbook, by Hungry Wolf
Native American Weapons, by Taylor
Making Indian Bows and Arrows... the old ways, by Spotted Eagle
American Indian Archery, by Laubin
Native American Survival Skills, by Hunt
Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills: Naked into the wilderness , by McPherson
Native American Games and stories, by Bruchac and Bruchac
Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and Management of California's Natural Resources, by Anderson
The World We Used to Live In, by Deloria
The Ways of my Grandmothers, by Hungry Wolf (about the Blackfoot people)
The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture, by Ewers
Lone Bull's Horse Raid, by Goble
All Our Relatives, by Goble
Black Elk Speaks, by Neihardt and Black Elk (About the Sioux)
The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's account of the seven rites of the Ogalala Sioux, by Brown
Apaches: A history and culture portrait, by Haley
Arts, Cultures, and Lives of the Plains Indian People: Memory and Vision, by Hansen
The Plains Indian Warbonnet: Its story and construction, by Hardin
The Arapaho, by Kroeber
The Cheyenne Indians: Their history and lifeways, by Grinnell
The Lost Universe: Pawnee life and culture, by Weltfish
The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains, by Wallace and Hoebel
The Original People: The ancient culture and wisdom of the Lenni-Lenape People, by Quiet Thunder and Vizzi
A Lenape-English Dictionary, by Brinton and Anthony
Florida's First People: 12,000 years of human history, by Brown
Let me be Free: The Nez Perce Tragedy, by Lavender
Book of the Hopi: the first revelation of the Hopi's historical and religious world-view of life, by Waters
Sharing the Skies: Navajo Astronomy, by Maryboy and Begay
Iroquois: People of the longhouse, by Johnson
Ojibway Ceremonies, by Johnston
Lakota Belief and Ritual, by Walker
Indian Clothing of the Great Lakes, by Hartman
Beginning Cherokee, by Holmes and Smith
Anasazi: Ancient People of the Rock, by Pike
Handbook of the Indians of California, by Kroeber
The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco - Monterey Bay Area, by Margolin
California Indians and their Environment, by Lightfoot and Parrish
We Are the Land: A History of Native California, by Akins and Bauer Jr.
The California Indians, by Heizer and Whipple
The First Spanish Entry into San Francisco Bay: 1775, by Vicente Maria
Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest, by Judson
The Northern Shoshone, by Lowie
Mountain Maidu People of Tasmam Kojom, by Benner-Ogle
The Paiute, by Franklin and Bunte
Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast, by Stewart
Indian Artifacts of the Northwest Coast, by Stewart
Indian Fishing: Early methods on the Northwest Coast, by Stewart
Indians of the Northwest Coast, by Goddard
Kumeyaay Ethnobotany: Shared heritage of the Californias, by Wilken-Robertson
The Early Ethnography of the Kumeyaay, by Shackley
Kwakiutl Ethnography, by Boas
Kwakiutl Art, by Hawthorn
The Quinault Indians and Adze, Canoe, and House Types of the Northwest Coast, by Olson
Haida Monumental Art: Villages of the Queen Charlotte Islands, by MacDonald
Cedar: Tree of life to the Northwest Coast Indians, by Stewart
Tillamook Indians of the Oregon Coast, by Sauter and Johnson
The Chinook Indians: Traders of the Lower Columbia River, by Ruby and Brown
Chinookan Peoples of the Lower Columbia, by Boyd, Ames, and Johnson
Chinook Resilience: Heritage and cultural revitalization on the lower Columbia River, by Daehnke
The Shasta Indians of California and their Neighbors, by Renfro
Shasta Indian Tales, by Holsinger
The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Salish Weaving, by Gustafson
Tsimshian Culture: A light through the Ages, by Miller
The Tsimshian Indians and their Arts, by Garfield and Wingert
The Wolf and the Raven: Totem poles of southeastern Alaska, by Garfield and Forrest
Trail to Heaven: Knowledge and Narrative in a northern native community, by Ridington (Dunne-za)
The Makah Indians: A study of an Indian tribe in modern American society, by Colson
The Sea is my Country: the maritime world of the Makahs, an indigenous borderlands people, by Reid
Crossroads of the Continents, by Fitzhugh and Crowell
Hunters of the Northern Forest: Designs for survival among the Alaskan Kutchin, by Nelson
Make Prayers to the Raven: A Kokuyan view of the northern forest, by Nelson
North America - the modern:
San Francisco: A Natural History, by Gaar and Miller
San Francisco: Building the Dream City, by Alexander and Heig
1500 California Place Names: Their origin and meaning, by Bright
The Wright Brothers, by McCullough
The Klondike Fever, by Berton
Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass, by Paulsen
The American Civil War - The Great Courses DVD series
South America:
Lost City of the Incas, by Bingham
The Conquest of the Incas, Hemming
Sonqoykipi Apakuway: Welcome to the land of the Inkas, by Casas
The Enchanted Amazon Rainforest: Stories from a vanishing world, by Smith
Through Amazonian Eyes, : The human ecology of Amazonian populations, by Moran
The Wanano Indians of the Brazilian Amazon, by Chernela
Medicine Men: Their plants and rituals in the Colombian Amazonia, by Schultes and Raffauf
Africa:
African Warriors, by Magor (Samburu people)
The Samburu, by Spencer
The Samburu, by Spencer
An Introduction to Ancient Egypt, by James
Life in Ancient Egypt, by Erman
Life in Ancient Egypt, by Erman
Egyptian Life, by Stead
Everyday Life in Egypt in the days of Ramesses the Great, by Montet
See Inside an Egyptian Town, by Unstead
Dwellers of the Nile, by Budge
Ancient Egyptian Jewelry, by Andrews
Art and Craft
This is an online stopwatch to keep track of how long you work and what you're earning, for all you artists.
The Woodworkers, and The Blacksmith. These two books by Kalman talk about how things were done in the colonial days. They're aimed at kids, but they're very informative with good pictures.
