alexcorby - Network

#ScribesAndMakers 3/20 Do you like graffiti? Do you have an example?I see it as an incredibly powerful artform that has been unjustly...

#ScribesAndMakers 3/20 Do you like graffiti? Do you have an example?

I see it as an incredibly powerful artform that has been unjustly vilified by the status quo.

I'd also say it's nearly impossible to create street art (arguably any art) that is politically neutral. It is public art that makes use of both public and private property as its canvas.

Puerto Rico's district of Santurce is alive with vibrant street art and murals. The visual soul of Borikén.

#StreetArt #PuertoRico #Banksy #Gaza

#WordWeavers 3/19: What role does writing have in your life? Is it for fun, therapeutic, work, or something else?I'd say it's a...

#WordWeavers 3/19: What role does writing have in your life? Is it for fun, therapeutic, work, or something else?

I'd say it's a calling.

Would love to say it's what I do for work. One day.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/19 At what age did you start creating?I've been making and telling stories since I learned how to talk. My Aunt Riti...

#ScribesAndMakers 3/19 At what age did you start creating?

I've been making and telling stories since I learned how to talk. My Aunt Riti said I was the most imaginative kid she ever met.

I grew up on a beach and every summer day, I'd make the same sand castle by letting mud sluice through my fingers and pile up in a stalagmite tower and then let the drama play out as the tide slowly swept away my small civilization.

Weird how I ended up writing my first book about Cantre'r Gwaelod.

#PennedPossibilities 617 Random: If you're an avid reader, what's the weirdest thing you've used as a bookmark?I just came to...

#PennedPossibilities 617 Random: If you're an avid reader, what's the weirdest thing you've used as a bookmark?

I just came to confess that I do not use bookmarks. I scavenge around the pages until I find my place like a filthy heathen.

#WritersCoffeeClub Happy Awkward Moments Day! What's the most awkward moment you've written?Elphin the misfortunate excels at...

#WritersCoffeeClub Happy Awkward Moments Day! What's the most awkward moment you've written?

Elphin the misfortunate excels at awkward moments! The one that springs to mind is when his horse pissed on him in front of his dad (the King) and a gathering of nobles.

#WordWeavers 3/16 If someone reads your book in the far future, would they identify themes relevant to our time?I think I'd be lucky if...

#WordWeavers 3/16 If someone reads your book in the far future, would they identify themes relevant to our time?

I think I'd be lucky if my historical fiction was correctly dated. Future civilizations are going to think that 21st century Welsh were still in the medieval period.

Failing that, people might recognize the warnings against consolidation of power, folly of war, ect. I also hope they pick up on subtler themes like art and inspiration over violence.

Had a revelation I need to jot down.I'm struggling to work with an all-knowing character without revealing too much to the reader. I...

Had a revelation I need to jot down.

I'm struggling to work with an all-knowing character without revealing too much to the reader. I realize now that the problem is POV.

I've been working with a close 3rd person omniscient, but the omniscient part is mostly Tali's fault. Instead I need to be writing with a 3rd person POV.

I'm also thinking about splitting the chapters and working with a close 3rd around Branwen's character, thereby distancing us further from Tali, the MC.

#WritingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 3/15 How's your goal going? Anything you need help with?I started editing/rewriting Taliesin book 2. I'm daunted...

#ScribesAndMakers 3/15 How's your goal going? Anything you need help with?

I started editing/rewriting Taliesin book 2. I'm daunted yet relieved that I see areas to improve and have ideas of how to do so.

I also am trying to keep momentum up writing the first draft Jib's Tale. I am so swamped with my teaching job that just keeping a little bit of progress on both projects is a triumph.

It would be really helpful if someone could teach and parent for me for a few weeks. Any takers?

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/14 Any new themes in your current writing?No, I'm grappling with a very, very old theme.Well, okay, it's new...

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/14 Any new themes in your current writing?

No, I'm grappling with a very, very old theme.

Well, okay, it's new for MY writing, but in Taliesin B2, a lot of Tali's conflict comes from whether he can change (or at least mitigate) what's been foretold by fate.

We've been here people. We've all took that English class in HS where we had to read Oedipus Rex. So yeah, it's free will vs destiny again. I personally, however, haven't had to deal with it in my writing until now.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/14: When writing dialogue, how much do you include?I'm big on the arrive-late-leave-early idea. That's not just...

#ScribesAndMakers 3/14: When writing dialogue, how much do you include?

I'm big on the arrive-late-leave-early idea. That's not just for my writing but also my work and social life.

