Savannah Hendricks's Blog, page 32

Appreciation Monday

For peace and quiet when I need it most and sometimes when I don’t realize I need it.

Soul ~ 5 Minute Fiction

Jerome ’11 S. Hendricks

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A soul is such a noisy thing

Always talking out of turn

Making sure you pay attention

To words unspoken

If your soul is lucky enough to rest

The silence is eery

You have done your best

Until it awakes again

Appreciation Monday

Door knobs and Citefast

I have been living in a home without door knobs on 90% of the doors for about a month now and I am so grateful to finally have door knobs again! I really never realized how much a hunk of metal can me make me appreciative for something as simple as being able to close a door and keep it closed.

Secondly, citing work for my school papers, (notice I said school and not writing? I don’t like non-fiction writing at all because of this) is a real pain. I have never liked it. A student in my class had posted on a main forum telling others about a website called Citefast. (I only knew of Sons of Citation). Well….Citefast works amazingly for citing videos from the internet and I actually prefer its set up and ease from that of Son of Citation.

 

80′s Girls Fun!

I simply had to post this link for all us 80′s girls. So many great memories of toys back then. Wishing the world had never changed. (Added my comments below the link) Please share yours too! :)

http://sftimes.co/?id=433&src=share_fb_new_433

1. Yes I remember, 2. 3. 4. 5. Yes.

6. No way, my father would never have let me spray that.

7. I remember this and think I had it.

8. WHO?

9. and 10. Had to have as many as possible

11. Yes

12. I think I finally parted with my last one a few years ago, loved those.

13. What is that?!

14. Yes

15. Never knew there was a cereal.

16. Yes, and yes and yes! It was impossible to get those though and think I only had 2

17. Yes, even got my name on the little gold plate

18. No! Hated watches then and now

19. Everyone had one BUT me!

20. YES

22. Nope

23. YES!!!

24. I could barely read until around 4th grade so I was never reading these books. (I was into Boxcar Children much later than the rest of the reading world and when most were on Sweet Valley High books).

25. Nope

26. Nope

27. Never had one, don’t think I ever wanted one. Even at a young age I didn’t want to read directions or cook things with a light bulb.

28. No! This thing scared me.

29. Nope, I was never into her style.

30. Punky scared me, I felt the show was dark and I always watched it because my father thought it had important lessons but I had nightmares from it.

31. What are those???

32. OMG I begged and begged and begged for a pair but was always told no, that they are bad for your feet and have no support.

33. no

34. I wasn’t up on all the hot guy stuff as I wasn’t allowed much TV or movies at the time. I know who he is now, but could never have told you back then.

35. Nope, 36. nope

37. nope, that was considered make-up and not allowed.

38. Yes I had at least 3!

39. No! Wasn’t allowed to talk on the phone much and if I was no one ever called. I was not a chatty phone kid. I was an outcast for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Author Shannon Connor Winward

I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of the poetry chapbook, Undoing Winter by Shannon Connor Winward. It is published by Finishing Line Press and releases on June 21st, 2014.

Please find my interview with Ms. Winward below.

Did you have any say in the cover art, the title of the book, and the order of the poetry?

Yes, actually, I was fully responsible for the composition and the title. I sent UNDOING WINTER to Finishing Line Press as part of their New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition in 2013, so when the manuscript was selected for publication it already met their guidelines.

After acceptance, I was given the opportunity to select the cover art as well. Finishing Line uses their own graphic designers, but they asked for my preferences and went from there. I’m pleased with the way it came out – “Moon Shadows” (the cover illustration) is a watercolor by artist/author Lisa Lutwyche, a mentor of mine and a dear friend. So not only does it suit the theme beautifully, it has personal meaning as well.

“Gravity” has to be my favorite from the book. Which one was your most favorite to write from the collection?

“Gravity” is one of my favorites, too. It’s a runt of a poem that always makes me smile because it never actually says what it means – which is kind of the point. But of all the poems in WINTER, I think “Session” was the most fun to write. I was chatting with a friend – another poet and Carl Jung fan – about psychology, anthropology and poetry. We challenged each other to write a poem combining the subjects, and “Session” came out of that.

Writing “Session” was like writing in a fever-dream; I found myself weaving together images from my days as an archaeology student with my own half-buried feelings and life events. It’s became one of my signature poems – quite a journey from a silly poetry throw-down between friends.

Do you feel differently seeing your poetry in book form verses in a magazine?

It’s always satisfying to find a home for a poem (or a story, or essay). It can take years, sometimes, and lots of rejection. That ultimate “yes” feels great, especially when where the piece ends up turns out to be a perfect match.

Seeing a collection published is particularly rewarding, because choosing and arranging the poems is a creative project in its own right. Having a publishing house see something worthwhile in your work, to the extent that they’re willing to represent you and turn your vision into something tangible, is extremely validating.

Describe your journey from magazine submissions of your poetry to book publisher submissions?

I had put my writing career on a back-burner for a long time, for various reasons – to finish school, to start a family. I finally started submitting in earnest several years ago, and was fortunate to see much of my poetry (as well as short fiction and creative non-fiction) accepted in dozens of venues, including some that pay professional rates. My work has also won awards and earned some small recognition. Needless to say, that’s been very gratifying.

Though this happened in a relatively short time, I have been writing seriously for almost two decades now. My style is evolving, my life is changing, and I’m looking towards new projects and ideas. So I had the desire to do a collection – something of a retrospective, a way of looking at the body of my work up to now and drawing it together in a meaningful way. I sent a version of UNDOING WINTER to a chapbook competition in my home state of Delaware and was a runner-up. That emboldened me to keep trying. I heard from Finishing Line Press a year later.

