Mira Prabhu's Blog, page 60
October 29, 2015
Interview with Edgar Allan Poe 2015… (a Halloween Guest Post)…
Delightfully macabre…interview with the dead Edgar Allan Poe…must read! Thank you Francis H. Powell and Chris Graham!
Oh, and here’s wishing everybody a scarily wonderful All Hallows Eve – and I mean all ghouls, spectres, shades, shadows and humans too.
Om from Arunachala, where Shiva, god of paradox reigns supreme…
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
With the help of some incredible technology, we have managed to resurrect Edgar Allan Poe. What is more he has kindly agree to do an exclusive interview.
Interviewer: Edgar, you have been credited with so many things, your legacy most notable, did you realize you invented the detective story, equally contributed to the development of both science fiction and the horror genre, it must be quite satisfying being a pioneer.
Edgar Allan Poe: It is true I could never have imagined my work would have had such an impact, especially on this world you have brought me back to.
Interviewer: How would you describe your childhood?
Edgar Allan Poe: It is a well-known fact that my Mother died when I was two, this would affect anybody. My father who had abandoned the family, also died. Orphaned aged three I was brought up by foster parents, they never officially adopted me…
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October 28, 2015
9 Woes of the Writing Life Infographic…
“If you are one of those who sees, who touches and who hears, yet who drops the pen and turns away from the open half-written pages of the world, much will be lost. The world will not be finished. Many stories will be forgotten. Yours will not end as it should. This woe is worse than all the others.” Now here’s Leslie Leyland Fields on the other woes of the writing life…thanks, Leslie and Chris Graham!
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
Author Leslie Leyland Fields
October 25, 2015
Monday Funnies with AUNTY ACID…
Auntie Acid strikes again!!!
Thanks, Chris Graham.
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
Do Fiction Writers Live Vicariously Through Their Characters?
“So, I admit my characters bring excitement to my life,” says the Lonely Author. “And why not? They are the most interesting people I know.”
Well, same for me! Fascinating characters who accomplish what I wish to accomplish are a great deal of fun to create…although mine are generally seeking what we call “moksha” or enlightenment in eastern philosophical parlance….now read on…
Originally posted on The Lonely Author Blog :
Yes, I do.
Remember the last time someone acted a bit snarky with you at the supermarket or on line at the local bank. Have you replayed a moment like that in your mind wishing you had said something clever? Well, one of my secondary characters in my manuscript Paradox, his name is Razor, always has a wry remark ready. Yes, and I grit my teeth and shake my fist every time he says the clever line that’s never discharged from my mouth.
Do I Live vicariously through my characters?
YES, yes, yes. I admit it. With no shame or guilt. My characters accomplish all the things that I never could. They lead exciting lives traveling the world, sipping on the finest champagne, making love to the most beautiful women, and most importantly; overcoming every obstacle. And trust me, I make it hard for them!
Andrew Duran the mysterious fugitive with…
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October 20, 2015
hope floats
I enjoyed Erik’s post because apart from making an excellent point, it reminds me of a true story a guru spun for me ages ago: As a boy, he was on a flight to Washington DC when the plane began to vibrate and judder. The hostess came out, pale and trembling, and told the passengers the plane was in trouble. The frigid atmosphere instantly changed – people started talking rapidly to each other, begging total strangers to let their loved ones know that they loved them et cetera – if the stranger survived, that is, and they died. Despite the fear, the thought of death also transformed total strangers into a mass of warm and caring humanity. Then the hostess re-emerged smiling – the problem had been solved, hurray. And pretty soon, everyone returned to their old coldness….
Now read Erik’s wonderful post…
Originally posted on The Best Advice So Far:
For those avid readers of The Best Advice So Far: the blog, you’ll have noticed that there was no Friday post last week. This is because I was out to sea, unplugged from WiFi and Internet access, as I headed out from Miami to the Bahamas as part of my younger brother’s wedding celebration.
As a side note, I should tell you that, as much as I enjoy digital connection and writing, the break did my soul good. You should give it a whirl sometime. However, my focus in this post will not be on making room for silence in your life or how important it is not to let technology interfere with our human interactions. Those are both important topics. But today, I want to let you in on an intriguing human phenomenon I witnessed during this oceanic excursion.
