Read At Your Own Risk

The Doctor

Whoa! Did you feel that?!
This blog just got even more awesome.  While continuing to enjoy the invaluable wisdom of previous posts, you will begin to notice a twist. Twist? An entanglement with eccentricity, an inkling for thinking out of the cube, and a fresh breeze of weirdness. After all, being true to the Muse often means a grope in the darkness, a risky move that scares the bejeebers out of you, or accepting the likelihood that you will be labeled 'weird.'  Thank your lucky star if that should happen, because 'standard' and 'ordinary' do not make for great (or even enjoyable) works of art. I can hardly stand to look at a painting if the painter wasn't at least half crazy.

Well, I might as well introduce myself. Everyone thinks my name is Lindsey. Y'all are about to hear the truth. Lindsey is an alias to veil my true identity. Are you sitting down?

No, I'm not Batman. Sorry.

My name is Dr. (Ki)2. I bring with me a few particularly talented individuals. Together, we're a sort of Superhero Blog Squad. I'll let them introduce themselves, because I sure don't know how to describe their, er, unique attributes. We plan to support the creative community, because it is the lifeblood that keeps passion in our souls, elevates emotions and aspirations, and lifts us out of our comatose state of sleepwalking through life, confusing reality and Facebook while worrying about jobs and laundry. Creativity lifts us to a higher plane of thought and contemplation- to a place we can really learn something about ourselves, expand our worldviews and reevaluate our values.

Change.
 Change is scary.
  Change is absolutely necessary for growth.
    Change helps sensitize the artist to the creative impulse.
      The creative impulse, inspiration, light bulb above head, the Muse... The world of the artist has no map.
        Impulse and intuition are essential, but must be balanced by context, perspective, and motivation. All is naught if the fire of desire to Make isn't blazing, and sometimes we all need a little help fanning the flames. That's why I'm here. As your Doctor, I will regularly prescribe a task intended to light you up and enhance the creative process.

Today's Prescription:  LAUGH.
We're talking deep-belly, uncontrollable, unstoppable laughter. Laugh until you cry. You may then commence weeping if you're the swift mood-shift type. Equilibrium and poise have plenty of merit, but sometimes you need a swift rush of chemicals in the head; such as an adrenaline rush, the hot blush at the smile of your crush, and the reckless abandon of unbridled laughter. It's like a flood of water breaking through the dam of tension, worry, and stress -all of which directly counteract the creative act.

What makes you laugh? Share in the comments section below, because everybody deserves a good laugh. It changes your perspective from gloom cloud to rainbow, or from ghetto to palace, or whatever.
Every artist has their toolbox, and if yours doesn't have a sense of humor in it, I urge you to obtain one. How?
I don't know! I find most things amusing, at least, and a great many to be absolutely hilarious.
I recommend purposefully seeking out things/people/activities which have been known to squeeze a chuckle out of you. Make them regular events in your life. Yes, you do have time. We are talking about your artistic soul, here! Without a sense of humor, you are crippled.

Here is a glimpse at what you have to look forward to:

• There will be more on the Artist's Toolbox.
• There will be prescriptions for your creative health.
• It is possible that I may reveal my superpower; but don't get your hopes up.
• Caution: There is significant risk of exposure to absurdity and whimsy directly followed by solemnity or grim determination.
• There will most definitely be local artists -indie and legit- of many flavors and mediums and styles.

There are artists of so many varieties making mindbogglingly magnificent creations all over the place. We plan on tracking them down and publicly exposing their brilliance. If you know someone whose artwork isn't receiving the celebration it deserves, hit us up. You can name-drop in a comment or contact us via email.

      Take 2 bouts of raucous laughter and call me in the morning.
~Dr. (Ki)2
brainfingers@gmail.com
Chapter One and Book-It!

Attention America. This is Ruby the Wretched...

Ruby the Wretched, Attorney-at-Law, Evil Genius, Bloggernaut

  So, let me tell you a little story.

Not long ago, on a frisky sort of evening, I was frosting the cupcakes and thinking about cubes. I was contacted by one, Dr. (Ki)2. I have a history with this woman. I am her legal representation and am immensely valuable to her. She is also privy to some of my more nefarious transgressions...

(She signed the non-disclosure agreement so feel free to ask as many questions as you’d like; she won’t be able to answer them).

Nevertheless, I believe in the Doctor’s cause; to perpetuate the culture of strangeness that is so fertile to creativity. To promote rebelliousness in the name of true art. In our long, professional relationship, the Doctor and I have stayed awake many a night, wisely stroking our imaginary beards (mindbeards) and contemplating how we can possibly make the world we live in more beautiful and ultimately stranger. 

So when the good Dr. K asked me to join her super-force of scribes, I graciously accepted. This is quite the gesture coming from me. You see, what you must understand about me is that I am a wretched girl (Ruby the Wretched, you see?).

  

The truth is that I am vile and appalling. Depraved and despicable. I have a tendency to be MEAN.  Although it is normally my aim is to twist logic, contort the truth, trump reason, and generally mislead the masses; I am here to save you. Your lives are very dull and boring. The world has become a frightful place, and not just because I set free an army of murderous possums.* No, it is frightful because people are becoming complacent. If I am going to take over the world in one weekend, I’m going to need y’all to have some fight in you. 

