Joseph Hunt's Blog, page 19

10 days left! It's Sunday!

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So I figured that because I've been posting about different things all the time. It's just whatever takes my fancy at the moment of writing, and so far in February Wednesdays have been LGBT days and Thursdays have been 'My Fiction Thursday'. Monday, Tuesday and Friday don't really have any specific job, but I've been providing fairly informative pieces and I've really enjoyed writing them, in fact I have a lot planned and scheduled for the future.



So that left me with Saturday and Sunday, and I didn't really want to post on the weekends, but I am anyway. Yesterday's post was a fun 'blog tagging' post, so I thought that I might as well go for a full week and use it to tell you guys what's been going in my life.



The other day I was asked, by Garden Summerland if I had a selection of poems like the ones I posted here (Love Poems -- My Fiction Thursday) and as it happens I am working on a collection of poems just like these. I've been working on it for a few weeks, most of these poems are very personal, but I think that's one of the reasons why people like them. Some of them revolve around being gay and the conflict inside, but then there are also some quite romantic ones. I do have a name for the collection, it's going to be called Heart Shaped Candies and I'm currently working on a cover for that...so hopefully within the next month I can give you guys more information on that.



Keeping with the LGBT and romance scene, I am happy to tell you that I have taken up my NaNoWriMo project again, Ice Cream Sundae...but it's going in a new direction with a totally new plot, I'm really excited to start writing that as well. I'm not sure if it's going to be a novella, or a full novel yet because I'm still trying to weave the plot and sub-plot.



Now, the news on Lumen - as many of you know, especially if you're following me on Facebook, Lumen is going through some changes, and by changes I mean additions, there are going to be a lot of new scenes added to Lumen because while I didn't write during November/December because of my laptop breaking etc. I did plan a lot of new scenes and I also planned extra detail into the future books, which meant going back to make sure the relevant details where in Lumen. Soooo that's what's been keeping me. I didn't want it to have taken me this long, but I do really want it to be out there for you guys before March 1st!



[EDIT: I almost forgot to tell you guys! I'm going to be vlogging....so that means I will be doing a vlog about Lumen to try and get some more of you pumped! And I'm also going to be doing an It Gets Better video for Wednesday's LGBT post! And if I'm feeling up to it, I might even make a vlog of me reading some poetry, maybe even for Thursday's My Fiction Thursday!]




Wish me good luck guys!


-Joseph




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Tag You're It!

When I was tagged last week...I was like, huh? What is this? But then I saw the post in which I was tagged in by Emily Moir and I finally understood what it meant.



Also, if you see the post on her blog, there was an error in the picture, it had "your" instead of "you're" so I found this one, courtesy of Google.






Emily's questions and my answers:



1. What is the strangest talent you have?

I'm ambidextrous and if I try I can write and draw at the same time...maybe not so much now though because you have to exercise it often.



2. Have you ever had a poem or song written about you? (If the answer is yes you totally have to give more details)

I haven't, but if you would like to write a poem about me then go ahead!



3. What's your strangest phobia?

People walking behind me. I hate it when people walk behind me.



4. What's your favorite, non computer related, time waster? TV! I will watch anything that is on and it's so bad because I can just watch without really watching and my eyes fill with haze.



5. What do miss most about being five-years-old? Not fearing what the world thinks about me, because I know what they think about gay people...and it disgusts me.



6. You know that time you called in sick to work, but not because you were sick, because you wanted to do something awesome? What was the awesome thing you did?

I've never called into work sick...probably because I don't have a job.



7. Do you find inspirational quotes, posters,etc. inspiring or annoying?

Inspiring, if you check out my Facebook page: Joseph's Writing, I post quotes on there all of the time (once a day) but only the ones I find inspiring.



8. Are you more likely to watch a video blog or read articles?

Both! In fact, I am working on creating some video blogs because there are a lot of people who do prefer them, so to get both angles and increase my social media standing.



9. What's your favorite book?

At the moment it is The Hunger Games!