We arrived in Miami on a Saturday evening. My…
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Writing that First Draft
I rewrote my first novel – Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India – about seven times in 20 years…now here’s D. Wallace Peach’s marvelous post about the joys of getting that first draft done…
Originally posted on Myths of the Mirror:
NaNoWriMo looms. My outline has taken shape. The terrain of a new world sprawls before me, rife with civilization. Characters chatter, love and battle in my head. If you’re like me, that first draft is a molten caldron, uncontainable and ready to erupt. I can’t hold myself back anymore.
A first draft is a flawed, untamed, tainted, wonderful, intense piece of art. Before I started using the volcano metaphor, I likened it to vomiting, spilling my guts over the keyboard. Disgusting, but so cathartic.
A first draft has nothing to do with perfection. It’s about the story. It isn’t the time to edit, to labor over weak verbs, revisit dialog, or craft flowing descriptions. You’ve spent weeks fleshing out your outline; it’s time to put it to work and start spinning your tale.
A few sections of that first draft will feel inspired and flow from your fingertips. Other…
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October 19, 2015
Mermaid Humor
Men beware!!!
Originally posted on Joanne Guidoccio:
While fishing, three men catch a mermaid who begs to be set free in return for granting each of them a wish.
The first man shakes his head and says, “Okay, if you can really grant wishes, then double my IQ.”
The mermaid says, “Done.”
Suddenly, the man starts reciting Shakespeare flawlessly.
The second man is so amazed, he says to the mermaid, “Triple my IQ.”
The mermaid says, “Done.”
The man starts to spout out all the mathematical solutions to problems that have been stumping the scientists.
Impressed, the third man decides to one-up his friends. “Quintuple my IQ.”
The mermaid looks at him and says, “You know, I don’t usually try to change people’s minds when they make a wish, but I really wish that you would reconsider.”
The man is adamant. “No, I want you to increase my IQ times five, and if you don’t do it…
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October 16, 2015
Writing From the Inside Out
“…inspired writing rarely springs from a formula. Writing is alive with subtlety, impression and intent. Listen, learn, revisit, and then find your own way. You are the artist.” Now go on, read D. Wallace Peach’s heartfelt message on ‘writing from the inside out’…
Originally posted on Myths of the Mirror:
The internet brims with advice on how to write (this little blog included). I most enjoy reading the ponderings of those of us who are still exploring the mystery of this craft, this art. So few absolutes exist in the realm of creativity. How wondrous that we all possess distinctive voices, styles and stories to tell. To me, writing is organic, personal. I believe we need to discover, encourage, and play with our inner muses.
I’ve read a number of blogs and how-to narratives that outline the steps for developing character and plot. Some offer great wisdom, while others (often those written by the “experts”) strike me as somewhat formulaic. And I don’t mean general guidelines with a few obvious rules. I mean fill in the blanks! To me, these strictures feel deadening, and I worry that new writers in particular will unwittingly lose the opportunity to discover the unique…
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October 15, 2015
Guest Post: In Praise of the Freak by Francis H Powell
“We live in a world in which everybody is ideally ‘body perfect’. People have this crazy fetish of “selfies”. Does this mean a generation of narcissists has been born?” Here’s Francis H Powell’s great message: “In Praise of the Freak”…
Originally posted on: http://linzebrandon.blogspot.co.za/2015/07/guest-post-in-praise-of-freak-by.html
There are no real alluring protagonists in my short stories, if truth be told, there are a few female beauties, however I more glamorize and lionize the freaks of this world, those not accepted by this world…the ultimate outsiders. We live in a world in which everybody is ideally “body perfect”. People have this crazy fetish of “selfies”. Does this mean a generation of narcissists has been born?
With my stories I mock this kind of culture. Perhaps one of my favorite characters is called Bugeyes. The character name is a bit of a giveaway, he has disproportionate bulging eyes. Where I got this idea I can’t remember. The character always receives a volley of insults such as “moth eyes”. I don’t know what kind of school you went to, but I recall anyone who was remotely physically out of the ordinary, would be liable to cruel mockery. A lot of the dialogue I write is cruel insults or verbal jousting.
Bugeyes is born into an aristocratic family (genetically inbred). Immediately after his birth his mother rejects him, on account of his oversized eyes. He is dispatched to live with another family. Later his mother gives birth baby girl, who has the same characteristics as her brother…once again she is dispatched out sight, out of mind. However she develops into a beauty, and large eyes become all the rage. I was inspired by Sophie Dahl (the model) who I think has rather large eyes, as well as being an over-sized model.
