Blog

As you can see, I am excessively writing more posts in ten minutes than I usually do in three weeks. I am trying to make up lost time, or something. Also, I'm trying to get more people to read my blog. And I'm changing the font so I feel all hipster when I write bloggy stuff now. :) Love to all stay creative

Creativity Enhancing Music

I'm listening to some Creative Meditation something or other on youtube. It seems to be working for me kind of, but it may be the placebo effect or something. Thoughts? It's linked below if you want to try it out for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyqKoCiCBZc

Time

I'm going to be philosophical for a second and talk about time. I am currently struggling because I feel like I don't take time to do what really need to do. I found a great list (I'm sure there's many like this) of things to improve your emotional well being in ten minutes or less. It seems so simple and brilliant. Yet why can't I bring myself to do what I love, write, for at least 20 minutes a day? Why do I prioritize my time the way I do? 

Well, that's enough meta-me for now. I'll be posting some new work up soon to keep me motivated. Love to all stay creative! <3

Writing Ideas from Crazy Side of the Internet: Metaphors

Part Two of Writing Ideas from Crazy Side of the Internet

Today's edition: Bad Metaphors

I don't know if it was some sort of competition, or just weird high school students, but I found these hilarious examples of bizarre metaphors. Apparently most of them were actually found in papers from real high school students. But hey, it's the internet, so who knows?

I am attaching a few lists list of some examples to get you started, but feel free to google to find your own inspiration.

The prompt:
Write a short story under 750 words using one of the bad metaphors as a prompt. Or write your own to use. It's up to you. Have fun with it!

http://bethanyamandamiller.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/the-56-bestworst-analogies-written-by-high-school-students/

Currently in love with Neil Hilborn

So I have fallen in love with Neil Hilborn (Well, he's like 10 years older than me and I've only known him by watching his slam poems, but still). He is a slam poet that I have always respected but I just watched one of his poems, "The Future", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xUEg2WxGqQ and I could not get over his amazingness (is that a word?). So I think I'm going to try to write a poem for him based off one of his previous poems http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnKZ4pdSU-s, partly because he's amazing and partly because I think we suffer similar anxieties and we both use writing as an expression of our pain and awesomeness (seriously, I'm just making up words here). Alright, I'm going to do some other work now, love to all, stay creative <3

Crazy by Amy Reed

I just started reading this new young adult novel last night and I am already on page 92. It's really good and made me inspired to write. It's called "Crazy" by Amy Reed. It's written in email form and I think one the protagonists has Bipolar because that seems like the theme of the book but they haven't really diagnosed her or anything yet. I highly recommend it. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12493377-crazy?from_search=true

Writing Ideas from Crazy Side of the Internet: Ghost Movie

Here are some writing prompts based off of very odd posts I found, mostly on tumblr:

Write a ghost movie set in an unexpectedly mundane location, such as Walmart or Costco. It would probably be written satirically.

Prompts: Zombie Apocalypse in Costco
Walmart's secret insane asylum
Ghosts of lost childhoods in the spinning teacup ride

Writing....

The week is coming to a close...I'm gonna write a quick post summarizing my writing process so far. If anyone wants more details, I can send a more thorough summary if I actually can focus enough to write one. Oh, the struggles of the creative mind. Alright, summary:

Volunteer update: So far, I have volunteered about 5 hours for village project, a tutoring program at JCHS I did first semester. I am currently looking for opportunities to write or illustrate books as volunteer work; no luck so far but I'm still looking. If I can't find a program I like in the next week, I will start exploring and discussing with my keystone mentors ways to create my own volunteer plan or product.

Writing Time: Not doing so well on this front. I have been striving to write every day, but I just can't prioritize it with all my other immediate deadline work. I have been charting the time that I write each day. This week I've written about half an hour in total. Not great, not great at all. However, I have started carrying an ideas notebook to be able to write down basic plans when inspiration hits. I got some advice from a fellow writer who suggested writing in every spare moment, because you never know when you will write something awesome. I like that. It's not just forcing blocks of time, but also writing more as inspiration starts up again. Speaking of which...