10. What's your guilty pleasure?

TUMBLR! If you have a Tumblr account, you can follow me here: JosephThomasJames.



11. Two guys walk into a bar. What happens?


They're knocked unconscious. It was a pretty huge bar, made of iron.




TAG YOU'RE IT!





http://hedgehoggirl.blogspot.com/ - Fen McCallum



http://authornataliestar.blogspot.com/ - Natalie Star



http://merasyabooklist.blogspot.com/ - Mera Sampson



http://sabinaostman.blogspot.com/ - Sabina Ostman



http://madmaddij.blogspot.com/ - Madlen Hawthorne



http://dominiqueweldonsbooks.blogspot.com/ - Dominique Weldon



http://t-r-stoddard.blogspot.com/ - T. R. Stoddard



http://acostaeveli.blogspot.com/ - Eveli Acosta



http://katherinehawkings.blogspot.com/ - Katherine Hawkings

http://www.livpearce24.blogspot.com - Olivia Pearce





I have a set of questions, and once you've done them and posted it to your blog, please link me to it!




My questions for you!



1. Tell me something about you that most people don't know.


2. Did you dream last night?


3. Type of music you dislike most?


4. Is the glass half empty or half full?


5. Do you touch-type?


6. Do you sing in the shower?

7. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

8. Do you believe in love at first sight?

9. What inspires you?

10. What book are you reading at the moment?




And if you've been tagged, then you know what that means....you need to get answering these questions! I would like you to all answer these questions because some of them are really good!




-Joseph




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10 Top Tips to Raising Your Writer Profile!

I've been asked quite a lot over the passed couple of weeks how I've managed to build my internet presence without having published, so I compiled a list of my 10 top tips! This is not a tip...but I think you have to be passionate about writing and if you are, it will show!



I have compiled a list of the 10 things that you need to do in order to raise your profile as a writer. These are in no order, only the order that I wrote them down.



1. Get Facebook - if you don't belong to Facebook then you are losing out on a huge social network where you can build relationships with other writers and you may even find some people who will beta read your work. I would also suggest creating a Facebook page, although a personal page is fine, you can connect with more people through a page. There are also groups on Facebook, so if you search for "aspiring authors" or "writers" you are sure to find a group full of people who are just like you---trying to raise their profiles.



I have a Facebook page--Joseph's Writing



2. Get a blog - I tell everyone to get a blog, and I tell everyone to use Blogger...I've never used any other blog hosting site, but Blogger is fairly easy to navigate and use. I suggest getting a blog because you will be able to show people that you can write. You must decide on what you want your blog to be about, although saying that, my blog has some personal posts, some creative posts and some critical posts. So decide on your mix. I would also suggest blogging to a set schedule, I post Monday to Friday.



3. Get Twitter - this if a very useful places to drum attention to your Facebook page and your blog, and you can also foster new relationships here as well. I would recommend using hashtags, the '#' symbol as this is one way people can find you. I use hashtags when promoting blog posts with such hashes as '#writing' '#amwriting' or keywords that the post is about. See--it's useful, not just a drain on your time.



I'm on Twitter--@Joe_Eastwood



4. Become a member of Goodreads - I think that is an important one, especially if you're going to be self-publishing. Goodreads indexes all books and it is up to you to put your book up on Goodreads, you must first change your account into an Author account. Once you've posted your book up there people may choose to add your book to their 'to-read' list or if they've already read it then they may choose to rate it and leave a comment.



Add Lumen to your Goodreads list--Lumen (Blood Luminary, #1)



5. Write Guest Posts - one way of getting your name out there is to guest post on other people's blogs. The owner of the blog will then allow you to promote yourself at the end of the post, that is if the reader made it all the way down to the bottom.



6. Post Your Writing - nothing says that you are a writer than a post with some of your writing. I don't mean start posting work that you're building up into a larger piece, but finished pieces, maybe a short story or some poetry. Something quick and easy to read. If you're new to a reader then they won't take kindly to error or being bored. There is a notes section on Facebook, you could post it as a blog post, and there's even a section on Goodreads where writers can post their writing.