In another of stories, “Flawless” the story revolves around a man called Sirius Piecroft, who is at the point of proposing to the woman of his dreams, when an insect flies into his mouth. A few days later he develops a terrible skin disease. After a period of time his “fiancé” Julia, begins to neglect him, then finally she announces she is going to marry Jonas, Sirius’ younger brother. This terrible betrayal, spirals Sirius into a fast descent to madness. I suppose the point I am trying to make is akin to the old adage “beauty is only skin deep”. The story emphasizes how fickle people are, when a person’s appearance deteriorates, so does the woman’s love for him.
In Victorian times you could pay money to see freaks, there were the bearded ladies, included amongst these was Julia Pastrana resembled more of an ape than a woman. The sad fact of the matter was Pastrana, a Mexican-born woman suffered from hypertrichosis, a disease that causes the person to be covered from head to toe in long, thick hair. Added to which she had a large nose and thick lips. She later had the indignity of being mummified, along with the still born child she gave birth to, who had the same features as her. Freak shows are a terrible indictment of the Victorian times, a time when Britain was at the height of imperialism.
John Merrick, more commonly known as “The Elephant man” had the most unimaginable skin disease, allegedly suffering from elephantiasis. Like some of the characters in my book, poor John Merrick, was an object of curiosity and ridicule throughout his life. His body was characterized by his malformed head, curved spine, “lumpy” skin and overgrown right arm and hand. His life was brought further to the public’s attention, with David Lynch’s file “The Elephant man”. The real reason for Merrick’s severe condition is even to this day open to conjecture.
What we can say is you are unfortunate to be born with a condition like John Merrick’s you will have much suffering to endure and will need the kind of indomitable spirit that John Merrick possessed. From the moment we are born, we are dealt different cards of fate, some .
With my short stories, the oppressed often rise up and win the end. I have always admired the underdog…and have often felt a bit of an outsider myself. With short stories, you face limits, you have create characters, that the reader will immediately identify with, so an outsider is a good source of reference. You have to create strong dialogue. You have to create an opening sentence like no other, that grabs the reader’s attention… Bugeyes begins with… Bug-eyes was due a life of toil. Another story “Seed” begins with Captain Spender’s wife was ovulating. The last story in my book “Cast from Hell” begins with “There it was: I was to be banished from hell.” The ends have to have a dramatic twist, with events leading up to this.
If your skin is far from perfect…or your ears jut out further than most, perhaps your teeth are all at odd angles, your eyes are bulbous, your nose so terribly pronounced, it looks like you could spear somebody in the eye, just indulge yourself with individuality of your features, don’t concern yourself with the judgmental natures of others, in a world that expects nothing short of body perfect…
About the Author
What better way to put all my angst into short stories. Born in a commuter belt city called Reading, like many a middle or upper class child of such times I was shunted off to an all-male boarding school aged eight, away from my parents for up to twelve weeks at a time, until I was 17. While at my first Art college, I met a writer called Rupert Thomson, who was in the process of writing his first book “Dreams of leaving”. His personality and wit resonated, long losing contact with him. Later I lived in Austria, in 1999 I moved to Paris. During my time in Paris I met Alan Clark, who had a literary magazine called Rat Mort (dead rat). I began contributing and got hooked on writing short stories. My book Flight of Destiny is a result of this obsession. I also write poetry.
Connect with Francis online
https://www.facebook.com/flightofdestinyshortstories
http://theflightofdestiny.yolasite.com/http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00WSWYVNK
https://twitter.com/Dreamheadz
Flight of Destiny is a collection of short stories about misfortune. They are characterized by unexpected final twists, that come at the end of each tale. They are dark and surreal tales, set around the world, at different time periods. They show a world in which anything can happen. It is hard to determine reality and what is going on a disturbed mind. People’s conceptions about morality are turned upside down. A good person can be transformed by an unexpected event into a bad person and then back again to their former state. The high and mighty often deliver flawed arguments, those considered wicked make good representations of themselves. Revenge is often a subject explored.
http://theflightofdestiny.yolasite.com/
October 12, 2015
Monday Funnies with AUNTY ACID…
“The best way to get a man to do something? Suggest he’s too old for it.” Aunty Acid is one wily woman!!!
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