How has being a member of writing associations (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the Science Fiction Poetry Association) propelled your writing?

If nothing else, community membership is a credit to add to your author’s bio – but it can offer so much more. Networking is critical to a writer’s success. You can’t exist as an artist in a vacuum. Through groups like SFWA and SFPA, as well as local writers’ groups and online community forums, I stay informed of market trends and other issues impacting the genres that I work in. I also get to know other writing professionals. Expanding my circle of industry friends has helped me improve my craft, promote my work, and take advantage of opportunities I might not even be aware of otherwise.

“I Visit Your Heart” was incredibly visual to read. How do you envision each line of your poetry as you write? Is it all words flowing together or are you painting what you see in your imagination?

I love working with metaphors, particularly in poetry. The title poem, “Undoing Winter”, draws on several underworld myths as a metaphor for depression. The trophy heart on display in “I Visit Your Heart” is a metaphor for a past relationship, as is “Beansidhe” – I’m certainly not the murderous ghost of a young drowning victim, but, seen through the filter of poetry, maybe I am! Likewise “Warren” is a metaphor for a woman’s heart, the spider in “Weaver” symbolizes the urge to write, and so on. I don’t know that I visualize the lines of poetry so much as I feel intuitively drawn to metaphors that translate personal experience into something more universal – archetypal, even. The words tend to come from there, often of their own accord. Like stories writing themselves. And a good story brings pictures to the readers mind. I’m happy if I can accomplish that.

How does writing poetry help or hurt writing your literary and speculative fiction pieces?

I think I am a poet first, which can be both an asset and a burden when writing fiction. I’m told that one of the things that makes my prose unique is its flow of language. I’m also keen on imagery and detail. Those are stylistic things that can be challenging for many fiction authors. On the other hand, poetry is often ambiguous… a poem can tell a story or illicit an emotion even if it does not make literal sense. Poetry can be very impressionistic, and that’s ok. In fiction, however, impressionism is a hard sell. Particularly in genres like science fiction or fantasy, where storyline and momentum are everything. Literary fiction can be more forgiving of the stylistic choices I’m prone to, but then literary markets aren’t always open to the speculative (genre) elements that I love. The result is that my brand of fiction can be hard to place. That said, I rather like being “between” genres, hard-to-categorize, and unique. Just like with selling a poem, finding a home for unusual fiction can be a long and daunting process – but the satisfaction of finally making a good match makes it worth it. That’s the payoff I’m working for.

Where can readers go to purchase a copy of Undoing Winter?

Undoing Winter can be preordered online at http://www.finishinglinepress.com. Click on “preorder forthcoming titles” or search for “Shannon Connor Winward” under “Bookstore”. The cost for the chapbook is $14 retail plus $2.99 shipping. All orders will be shipped after June 21st, 2014.

 

Appreciation Monday

The south.

I had the lucky privilege of visiting Memphis, Nashville, and the boarding highway of Mississippi back when I was fifteen, following my obsession with The Client and soon, everything John Grisham. (That was also the movie that assisted in developing my love of wanting to understand the movie industry (location, actors, scripts, character development)).

If anyone asked me right this second where I would like to visit, it would be the south. I am lucky that I did get to see a small part of it, yet there is so much more I wish to explore, its landscape, history, and architecture.

So why would I be appreciative of the south? Because for me it creates intrigue for what I have not seen, creativity for what I have, and discovery for what I will find in the future there.

What is Your Work Worth?

As an artist, a creator, a writer what is your finished product worth to you?

Is it about the paycheck?

The recognition?

The adventure/process?

Simply sharing/touching another?

When you write a piece do you do it with a goal in mind? And what goal are you typically leaning towards?

I wrote a piece many years ago. It was really my very first sci-fi/fantasy type story I had ever created for adults. I held onto it for many years adding a sentence or two here and there. What was a mere 300 some words worth anyways? Well, I stumbled upon a new magazine called Fantasy Scroll Mag. Could I get published and paid for a story so played around with over the years that I never saw as publishable?

Fantasy Scroll Mag is currently doing a kick-starter campaign. Even though they are new, and I’m being slightly bias because they accepted my 300 word little story, I have been really impressed by their mission to authors and readers. Their quality in which they are putting forth in this magazine from the start proves that they respect us writers and their future readers. You can learn more about the “Kickstarter Campaign for Fantasy Scroll Mag here.”

Turns out your work is worth something if you keep looking ;)

Appreciation Monday

​Comfort.

People are comforted by similar things and at times things that others might find uncomfortable.

Comfort can come from protection in several forms (person, animal, gun, locks) or others (food, warmth, trust, memories).

Many of us are lucky to have comfort come in many of these listed above and some of us are lacking things that comfort us.

I am lucky enough to have several of the things above. For that…I am appreciative.

5 Minute Fiction ~ Daily

 

Daily I think of it

A reminder like the ticking of a clock

The breeze

Was a mistake made

From wanting some part of normal

Craving the ultimate

If only a word

Appreciation Monday

A nice lawn.

I am appreciative of the grass in the backyard where I currently live. In Arizona grass can be non-existent in neighborhoods. Having two dogs I can tell you it is much needed. It also needs to be mowed weekly! I am appreciative that I am able to mow it myself, but also that I have a great person in my life who has volunteered to mow it for me a few times. Having that nice little break, every once in a while, from having to do it means a lot, even if it seems silly for someone to do something you can do.

I love that my dogs can enjoy the grass year around as I plant winter grass during the cooler months. It helps keep the yard cooler than gravel would, and it makes for a lovely yard.