Kern Carter's Blog, page 149
May 18, 2020
What publishers in India are predicting about a post-pandemic industry
One way or another, the restrictions caused by this pandemic will come to an end. Once that happens, we’ll all be left to adapt and survive in an industry that has taken a considerable hit over the past couple of months.
Publishers in India are making a few predictions about what the publishing industry will look like post-pandemic. Here are some of the highlights:
Possible creation of a new genre that would include “lockdown romance” or “lockdown drama,” along with subgenres of speculative and dystopian fiction.CEO of Niyogi Books, Trisha Niyogi, expects the industry to “bounce back to normal” and says “the business of books is not going to be dented seriously.”Himanjali Sankar, Editorial Director at Simon and Schuster, believes that “people will turn to literature to make sense of the world more than they did before.” She suggests a more “self-reflective” society would be the cause of the attraction to literature.Read more about what publishers in India are saying here.
What publishers in India are predicting about a post-pandemic industry was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
May 16, 2020
May 15, 2020
Creativity lies at the depth of our emotions — What you missed this week on CRY
It’s been another week of inspiring content on CRY. Our writers really delivered including an intriguing piece by Gia Barnard called Lost At Mind? This is For You. The subject line of this email is actually taken from her article. Definitely a huge highlight this week.
We also interviewed an organizer from Toronto, Canada who runs a reading series called Draft. Her insights on building community are helpful for authors hoping to build their brand.
Check out the full list of new content this week on CRY.
LOST AT MIND? THIS IS FOR YOU by Gia Barnard
LET’S NOT FORGET TO ASK QUESTIONS by Marz20k
HERE’S HOW TO CREATE COLOR PORTRAITS AT HOME WITHOUT COLOR GELS by Marina Pavicevic
HOW THIS READING SERIES IN TORONTO HELPS BUILD COMMUNITY [Interview]
CRY
Remember to follow us on IG @wecrydeep
Creativity lies at the depth of our emotions — What you missed this week on CRY was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
May 13, 2020
Lost at mind? This is for you
Creativity lies in the depths of our emotions.
In the beginning, we cling to what’s familiar. For me, it was binging on Netflix. For some of my mates, it was gaming and blazing. But eventually, the novelty wears off. Or you run out of weed. And that’s when shit gets interesting.
The Descent
That sinking sensation is intense. Overwhelming. The surface is too far away, you’re drowning in your own consciousness, with nothing to clutch on to, nothing to reel you up to the light; to the air.
So…let yourself sink. Go deeper. You’ll find the answer in the deepest reaches of your mind. It sits, dormant, waiting below.
Most of us spend our lives above the surface. We flit about, propelled by never-ceasing schedules and driven to shiny things glittering on the horizon. Always below us are the vast, dark waters of the psyche.
Some impressive individuals skim the surface, plucking out creative bits of flotsam and producing art. Some linger too long and get sucked below. Most descend at the call. The ones who emerge are different after. They, themselves, become art, and that which they share holds more vibrancy and depth than anything from the superficial world. It speaks of different dimensions.
The deep holds power. Also, pain and confusion. It breaks down and rebuilds. It requires solitude. When everything else comes to complete stasis, that’s where healing and progress occurs. It’s what I like to think of as “cocoon phase” — where you dissolve into a gelatinous mess in order to reform.
This is where we recognize and integrate the parts of ourselves that resonate the most. Detangle and defragment. We become the truest, purest forms of ourselves.
The Things In The Deep
The brain is an organic computer. Sometimes we encounter trauma that is too much to process, or avoid feeling a thing because it isn’t convenient at the time. When we have to conduct ourselves in a manner that is not congruent with our emotional state, our mind saves it for later. Sometimes we are not even aware this live flag is being planted. We overlook the way it affects other systems, as so many things take priority. It sinks to the bottom, where it sits. But it doesn’t dissolve. It can’t be assimilated until it is acknowledged. An emotional landmine. “You experienced intense sadness on 3/3/2012 at 15.30 — draft saved. Feel now?”
Ok.
Poof.
Underneath this, and all around it, there grows creativity.
Creativity is buoyant. By harvesting it, it will drift you back up to the surface. Not only that, but it will absorb the things weighing you down. The extra stuff left over from your metamorphosis. Raw emotion is what gives it power. It feeds on that shit.
My Cocoon phase
In May 2019 I moved to the undeveloped Vietnamese countryside from South Africa. Here, there are no malls, no pavements, and no one else speaks English. For the first time in my life, I was completely alone, with more free time than I’d had since nap time was a thing. I’ve never had a problem with being on my own. My mind is a busy place, and my interests are vast. So, I read books and watched so many series, went for walks, and napped. I was basically a house cat that taught English on occasion. Life was good.
One day, I woke up at 2am bawling my eyes out. I mean, crying so hard I couldn’t breathe. I would have screamed had there been any air in my lungs. Grief saturated every fibre of my being. Over the next months, this happened frequently, at random times and without any warning. All of it stemmed from one source — my grandmother’s death.
Here’s the thing. My gran died in 2013. For over 6 years, I’d been carrying around enough guilt and anguish to cripple myself, without the slightest notion. Only when I stopped moving, below the clutter of distractions, it found me. Boom.
So, I surrendered to it entirely, and let it consume me. Instead of fighting it, I acknowledged what I was feeling, and examined where it came from. I let myself be heavy with remorse and guilt at my actions and all that transpired. I laid out all my regrets, and addressed each one, individually, turning it over, feeling its weight. And then I accepted that there was not a damned thing I could do to change what was. I could only do better. Be better.