Art Nouveau Jewelry, by Becker
Clocks and Watches: British Museum, by Tait
How California Adobes were Built in the 1830's, by Delgado and Wade
Obata's Yosemite, Driesbach and Landauer
Antoni Gaudi, by Permanyer
Focus on Feathers: A complete guide to American Indian feather craft, by Forsythe
Faux Surfaces in Polymer Clay: 30 techniques and projects that imitate precious, stones, metals, wood, and more, by Dean
The Mosaic Idea Book, by Wates
The Complete Guide to Home Mosaics
Macramé: The craft of creative knotting for your home, by Zedenius
Fun with Chinese Knotting, by Chen
Origami Bonsai: Create beautiful botanical sculptures from paper, by Coleman
Contemporary Japanese Prints, by Smith
Traditional Indian Crafts, by Smith
Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing, by Adrosko
The Art of Calligraphy, by Harris
The Art of Basketry, by Lonning
Wheat Weaving and Straw Art, by Beiler
Creative Native American Beading, by Geary
Finger weaving: Indian braiding, by Turner
A Bag Worth a Pony: The Art of the Ojibwe Bandolier Bag, by Anderson
Gourd Art Basics: The complete guide to cleaning, preparation, and repair, by Mohr
How to make Drums, Tomtoms, and Rattles, by Mason
Buckskin: The ancient art of braintanning, by Edholm and Wilder
The Complete Book of Tanning Skins and Furs, by Churchill
Deerskins into Buckskins: How to tan with natural materials, by Richards
Blue Mountain Buckskin: A working manual, by Riggs
The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, by Juranitch
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth, by Loomis
Avatar The Last Airbender: The Art of the Animated Series
Studio Ghibli Art Books
McCarthy, Hayao Miyazaki Master of Japanese Animation
Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, by Thomas and Johnston
The Legend of Zelda Hyrule Historia
Okami Official Complete Works
The Art of Fullmetal Alchemist (series)
Fullmetal Alchemist Profiles
The Art of Amy Brown
Shaman: The paintings of Susan Seddon Boulet
Peffer, Dragonart
Peffer, Dragonart Evolution
Wissman and Laichas, Dragonworld
Pui-Mun Law, Dreamscapes Magical Menagerie
Aymer, Dragon Art: Inspiration and Technique in Fantasy Art
Hamm, Drawing the Head and Figure
Peck, Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist
Cyclopedia Anatomicae, By Feher
Leslie, Nature Drawing: A Tool for Learning
Weatherly, The Weatherly Guide to Drawing Animals
The Artist's Guide to Animal Anatomy: An Illustrated reference to drawing animals
Hamm, How to draw Animals
Hultgren, The Art of Animal Drawing
Foster. They have a series of large art books, which have great info and pictures in them.
Wilwerding, Cats in Action
Poole, Simple Landscape Painting
Kowalski, Discover the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross
Aylward, Ships and How to draw them
Health
First Aid/CPR/AED Participant's Manual, by the American Red Cross
The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health, by Montgomery and Bikle
Change your Brain, Change your Body, by Amen
Living in a Mindful Universe, by Alexander
The Power of Now, by Tolle
Level Up Your Life, by Kamb
Nerdfitness
-Top Posts
-But I don't have time...
-Interval Training
-Beginner workout
-Running
-Barefoot running
-Tabata training
-Parkour
-Biking
-Yoga
-Squats
-Pull ups
-Pushups
-Helping Others
-Working with a friend
-Breakfast
-Protein
-Meals
-Intermittent Fasting
-Paleo diet
-Small steps
-Lose weight
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(And some books for designing magical systems)
Zapped, by Gittleman. Electric and internet signals can impact your health Check it out.
The Comprehensive guide to Self-Defense, by Chen. This was written by a friend of my Dad's. I took his self-defense class. This book describes things well.
Basic Rockcraft, by Robbins
The Astrology of the Seers: A Guide to Vedic (Hindu) Astrology, by Frawley
How to Meditate, by Novak.
Hands of Light, by Brennan. This has a lot of stuff about auras, which is good reference if you want to write about healing in a magic society, ex. I got a lot of ideas from it.
Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art, by Stein. More great reference if you want to make magical healing. As are the following.
The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui, by Usui
Handbook of Vastu, by Babu
Feng Shui: The Chinese Art of Placement, Rossbach
Zapped, by Gittleman. Electric and internet signals can impact your health Check it out.
The Comprehensive guide to Self-Defense, by Chen. This was written by a friend of my Dad's. I took his self-defense class. This book describes things well.
Basic Rockcraft, by Robbins
The Astrology of the Seers: A Guide to Vedic (Hindu) Astrology, by Frawley
How to Meditate, by Novak.
Hands of Light, by Brennan. This has a lot of stuff about auras, which is good reference if you want to write about healing in a magic society, ex. I got a lot of ideas from it.
Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art, by Stein. More great reference if you want to make magical healing. As are the following.
The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui, by Usui
Handbook of Vastu, by Babu
Feng Shui: The Chinese Art of Placement, Rossbach
Chinese System of Food Cure: Prevention and remedies, by Lu
The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Murray and Pizzorno
The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Murray and Pizzorno
Food
Food Rules, by Pollan
Eating to Extinction: The world's rarest foods and why we need to save them, by Saladino
The Zero-Waste Chef, by BonneauThe Beginner's Guide to Dehydrating Food, by Marrone
The New Wildcrafted Cuisine, by Baudar
Forage, Harvest, Feast: A wild-inspired cuisine, by Viljoen
The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook, by Yun
Thought
Effective Communication Skills - series from The Great Courses
The Writer's guide to psychology, by Kaufman
An article about dreams
Environment
Eaarth: Making a life on a tough new planet, by McKibben
Reef, by Scubazoo
Planet Earth, by Fothergill
Tom Brown's Field Guide: Living with the Earth
Tom Brown's Field Guide:Wilderness Survival
The Amateur Naturalist, by Durrell
How to stay alive in the woods, by Angier.
A Handbook for Wilderness Survival, by Harris
Books by Joseph Cornell. He deals a lot with environmental education. Some of his books are Sharing with Nature with Children, and The Sky and Earth Touched Me.