If it's necessary to show one end of the conversation and I feel it serves the character, I might include the greeting or parting, or I might just mention it i.e.

"He whispered a good-bye and shut the door."

Or if the scene has a faster pace, I'll just leave it out altogether.

Happy Pi Day fellow nerds!I celebrated this irrational day by spending far more time than I could afford making these Sierpinski style...

Happy Pi Day fellow nerds!

I celebrated this irrational day by spending far more time than I could afford making these Sierpinski style fractals on turtle.

In short, the program chooses a random corner of the shape and goes a set fraction of the distance and makes a dot and then repeats about 12,000 times. The process is chaotic yet produces stunningly ordered patterns. I included a link to the codes below!

https://trinket.io/python/a179bc57602e

https://trinket.io/python/fb7a01e63209

#Math #Fractals #Coding

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/13 Are you mindful of your readers' expectations? How so?I'd like to think so. Some expectations deserve to be...

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/13 Are you mindful of your readers' expectations? How so?

I'd like to think so. Some expectations deserve to be met, so there's a challenge there as to how to do so without being predictable.

Other expectations deserve to be teased out and/or denied. I try to play around with those. Life frequently doesn't deliver everything we expect and I feel it serves the writing to explore that.

After all, another word for expectation is assumption.

In regards to the protestor wearing a MAGA hat with the US flag around his shoulder. The sign he is holding reads "I should have paid...

In regards to the protestor wearing a MAGA hat with the US flag around his shoulder. The sign he is holding reads "I should have paid more attention in school" which is a clear reference to Bad Bunny's recent smash album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos celebrating PR culture and identity. I suspect the MAGA paraphernalia is being worn ironically

Protesters were arrested yesterday in Rincón, Puerto Rico as activists sought to block the construction of a bike path that would require a...

Protesters were arrested yesterday in Rincón, Puerto Rico as activists sought to block the construction of a bike path that would require a removal of hundreds of coastal trees that protect the community against erosion.

The police who came to suppress the protests ended up standing in the shade of the trees the protestors are protecting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHGna6BOxIl/?img_index=1

#PuertoRico #LasPlaysSonDelPueblo

Big SpiderWoke up with this beast on my window. Anything that brings down the roaches!

Big Spider

Woke up with this beast on my window. Anything that brings down the roaches!

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/11 Do writng challenges spur on your progress?Mm. Rarely.Sometimes I'll see a prompt put out for a short story that...

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/11 Do writng challenges spur on your progress?

Mm. Rarely.

Sometimes I'll see a prompt put out for a short story that resonates with me and pushes me to write a quickie. But usually I'm too involved in my own #WIP 's and other projects to spend much time on them.

#ScribesAndMakers What would your best creative life look like, keeping it realistic?I really have no right to complain. I'm very...

#ScribesAndMakers What would your best creative life look like, keeping it realistic?

I really have no right to complain. I'm very fortunate to live on a beautiful tropical mountainside ideal for inspiration.

The main obstacle is time. I work a full time teaching job for not the best salary but my kid gets a very good education for free. One day, I may earn enough from writing and creating to leave my demanding job, and then it's all living the dream.

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/9 Does caffeine intake influence your writing?wait...just got up...getting my coffee now.10 MINUTES...

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/9 Does caffeine intake influence your writing?

wait...just got up...getting my coffee now.

10 MINUTES LATER

Right,YeahIDrinkgCoffeeEveryMorningButIt'sJustARitual.IDontThinkItHasMuchEffectOnMeLeastOFAllMyWritingButIDoFindIdeasTendToFlowEasierButIMayHaveToGoBackAndLookForTypos,IMeanIJustAdded10PagesToMYMSButTheWordCountIsOnlyAt15?Oh,Snap!IForgotTheSpaces!AlsoAllMyCharactersAreGoingOnLongRantsAboutHowMuchTheyLikeCheeseAndThings,SoIDunno.MaybeITsTimeToSwitchToDecaf?

Just curious, is “cromulent” an official word yet?

Just curious, is “cromulent” an official word yet?

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/8 Happy International Women's Day! Which female author has inspired you the most?Le Guin is up there, but the most...

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/8 Happy International Women's Day! Which female author has inspired you the most?

Le Guin is up there, but the most influential author for my work would be Morgan Llywelyn.

Llywelyn's adaptions and re-tellings of Celtic myths and history directly inspired me to fashion my own re-telling of Taliesin's story. Her attention to historical detail and human characterization of Celtic heroes enchanted me as young reader and I'd be lucky to pull that off half as well as her.