7. Magazines - there are a lot of magazines out there that are aimed at writers, these magazines might be about writing, or they might focus on one part of writing such as poetry. If you can get published in a poetry magazine then you can add that to your CV of writing achievements and it most certainly raise your profile and credibility as a writer. As a magazine is something that is traditionally published it may even help in finding a publisher when you try and get that novel published.



8. Anthologies - there have been a lot of anthologies going around in the indie publishing world, this is partly for the publishers to gain more start-up capital and also for you and some exposure. Like I said above, it is something that can be added to your CV of writing achievements. All you need to do is submit work and if they say no, then at least you tried.



9. Email Signature - add something simple to the end of each of your emails, something that links whoever you're emailing to your blog, or your Facebook page, or even your Twitter. Try interlinking all 3 things, post about your blog on your FB, and your FB & Twitter on your blog. That way they only need to go to one of the links to see your over sites. And email signature also adds a manner of professionalism.



10. Be current! You need to always update your blog and your Facebook and your Twitter, if you don't then you'll start to dry up. Once you've got a bit of momentum going then don't stop, keep on going, keep posting to that set schedule and updating your Facebook with the progress that you're making with your novel, or even writer quotes that have inspired you.



So those are my 10 top tips, don't be afraid to comment below if you have any suggestions and next Friday I will be posting my 10 Top Tips to Becoming a Better Writer! So stay tuned!



Oh, and this is my 151st blog post! Yay! And if you're not sure, I am posting Monday to Friday and I also love comments! In fact I get really excited when you comment on my blog!

Thank you followers, old and new, I am so thankful for your support!



-Joseph




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Love Poems -- My Fiction Thursday

This week, because nobody has commented and said what they want. So I'm going to be posting some love poems. As it's keeping with the LOVE = LOVE/LGBT theme of the month and also because this week is Valentine's week! So what better why to celebrate then to read some of my love poems.






#1 Alive Again


He draws in and kisses me with his cherry chapped lips,

There's a pause as our lips meet, and I pull away,

His lips are meant for kissing girls,

Not chasing fantasies and lost dreams,

He kisses me again, pulling my face to his,

He's not letting go, so I let go, I give in,

And take the kiss. The first kiss of many.

But his lips are meant for kissing girls,

Not guys, never guys.

Because that's wrong. Unnatural.

And I want more.







#2 - #4 Haiku




Your golden brown eyes

Stare in a world of their own

So soft when they look




Biting my own lip

Pretending it's another

One of your kisses




Melt your sun glossed skin

A plastic finish figure of

Unreal perfection




(So maybe that third one was less lovey then the rest---but it's a haiku and I like it!)


#5 Not Enough

His spine numbing kisses
Take me from the neck,
And he bites down hard
As I bit on my lip,
And squeeze my face up,
Sucking on hard breaths
Through my clenched teeth.

His unshaved beard tickles,
And an uproar in my belly
Want him to bite down
Harder. To suck harder
And I fall in his arms,
Rigid, resting against him,
Comforted by warmth.


Joseph Eastwood




I really hope you liked the little selection of poems there. As always please comment and tell me what you think. If you post poetry to your blog then please link me to it, I'd like to know what kind of poetry you write.



-Joseph




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LGBT: Coming Out!

If you're new to my blog then you might not know some things...every Wednesday of February is LGBT post day because here in the UK it is LGBT History Month! I am a great supporter of equal rights, and marriage for all.



I am proud to be who I am, and I am proud to say that I love being me and not having to pretend to be someone else to please other people. I don't think anyone should have to pretend to be something that they're not...because at the end of the day, we are all born and we all die, it's life, but some people are allowed to live differently from what some people consider normal.