The Weather, by Lynch.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Weather, by Ludlum
A Natural History of California, By Schoenherr
Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, by the Xerces Society
Atlas of the Biodiversity of California. By the State of California Department of Fish and Game
Cosmos, by Arditi and Lachieze-Rey. A book with pictures of outer space.
Animals
A list I made of a bunch of different animals.
Zoobooks. A series of kid books on many kinds of animals. They have good basic information.
Tom Brown's Field Guide: Nature Observation and Tracking
Tom Brown's Field Guide to the Forgotten Wilderness
A Key to the Skulls of North American Mammals, by Glass
Animal Skulls: A Guide to North American Species, by Elbroch
Mammal Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species, by Elbroch
Scats and Tracks of the Southeast, by Halfpenny and Bruchac
Bird Tracks and Sign: A guide to North American species, by Elbroch and Marks
Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks, by Murie and Elbroch
The Tracker's Field Guide, by Lowery
Animal Tracking Basics, by Young and Morgan
Stories in Tracks and Sign, by Gibbons
The Barron's pet owner's manuals
The New Complete Dog Book, by the American Kennel Club
The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds and Dog Care. By Larkin and Stockman.
Once a Wolf: How wildlife biologists fought to bring back the gray wolf, by Swinburne
Innocent Killers: A fascinating journey through the worlds of the hyena, the jackal, and the wild dog, by Van Lawick-Goodall
Small Wild Cats: The Animal Answer Guide, by Sanderson and Watson
The Wolverine Way, by Chadwick
In the Shadow of Man, by Goodall
Gorillas in the Mist, by Fossey
Some helpful information about horses.
Breeding and Training a Horse or Pony, by Sutcliffe
A Horse of Your Own: The Rider-Owner's Complete Guide, by Stoneridge
Communicating with Cues: The Rider's Guide to Training and Problem solving, by Lyons.
Horse, Follow Closely: Native American Horsemanship, by Pony Boy
Such is the Real Nature of Horses, by Vavra
Natural Horsemanship, by Parelli
Mustangs: Wild Horses of the West, by Hubert and Klein
The Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies, Pickeral
Encyclopedia of the Horse, Edwards
Horses and Horsemanship Through the Ages, by Gianoli
Getting in T-Touch: Understand and Influence Your Horse's Personality.
The Perfect Horse: The Daring US mission to rescue the priceless stallions kidnapped by the Nazis, by Letts
Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A field guide, by Emmons
Penguins: Natural History and Conservation, by Borboroglu and Boersma
Peterson field guide to birds
Falconry: Art and practice, by Ford
North American Falconry and Hunting Hawks, by Beebe and Webster
The Birder's Handbook, by Wheye
The Shorebird Guide, by O'Brien, Crossley, and Karlson
Field Guide to Birds of the Northern California Coast, by Stallcup and Evens
A Field Guide to the Birds of Peru, by Clements and Shany
Birds of Peru, by Schulenberg, Stotz, Lane, O'Neill, and Parker III
The Hummingbird Book: The complete guide to attracting, identifying, and enjoying hummingbirds, by Stokes
Owls of California and the west, by Peeters
Crows of the World, by Goodwin
The Warbler Guide, by Stephenson and Whittle
Peterson Field Guide to Warblers of North America, by Dunn and Garrett
The Backyard Chicken Keeper's Bible
Nestwatch - build bird houses
The Book of Eggs, by Hauber
Peterson Field Guide to North American Bird Nests, by McFarland, Monjello, and Moskowitz
A database of bird feathers
Bandedbirds.org: Report sightings of banded birds
In the Heart of the Sea: the epic true story that inspired Moby Dick, by Philbrick (whaling)
Elephant Seals: A comprehensive guide
A Field Guide to Snakes of Florida, by Tennant
Voyage of the Turtle: In pursuit of the earth's last dinosaur, Safina
Exploring Tidal Life Along the Pacific Coast: with emphasis on Point Reyes National Seashore, by Tierney, Ulmer, Waxdeck, Foster, and Eckenroad
Animals and Plants of Monterey Bay, by Klosterman
Seashore Animals of the Pacific Coast, by Johnson and Snook
Field Guide to Seashore Creatures, by Meinkoth
A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World, by Ebert, Dando, and Fowler
Pacific Salmon Filed Guide, by Godwin and Krkosek
Crustaceans, by Schmitt
The Crayfish, by Huxley
Borror and Delong's Introduction to the Study of Insects, by Triplehorn and Johnson
Principles of Insect Morphology, by Snodgrass
The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Insects, by Stanek
Western Forest Insects, by Furniss and Carolin
Field Guide to California Insects, by Will, Gross, Rubiinoff, and Powell
Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates: A Guide to North American Species, by Charney and Eiseman
Entomological Techniques: How to Work with Insects, by Peterson
Firefly encyclopedia of insects and spiders, by O’toole
Beetles, by Jones
Field Guide to the Beetles of California, by Evans and Hogue
Introduction to California Beetles, by Evans and Hogue
The Beetles of the Pacific Northwest, by Hatch
A Natural History of Ladybird Beetles, by Majerus, Roy and Brown
Dung Beetle Ecology, by Hanski and Cambefort
Medical and Veterinary Entomology, by Mullen and Durden
Medical Parasitology, by John and Petri
The Sucking Lice, by Ferris
Mosquitoes of California, by Bohart and Washino
Common Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Pacific Coast, by Walker
Termites: Biology and pest management, by Pearce
Ants: Their structure, development, and behavior, by Wheeler
The Cerambycidae of North America, by Linsley
The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, honey recipes, and other home uses
The Bees of the World, by Michener
Bees: A natural history, by O'Toole
The Honey Bee, by Gould
The Hive and the Honeybee, by Dadant and Sons
The Bees in your Backyard, by Wilson and Carril
Bee Genetics and Breeding, by Rinderer
The New Starting Right with Bees: a beginner's handbook on beekeeping, by Flottum and Summers
Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America's bees and butterflies, by the Xerces Society
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to your Garden, by Walliser
Xerces Society: About Monarch butterflies and planting plants to help them
Field Guide to Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions, by Shapiro and Manolis
Western Butterflies, by Opler and Wright
Butterflies of North America, by Brock and Kaufman
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies
Butterflies of the World, by Sbordoni and Forestiero
Basic Techniques for Observing and Studying Moths and Butterflies, by Winter Jr.
