Hello, my feathered friends. Not that you're birds, but to me you're all angels. (N'awww, stop it, you!)
So poetry, right? Let me clear something up. You're only a poet if you say you're a poet. I'm not a poet.
Glad we cleared that up. It's just I get a lot of people calling me a poet simply because I write poetry, but that doesn't make me a poet. I write poetry as a side thing to my actual writing and more simply, I write poetry because it's goddamn easy to write!
I write poetry because I can't be bothered to put effort into to something better. However, over the years I have developed a style and I do quite like my poems. Heh.
As a rule of thumb, I hate poetry. I've gone as far as to make the claim that anyone who writes poetry is just like people who write song or music, but without any of the talent. Anyone can write poetry. It's also why I claim that professional poets are equal to amateur writers, which I maintain.
'But if you hate poetry and think it's easy, how can you claim you have a style and like your own?' - I know, I know, but be aware I said 'rule of thumb'. That's because most poetry (with it being so easy, there is a lot of it) does suck. It's often up it's own arse and people think they're good for it. I am embarrassed, every time I write a poem, until I get used to the poem being one of my works (which is about two weeks.) That being said, there is some really good poetry. Just because poetry doesn't take loads of skill and often is crap - some people write really good things that happen to be poetry.
I refer you to people like Edgar Allen Poe, or even in a more recent times Egghead (Or You Can't Live On Ideas Alone) by Bo Burnham. These people have written some awesome poems that I can't help but admire - but that's because of the brain behind them, not because poems are cool. Hit the right words and you have something cool, that is simply cool in itself as a work, and not because it conformed to certain rules that defines what it is.
In that respect, it's like many other arts. There's a lot of them, but you only like some or only some are objectively good. The problem with poetry, however, is how exasperatingly easy it is for anyone to do 'right' that it becomes quite convoluted what it is to write poetry. And as a result I am not a poet, I have no interest in writing poems, I simply do it but there are random ideas that sound kind of cool. But I have no desire to be or be called a poet.
Hope this clears up a few of my feelings on the matter.
Ciao for now.
25/02/2014
19/02/2014
Females in fiction.
Hey there.
It has been put up for discussion, again, recently about females in the media. Mainly in the writing of films, games and literature. The issue mainly seems to be that there are lots of really badly written female characters in all of these things and this usually occurs when they are the protagonist of the story. So I'd like to give my piece in explanation of it as it is quite a tough subject, so naturally I'm going to tackle to with both feet.
This is a gender issue. It's as simple as that, and throughout history there has been a huge abundance of male domination in writing and stories - with women often seen as prizes or side characters, etc. That is a problem, of course it is. But it has happened, so not much we can do about this. That does not, however, mean that people should be writing about women protagonists for the sake of writing women protagonists - that doesn't solve everything. All of the sexist stuff is history, people should not be writing on the basis that we USED to be sexist, do you see? Every story that is written should be tackled as that story, and a character's gender should be absolutely second to them simply being a good character!
Let me clarify. People who have crap female characters in their stories are crap for two reasons, a) that they simply are bad writers anyway. b) They think that you should write females as female and males as male - as if there is a difference. There isn't.
There are plenty of tests now to 'tell if you're book is sexist' and don't get me wrong, there should be equally drawn characters of both genders, I'm not saying anything negatively about gender, I'm simply saying that men and women are so much the same that we shouldn't be considering gender as the important factor in this. If I have a short story that doesn't involve two males talking and not about girls, that doesn't make me sexist. It means the story didn't lean towards need for that. Get it?
Yes, I understand that my view may be unpopular. But good writing is about good writing and nothing else, so when i read a book like The Hunger Games, that has a horribly written female protagonist in an otherwise brilliant book, I can spot that she sucks because she has been written purely to be a strong female. Which doesn't work. And it doesn't not work because she's female, it doesn't work because you can't write a gender as a gender, you write it as a fucking good character and for all purposes you should be able to swap the character's gender and it still be the same book but with very little tweaks.
Yes, I may be swaying all over the place with my explanation, but all the information is there. You should stop telling people they're sexist because they don't have certain stories. You should stop trying to write gratuitous powerful female characters. Just write something good, write in a good/realistic/deep/interesting/relatable character; make them female. But make sure she's written because of a good character in a good story, not just because women can be strong too. Because male and females are the same when it comes to the mind. Get it? Good.
Ciao for now.
It has been put up for discussion, again, recently about females in the media. Mainly in the writing of films, games and literature. The issue mainly seems to be that there are lots of really badly written female characters in all of these things and this usually occurs when they are the protagonist of the story. So I'd like to give my piece in explanation of it as it is quite a tough subject, so naturally I'm going to tackle to with both feet.
