More writing

Hey all,

I wrote something yesterday and I want to share it here! It's another short poem, and it was inspired by some street art I saw on the bus. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I never got the chance.

A faceless siren,
singing an eternal, 
dooming song.
Haunting.

Talons, dripping with a sweet,
yet enticing
poison.

The image I saw was basically a nude woman with wings, and in the place of her face was a vortex. I was reminded of Greek myth for some reason, and saw her as a siren. I thought it was gnarly, and I wrote that poem really quick in my head.

It just goes to show you, observational skills can help you so much as a writer.  

Happy writing!

Furthering our projects

Hey all,

This blog was created as part of a school project, a project based on our passion. Kemal and I are now working on posters to further explain our projects, and we'll post them here when we're done!

Happy writing!

Observe others

Hey all,

Right now, I want to talk to you all about the importance of learning from previous writers. The mantra of today is; "Learn the past, for those who do not know the history are doomed to repeat it."

We all have writers we admire, and all for various reasons. You might appreciate their style, their rhythm, or maybe how they innovated and pioneered. Understanding and embracing the work of other writers in extremely important and can even help you find yourself and a writer.

Personally, I read the work of Jack Kerouac and adopted the "Stream of Consciousness" form for my own poetry and journal writing. I appreciate Shakespeare and his uses of tragedy and learned that not every story needs to get a happy ending. Not to mention writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman who prove that normality it not a necessity to both successfulness and reality.

Also, why not surround yourself with other of the same trade? Befriend other writers and use their work to further your own (and I'm not saying you should plagiarise and such).

Just a side note, I want to just take a moment for Dr. Maya Angelou who passed away at 86, earlier today. Thank you for letting us see so much of the world through your eyes, for so long.

Happy writing.

Sorry for the delay!

Hi all!

I apologize for those few days of post-less days! Things have be kind of crazy for me the last three days, but I promise to get into the groove again.

I'll post again later tonight with some must read stories/books!

Happy writing.

"The effects of low literacy cost the U.S. more than $225 Billion each year in non-productivity in the workforce and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment.  Individuals at the lowest level of literacy have a higher rate of unemployment than the national average-- 14.5 percent in 2011."

Source: "The Numbers Don't Lie." ProLiteracy. ProLiteracy Worldwide, 2013. Web. 27 May 2014.
Link: http://www.proliteracy.org/the-crisis/adult-literacy-facts

Practice, practice, practice

Hi all,

Today, I want to talk about dedication! The only way to excel in any field, writing or not, is to stay dedicated and to practice. Like that old saying goes; "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice."

Practice and dedication don't necessarily mean that you have to constantly be working. I hate it when people think smothering themselves with something is a form of practice. Practice is a comfortable, but gradual repetition that helps someone further their own skill level.

Here's the honest truth. You don't have to write everyday to be good at it. But, if you feel as if you have potential, why shouldn't you try to flex those muscles every chance you get? I write everyday. If I'm on the bus and think something is gnarly, I'll document it on my phone. I have something written on my phone almost always.

Without faith, without dreams, without our sheer will to kill it with our passion, we're nothing. Don't be afraid to wear not just your heart, but your dreams on your sleeves.

Always stay focused. No matter what it is, there's always a way.

Happy writing.

Focus your moods

Hey all,

I just want to talk a little bit about mood writing today. Mood writing is exactly what it sounds like, channeling a specific mood or feeling into whatever it is you're writing. Personally, I do certain things to make channeling emotion into my work. I even have a writing playlist on Spotify to make focusing even easier.

Music is certainly an easy way to access moods and feelings. If you know a certain song makes you feel a certain way, play that song while working. Writing is all about expressing, so don't limit yourself. Blast rock (my personal favorite), blast classical or blast rap.

Also, I use music videos and other written things to inspire. For example, "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars always inspires me to dig deeper, see the good with the bad, and write a more personal piece. People put their own work out there to be received, so receive!

A big goal for me as a writer is to inspire. I want to not only entertain with my work, but to give someone hope to be something larger.

Happy writing! :)

Hey guys! My name Kemal and as my friend Bruce mentioned before, I will focusing more on the reading aspects of literature.  This will include reviews of books that I have read (they will vary in reading level to appeal to a wider range of readers), some statistics about how reading affects our lives (sorry, I am a bit of a math nerd), and just other reading pieces that I think are important.

To start things off, I think it is equally important to know how to write a book review as it is to read one, so lets start off with how to write a book review!

First step: Get a book that you have read and have found interesting.  It is a bit hard to review something you found boring.

Second step: Recall (or go back and re-read some parts) and start jotting down good AND bad qualities of the book.  You usually review a book you like, but that doesn’t mean you leave out the bad parts.  Include it all to give the reader reading your review a good and honest feel of the book.  This part is especially important.