Silkworms, by Johnson
Bumble bees of the Western United States
Bee Basics: An introduction to our native bees
California Insects, by Powell and Hogue
Field Guide to Insects and Spiders and related species of North America, by Evans
Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States, by Capinera, Scott, and Walker
That Gunk on Your Car: A unique guide to insects of North America, by Hostetler
Insect Enemies of Western Forests, by Keen
Common Spiders of North America, by Bradley
Plants
Western Garden book, edited by Brenzel. There are several editions, and they go over the care of plants, mainly garden plants.
Back to Basics: A backyard guide to buying and working land, raising livestock, generating your own energy, enjoying your harvest, household skills and crafts and more, by Gehring
California Native Plants for the Garden, by Bornstein, Fross, and O'Brien
Re imagining the California Lawn, by Bornstein, Fross, and O-Brien
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region, by Spellenberg
Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, by Newcomb
Plants of the Coast Redwood Region, by Lyons and Cooney-Lazaneo
Pacific States Wildflowers, by Niehaus and Ripper
Peterson Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-central North America, by Peterson and McKenny
Common Backyard Weeds of the Upper Midwest, by Marrone
Wildflowers of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, by Boyd
A Pine Barrens Odyssey, Boyd
Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Forests, by Kricher
Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Trees, by Petrides
Climate-Wise Landscaping, by Reed and Stibolt
The Manual of Cultivated Orchid Species, by Bechtel, Cribb, and Launert
Grasses: An identification guide, by Brown
Grasses in California, by Beecher
Timber Press Pocket Guide to Bamboos, by Meredith
Fern Grower's Manual, by Hoshizaki and Moran
Encyclopedia of Ferns, by Jones
Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns, by Olsen
Botany in a Day: The patterns method of plant identification, by Elpel
100 Plants to feed the Monarch: Create a healthy habitat to sustain North America's most beloved butterfly, by the Xerces Society
100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide a healthy habitat to help pollinators thrive, by the Xerces Society
Pacific Seaweeds, by Druehl and Clarkston
Tom Brown's Field Guide: Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants
Wild Berries and Fruits: Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, by Marrone
Wild Berries and Fruits: Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, by Marrone
Wild Berries and Fruits: Minnesota, Rocky Mountain States, by Marrone
Wild Berries and Fruits: Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, by Marrone
The Bay Area Forager: Your guide to the edible wild plants of the San Francisco Bay Area, by Andler and Feinstein
Abundantly Wild: Collecting and cooking wild edibles of the Upper Midwest, by MarroneEdible Wild Plants: A North American field guide to over 200 natural foods, by Elias and Dykeman
The Forager's Harvest: A guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing edible wild plants, by Thayer
Edible Wild Plants: Wild foods from dirt to plate, by Kallas
Nature's Garden: A guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing edible wild plants, by Thayer
Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America, by Thayer
Edible and Useful Plants of California, by Clarke
Incredible Wild Edibles, by Thayer
Edible Wild Plants, by Elias and Dykeman
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America, by Peterson
Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants, by Nyerges
Stalking the Wild Asparagus, by Gibbons
Early Uses of California Plants, by Balls
A Handbook of Native American Herbs, by Hutchens
Indian Herbology of North America, by Hutchens
The Cherokee Herbal: Native plant medicine from the four directions, by Garrett
Cherokee Plants and their Uses: a 400 year history, by Hamel and Chiltoskey
Native Harvests: Recipes and botanicals of the American Indian, by Kavasch
How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine, and Crafts, by Densmore
Discovering Wild Plants: Alaska, Western Canada, the Northwest, by Schofield
Wild Remedies: How to forage healing foods and craft your own herbal medicine, by Foret and Han
Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, by Moore
Northeast Medicinal Plants: Identify, harvest, and use 111 wild herbs for health and wellness, by Neves
Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Eastern and Central North America, by Foster and Duke
Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West, by Moore
Medicinal Plants and Herbs, by Foster and Hobbs
Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in wild and not so wild places, by Brill and Dean
The Big Book of Backyard Medicine: The ultimate guide to home-grown herbal remedies, by Bruton-Seal and Seal
The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods, by Duke
Invasive Plant Medicine, by Scott
Wilderness Medicine, by Forgey
The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, by Easley and Horne
The Backyard Herbal Apothecary, by Young
Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A beginner's guide
A Modern Herbal, by Grieve
The Homesteader's Herbal Companion: the ultimate guide to growing, preserving, and using herbs, by Fewell
The Herbal Apothecary: 100 medicinal herbs and how to use them, by Pursell
The Herbal Kitchen, by McBride
Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, by Chevallier
The Earthwise Herbal: A complete guide to old world medicinal plants, by Wood
Healing Herbal Infusions: Simple and effective home remedies for colds, muscle pain, upset stomach, stress, skin issues and more, by Codekas
Peterson Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants, by Foster and Caras
Peterson Field Guide to Mushrooms, by McKnight
Mushrooms Demystified, by Arora
Mushrooms of Western North America, by Orr
National Audubon Society: Mushrooms of North America
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A comprehensive guide to the fungi of coastal Northern California, by Siegel and Schwarz
Mushrooms of the Northwest, by Marrone
Mushrooms of the Northeast, by Marrone
Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest, by Marrone
How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying, by Hyman
Mushrooming Without Fear, by Schwab
All That the Rain Promises, and More: A hip pocket guide to western mushrooms, by Arora
Composting: an easy household guide, by Scott
The Rodale Book of Composting, by Gershuny and Martin
Ideas for Magic Development
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. By Pitcairn.
The Healing Touch, by Fox.
The Tellington TTouch:A Breakthrough Technique to Tran and Care for your Favorite Animal. By Tellington-Jones and Taylor.
