Writing, Reading, Travel, Eating
“After the final no there comes a yes— Wallace Stevens
from The Well Dressed Man with a Beard
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The Monday Motivator is a quote posted each week to encourage, inspire, and motivate writers of all skill levels and across genres. If you have a favorite quote you’d like to share, let me know and I’ll post it here. Click here to see past Monday Motivators.
Creative Commons image by Ben Ferenchak on Flickr. Some rights reserved.
A Thousand Words is a photo prompt posted every Sunday. Maybe the image will inspire you to write a short story, a poem, or a blog post. Maybe it will inspire you to get happy and excited, really, really excited about something. Whatever your response, I hope the picture inspires you to some sort of creative zen, and that you enjoy the hell out of it.
If you write something based on the image, feel free to share a link in the comments section. Also feel free to use the photo on your blog, just be sure to give proper credit, which I will always include in the post or the caption.
This week’s Once A Book project comes from the blog Atypical Type A by Alicia Parsons.
When Ms. Parsons was planning her literary themed wedding, she turned old books into these unique vases for decoration. There’s so much I love about that whole idea, starting with the literary themed wedding. Fabulous!
Her tutorial, Make a vintage book vase, is easy to follow, requires only basic craft supplies, and makes a vase that is lovely to look at, but it is just for looks. To make a vase that holds water and a stem or two, use a book with a spine wide enough to wrap around a small test tube or florist water tube. Insert the tube before adhering the end pages in step 6.
As always, with Once A Book projects, if you try it, send a picture and I’ll post it here.
Writers Recommend is an online exclusive at Poets & Writers that asks authors:
“What Inspires You?”
For Heather Sellers, author of “You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know” (Riverhead Books, 2010), it’s a bath, a pile of magazines, lavender oil, and as much time as she needs.
Aimee Bender, author of “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” (Doubleday, 2010) says, “Rules. I’m a big believer in structure, and the idea that creativity loosens up when constrained a bit.”
Stuart O’Nan, author of 14 novels, reads pages from his favorite book.
With responses from more than 100 authors, the answers are as varied as these three examples, yet there are a lot of similarities, too. To read all the responses, and find some inspiration of your own, read Writers Recommend from Poets & Writers.
Peter Dahmen sculpts with paper. He turns the flat, relatively mundane, everyday item into 3-D forms that fold up, reach out, curve over, bend under, and swirl around. The effect is phenomenal.
After watching the sculptures come to life in this video, it’s hard to imagine they are made from plain old paper. Once again, I’m inspired by the power of the creative mind and the commitment it takes for artists to bring their ideas to life.
If you’re feeling very ambitious, there’s a tutorial. I suppose creating something like this, with the planning and modeling already done, is a possibility, but just watching the process shows how much detail goes into each sculpture, even one as small as this.
Of all the books on my must read list, classics cause me the most guilt. As a writer, I know I should read them, but it’s hard to resist the temptation of the latest literary sensation. I’d much rather read “A Visit from the Good Squad” than say “War & Peace.” I know it’s to my benefit to read them both, but who’s got that kind of time?
I’ve just discovered a website that can help. Better Book Titles is a blog for people who don’t have time to read. Website creator Dan Wilbur says, “I will cut through all the cryptic crap, and give you the meat of the story in one condensed image. Now you can read the greatest literary works of all time in mere seconds!”
It’s a tongue in cheek approach, but Mr. Wilbur is a comedian, so it fits. For a few good laughs and an opportunity to get caught up on some reading, visit Better Book Titles at http://betterbooktitles.com. Be forewarned, if you’re easily offended, you’d probably prefer the library.
NOTE: My apologies for the lack of links and finesse on this post. I’m in a mad rush to catch a plane and WordPress is misbehaving. Links, tags, etc., are not working. I was able to trick in a few, but rather than skip a post or toss my beloved laptop out the window, I’m posting plain today. There’s more info on Better Book Titles below. Ah, technology.
The weekly Silent Writers online writing retreat will be held tonight at 9 pm EST. All writers are invited to participate, but those who find it difficult to put distractions aside and make the time to write will find it especially useful. Writing for a specific and set amount of time on a consistent basis is not only satisfying, it improves skills and helps build a rewarding writing life.
To participate, join in tonight at 9 EST on Twitter or Facebook. You can w
ork on your own project or use one of the writing exercises below.
If you can’t join in, but need a motivation boost to take with you, read 67 Things to Remember When Writing by Cristin Terrill on her blog Incidents & Accidents. She says, it’s a “small checklist of common advice to keep in mind when writing a novel so that you don’t make a total mess of things.” The list is a semi-serious, semi-jokey compilation with an important message at the end.
Now, on to the prompts:
For more information on tonight’s retreat, visit the Silent Writers Collective.
“Even if you do something
that others might consider wrong,
you should at least be willing to talk about it
and tell your parents what you’re doing
because you believe it’s right.”
— Steve “Woz” Wozniak
Designed and hand-built the first Apple computer
The Apple I Computer was Apple’s first product. It was designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak, and sold by his friend Steve Jobs.
Woz and Jobs initially built 50 computers and sold them at a local computer store for $666.66 each. They sold every one. In total, about 200 Apple I Computers were built, but they quickly became obsolete.
Inspired by their success, Woz designed the Apple II less than a year later, and it went on to become one of the great computer successes of all time.
The Apple I still fares pretty well, though. In November 2010, an Apple I sold for $212,267 at Christie’s auction house in London. It is the highest price paid for this model so far.
◊ ◊ ◊
The Monday Motivator is a quote posted each week to encourage, inspire, and motivate writers of all skill levels and across genres. If you have a favorite quote to share, let me know and I’ll post it here. Click here to see past Monday Motivators.
Creative Commons image by Christopher Cornelius on Flickr. Some rights reserved.
A Thousand Words is a photo prompt posted every Sunday. Maybe the image will inspire you to write a short story, a poem, or a blog post. Whatever your response, I hope the picture inspires you to some sort of creative zen.
If you write something based on the image, feel free to share a link in the comments section. Also feel free to use the photo on your blog, just be sure to give proper credit, which I will always include in the post or the caption.
Once upon a time a popular series called Little Golden Books was published and it forever changed the way we look at children’s literature.
Many years later, a young prince came to town and forever changed the way we look at Little Golden Books.
You see the prince was not really a prince, he was a talented and creative artist named Ryan Novelline, (perfect name for a book artist). He saw the treasure in those Little Golden Books and began collecting discarded copies. When he gathered enough, he took the illustrations, the foil spines, and some golden thread and spun them into this magnificent gown.
The 22,000 square inch skirt is made almost entirely of illustrations and the gold foil spines make up the bodice.
Here is a closer look:
I am in awe every time I see this creation. It’s original, beautiful, brilliant, and inspiring. It’s also not the typical Once a Book DIY project I feature here on Saturdays. Those projects can usually be done in an afternoon with the craft supplies you have at home. This one is a lot more involved, but if you’re very interested in DIYing it, Mr. Novelline’s website includes a pictorial outline of his process, along with more photos of this incredible gown.
Now, if I could get one in my size, I’d definitely live happily ever after.
Away with Words