{*For legal reasons I must state that I have no recollection of mentioning murderous possums. WHAT POSSUMS?*}

Just so you know that I will always keep you on the edge of your seats, I’m going to list a few of my personal inspirations. I will offer no explanations at the current time, but all will become clear (or at least righteously defended) in time: 

• The late, great Jean-Micheal Basquiat
• American poet, Charles Bukowski
• Spectacular train wreck; Miley Ray Cyrus, born Destiny Hope Cyrus
• Gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson
• Eccentric Pop Artist and Philosopher, Andy Warhol
• America’s Sweetheart, Taylor Swift
• Extremely Twisted Individual, Salvador Dali
• Author and Man of Inspiring Brainfingers, Kurt Vonnegut
• Batman

If any of this seems incongruous feel free to leave me a comment, and I will feel free to laugh diabolically at it. 

   I may be a super-villain and a criminal mastermind, but I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I am very  interesting and impressive. I have multiple degrees and PhDs from UoF (University of Falsehood), so I definitely know  what I’m talking about. You can trust me. 

Anyway, for the time being I am here to delight and appall you with my insightful wit and various levels of dangerous psychosis. You are so very fortunate my Biscuits, so very fortunate...

It's Been a While

Hello all! Erika B here. Just giving you an update as to the recent goings on here at Chapter One and Book-it!.

Our first issue of Book-it! magazine is coming out soon, but how soon is dependent on when we fill our advertising space. On that note, we're looking for sales people! If you're looking for a little extra money, shoot Sean an email at chapteronebookit@outlook.com

As for the rest of the store? We're planning a series of fundraising events and competitions. These include (but are not limited to):

a Dance Off (October 19th - location to be announced)
Battles of the Bands (dates and locations to be announced)
Film Competitions (middle of January)
(art) Character/Creature Competitions (every other month starting in October)
and Writing Competitions (every other month starting in November)

Keep an eye out for these and many more on our Facebook site.

"Why fundraisers?" You may ask. We could go the usual route and go get a couple small loans and a million government grants, it's logical, responsible, and makes sense. Right? Well, here at Chapter One, we believe in being self-made. If we owe anyone, we want to owe you. Yeah, we're probably crazy for not wanting to take out some massive business loans or seeking out investors, so I'm going to make a confession... we are crazy. If you don't like doing business with crazy people, now's the time to bail! But if you believe in what we've got going on, we want you on our team.

On our website is a list of positions we're looking to fill. We're looking for volunteers that want to see this succeed. I know, another crazy thing, right? Looking for volunteers instead of hiring people. But let me put it this way. The more people we have on our team the faster we make money. The faster we make money, the sooner our volunteers get paid. To put it in perspective, we're not planning on letting this thing fall through the cracks. Come hell and high water, we're getting this baby off the ground and flying. So, if you're on our team, if you make this thing a success, you'll have a career with us, long term, and with more than a few opportunities to move up. If you're with us as a volunteer, you're with us for the long haul and we intend to take care of you.

For our awesome followers and supporters, right now, we owe you a magazine, a store, and some awesome content. Hold us to it. Send us emails demanding updates, pester us. We know you're watching and we like it that way. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates, and please keep us in your prayers. We're doing this for you.

Sincerely,
Erika B.
CEO Chapter One
http://www.chapteronebookit.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChapterOneBookIt

Where Themes Come from

Image Courtesy: Google

Practicing the craft of writing every day is as important as reading books to engage the imaginative and artistic faculty on a daily basis. Daily writing tones and prunes the skills of a writer to perfection. The internet has no shortage in the number of ‘How-to’ pages. They will tell you how to write a story, a book, a love letter, or even a computer code. Perhaps, there is a ‘How-to’ page on how to find themes for your stories, or articles, or poems as well. I am not concerned about those sites, here. However, what I do feel concerned about is a website that might tell you where to find your themes.

Bin to Bestsellers: the Importance of Other People in your Writing Life

Making money writing is the hardest job on planet earth, however, there are people who do it effectively and make a living out of it. Being not one of them is not your problem, but aspiring not to be one is.

Is finding a publisher the best option for you as a writer? Richard Bach once mentioned in an interview; it’s not a publisher a writer searches for, but an editor. This relationship is one that should last for a lifetime. An editor understands where the music of words has to be slowed down or where it must run faster. But to get one worthy enough, you must do a lifetime’s waiting.

As a beginner in freelancing and in professional writing, how do you get an editor whose service can be worthwhile? Beginners are always stuck with the same problem; lack of funds. This in turn hampers your look out for an editor. Good editors are sale items with relatively high price money. There are many writers’ communities that offer editing services. Even some literary agencies offer you with editing services. However, if you are a first timer and one without enough weight in your bank account, hiring an editor for your book or manuscript will not be, normally, easy.

The best way to tackle this situation is to find reliable and easy options for editors. One need not go much farther for this end. Just look around and you will find yourself to be blessed with many minds, gifted with the one serum of eternal life—love—around you, ready to help reading your manuscript.

Showing your manuscript to your friends and family or girl friend would be a better option. In such a case, the money spent would be much close to null on editing services. The best editors are those who actually care for our work. You must be open to their criticisms; however, in harsh criticisms you can always rely on their lack of professional experience as the hideout from humiliation.

Stephen King, when he wrote his first novel, Carrie, did not think it would make up to the publishing standards and threw it into the bin. But his wife Tabitha King accidentally discovered the manuscript and read it. Thinking that it would be something worth of a quality, she put it back on the table and later helped King to rework on it. The novel went to become a best seller of its times and was made into a successful Hollywood movie.

This is one real life example from the life of America’s most celebrated and enthusiastic writer, Stephen King. This could be yours too. A relationship not just helps an individual to maintain one’s emotional health but the creative output as well. Now wait your sweet heart to tell you where to put the period.

If you liked this article, you might like my book too. Take a look.

About Anu Lal:

Anu Lal is the author of Wall of Colors and Other Stories. He lives in Kerala, South India. He blogs at The Indian Commentator 

You can catch up with him in Facebook too.