Homeopathic First Aid Treatment for Pets. These last few are good for animals in magic worlds.
The Healing Power of Gemstones, by Johari.
The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, by Kunz
Language of Flowers, by Greenaway
Magic and Medicine of plants, from Reader's Digest.
The Herbalist, from Meyerbooks.
Garden Spells: The Magic of Herbs, Trees, and Flowers, by Nahmad.
Herbs and Things, by Moore.
The Yoga of Herbs, by Frawley and Lad.
Amazing Real Life Coincidences, by Colligan
Psychic Pets and Spirit Animals, by FATE Magazine
The Strange World of Animals and Pets, by Gaddis
The Psychic Power of Animals, by Schul
Visitations from the Afterlife, by Lawson
Other
This is a blog post, that I'm putting here mainly for my own reference. It's just a (short) list of the few romances that I like in fiction.
Familiar Quotations, from Bartlett
Webster's Pocket Rhyming Dictionary
Roget's Pocket Thesaurus
I have this one book called the Random House Word Menu. It has big categories of words, arranged by topics. Good for brainstorming?
It might be handy to have some foreign language dictionaries
Friday, August 24, 2012
Shadows
So in response to Tara's previous post about your shadow, your other self, or perhaps your true self, whatever you want to call it, I've decided to post some random ideas I had about it. Not specifically about my own personal shadow, much too personal for the wide world of the internet, but more about the implications.
If your shadow is a part of you that is never or hardly seen by the "public", is that an indication of the true you? Does your shadow dictate what kind of person you are deep down? Or is it just one side?
As someone who has been trying to find the "not shadow" it presents a very odd question. Is your public face, really who you are? Everyone wears a facade, a mask of some sort to hide their true nature. A pleasant smile, a compliment, politeness, but behind that could be lurking the most ill-conceived malicious intent. But not to disparage the entire world think of this, someone who is rather scary, brash, mean, violent, is actually a rather happy, nurturing, caring person who suffers from being unable to express themselves well.
Then, just to make it even more complicated, we have the issue of people being multi-faceted, rather than having only two sides. What are those other sides? The ones that come raging up, or simmer quietly below the face you put on for the world every day. Or like Tara, who express the different sides via writing and characters. How many people can you make for each "shadow" of yourself? How are they different and how are they the same. Which stand more prominently in your behavior, and which shrink back?
The more I think about it the more I wonder.
If you are a terrible person, who's shadow/true self is actually a nice person, but it's not who you currently are, then what do you do? What do you do knowing that in actuality people do not like who you are now, but there exists within you someone they do like better. Does the shadow become a source of jealousy? Can you hate your shadow? Can you hate yourself?
And then what if your shadow is a terrible person? Someone that you constantly fear will come storming through all barriers that you put up, to wreak havoc on the people around you, the ones you love and care for? And it's someone you can't physically leave behind or run away from. Someone who's always there waiting, watching, ready to break past any locked doors you put them behind.
So...who are you really?
Are you the sum of your parts? Are you just one part of the whole?
Is who you are now, really you?
Or is it someone else?
Are you the shadow? Or the light?
Interesting questions to ponder. Questions I've pondered myself, with little to no answers. Self-identity is a rather big issue for those who, like myself, live in a place where food, shelter, warmth, and security is relatively stable. Seeing as how my biggest issue is psychological it means that I am not as concerned where my next meal will come from. I know it will come from the magical box called the refrigerator, rather than hunt/gather it myself. And seeing as whoever is reading this is on a computer, I think you may also eat from the magical box of the refrigerator.
So to wind down from this (I hope) thought provoking session, I'd like to discuss actual shadows. And what better way to do that than by talking about shadow puppets. Oh puppets...
But I'm not talking about your standard sleep over shadow puppets, oh no. I'm talking about the theater. Have you seen the puppets they have? It's ridiculous! Here's a few pics. These are Indonesian shadow puppet theater stuff. Check out the wiki article to learn more.
If your shadow is a part of you that is never or hardly seen by the "public", is that an indication of the true you? Does your shadow dictate what kind of person you are deep down? Or is it just one side?
As someone who has been trying to find the "not shadow" it presents a very odd question. Is your public face, really who you are? Everyone wears a facade, a mask of some sort to hide their true nature. A pleasant smile, a compliment, politeness, but behind that could be lurking the most ill-conceived malicious intent. But not to disparage the entire world think of this, someone who is rather scary, brash, mean, violent, is actually a rather happy, nurturing, caring person who suffers from being unable to express themselves well.
Then, just to make it even more complicated, we have the issue of people being multi-faceted, rather than having only two sides. What are those other sides? The ones that come raging up, or simmer quietly below the face you put on for the world every day. Or like Tara, who express the different sides via writing and characters. How many people can you make for each "shadow" of yourself? How are they different and how are they the same. Which stand more prominently in your behavior, and which shrink back?
The more I think about it the more I wonder.
If you are a terrible person, who's shadow/true self is actually a nice person, but it's not who you currently are, then what do you do? What do you do knowing that in actuality people do not like who you are now, but there exists within you someone they do like better. Does the shadow become a source of jealousy? Can you hate your shadow? Can you hate yourself?
And then what if your shadow is a terrible person? Someone that you constantly fear will come storming through all barriers that you put up, to wreak havoc on the people around you, the ones you love and care for? And it's someone you can't physically leave behind or run away from. Someone who's always there waiting, watching, ready to break past any locked doors you put them behind.
So...who are you really?
Are you the sum of your parts? Are you just one part of the whole?
Is who you are now, really you?
Or is it someone else?
Are you the shadow? Or the light?
Interesting questions to ponder. Questions I've pondered myself, with little to no answers. Self-identity is a rather big issue for those who, like myself, live in a place where food, shelter, warmth, and security is relatively stable. Seeing as how my biggest issue is psychological it means that I am not as concerned where my next meal will come from. I know it will come from the magical box called the refrigerator, rather than hunt/gather it myself. And seeing as whoever is reading this is on a computer, I think you may also eat from the magical box of the refrigerator.