My coming out: I was about 11 or 10, it was around then and I knew that I was different, I wasn't one of those people who was chasing the girls around the playground and trying to kiss them...mainly because I just didn't have the "I want to kiss girls"....I didn't feel the way about the boys either....I felt that way about guys on TV, hot, cute, masculine guys. Although really, I should have known when I thought that I was going to marry Britney Spears. That's when I knew, and you know what else I knew....that "gay" was a bad word! A bad word? If you were called "gay" then you were laughed at there was a chant of "gay boy, gay boy".



I still get that now from little kids...and it hurts....it really does.



In high school people were constantly asking me if I was gay and then pressuring me to "come out of the closet"---this was only 2 years ago, and it was such a horrible time of my life, but I was still in high school and it was so close knit that if someone knew it would spread like wild fire. I was bullied because of it...and if you ask me if I was bullied I'll say "no" because quite frankly, that's the past and I don't want to talk about it ever again.



Now, I'm at university and I think it's so good not to have this burden of do I tell people, because it isn't a problem at uni and I don't think it ever will do. I love life at the moment, I love being true to myself and I love loving guys because that's who I am.





What's your story? You can post under anonymous if you want to share, I won't mind, I just want to know if you went through similar stuff to me and if you're now happy.




It is said that 1 in 10 people are gay. 1 in 10! So in a school year with 130 students, about 13 of those might be gay, lesbian, bisexual or even feel like they weren't born into the right gender. 



The LGBT pride movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered.

If you're a teen who feels like they don't have a voice in this world...here are some very useful links. If you are gay then you are 4x more likely to commit suicide. Go to these following sites, they will help!










http://www.thetrevorproject.org/  

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ 


Next week I think I might post my own It Gets Better video.


-Joseph




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Can I Romance You?

Today is Valentine's day and it's also the day when you take to Twitter complaining that you're going to be '#foreveralone'...sigh, this is probably just me then.



I'm kidding, tonight I'm going out for a KFC and then to the cinema to watch This Means War....but it's not a date, both me and my friend are single, so we're going to drown our sorrows with greasy food and a RomCom.



The purpose of this blog is not to rub it in your face about how much fun I'm going to be having tonight, especially the huge KFC dinner I'll be getting, but to ask you what your dream romantic date would involve.




Is there someone you'd love to go on a date with? Is there some place? Would you be eating certain foods & drinking certain drinks? What's the weather like? Will it end in sex? That's the million dollar question 




I really want to know what your dream date would be. I am actually quite a romantic person at heart, well I am when I'm planning my romance novels anyway.





My Dream Date


It would be a picnic on a hilltop and at the bottom of the hill is a sandy beach, we would go there after we'd eaten to watch the sun setting into the water. We'd be holding hands and we'd have our feet in the water and sand sloshing between our toes. We'd keep on making eye contact and then shying away to look at the sunset. There would be a little bit of wind, but that would be okay because we brought blankets to wrap around ourselves.



What would be even more romantic is if it had been a surprise all along and he'd made my favourite sandwiches and gone to the supermarket and bought all my favourite snack foods. Another thing, if I was made to wear a blindfold so that I never had a clue. There would be no alcohol because I'd like to remember it. Neither of us would have a cold or be ill, and neither of us would bring up touchy subjects. We'd just enjoy each others company.




It's your go, write your dream date in the comments below.


I did try and get a picture....but apparently they didn't have two guys down at the beach getting intimate.



A lot of people I talked to mentioned restaurants, so I thought I should just get my two-cents in on why I don't like restaurants, and that's basically because they make me feel uncomfortable. It's not private and people judge all the time, and that's enough to ruin any date.



If you haven't already then I think you should click that follow button on the sidebar because on Thursday for the 'My Fiction Thursday' post you're going to get to read some of my new poetry, some of my more love/romance driven poetry. I really hope that you like them.




Happy Valentine's Day!



-Joseph




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My Daily Routine!

[INSERT: I'm sorry this is a late post, but it's going down as Monday's post anyway...and to some of you it is still Monday.]