Within me, there were things rattling around, trying to find their way out.
I bought a notebook and a pencil and I started writing again, for the first time since I was 18. I let the bittersweet, pain-soaked memories pour onto the paper. More crying here. I wrote through the tears. Eventually, hollow and raw, I collapsed onto my bed and slept for 20 hours.
I felt different when I woke up.
The damage was still there. But it had turned into a pink scar. I could draw breath. My thoughts had a lighter consistency.
Your Turn
Getting creative will save you from your own mind. You just have to do it. It doesn’t have to be beautiful. It need not be elaborate, nor an expensive endeavour. Just start. Draw. Write. Paint. Dance. Sing. However it manifests, let it out. Do it for yourself. Do this, and you’ll float.
Lost at mind? This is for you was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
New Trend Alert — Kevin Hart is dropping an Audible exclusive book
Guys, I told you about this a month ago. There’s a trend bubbling here that we can’t afford to ignore. If you pay close attention to the industry, you’ll see that some authors are beginning to take audio exclusive deals. If you ask me, this isn’t a fad. This is the future.
Kevin Hart is probably the most popular figure to take this route, but trust me when I tell you he won’t be the only one. The popularity of audiobooks is surging at a 25% year over year increase. It won’t be long till audiobooks are more popular than ebooks, which are actually trending in the opposite direction.
What do you think about this? Can you imagine a publishing industry with audiobooks being the most popular medium?
CRY
MORE FROM CRYHave you read my novel BEAUTY SCARS? It’s about two teenagers, Treasure and Justin, who only see each other through their dreams. When fate finally brings them together in real life, their love flourishes, but not without discoveries that threaten to tear them apart.
Get your copy of BEAUTY SCARS today.
New Trend Alert — Kevin Hart is dropping an Audible exclusive book was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
May 12, 2020
How this reading series in Toronto helps build community for its authors [interview]
How Draft Reading Series Founder Maria Meindl went from saying no to 99% of writers to seldom turning them away.
Uber Eats is delivering books in South Africa
I never thought about this, but it does make sense. In Johannesburg, Uber Eats has partnered with bookseller Exclusive Books to offer door-to-door deliveries for readers eager to browse new and established authors and stories.
This is after the slight easing of quarantine lockdown rules in South Africa allowed for food delivery. I asked in a previous letter if access to books should be essential and this partnership shows that people’s appetites to read is rivalling their appetite for food. Maybe that’s a stretch, but it’s good to see that companies are getting creative in helping get books into the hands of the people while they’re at home.
Read the full story here.
CRY
PREVIOUS LETTERSFreelance writers — this is for youAre publishers still accepting manuscripts right now?Enrol in these creative writing programs for freeDon’t forget to follow CRY on Instagram @wecrydeep
Uber Eats is delivering books in South Africa was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
May 11, 2020
Let’s Not Forget To Ask Questions
Photo by Júnior Ferreira on UnsplashThere is a lot going on in our everyday lives.
Like… a lot.
Sure, you could have plenty of important events or projects or whatever significant thing it is going on in your life. But most of us have many little things going on everyday, as well.
Maybe you had a casual conversation with a friend, or you completed some tasks for work, or you decided to do some chores — or maybe you just watched a couple episodes of that TV series you’re not a fan of but for some reason are still watching.
My point is that there are many things going on during a day, and much of it goes unthought of because of how common or routine it is — why is that?
Why do we let so much of our day go by without reflection, when there is possibly a great deal of value to it?
As creatives, we are always trying to find topics or ideas to express through our work — sometimes this can come very smoothly and naturally, but other times it’s a bit more difficult. Perhaps you are stuck, or you feel as if you have completely ran out of inspiration… You try to construct these extravagant and out of the box ideas, when, in reality, the inspiration you have been pursuing has been with you all along!
By reflecting upon our daily experiences and our observations, we can discover ideas and concepts that are applicable and useful in many aspects of our lives. For instance, I wrote a piece about adopting an “agree to disagree” mindset. You know how I came up with that? I had a conversation with a friend about work we both had to get done — and this was quite a regular conversation we would have with each other — however, I found myself getting irritated because I did not agree with their thoughts on productivity. I wasn’t furious or feel-like-punching-a-wall type of mad, but I didn’t agree with their opinions.
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on UnsplashOf course, disagreement is common in our everyday lives, and it does not always lead to serious disputes. We often times ignore or forget about the little disagreements because they don’t seem to matter — but what if there was something to learn from it?
I’m not saying that you should bring this up and start a fight with the other person, but it could be something to consider and reflect upon. That’s what I did with the conversations I had with my friend, and it led me to some enlightening revelations about myself and my interactions with others — and hence, it gave me something to write about.
How do we reflect upon our experiences/observations, though? Well, the most important thing is to simply think and ask questions. Here are some guiding questions that you can consider:
What happened in this situation?Why did this situation occur?How do I feel about this? Why do I feel this way, or why don’t I feel a certain way?Why did I or someone else take these actions?Were there any mistakes made, either on my or another person’s part?What can I learn from this?There are many ways that you can reflect upon the events in your life. And who knows, maybe the ideas and concepts that you discover through this process might become the basis of your next creative work…
Whether or not you use this as inspiration for your works and creative endeavors, it’s still worth it to question the mundane, habitual, or supposedly insignificant things in our lives — by questioning and reflecting upon our daily experiences and observations, we are able to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of ourselves, our society, and the world we live in.
More by marz20k in C.R.Y
Let’s Not Forget To Ask Questions was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