Inspiration: I have been in such an inspirational state lately. Talia Young, a good friend of mine who is also an amazing slam poet, explained to me this state. The writer generally has two mindsets: Either everything is inspiration or there is no inspiration and you are completely in writer's block. I've been in a creative mindset, but have failed to actually focus enough to write in long blocks. I'm learning.

Research: I have been studying a lot about writing creatively. From character development to reading short stories to reexamining old work of mine, I have begun the process of learning the skills. Now all I have to do is actually sit down and write.

Alright, this is getting long. I will keep updates and post literary awesome stuff up here soon. Love to all! (Extra now that it's February 14) <3

Writer's Market 2014

Upon my request, Ms. Dorison (JCHS librarian) bought "2014 Writer's Market" for the JCHS library reference section. In it are tips and articles on publishing, and over 500 pages of publishers to submit to, noted in thorough, detailed posts including symbols on topics like how much they pay, if it is online, etc. I am so excited to use this resource for my keystone!!

Thursday...

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by” — Douglas Adams.

It’s Thursday and things are not going as easily as I would have hoped. So far this week, I think I have written for 20 minutes IN TOTAL, which means that I need to write more than three times how I am writing now. Here are my hypotheses on why I am so behind and how I can work to improve.

1. I am writing on the Marin bus ride to school. It’s a great idea, since I have about 40 minutes each way and I don’t get carsick. However, by the time I decide to take out my computer and start writing, the bus ride is halfway over AND I need to designate five minutes at the end to gather my stuff together. I think writing on the bus is a great idea, but right now I am just writing out of convenience, and so it is not prioritized as a routine or habit yet.

2. I consider other parts of my keystone higher priority than the creative writing product. Ironically, the product is the main part of my keystone; because it does not have a set outline and deadlines, and is more a daily task, I often overlook it in favor of other assignments with closer deadlines. 

3. As the reality of graduation comes closer, the task pile gets higher and higher. I had to pick my senior quote (which is awesome, I may do a writing prompt on it), create my senior half page, answer JCHS-related questions for my graduation packet blurb, etc. It is all so exciting and utterly terrifying at the same time. 

4. I am still hanging onto the belief that I can only write creatively when I am inspired. I am only inspired when I am relaxed and calm, which almost always means the five minutes before I fall asleep. And I need to prioritize sleep on weeknights; in addition, in that semi-conscious time I am never fully aware enough to realize if it is the night making all my ideas seem like good ones. So I just go to sleep. 

5. I am a writer; a writer procrastinates. I was going to write a full blog post about a quote related to writers and procrastination….Ironically, I procrastinated...this is my attempt for compensation. 

So, on that note, I am going to make a goal for today (my last day of writing before I have to sum up how my week was) to write, write, write. Write creatively, write for fun, write for my enjoyment. It is now written here so I have to make it happen :) . Also, I gotta plan better for next week; I gotta carve time into my day. Alright, stay creative love to all!

Rivka Dollinger

Focus (FINALLY)

2/5/14

So, if you have been keeping up with my blog, you may be noticing that I don’t really have a focus yet. Good news: now I do (finally)! While I am not completely sure what the final product will be, my Keystone project is going to be putting into practice my always looming goal of writing daily. My current plan is to write for 20 min a day five days a week, plus half an hour a week of learning writing skills, usually from the internet but occasionally from books. Some weeks I may a topic I choose to focus on, which in the first few weeks may be broad (i.e. character development, grammar and revision, etc.) or I may have more specific goals for some days or weeks (i.e. female characters, writing software, specific types of character, etc.).  Because this is getting long and even as an avid reader I can get bored reading lengthy notes and plans, this week’s plans, prompts, etc. will come in the next few blog posts. Enjoy and stay creative! Love to all.

Rebecca