So I have a lot of people asking me what my daily routine is and how I can fit writing into my studying and how I can balance this blog, my Facebook page, writing, reading and studies.



First thing you need to know about me is that I am studying English and Creative Writing and in this semester I have two creative writing seminars a week and one English, as well as a lecture. Altogether I'm at university for about 7 hours a week.




HAPPY DANCE!




If you want to happy dance as well, then do something you love and stick to it! Don't let anyone tell you that you're not good enough! If you want to be a writer, take creative writing like I did---I'm not sure how American colleges work though.


When I wake up I set my laptop up and start downloading the TV shows from the previous night....I'm from the UK but you guys in America get everything before we do, so I start downloading those. I then go and brush my teeth and have breakfast, by the time I get back to my laptop the programmes have usually downloaded (there's only about 2). I usually take to my FB page: Joseph's Writing and wish everyone a "good morning" or inform them all about the current status of my coffee cup, it's usually full.



That's my morning routine, and I think that everyone should discipline themselves to have some sort of routine. I know it seems obvious but brushing your teeth is a kind of foundation to discipline as you're making yourself do it and it can be easily missed, especially if you don't have it in a routine. So yeah, that was my mini-rant about why brushing your teeth can help you, not only for strong and healthy teeth, but also to discipline yourself.



I then watch both of my TV shows with a pad of paper and a pen at hand. I use the time of getting my TV fix with the opportunity of brainstorming or copying notes on characters or plots etc. to make it more clear.

I will then write in half an hour spurts, I often end with room to write more, and although I've already planned what I'm going to write I still like to be able to set my muses off with something...be it a previous line or something. I NEVER edit anything that I write until I've finished it...if it's a novel, until the words 'The End' have been written on the final chapter, if it's a short story then it will be much much sooner.



At the moment I'm in the editing phase of Lumen, well the last round of edits! Because I really want it published before March 1st!



I also set aside time for writing, this is usually before I got to sleep and I can easily get through 70-100 pages before I'm off, and if I'm into a book that I like I will make time to read it. I'm also quite a quick reader, so that definitely helps.




If you don't have time to read, then how do you have time to write?


My networking schedule is weird. I set a time either the night before or that same day where I will write the blog post...but if it's been a day like today where I took a nap that turned into a long sleep then that messes things up. So sleeping is also a very important part of my routing, you can't do anything if you're not refreshed! On with my networking schedule! That's blogging, Facebook and Twitter! I blog daily Mon - Fri! I update my status frequently enough for people to know that I am alive and my FB is hooked up to my Twitter, so whatever I post goes to Twitter.




And that, ladies and gentlemen is my daily routine!




Do you do anything like me? Or is your routine completely different because you have to work or you have school etc. I'd like to know.


-Joseph




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6 Months Later...

So on July 18th 2011 I posted a blog about my writing and all the statistics that I'd collected from all the different sites that I am a part of. You can see it here: http://www.josepheastwood.com/2011/07/updates-please.html but I will be posting the statistics here as well.



July 2011

273 likes on my Facebook
862 followers on Twitter
131 Scribd followers
& 53 Blog followers







February 2012




1,389 likes on my Facebook (+1,116)

1,407 followers on Twitter (+545)

194 Scribd followers (+63)

& 158 Blog followers (+105)




I really can't believe how far my blog and Facebook page gone. That's over a thousand new likes to 'Joseph's Writing' and 105 new followers here!





I'm in a little bit of a state of shock. I hadn't realised this until I was going through my archive and looking at old posts because I noticed on my page viewing statistics that a lot of you have been doing the same thing.




I just wanted to say...

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

It really means a lot! Thank you for believing in me!




-Joseph




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Should You Be Writing?

Someone on Facebook posted this picture yesterday, I don't know who did it, but whoever you are, thank you!



On with the post! I really enjoyed looking at this picture because it just basically tell you to write no matter what, and yeah, I suppose this is the kick in the backside that I need.



