Stream of Consciousness
The Voice Refined Through Another Medium
For centuries, words have been the vessels of human thought, the means by which understanding passes from one heart to another. From quills and typewriters to keyboards and screens, the tools have changed, but the mind behind the message has not. Now, in the age of artificial intelligence, some claim that words refined through its assistance cannot be fully human. They say that if an essay or reflection has been shaped, polished, or expanded by an AI tool, then its authenticity is somehow diminished. Yet that belief mistakes process for purpose. The truth of writing does not depend on how the words are arranged, but on who the words come from.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast3 months ago in Writers
Here Comes Judge!
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts — The Exercise - Look in your files for a story that seems stuck, a story that has a story block. Next, write at the top of a separate sheet of paper the two words. What If. Now write five ways of continuing the story, not ending the story, but continuing the story to up your thinking about the events in the story. Your what if's can be as diverse as your imagination can make them. More than likely, and this has proved true through years of teaching and writing, one of the what if's will feel right, organic to your story and that is the direction in which you should go. Sometimes you will have to do several groups of what if's per story, but that's okay as long as they keep you moving forward. The Objective - To illustrate that most story beginnings and situations have within them the seeds of the middle and end. You just have to allow your imagination enough range to discover what works.
By Denise E Lindquist3 months ago in Writers
Saint Nobody
One night while I was in graduate school at the College of Charleston, I was hanging out with some friends from home who had also relocated to Charleston. We were at Brad and Alicia’s on James Island. Alicia and I took Geology together in undergrad, and I used to work at the jazz club next door to Brad’s bar. Fio and I had daughters around the same age, and they had attended a church day school together as toddlers. I had known her husband, Patrick for quite some time, and I hated her ex-husband, Todd, almost as much as she did, for different reasons.
By Harper Lewis3 months ago in Writers
What happened to Feminism?: The Invention of the Action Heroine in film
From Spectacle to Story Action women in cinema are not a new concept. They have been an important fixture since the beginnings of Japanese film, from the early “cinema of attractions” to more modern narrative cinema. But to understand the complex relationship between women and their roles on screen, it helps to start with film history itself.
By Sruti Tekumalla3 months ago in Writers
No name story..
I would say my name, but it’s unnecessary. I’ve written poems, short stories, my feelings and it’s something that’s never left my notebook. What can you do when your mind races from the moment you awaken until darkness quiets the world? Does your mental health take a toll on you like it does with me? I lie there wondering what I’m doing to cause the problems everyone seems to see come from me. Do they think like I do? I guess not, huh? Is me wondering what I’m doing wrong mean I have some good left in me? No matter how many times I bottle up my thoughts and feelings, nothing that strong can be held without a consequence. Im not sure I understand the purpose behind being so judgmental. Aren’t we family? Aren’t we all from the same origin? We all come from common grounds and to hear that one doesn’t see or doesn't help another is killing the foundation of where this all started. How can we build and grow— even maintain a life that is now considered “sustainable” if we don’t come together. One must understand another, to grow itself.
By Mariah Ciera4 months ago in Writers
Writer vs. Storyteller
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the terms “writer” and “storyteller”. There are many authors out there who identify as “storytellers” rather than “writers”, and when discussing the often-debated Stephenie Meyer, people will strongly argue that she is a “storyteller” rather than a “writer”. That had me wondering, what exactly is the difference between a “writer” and “storyteller”, and which one am I—or can I be both?
By Stephanie Hoogstad4 months ago in Writers
Once Upon a Time Again
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts — The Exercise - Write a linear story, in which a strong main character is on a quest for something important and specific (e.g., a shelter for the baby, medicine for a sick mother, or the key to the storehouse where a tyrant has locked away all the grain from a starving populace). The object is given - don't explain its importance. The main character starts acting immediately. She then meets a (specific) obstacle; finally, she triumphs over the obstacle by means of a magic or supernatural element that comes from the outside (like Dorothy's red shoes in The Wizard of Oz). You may introduce minor characters, but the narrative should never abandon your main character. This story should be told through action and dialogue. Limit: 550 words. The Objective - Like a medical student who must learn the names and location of human bones before going on to more complex systems, a beginning writer must be able to handle and control basic plot before moving on to more subtle elements like motivation, subtext, and ambiguity. Many of the greatest novels incorporate a quest (Moby Dick), a journey (David Copperfield), and triumph over an obstacle (The Old Man and the Sea). These works also concentrate on one protagonist and end, if not happily, at least on an emotionally satisfying note of resolution.
By Denise E Lindquist4 months ago in Writers
Uncertainty
The crack of dawn arrives; the sun beams through the curtain gap, with the wish that the light brings unceasing hope so my heart sees pass the shadow that clouds it. Yet time moves softly, swiftly, silently slipping through my grasp...seeking to find:
By Pau in Motion4 months ago in Writers
