Darius Jones's Blog: A Writer Begins, page 9

Impressionists and Trappists: From Avant-Garde to Cliche

Been watching, reading, and listening lately. Enjoying TV shows, books and music. Been thinking, too.

A few months back started off watching this great BBC Two TV series, “The Impressionists: Painting and Revolution” on BBC Two hosted by Waldemar Januszczak. Yes, those guys (and as Waldemar points out, some ladies too). Two things from the show really stuck with me. One, how the technology of painting, colors and railroads all came together at the right time to make this breakthrough in art p...

Warhol, Coca-Cola and the Apotheosis of American Art

Here’s a question: What’s the ultimate work of American (meaning U.S., for this exercise) art?

Leaves of Grass? Native Son? Or maybe Johnny B. Goode? Or American Gothic?

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It’s hard to land on just one, isn’t it? But maybe the greatest work of American art isn’t  one of these. Maybe it’s something else? Something more prosaic and everyday? What about something…different.

What about a ’57 Cadillac? I mean the tail fins of that vehicle alone belong in a museum. But when you think it’s this work...

A New Address and New Look for the Blog

Hey Everyone! Just some good housekeeping today, instead of a real post.

Exciting news. This blog has a new address:

https://dariusjoneswriter.com/

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So, please save the new address in your bookmarks. That’s very important. There’s a redirect for now, but it won’t last forever.

OK, so there’s that. More importantly, the blog has a new look: cleaner, simpler to navigate. And I will be tweaking it a bit more in coming days. But all the same old content is here: all the old posts and other Menus...

Steady As It Goes—And a Thank You

Hello, everyone. Just wanted to keep you updated…Let’s see…Where did we leave things?

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Oh yes! I’m pretty happy with life right now. I have a new (day) job and that’s sucking up a lot of time and energy. But it’s a great step for me and it’s good to see the career moving forward, but…

More importantly for this blog, I am still writing fiction. You see, last year the (day) job had become a bit of a distraction. It was stressful and I was looking to jump. So, now that I have, I can focus more o...

Where My Writing Is Going in 2019

So, I was trying to figure out this upcoming year in writing for me. Where do I go next? What do I do?

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Well, I decided I just have to keep on doing what I’m doing. It’s as boring and exciting as that! But as they say, “In dreams begin responsibilities.”

Why do I feel this way? Let’s break it down quickly.

I Kept the Word Count Growing Last Year
I’m pretty satisfied with the growth in my word count last year. I could have been a bit more disciplined and consistent in my writing sessions. But...

A Look Back at My Writing Life in 2018

Is that it? Is the year over already?

I guess so. And here I am playing catch-up.

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Alright, before looking ahead I want to look back briefly at my writing life in 2018. It was a hectic year with lots of things drawing me away from writing. But I’m proud of what I accomplished. Here’s a quick breakdown.

I Had a Story Traditionally Published (for the 5th Time)
My story, Breakpoint, was published by Kyanite Press in November. I was really excited to see it in print. This was one story I didn’t...

100 Rejections…and Counting

I’m generally not one for self-laceration. But today, I have to share some important news. I have somehow survived a total of, count them, 100 literary rejections.

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Whew! I just received the 100th rejection letter today from a magazine I submitted my latest story to. Here’s the text of the letter:

Dear Darius Jones,

Thank you for giving us the chance to consider “The Number Thief” for publication in XXXX. While we have decided against this one in the end, it did get a positive response from o...

A Time to Refocus–On the Writing

Hey guys, not much to report this month. True, true, things have been busy. But I haven’t had as much time to write as I’d like. No submissions to report this month. And, what’s worse, no word count. Yikes!!!

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So, next month, December, is for getting re-focused. And for getting some words down and some stories written. I hate to make excuses, but I will…Briefly…This past month work and life have both been jammed pack. Some good, some not-so-good. The not-so-good has been day job stuff. You kn...

In Which A Giant Multi-National Corporation Lands on This Writer’s Head

So, there I was just minding my own business, walking through the neighborhood. Waving “Hello” to neighbors, petting their dogs as they walk by and grabbing a coffee at the cafe where I sometimes write. And then kicking some piles of autumn leaves as I strolled back home, caffeine in hand.

And then the fatal flaw came: I picked up the newspaper.

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And what did I read? That a certain GIANT MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION was about to land on my head.

It’s true. An impending avalanche, an inundation,...

New Story Out Now

Hey Guys! Lots going on and heading out of town later today, so I will make this brief.

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My new story “Breakpoint” is out now at Kyanite Press. So please stop by their website and look for Volume 1, Issue 2 with my name on the front (Darius Jones!). You can pick it up in eBook or print (And get all the smells!) format.

The story’s got a post-apocalyptic theme, it’s got some cyberpunk flair, a dashing of  deadly cyborgs and even a tiny bit of poetry. So, what’s not to like? Most importantly, i...