So to wind down from this (I hope) thought provoking session, I'd like to discuss actual shadows. And what better way to do that than by talking about shadow puppets. Oh puppets...
But I'm not talking about your standard sleep over shadow puppets, oh no. I'm talking about the theater. Have you seen the puppets they have? It's ridiculous! Here's a few pics. These are Indonesian shadow puppet theater stuff. Check out the wiki article to learn more.
Another great writing blog
I have been AWOL from the blogging/internet world for a little too long perhaps. But just to prove that I have been doing something and that I do go on the internet here's great writing blog that I found while perusing the vast collection of blogger blogs.
Seeing as this is also a writing blog, I thought it'd be pertinent to talk about this new one. It's called The Bookshelf Muse and I have to say it's got some pretty neat stuff.
There's an emotion thesaurus, which lists particular traits, actions, or feelings of that particular emotion. There are quite a few emotion entries and it also comes in book form.
A weather thesaurus, which lists descriptions and emotions associated with weather.
Character traits thesaurus for, obviously, character traits. For example, diplomatic, courageous, worry wart, etc.
A Colors, Shapes, and Textures thesaurus
Settings Thesaurus
Symbolism Thesaurus
Plus a bunch of links and writing aids
There's also a Zombielicious Resources section
And this is only in the side bar clickable links section.
The actual main content and things that aren't accessible via the sidebar are extremely interesting and helpful as well. So for those of you who come to this blog for writing stuff I hope you enjoy The Bookshelf Muse. And for those of you who come from the shenanigans of myself and Tara, well I'll post again very briefly as I've been bad and neglecting the internet.
Seeing as this is also a writing blog, I thought it'd be pertinent to talk about this new one. It's called The Bookshelf Muse and I have to say it's got some pretty neat stuff.
There's an emotion thesaurus, which lists particular traits, actions, or feelings of that particular emotion. There are quite a few emotion entries and it also comes in book form.
A weather thesaurus, which lists descriptions and emotions associated with weather.
Character traits thesaurus for, obviously, character traits. For example, diplomatic, courageous, worry wart, etc.
A Colors, Shapes, and Textures thesaurus
Settings Thesaurus
Symbolism Thesaurus
Plus a bunch of links and writing aids
There's also a Zombielicious Resources section
And this is only in the side bar clickable links section.
The actual main content and things that aren't accessible via the sidebar are extremely interesting and helpful as well. So for those of you who come to this blog for writing stuff I hope you enjoy The Bookshelf Muse. And for those of you who come from the shenanigans of myself and Tara, well I'll post again very briefly as I've been bad and neglecting the internet.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Shadow
This something cool I read about in Poemcrazy.
Your Shadow.
Not that dim thing cast by sunlight and lamps.
This shadow is like another you. You shadow is the part of you that you don't reveal to other people. A part of you that doesn't often show its face. Maybe a part of you that your ashamed of and wish didn't exist.
Your assignment is to find your shadow. What is this other half of you that you don't speak too that often? How is it different from what you're normally like? Has it ever driven you to do anything surprising?
So, get to know your shadow.
Why don't you try writing something from your shadow's POV?
I think most of my shadow is sort of split up between a bunch of my characters.
I shattered my poor shadow...
Maybe that's why I have trouble picturing my shadow as a being.
Your Shadow.
Not that dim thing cast by sunlight and lamps.
This shadow is like another you. You shadow is the part of you that you don't reveal to other people. A part of you that doesn't often show its face. Maybe a part of you that your ashamed of and wish didn't exist.
Your assignment is to find your shadow. What is this other half of you that you don't speak too that often? How is it different from what you're normally like? Has it ever driven you to do anything surprising?
So, get to know your shadow.
Why don't you try writing something from your shadow's POV?
I think most of my shadow is sort of split up between a bunch of my characters.
I shattered my poor shadow...
Maybe that's why I have trouble picturing my shadow as a being.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Your Name as Poetry
I guess this post sort of builds off of the last one.
No doubt you've seen these before. You take a word, and write it down the page, with one letter per line. And then you write each line starting with that first letter.
So, you get to do that with your name!
Make each line speak about you.
No cheating on that first letter! be creative! An like that last exercise, see how much of yourself you can get onto the paper.
Fact of the day: Palm trees are actually a grass.
No doubt you've seen these before. You take a word, and write it down the page, with one letter per line. And then you write each line starting with that first letter.
So, you get to do that with your name!
Make each line speak about you.
No cheating on that first letter! be creative! An like that last exercise, see how much of yourself you can get onto the paper.
Fact of the day: Palm trees are actually a grass.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Write Yourself
Okay, next exercise.
Write yourself.
Maybe you want to start with "I am..." or "I like" or "I'm good at."
Start writing. See how far you can go.
What do you look like? What are you good at? What do you like to do?
There's plenty of directions you could take with this. It's something good to get you writing. Maybe it will even help you sort out things about yourself.
Write yourself.
Maybe you want to start with "I am..." or "I like" or "I'm good at."
Start writing. See how far you can go.
What do you look like? What are you good at? What do you like to do?
There's plenty of directions you could take with this. It's something good to get you writing. Maybe it will even help you sort out things about yourself.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Label a Picture
Next exercise! One I got directly from the book Poemcrazy. But I built on it too.
This isn't really a poem exercise. More like an exercise to get your imagination flowing. To make unusual and interesting connections.
Start with a picture. Something unusual and interesting. Something that could potentially say a lot, even if you don't know what.
This is a picture I took two days ago when Dad decided that he had to visit Sutter's Mill, where gold was discovered. The place where the Gold Rush was sparked.
I'm not sure if you can tell, but those are shoes hanging on each of the fence posts.
You can stage your own picture. The one I was originally planning to do is a scene from a story I'm planning. A single cut rose laying on the stairs.
Maybe something like a rusty key hanging on a hook. A dilapidated barn. A broken vase. A half-painted sculpture. you could think of any number of scenes.
Now, set up your scene and photograph it. Or draw it. Or find a picture of your scene on the internet, if you're really lazy.
