Shawn L. Bird

So, whatcha writin’ in that NaNoWriMo thing, anyway? July 11, 2013

Filed under: Grace Awakening Myth,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:23 pm
Tags: allusion, Grace Awakening, Grace Awakening Myth, harry potter, music, mythology, sample, scene, U of C, University of Calgary, writing

In November, when I was actually on track with my NaNo writing, I had a few gems that still make me happy. This book is now with the editor (who has gone to Europe for 2 weeks, and abandoned me!) Thought I’d share this with you, in the hopes that it will inspire today’s Camp NaNo efforts to get more than 500 words a day, which is all I’ve been managing so far! (Arg). Enjoy.

Shawn L. Bird

Thought you might like to see what’s coming along. Ben is now at University of Calgary with his friends Paul and Ryan. (Craigie Hall is the music building). Grace is living in the Shuswap with her Auntie Bright. If you’re new to the story, you should know that Grace and Ben are connected telepathically. Ben is the earthly realm form of the demi-god Orpheus. He’s narrating.

—————————————————————–

I was walking down a corridor in Craigie Hall when a stab of pain crashed into my head. I staggered into the wall, and grabbed for support.

A girl rushed over to me, “Are you okay?”

I shook my head, gasping, and she guided me to a bench. I dropped my head between my knees. “I’ll be okay. It’s fine.” The pain wasn’t mine, it was reverberating from Grace. She didn’t know yet how to completely control her side of our connection. Her…

View original post 991 more words

overflowing July 10, 2013

Filed under: anecdotes,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:50 am
Tags: books, creativity, place, witing zone, writing

Words overflowing

piling

compiling.

Words for research

for inspiration

for entertainment.

3 keyboards

for composing,

at desk,

on the couch,

in the bath

(waterproof!)

Words overflowing

like water.

Plainly,

I need

more book shelves.

.

You know, I think there are probably over 100 books in the area shown in this shot? Wild. This is my writing zone. Theoretically, I sit at the desk, but usually I am lying on the couch. Theoretically, I use the ergonomic keyboard, but usually I just use the mini-keyboard on the notebook computer, which is probably not good for hand health. One of my favourite places to write is (seriously) the bath tub. Why I can focus so well there, I have no idea. Computer well away from water, waterproof keyboard on my knees, I don’t have to see what I type, and I get huge chunks of story.

Where do you write?

: The writing zone…

Comments (37)

be bad

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:30 am

I spent a year repeating this to my English students. I was gratified by the number of kids who wrote on their evaluations that the permission (and encouragement) to write badly freed them more than anything they’d ever learned in English. Powerful. As the sign in my class room says: “Write Crap. First Drafts don’t have to be good. They just have to be written!”

Shawn L. Bird

A colleague of mine was telling me yesterday that she wants to write. She is terribly impressed that I have written these books. She would like to write a play.

But…

But she hasn’t.

Why?

Because she gets in the way. She doesn’t know which direction to take a scene in, so she takes it neither direction. She doesn’t know how many characters to use, so she has none. She has so many things, that she has nothing.

I told her that she should give herself permission to write a crappy play. If she can free herself from the idea that what she has written must be good, she can actually write SOMETHING. Once there is something on the page, you can edit it into something better. If there is nothing on the page, well, there’s nothing!

I read that Diana Gabaldon wrote Outlander as a practice novel. She thought…

View original post 148 more words

Comments (14)

tree love July 9, 2013

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:35 pm
Tags: extended metaphor, love, marriage, metaphor, relationships

You are a solid trunk,

knarled, mossy, tall

You look up

hearing Vivaldi

through the Rockies,

as I bud yellow green,

blossom pink,

blow petals on the breeze,

absorb the sun,

grow rich green,

dance in summer storms,

glow molten gold

firey orange and flaming blood,

throw all my soul

into the sky

and when pretention

falls away,

I rest,

naked,

upon you

and renew.

Comments (17)

us

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:54 am
Tags: alliteration, assonance, consonance, imagery, love, metaphor, relationship

I lost myself

searching for you.

I faded away

on filaments of fog;

I was ephemeral

but you were there

all along: a tall

strong fortress.

Grey walls

forbidding

forboding

forth coming

for nobody seen.

My cloud self

enwraps you,

enclosing us,

and we become

mystery.

Comments (32)

words we could use in English

Filed under: fun,Poetry,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:31 am

Here’s an interesting article listing wonderful words for concepts. The comments are interesting as well. Check it out !

(Bonus- now the first line to the theme from Laverne and Shirley makes sense!)

Comments (17)

21 Days of Writing 21st Century Fiction: Donald Maass’s full list of prompts July 7, 2013

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:56 pm
Tags: Donald Maass, writing, writing prompts

Whoa. This should keep me thinking for a while!

Victoria Bell

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while: here’s a compilation of the 21 tweets that agent Don Maass sent out on Twitter for 21 days from the end of August, beginning 21 days before the release of his brand-new book on writing craft, Writing 21st Century Fiction. I’ve preordered said book, because judging by the taste I got at the “Writing 21st Century Fiction” workshop in Colorado Springs back in April, it’s going to be amazing.

To steal a line from this sneak peek over at Writer’s Digest:

The notion of writing fiction that is highly personal and filled with conflict, emotion, and intensity is at the core of Don’s book. His approach to fiction writing is one that encompasses both those authors seeking commercial success, as well as those who write for the love of the craft; that is, literary writers.

My goal with my own writing is to…

View original post 775 more words

relief

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:35 pm
Tags: cutting, pain, relief

With your cold grey touch,

my pain oozes up

in a thin crimson line

and drips

…………away

.……………….drop

………………….by

………………..drop.

.

FYI—>This is persona

Comments (19)

trust July 6, 2013

Filed under: Rotary — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:43 pm
Tags: end polio now, polio, polio eradication

A poem originally posted November 2010 for your reading pleasure.

Shawn L. Bird

She trusts him
-the truth of him
–the truth of them

but she fears
the helplessness
-having watched him
unfold and unravel
under eyes that glowed
with glorious attention.

Temptation trails closely
behind such glowing eyes
and apparently intelligence

and good intention
are not always
adequte protection
from ampilified admiration.

That’s the truth of them

-the truth of him

–the truth of trust.

.

A submission for One Shot Wednesday. Check out the poets.

View original post

Comments (2)

polio today- we’re THIS CLOSE!

Filed under: Rotary — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:42 pm
Tags: end polio now, polio, Rotary

Shawn L. Bird

http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx

Wow. From a thousand cases a DAY when Rotary started the campaign to eradicate polio back in 1985 to only 134 cases so far in ALL of 2012!!

Yay Rotary and partners! We’re THIS CLOSE to ending polio!

View original post

Comments (1)

Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.