I need to keep on writing, I need to keep on editing (but not prematurely!) and I need to stay away from the internet! However, if I didn't have the internet then you guys wouldn't get to read my lovely blog posts or my FB status updates about The Vampire Diaries.



I want everyone go through the list and do what it says! The only way that you can ever get better at writing is if you're writing all of the time. Although I do spend a lot of the time blogging, that's actually still writing (wink, wink, maybe you should get a blog, if you don't already have one. And please put your links in the comments below if you do).



And one last time, ask yourself....


Should you be writing?


-Joseph




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Flash Fiction #1 -- My Fiction Thursday

I was wondering if I should post another part to last week's 'My Fiction Thursday' and if you didn't read it, here it is again. Bleeding Blue, don't forget to comment telling me what you think and if you want more.



This piece is gory...so be warned! It was written for my creative writing class but I was too ill to get out of bed and I really wanted to share it. I was also going to put it on here anyway, I hope that you enjoy it, and please tell me if you do, and tell me if you don't. More on this piece, I was given three pieces of paper last week in my creative writing class, one of them had a name, the other a place, and the third had an object.



This is the result of that.




Flash Fiction #1



Madeline walked out of her apartment block, she wore a beige trench coat that dropped below her knees and she had a pair of glossy blue six-inch heels on. She held her hand out to flag down a taxi and two pulled up by her. She raised a plucked eyebrow and a pressed her blood red lips into a pout. She took the one in front.

"Where to miss?" the driver asked, looking at Madeline through the rear-view mirror.

"JFK," she said, adjusting her coat. She opened it and felt the sharp edge of the axe she'd taped to the inside. She pulled her finger out and sucked at the dot of blood.

The driver continued to watch her, and when she caught his eye his face became rigid as he glared out onto the road.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head and the fat around his face wobbled. "It—it—it will be about 10 minutes to JFK."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah." She reached into her coat again and peeled the tape from around the handle. It came off easily and she scrunched it up in her hand. She took tight grasp of the wooden handle and then noticed the pane of Perspex between her and the driver. "Excuse," she said, getting the driver's attention. "Can I get in the front; I'm feeling a little queasy."

He nodded and pulled over. Madeline got out with one hand in her coat, holding the axe up against her chest; she opened the passenger side door and slipped in. She grit her teeth as the blade poked at her.

It smelled funny in the front of the taxi, a deep fried smell and the air was just as thick of frying oil. If Madeline wasn't feeling queasy before, she certainly was now.

She took a deep breath and touched the man's leg, she watched him, caressing his leg with her free hand. "Let's go somewhere a little more private," she whispered into his ear.

The driver started to breathe heavily and then he nodded, keeping his eyes on the road, waiting for a turning at an alley. He found one went as fast as the car could, which wasn't that fast.

"Have you done this before?" she whispered, her hand clenching the handle of the axe.

"Yeah," he grinned, his mouth smaller in proportion to the rest of his face as where his small dark eyes.

"Good, then you'll know I'm here for one thing," Madeline said, taking the axe from her coat. "All I need is a pint, but I can take more." Her face became enveloped in a huge grin.

"Come to daddy," he said, unzipping his pants.

"That's just gross," she snarled, looking down at him fumbling with his zipper.

He continued to ignore her, and then she whacked him in his neck with the blade of the axe. Blood splattered across her face as his body shook for a moment before all life left him. She kept the blade wedged into his neck while she pulled out two thin bags.

"Should have brought more out with me," she said, looking the man over as blood poured down his neck and stained his already dirty shirt.

She pulled the axe from his neck and blood started to splash her in the face. She opened a plastic bag and caught the warm blood. As soon as that one was full she sealed it shut and opened the second.

"It could've been anyone," she said, "although you are pretty old, don't know how many years you have left. I just needed a sacrifice to stay young."



I hope that you liked it! I know it's rough, but I hope that there aren't a lot of glaring errors.



-Joseph




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