This is a gender issue. It's as simple as that, and throughout history there has been a huge abundance of male domination in writing and stories - with women often seen as prizes or side characters, etc. That is a problem, of course it is. But it has happened, so not much we can do about this. That does not, however, mean that people should be writing about women protagonists for the sake of writing women protagonists - that doesn't solve everything. All of the sexist stuff is history, people should not be writing on the basis that we USED to be sexist, do you see? Every story that is written should be tackled as that story, and a character's gender should be absolutely second to them simply being a good character!
Let me clarify. People who have crap female characters in their stories are crap for two reasons, a) that they simply are bad writers anyway. b) They think that you should write females as female and males as male - as if there is a difference. There isn't.
There are plenty of tests now to 'tell if you're book is sexist' and don't get me wrong, there should be equally drawn characters of both genders, I'm not saying anything negatively about gender, I'm simply saying that men and women are so much the same that we shouldn't be considering gender as the important factor in this. If I have a short story that doesn't involve two males talking and not about girls, that doesn't make me sexist. It means the story didn't lean towards need for that. Get it?
Yes, I understand that my view may be unpopular. But good writing is about good writing and nothing else, so when i read a book like The Hunger Games, that has a horribly written female protagonist in an otherwise brilliant book, I can spot that she sucks because she has been written purely to be a strong female. Which doesn't work. And it doesn't not work because she's female, it doesn't work because you can't write a gender as a gender, you write it as a fucking good character and for all purposes you should be able to swap the character's gender and it still be the same book but with very little tweaks.
Yes, I may be swaying all over the place with my explanation, but all the information is there. You should stop telling people they're sexist because they don't have certain stories. You should stop trying to write gratuitous powerful female characters. Just write something good, write in a good/realistic/deep/interesting/relatable character; make them female. But make sure she's written because of a good character in a good story, not just because women can be strong too. Because male and females are the same when it comes to the mind. Get it? Good.
Ciao for now.
14/02/2014
Relationships. Love. Sonder.
'Sonder' is a word that is formulated by the epiphany, realisation, sudden understanding that each person you pass in the street actually IS a real person. Every single one of them has a story included with a future and a past, role models and desires, quelled or encouraged beliefs. There are so many of them, they walk past you and you realise that you are simply an extra in their life, that person that walks through the back of the shot and then them as people carry on to pass more people who have more stories and lives and specialist subjects and so on.
Everyone has a certain depth, and just like stories in books, or knowledge in life - you simply cannot know them all, it just cannot be done. So instead of learning all of the things, you specialise in a subject just as you specialise in a person. This is a relationship.
You learn every part of them, inside and out. With your finger you quickly learn the trace of their body, and over time you, with your mind, you learn to trace the inside of their mind. You adore them and you're not an extra in their life, you're a key character. You're the secondary character in their story, and they're the secondary character in yours.
...It's simply beautiful.
A good relationship spawns when this happens. You're not second guessing each other, talking to friends about doubts you might have. You talk to them, you're sharing your lives. Most importantly, you're not one person - you're two. You give fifty percent of yourself to them, they give fifty percent to you and you're both still one-hundred percent. Each. They don't complete you, you simply share in each others completeness.
Romance died a long time ago - but they who live each-to-their-own know what to do, themselves, and despite the decayed world of romance, you can love each other and be happy.
That is until around the age of thirty-one where you realise you're married to someone you only used to love, and yet you have children with them anyway who feed off of your life's worth to repeat the cycle of a miserable death at the age of fifty-six via heart attack.
But when you ignore that part, it truly is quite beautiful.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What I'm trying to say is - go forth and love. I've posted my thoughts before on the frustrations of forced romance - but I am a little more liberal and wiser to my issues, now. The only true pleasure you'll find with another person is with someone who wants to give it back, equally. It's not a battle to make the other one happier than you, or one sided so that it's their job to surprise you with 'romance', or visa versa.
Most romance died hundreds of years ago. But you clever people can still find it, and it is whatever your relationship deems it to be, it's not sexist notions of chivalry where a guy caters for a girl's every whim, and it's not forced ideals of chocolates, wine, flowers and a candle lit dinner - it's both of those things and neither. It depends on yourself and your significant other. Think outside the box and be yourselves. You're free. Share in it. (Just... make sure there is no harm involved. Autocannibalism is not romantic.)
Personally, my life comes first. To me, love is nice, but that's all it is. When it comes I'll accept it, but for now I have bigger goals and priorities to tackle.
Ciao for now.
Everyone has a certain depth, and just like stories in books, or knowledge in life - you simply cannot know them all, it just cannot be done. So instead of learning all of the things, you specialise in a subject just as you specialise in a person. This is a relationship.