Third step: Form your opinion of the book.  Is this something you would recommend to a family member or friend to read? Or is this a book you would tell people to avoid?

Fourth step: Determine the authors argument, if there is one.  Does it make sense? Do you agree/disagree with it? (For example, in Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, the author argues that immortality is more a curse rather than a gift.)

Fifth step: Keep the audience in mind.  The reader of this review has more than likely not read the book, so keep the characters, setting, main idea, erc, to a minimum to avoid ruining a major part.  

Sixth and final step: Writing the summary can be a bit tricky as you want to avoid giving away too much information.  This is where you tie your opinion, argument, and other literary elements together to bring forth your concluding evaluation of the book.

So that is what I personally think a good book review should have in it, but it may change depending on the book.  Maybe the main idea is the strongest part? What if the setting is described beautifully every time? Do the characters come to life in your head? Finding what to focus on can vary, but that is my personal template when writing a book review and I hope it has helped!

My own writing, continued.

Hey all!

Like I said I would, I spent a few hours working on that last poem. But throughout that work period, something interesting happened.

I decided that I didn't want to change anything. I felt like I expressed everything that I wanted to in the best way I'm capable of (at this time). So I kind of wrote a sequel. By sequel, I mean I was inspired during the work process and created something fresh. I'll post it below.

Four walls, no sound.
No door, but one harsh
red light. 
Trapped, left
with the deafening quiet of 
loneliness. 

It's do or die.
Where does your faith get you,
in the burning ruins,
of everything you've once known?

The result isn't what terrifies me.
It's the inevitability. 

I lived. 

Peeps, I know it's late. I also know that I kind of swerved away from what I had originally planned on doing today, but I'm really happy with what I've produced. I think you should utilize any and all inspiration the moment you're stuck with some.

Yesterday was about the importance of the diary, but I guess today is all about inspiration. Attack your passion, and that doesn't only count for writing. Live a little people. Life is short, so why should it be wasted on what you're not doing what you feel deeply inspired to do?

Happy writing.

My own writing

So some time this morning, at around two a.m, I decided to work on a old poem of mine. I'll share the original below.

A kiss on the cheek, and bite on the neck. Hands on my heart, and expose it to the sun. A dried out romance, drowned in moonlight. Timid smiles, and an unforgettable glance.

I realize this poem is a really short one, and it's got really odd line breaks, but that's how I liked it. It's part of my specific style. A key factor in writing is to find your own interesting style. You can set yourself apart from the norm with an odd rhythm, as long as it works for you. That's probably the best way to be recognized as a writer. Set your own system up and stray from what's normal.

Nonetheless, I'll spend part of today working on this specific piece to try and see if my style has changed at all. I might add, and I might take some off, I don't really know. I'll post again in a few hours with the new, and hopefully improved piece.

Dear Diary

Today, I'll talk about the importance of a diary!

We all know a diary to be a safe and secure place. A place for our quietest and most complex thoughts. A diary though, can be so much more. A diary can help make you self-aware, and is a easy way to monitor a social or emotional change. A diary is also a brilliant way to keep track of simple thoughts.

As a writer, I have multiple journals. I constantly write in these journals when I feel inspired, or just when I hear or say something that I feel has a nice sound. Because of the miracles of modern technology, diaries can even be digital! Be it an occasional drafted email, or a dated google document saved to the Cloud, the internet has expanded the already limitless possibilities of self-expression.

If you continuously write in a diary, you also increase your writing skill. You get a feel for your own rhythm. You start to realize what you're comfortable sharing, and how you like to express it. Are you quick and concise? Do you immediately get to the point, or do you like to explain things slowly, and in extreme detail?

Fine examples of strong diary writing would be the teen novels "Speak" and "Go Ask Alice." Throughout these stories, our main characters grow emotionally by learning to cope with their trauma, and also grow socially by learning to more freely express their pain and sorrow, and to not be afraid of their haunting pasts.

Maybe you all should give diary writing a chance? You never know, it might end up being something you thoroughly enjoy, or it could just help you get some stress off your back.

In a backwards type of way, this blog will be my diary. I'll probably even share some of my own writing, just so that it gets out there. If anyone wants to share their own work, anonymous or not, just drop a link in the comments section below, and I'll post it.

Happy writing! :)

Our first post!

Hey all,

This blog will be solely dedicated to the literature exploits of two young adults. Through our posts, you will learn about the effects literature has had on the two of us.

Kemal will focus more on reading, and how it helps improve attentiveness.

I will focus more on writing, and how writing helps an individual express more, while they grow socially, mentally, and emotionally.