And now for the second part of the exercise.
Write a list of words.
Words that have weight.
I'll give some examples. Some are stolen from a list in the book.
Wall
Mourn
Spring
Pretend
Skin
Begin
Reveal
Begin
Window
Door
Mask
Ask
Betray
Forgive
Any more suggestions of words I can add to this list?
Make your list as long as you want. Then find some way to pick a word randomly. Close your eyes and point to a word. Write them all down on little scraps of paper and choose one randomly. Give each one a number and use a random number generator. Whatever method appeals to you.
Now, all you have to do is label that picture with your word.
ASK
Here's the fun part. Tell us the story about why the picture is labeled that way. Maybe there's several possible stories.
Let's see. For mine, this is the first one that popped into my head.
If anyone asks this guy about his fence, he takes one of their shoes and adds it to his collection.
Expand it. Make it as long as you want. Maybe there's a whole story there.
Fact of the Day: Giant anteaters only spend three minutes at each termite mound. Two of those minutes are spent cracking the mound open. This is because there's only about three minutes before the "warrior" termites can get through the anteater's thick coat and start biting him.
This isn't really a poem exercise. More like an exercise to get your imagination flowing. To make unusual and interesting connections.
Start with a picture. Something unusual and interesting. Something that could potentially say a lot, even if you don't know what.
This is a picture I took two days ago when Dad decided that he had to visit Sutter's Mill, where gold was discovered. The place where the Gold Rush was sparked.
You can stage your own picture. The one I was originally planning to do is a scene from a story I'm planning. A single cut rose laying on the stairs.
Maybe something like a rusty key hanging on a hook. A dilapidated barn. A broken vase. A half-painted sculpture. you could think of any number of scenes.
Now, set up your scene and photograph it. Or draw it. Or find a picture of your scene on the internet, if you're really lazy.
And now for the second part of the exercise.
Write a list of words.
Words that have weight.
I'll give some examples. Some are stolen from a list in the book.
Wall
Mourn
Spring
Pretend
Skin
Begin
Reveal
Begin
Window
Door
Mask
Ask
Betray
Forgive
Any more suggestions of words I can add to this list?
Make your list as long as you want. Then find some way to pick a word randomly. Close your eyes and point to a word. Write them all down on little scraps of paper and choose one randomly. Give each one a number and use a random number generator. Whatever method appeals to you.
Now, all you have to do is label that picture with your word.
Here's the fun part. Tell us the story about why the picture is labeled that way. Maybe there's several possible stories.
Let's see. For mine, this is the first one that popped into my head.
If anyone asks this guy about his fence, he takes one of their shoes and adds it to his collection.
Expand it. Make it as long as you want. Maybe there's a whole story there.
Fact of the Day: Giant anteaters only spend three minutes at each termite mound. Two of those minutes are spent cracking the mound open. This is because there's only about three minutes before the "warrior" termites can get through the anteater's thick coat and start biting him.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Poem Exercise - Random Words
So, one of the poem exercises I mentioned a while ago.
This was inspired by the book Poemcrazy. Not an exact activity she mentioned, but one I pieced together from what I read.
Go somewhere interesting. Look around. Start writing words and short phrases describing what you see, smell, hear, and feel. Emotions, colors, ex.
When you have a decent-sized list, take all of your words and phrases and turn them into a poem. It can be completely nonsensical. Or maybe they actually form their own story.
My poem started out as nonsensical, but as I finished the first draft, I realized that it had a certain feel to it. It took me far too long to re-write it with that theme though.
I made my list as Dad and I were driving around town. Here's a list of the words I used in their original order (but you have to make your own list!)
Wrought-iron willows
Loft leftily
Whirlpool
Toxic buds
Down a storm drain
Artistically uneven
Firework flowers
Unraveling caution tape
Tall facades
Video game posters
Small silver fish
Crouching cat
Birds behind bars
Chewed-up dog toys
Anxious
Elegant
Askew
Faded
Flaking Paint
Outdated stores
Crinkling wrappers
Teriyaki
And I got this:
Tall facades,
Adorned by videogame posters
Stand tall,
Hulking shoulder-to-shoulder
Flanking the road.
Askew, artistically uneven bricks,
Crinkling wrappers,
Teriyaki smell.
Toxic buds
And firework flowers
Crowding elegant, wrought-iron willows.
Anxious cats
Crouching behind glass,
Birds behind bars.
Faded flaking paint,
Outdated stores
Longing for people
Fearing frayed, unraveling caution tape.
Spiraling leaves on a breeze
Loft loftily.
Cast from the sky
Soggy layer on water surface
Clinging to discarded chewed-up dog toys
Whirlpooling,
Sucked down the storm drain.
Would small silver fish
Trapped in a bowl
Rather live among soggy leaves?
Their choice between confinement and filth.
I'm still probably the only one this makes sense too. Oh well. It doesn't need to tell a story. It's just images. That's the main point of this exercise.
If anyone does one, post it on the blog! After all, most people would rather write poems than read them (Or so I've heard).
Want another challenge? Can you keep your words and phrases in the order in which you first wrote them down? That will give you something even more nonsensical. But who ever said that poems had to make sense?
Fact of the Day: Many factories that deal with fish are along the water. Obviously, since it's convenient for the fishing boats to make their deliveries. When they discard old fish parts, it attracts sea birds who are eager for scraps. The fish oil that's dumped from the factories can cling to a bird and have exactly the same effect on the animal that an oil spill would. Not to mention birds can get fish skeletons stuck in their throats.
This was inspired by the book Poemcrazy. Not an exact activity she mentioned, but one I pieced together from what I read.
Go somewhere interesting. Look around. Start writing words and short phrases describing what you see, smell, hear, and feel. Emotions, colors, ex.
When you have a decent-sized list, take all of your words and phrases and turn them into a poem. It can be completely nonsensical. Or maybe they actually form their own story.
My poem started out as nonsensical, but as I finished the first draft, I realized that it had a certain feel to it. It took me far too long to re-write it with that theme though.