You learn every part of them, inside and out. With your finger you quickly learn the trace of their body, and over time you, with your mind, you learn to trace the inside of their mind. You adore them and you're not an extra in their life, you're a key character. You're the secondary character in their story, and they're the secondary character in yours.
...It's simply beautiful.
A good relationship spawns when this happens. You're not second guessing each other, talking to friends about doubts you might have. You talk to them, you're sharing your lives. Most importantly, you're not one person - you're two. You give fifty percent of yourself to them, they give fifty percent to you and you're both still one-hundred percent. Each. They don't complete you, you simply share in each others completeness.
Romance died a long time ago - but they who live each-to-their-own know what to do, themselves, and despite the decayed world of romance, you can love each other and be happy.
That is until around the age of thirty-one where you realise you're married to someone you only used to love, and yet you have children with them anyway who feed off of your life's worth to repeat the cycle of a miserable death at the age of fifty-six via heart attack.
But when you ignore that part, it truly is quite beautiful.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What I'm trying to say is - go forth and love. I've posted my thoughts before on the frustrations of forced romance - but I am a little more liberal and wiser to my issues, now. The only true pleasure you'll find with another person is with someone who wants to give it back, equally. It's not a battle to make the other one happier than you, or one sided so that it's their job to surprise you with 'romance', or visa versa.
Most romance died hundreds of years ago. But you clever people can still find it, and it is whatever your relationship deems it to be, it's not sexist notions of chivalry where a guy caters for a girl's every whim, and it's not forced ideals of chocolates, wine, flowers and a candle lit dinner - it's both of those things and neither. It depends on yourself and your significant other. Think outside the box and be yourselves. You're free. Share in it. (Just... make sure there is no harm involved. Autocannibalism is not romantic.)
Personally, my life comes first. To me, love is nice, but that's all it is. When it comes I'll accept it, but for now I have bigger goals and priorities to tackle.
Ciao for now.
10/02/2014
Storys, Ideas, Teasers!
Hello, you lovely folk, you!
I once read somewhere that one of the worst things you can do as a creator is to announce any work you're doing publicly too soon before it comes out or when it's only in concept stage. And while I understand the reasons why that's a bad idea - it doesn't really matter or apply to me because nobody follows my reading (except perhaps my parents) consistently anyway. So without further ado here is a short list of stories jotted in my little black book of ideas that I intend in time to make into something special.
Oh, and please tell me if you really like an idea or think anything sounds good, etc. as it might persuade me to work on that sooner or whatever, so thanks in advance for your giving a shit.
And there we have the main idea I have to get working on as soon as I finish my university in around 4 months time. So watch this space! Also, if you want to read anything previous it's all in the right hand bar, and I have looked at it recently realising how apaulling it's written - seeing as I have improved a lot, so some of it might not be as good as I once thought - but I can always rework it if I care, and it's decent enough for amatuer work. So feel free to check that out!
Ciao for now!
I once read somewhere that one of the worst things you can do as a creator is to announce any work you're doing publicly too soon before it comes out or when it's only in concept stage. And while I understand the reasons why that's a bad idea - it doesn't really matter or apply to me because nobody follows my reading (except perhaps my parents) consistently anyway. So without further ado here is a short list of stories jotted in my little black book of ideas that I intend in time to make into something special.
Oh, and please tell me if you really like an idea or think anything sounds good, etc. as it might persuade me to work on that sooner or whatever, so thanks in advance for your giving a shit.
- Clockwork (W.I.P) - The story of a lonely guy who works in an abandoned town and makes himself a thinking and autonomous 'daughter' out of mainly clockwork. The story unfolds as the clockwork girl learns, runs away, comes back, etc. This story is intended to be both a nice and a sad story, and the first real attempt I've made at trying to make people cry.
- S.A.L.I.G.I.A - The newest form of an idea I've had batting around for a long while where it is essentially a series of seemingly unrelated short stories based on monologues (or letters) by normal people in a land struck by war. Based in around the 1800s, these stories will store little humour although could have a few jokes here and there - but they'll be mainly drama and will make the most sense after you've read all seven to put the world together.
- Some of these are going to get quite heavy, tackling subjects, like rape, moral apathy, death and corrupted religions. So strap in tight if you care to read these as and when.
- 'The Ill' - a very new novella I've penned based on a dream I had. This will be a first person thriller about a guy who gets spiked on his birthday and wakes up in an asylum around the time when all the patients revolt. Unsure who's side he is on, he essentially goes along with whatever is happening simply in an attempt to get out. There will be a fair bit of comedy in this piece, and is one of my favourite story ideas I've got so far.
