Shawn L. Bird

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

farm wives June 27, 2013

Filed under: OUTLANDERishness,Quotations,Reading — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:40 pm
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I was listening to the audio book of Diana Gabaldon’s A Breath of Snow and Ashes on the way home from work when a line was casually tossed into the narrative, that made me burst out laughing as I drove.  Such brilliant understatement!

“…somehow one never translates the strength required for daily farm life into a capacity for homicidal fury.”

Well no, we don’t.  Not from sweet, docile, farm wives who spend most of their time around the stove, at least.

However, given that Mrs. Bug (who just exhibited the homicidal fury in question) is an 18th century Scottish Highlander, it does make it more likely!  ((cough)).

 

 

Tools for magic June 25, 2013

Filed under: Quotations,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:35 am
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From Stephen King On Writing:

The most basic skills can create things far beyond our expectations.  We are talking …about words and style…but…you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic.  (p. 137)

.

Little scratches,

symbols made to represent sounds,

sounds to represent words,

words to represent ideas. 

It’s magical even

before you add in the narrative. 

Then things become downright

fantastical. 

With little scratches

we create worlds,

become divine,

and though it takes

more than six days,

when we are done,

we are satisfied that

it is good.

 

Neil Gaiman – Inspirational Commencement Speech at the University of the Arts 2012 – YouTube June 23, 2013

Filed under: Quotations,Teaching,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:05 pm

Paula M Cunniffe's avatarredvinylchair

Published on May 23, 2012

Neil Gaiman Addresses the University of the Arts Class of 2012
One of the best commencement speeches. A must watch for any artist and everyone who hopes to be creative and successful.

Make Good Art.

Neil Gaiman – Inspirational Commencement Speech at the University of the Arts 2012 – YouTube.

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art is life support January 10, 2013

Filed under: Pondering,Quotations,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:54 pm
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Put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room.  Life isn’t a support-system for art.  It’s the other way around.

Stephen King in On Writing

There is an inter-connectiveness between art and the artist.  Our lives are fuel for art, a touching point, a grounding place, a beginning, but not a support system.  It’s not the scaffold of bones that holds the art in place, because art should not be tethered.  Art flies.

Art becomes the air that intoxicates and enlivens the life. 

Art supports life.

 

romance is terror transmuted by time January 7, 2013

Filed under: OUTLANDERishness,Quotations — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:05 am
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One never stops to think what underlies romance.  Tragedy and terror, transmuted by time.  Add a little art in the telling and voilá! a stirring romance, to make the blood run fast and maidens sigh.

Diana Gabaldon in Outlander.

I really like the poetry of this, although I’m questioning the truth of it.  Do time, tragedy and terror told artfully equal romance?  What do you think?

 

quote- love it or leave it October 6, 2011

Filed under: Commentary,Quotations — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:06 pm
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Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, has just passed away.  In 2005 he told the Stanford graduating class,

‎”Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

Wise man.  Don’t waste your life doing a job ‘just for the money.’  It’s not worth it if it kills your soul and steals your joy.  Confucius is credited with the aphorism “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

I am lucky to love my job.  How about you?  Do you love what you do?  If not, what would you rather be doing?