I made my list as Dad and I were driving around town. Here's a list of the words I used in their original order (but you have to make your own list!)
Wrought-iron willows
Loft leftily
Whirlpool
Toxic buds
Down a storm drain
Artistically uneven
Firework flowers
Unraveling caution tape
Tall facades
Video game posters
Small silver fish
Crouching cat
Birds behind bars
Chewed-up dog toys
Anxious
Elegant
Askew
Faded
Flaking Paint
Outdated stores
Crinkling wrappers
Teriyaki
And I got this:
Tall facades,
Adorned by videogame posters
Stand tall,
Hulking shoulder-to-shoulder
Flanking the road.
Askew, artistically uneven bricks,
Crinkling wrappers,
Teriyaki smell.
Toxic buds
And firework flowers
Crowding elegant, wrought-iron willows.
Anxious cats
Crouching behind glass,
Birds behind bars.
Faded flaking paint,
Outdated stores
Longing for people
Fearing frayed, unraveling caution tape.
Spiraling leaves on a breeze
Loft loftily.
Cast from the sky
Soggy layer on water surface
Clinging to discarded chewed-up dog toys
Whirlpooling,
Sucked down the storm drain.
Would small silver fish
Trapped in a bowl
Rather live among soggy leaves?
Their choice between confinement and filth.
I'm still probably the only one this makes sense too. Oh well. It doesn't need to tell a story. It's just images. That's the main point of this exercise.
If anyone does one, post it on the blog! After all, most people would rather write poems than read them (Or so I've heard).
Want another challenge? Can you keep your words and phrases in the order in which you first wrote them down? That will give you something even more nonsensical. But who ever said that poems had to make sense?
Fact of the Day: Many factories that deal with fish are along the water. Obviously, since it's convenient for the fishing boats to make their deliveries. When they discard old fish parts, it attracts sea birds who are eager for scraps. The fish oil that's dumped from the factories can cling to a bird and have exactly the same effect on the animal that an oil spill would. Not to mention birds can get fish skeletons stuck in their throats.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Happy
I got a comment on my last fanfic chapter. The person said that reading my chapters made them happy.
Every now and then someone will tell me something like that. That they look forwards to my chapters, or that it makes them feel good.
Which makes me really happy! I'm happy that I'm able to make people feel good.
I get a different feeling when I'm reading a comment that saw something like "Awesome chapter." Although those are nice to read too.
Every now and then someone will tell me something like that. That they look forwards to my chapters, or that it makes them feel good.
Which makes me really happy! I'm happy that I'm able to make people feel good.
I get a different feeling when I'm reading a comment that saw something like "Awesome chapter." Although those are nice to read too.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Esther Day
So, when I was up at the writing retreat, I bought a book called Poemcrazy from the woman who came to talk to us. She signed it to me, and I started reading it on the way home from the retreat. And I just finished it a couple days ago. It's a really interesting book. It's given me a lot of ideas, obviously about poems, but it's gotten me thinking about plenty of other stuff too.
It's given me a lot of ideas for poems. Which, of course, is one of the main points of the book, including talking about the power of words. Some of the ideas I pieced together myself. Others I got directly from her.
So, once I actually finish them, I'll start writing about the ideas and sharing some of my poems. I've made notes on a bunch of them, but I haven't finished any of them yet since I spent every day this week with my cousins. And my youngest cousin Sera (on Mom's side, I have nine cousins, all younger than me, and Sera, the youngest is the only girl besides me) pretty much hung on me the entire time. She's about six. And it is fun to play with her, but she never runs out of energy. And her two older brothers are pretty active too.
They actually leave tomorrow morning, but yesterday was the last time I saw them since I volunteered today. I love them, of course, and it's fun to hang out with them on their visits, but I'm just ready to drop by the time they head home.
And, an announcement! Today is Esther Day! (If you're a Nerdfighter, you know what that means). Basically on Esther Day, you must tell everyone close to you that you love them. Especially parents, siblings, or anyone you wouldn't usually say "I love you" to. Friends and family, or boyfriend/girlfriend.
A common excuse:
"But I'm too old to say 'I love you' to my parents! And my brother's so annoying! Saying 'I love you' is too mushy!"
I don't care! Tell them anyway! The point of Esther Day is to tell those close to you that you love them. Because, like Esther, you never know when you'll someone. Tell them that you love them in case some terrible circumstance takes that chance away from you and makes you regret it.
So, I have an announcement.
I LOVE ALL YOU GUYS! THANKS FOR BEING SOOO AWESOME!!!!
It's given me a lot of ideas for poems. Which, of course, is one of the main points of the book, including talking about the power of words. Some of the ideas I pieced together myself. Others I got directly from her.
So, once I actually finish them, I'll start writing about the ideas and sharing some of my poems. I've made notes on a bunch of them, but I haven't finished any of them yet since I spent every day this week with my cousins. And my youngest cousin Sera (on Mom's side, I have nine cousins, all younger than me, and Sera, the youngest is the only girl besides me) pretty much hung on me the entire time. She's about six. And it is fun to play with her, but she never runs out of energy. And her two older brothers are pretty active too.
They actually leave tomorrow morning, but yesterday was the last time I saw them since I volunteered today. I love them, of course, and it's fun to hang out with them on their visits, but I'm just ready to drop by the time they head home.
And, an announcement! Today is Esther Day! (If you're a Nerdfighter, you know what that means). Basically on Esther Day, you must tell everyone close to you that you love them. Especially parents, siblings, or anyone you wouldn't usually say "I love you" to. Friends and family, or boyfriend/girlfriend.
A common excuse:
"But I'm too old to say 'I love you' to my parents! And my brother's so annoying! Saying 'I love you' is too mushy!"
I don't care! Tell them anyway! The point of Esther Day is to tell those close to you that you love them. Because, like Esther, you never know when you'll someone. Tell them that you love them in case some terrible circumstance takes that chance away from you and makes you regret it.
So, I have an announcement.
I LOVE ALL YOU GUYS! THANKS FOR BEING SOOO AWESOME!!!!
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