- Capsule - the first ever sci-fi I've considered writing. Based on three young adults (early twenties) who in an attempt to relive their childhood, camp out on an abandoned space shuttle when it launches. Oh, and there's an alien on there (it does make sense, honest.) So a tongue-in-cheek action thriller sci-fi, thing. I think I might have fun with this one. (also, there is no romance, because fuck romance!)
- My Main Novel - this doesn't have a title, all I really have is a world and a set of characters that I've become quite attached to. It's a fantasy (low) story based on a world where science is kept out of the public, and is used very much the same as magic in high fantasy worlds. This is the least likely to be freely available on the internet - so I wouldn't really worry about it.
And there we have the main idea I have to get working on as soon as I finish my university in around 4 months time. So watch this space! Also, if you want to read anything previous it's all in the right hand bar, and I have looked at it recently realising how apaulling it's written - seeing as I have improved a lot, so some of it might not be as good as I once thought - but I can always rework it if I care, and it's decent enough for amatuer work. So feel free to check that out!
Ciao for now!
04/02/2014
Thirty Minute Thoughts Post!
Hello, my fine friends!
My name is Kyle Sweet, yours presumably isn't... unless it is, and in that case, you're welcome too! Everyone is welcome... Except you Sam Tannian. Nobody likes you. Fuck off. :) (I'm only kidding, you're welcome too, just no Taylor Swift on this page, please. You, lovable rogue, you!)
So yeah, I had a new years resolution to write at least one blog post a week, and to write one reguardless if it managed to get 7 days since my last post. And that lasted a grand total of three posts (Go me!) but that doesn't mean I can't pick something up from it. My blog is literally over two years old now, so it's safe to say I'm used to having one - I'll keep posting. Strangely enough I do get view on the interesting posts that are about things (Less so on these information and person posts, but hey! These are more for me than anyone else, to be fair.) So the point now is I'm about to write like 5 posts and schedule them 6 days apart from another so I don't have to write anything for a while, but if I feel like it, I can simply add it to the schedule list and hopefully keep that up.
My ideas are to have some form of interest posts, mainly, my thought about actual things and topics, and maybe some more game / music / film reviews, etc. Perhaps even book reviews - may as well act the writer that I attempt to be. Still, there's things to be getting on with - priorities and things, woo!
And now is the random bit where I talk about a-thing-I-done. Went to see 'Wolf on Wall Street' today. Wolf on Wall Street is a lecture in psychopathy with gratuitous sex, superfluous drugs and illegal money, all strung together with the knowledge of his inevitable crash and burn. It's pretty decent and probably worth a watch; it's an experience if nothing else. So there's that section done.
I hope you're all okay and all those other thins, but that's all for now. Just a little self-gratifying post of words that I put onto a computer because I felt like it. Nothing overly exciting happens to me, really, enough to make people care. Shame.
Ciao for now!
My name is Kyle Sweet, yours presumably isn't... unless it is, and in that case, you're welcome too! Everyone is welcome... Except you Sam Tannian. Nobody likes you. Fuck off. :) (I'm only kidding, you're welcome too, just no Taylor Swift on this page, please. You, lovable rogue, you!)
So yeah, I had a new years resolution to write at least one blog post a week, and to write one reguardless if it managed to get 7 days since my last post. And that lasted a grand total of three posts (Go me!) but that doesn't mean I can't pick something up from it. My blog is literally over two years old now, so it's safe to say I'm used to having one - I'll keep posting. Strangely enough I do get view on the interesting posts that are about things (Less so on these information and person posts, but hey! These are more for me than anyone else, to be fair.) So the point now is I'm about to write like 5 posts and schedule them 6 days apart from another so I don't have to write anything for a while, but if I feel like it, I can simply add it to the schedule list and hopefully keep that up.
My ideas are to have some form of interest posts, mainly, my thought about actual things and topics, and maybe some more game / music / film reviews, etc. Perhaps even book reviews - may as well act the writer that I attempt to be. Still, there's things to be getting on with - priorities and things, woo!
And now is the random bit where I talk about a-thing-I-done. Went to see 'Wolf on Wall Street' today. Wolf on Wall Street is a lecture in psychopathy with gratuitous sex, superfluous drugs and illegal money, all strung together with the knowledge of his inevitable crash and burn. It's pretty decent and probably worth a watch; it's an experience if nothing else. So there's that section done.
I hope you're all okay and all those other thins, but that's all for now. Just a little self-gratifying post of words that I put onto a computer because I felt like it. Nothing overly exciting happens to me, really, enough to make people care. Shame.
Ciao for now!
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