The Writing-Practice Journal (Book)

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About This Author

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My name is Joy, and I love to write. Why poetry, here? Because poetry uplifts its writer, and if she is lucky enough, her readers, too. Around us, so many objects abound to write about. Once a poet starts with a smallest, most trivial object, he shall discover that his pen will spill out what is most delicate or most majestic hidden inside him. Since the classics sometimes dealt with lofty subjects with a lofty language, a person with poetry in his soul may incline to emulate that. That is understandable. Poetry does that to a person: it enlarges the soul and gives it wings. Yet, to really soar, a poet needs to take off from the ground. Kiya's gift. I love it!

The Writing-Practice Journal

New Intention:

Now in 2017 and the following years, if any, I shall use this journal for whatever I please to write.
Still, I reiterate: Read at your own risk!

Old Intentions:
Now, starting with June 2013, I will use this journal for the entries for "I Write in June-July-August " . Afterward, I'll go back to the part I have down below in red. Still, read at your own risk.

Now, starting at the end of 2010, I am going to write into this journal directly, without making any other copies. Freeflow, but from prompts. I may use prompts or simple sentences as prompts, which I'll put on the subject line. I'll probably use some of the prompts from the Writing.com app.

And yes, I do intend to make a fool of myself, because I miss writing on a good old fashioned typewriter with no other cares. Maybe some ancient and wise author like Dickens will watch me from Heaven, shake his head, and say, "You haven't made a dent." Not a dent, but making my own mud is my intention. So, if you read, read at your own risk.

Truth is, I had started this journal in 2002 for the different reason of writing down ideas on the craft of writing. Over the years, my personal blog took over what I wanted to do here. Afterwards I continued with writing exercises with no order or plan to the entries. And now, this.

Who says I can't let my hair down! Okay, I can't because my hair is short. But I've got nerve.

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10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Noyoki
Sep 6, 2015 at 2:41pm
In response to "Observations 1"
We often love to give advice, but never take it for ourselves. Great job living your own advice!

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alfred booth, wanbli ska
Aug 6, 2013 at 4:33pm
In response to "The Welcome"
You've done it again. Completely surprised me by your creativity.

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Moody Blue: Needs an Upgrade
Jul 1, 2013 at 11:13am
In response to "The Twelfth Circle"
I usually don't read fantasy, But I liked this.

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alfred booth, wanbli ska
Jun 30, 2013 at 4:15am
In response to "The Twelfth Circle"
So you couldn't resist the temptation to do a little bit of teen vampire stuff! It's well written but it's very unlike your your usual writing,Joy.

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This comment is attached to a private entry, so it is not available.

Joy
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:33am
In response to "An exercise: a story and its philosophical basis"
No, I didn't know, Alfred, and thanks for reading
I wrote the story on the 13th but didn't post it immediately. I write often and most of the time haphazardly in a word file in my computer. This story was for my eyes only, for practice.
Then, I came across the second prompt that said, take a story you already have. So I incorporated the two prompts and wrote the second part on the 20th, trying to look at it from the outside as much as possible.

As to The Waste Land, you're right. I only like the last part where he quotes from Baudelaire. That poem is long and it makes references to unconnected (IMHO) things from burial services to Tarot, to Wagner, etc. Maybe they are connected (in sorrows?) and I'm missing the whole thing..

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alfred booth, wanbli ska
Jan 23, 2011 at 10:50am
In response to "An exercise: a story and its philosophical basis"
Excellent work, Joy. But did you know about the second part of the prompt while writing the first? It reads almost as if you were commenting on someone else's writing. Which makes me wonder if you included certain details in the scene in order to answer the question in the second part of the prompt.

Either way it's a better job than I could do. Writing well takes so much more thought than I'm prepared to dole out. Maybe that's because I've no English lit classes on a university level to fall back on.

I'm currently trying to make my way through the references in T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." I'm not enjoying the poem at all because I feel so dumb. IMHO there is simply too much literary reference in it for the common mortal that I am.

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Joy
Jan 12, 2011 at 5:45pm
In response to "No Thanks Needed"
Thank you, Alfred.
None of my characters ever said, "Screw you" up to this exercise. I saw the prompt in a book in the bookstore and wondered what I could do with it. You are right, it is vulgar as is the character, although he may be tolerated because of his war experience.

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alfred booth, wanbli ska
Jan 12, 2011 at 5:19pm
In response to "No Thanks Needed"
I found your link on FB, otherwise I wouldn't have known about this on WDC. I'll place this book item in my favorites.

The character is extremely well painted psychologically but is that enough to excuse his substituting one phrase for the other? I must admit I didn't like the premise at all; I don't like the inherent vulgarity and the commonness of "screw you." However, I admire your ability to have done someting creative with such an unusual prompt.

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Joy
Jan 12, 2011 at 2:01pm
In response to "No Thanks Needed"
Thanks, Kim.
Whenever I find ten minutes or so...Lol!

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