by Dianna L. Gunn
Have you heard of Tangent Online? They are the ultimate review magazine for fans of speculative fiction, critiquing everything SF/F they can acquire. Tangent Online is also one of the few publications to review both electronic and print magazines. We are fortunate that they have reviewed several issues of Penumbra.
Even though I love this issue of Penumbra, I was blown away by Tangent Online's stellar review of our January Ray Bradbury issue. It's one thing to gush about a magazine I've actually worked on, but it's more thrilling to see a third party reviewer with no obligation enjoy Penumbra, too.
So if you've considered the Ray Bradbury issue but want to know more about it, check out this review--and if you're already decided, you can purchase a copy here.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Needlepoint 2.0 : the new unconventional embroidery
 fashion week streetstyle pic via Zoe Elysia |
Who said needlepoint is just for grannies? Balmain and Dolce&Gabbana successfully brought embroidery back on trend with their fall/winter 2012 collections. Now the big public started to love it, but let's have a look at how embroidery evolved in the past few years. Needlepoint went beyond bedsheets and fabric and now decorates any surface from porcelain to metal, virtually any pierced surface is a good surface that can be embroidered. The contrast between new materials and old techniques creates very interesting items.
Eline Pellinkhof doesn't need needle and thread either, she borrows classic embroidery drawings and paint them on walls, but no one is a braver embroider than Miss cross stitch that, unseen by the police decorates public structures like benchs and fences, she calls it "Street embroidery".
If you're willing to learn to embroider I suggest you to start from cross stitch, stitches are regulated by predetermined steps so the result will be always well refined. If you can't wait to see the result of a diy you can still make an embroidered top without embroider, to see how click here.
Ingiustamente relegato nell'mmaginario comune al passato o alle coperte delle nonne (che a mio parere sono bellissime) il ricamo è tornato attuale nelle collezioni autunno inverno di Balmain e Dolce&Gabbana e viene finalmente riscoperto dal grande pubblico. Nelle proposte dei grandi designer è floreale e molto classico ma oggi vedremo come il ricamo si fa strada nella modernità grazie alle idee dei creativi di tutto il mondo. Il ricamo va oltre i confini della stoffa ed è ormai una tecnica decorativa per le superfici più diverse, virtualmente ogni materiale traforato, che sia di metallo o di porcellana può essere ricamato e il contrasto tra il "vecchio e il nuovo" crea oggetti interessanti. Eline Pellinkhof ricama senza ago nè filo, prende in prestito disegni classici come le rose per creare decori murali mentre Miss cross stitch rende più belli gli arredi urbani un punto alla volta con le sue incursioni non autorizzate in parchi e piazze europee inaugurando un nuovo tipo di street art.
Se volete imparare a ricamare da zero vi consiglio di cominciare dal punto croce o dal mezzopunto perchè i punti sono regolari ed equispaziati e il risultato sarà sempre soddisfacente. Le più impazienti potranno invece scoprire come creare un top ricamato senza ricamare cliccando qui.
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| Cross stitch manicure pic via daily nail blog |
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| perler beads notebook pic via TrueBlueMe&you |
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| Cross stitch wall decor by Eline Pellinkhof ic via sunsetgurldesign |
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| pierced and embroidered cup by Industreal |
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| Cross stitch table pic via Ariadneathome |
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| lace fence by Droog |
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| pic from thisiscolossal |
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| embroidered bench by Miss Cross Stitch pic via Make Craft |
Virtually any surface that is regularly pierced can be embroidered like vases, magazine racks, chairs and so on.
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| Cat stitched iphone covers pic via Catsparella |
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| cross stitch iphone cover kit pic via Mikeshouts |
I think any pierced cover can work for this DIY project and they're pretty common.
A Moment with Samuel Marzioli
Do you write a story before you find a market, or do you find a market before you write the story? Why do you work this way?
I’m more of an “and” rather than an “or” sort of writer. I do everything I can to maximize my creativity. For the most part, I believe it pays to find and research a market before bothering to write for them. Editors are readers first, and every reader has a preference for what they want to read. Obviously, you don’t want to send an erotic story to a children’s magazine, or a western to a mystery journal. And you don’t want to send stories that don’t incorporate the themes of markets that require them. It’s just common sense. It may seem daunting, and may take a lot of extra work, but that’s the business we’re in. Putting text into word documents is only the first step.
However, the process may not be as difficult as some newer writers imagine. Recently I corresponded with a man who was struggling to publish his first story. We discussed NY Times best-selling author Joe Hill, and whether or not he had an easier time breaking into the business because he was Stephen King’s son. The man reasoned that anyone with a family member so closely connected to the industry had access to every editor’s preferences. All Mr. Hill had to do was pick his father’s brain and, viola, instant sales, instant success. While I disagreed with the main thrust of his argument, he certainly had a point. Knowledge is power! However, I countered that every writer is on equal grounds, because every single issue and anthology an editor works on is stamped with their particular tastes--everything from POV, to prose style, to subject matter. In other words, you don’t need to be blessed with the genetic lottery. All you have to do is follow the suggestion that is present on most every writer’s guidelines: “Read an issue.”
On the other hand, trying to conform to a single market’s preferences can be limiting. It can kill the mood, staunch the flow of creative waters like a tampon in the pipeline. As such, sometimes I write a story first and then find the best match. Research always plays a part, of course, but not necessarily in the beginning. It all depends on where the muse leads.
Samuel Marzioli lives in Oregon, and often writes outside in the rain under an umbrella. His fiction has appeared in Stupefying Stories 1.8 and the January 2013 issue of Penumbra. Several other stories are forthcoming in Stupefying Stories, Space & Time Magazine and the "A Darke Phantastique" anthology by Cycatrix Press.
Learn more about Samuel Marzioli his blog.
However, the process may not be as difficult as some newer writers imagine. Recently I corresponded with a man who was struggling to publish his first story. We discussed NY Times best-selling author Joe Hill, and whether or not he had an easier time breaking into the business because he was Stephen King’s son. The man reasoned that anyone with a family member so closely connected to the industry had access to every editor’s preferences. All Mr. Hill had to do was pick his father’s brain and, viola, instant sales, instant success. While I disagreed with the main thrust of his argument, he certainly had a point. Knowledge is power! However, I countered that every writer is on equal grounds, because every single issue and anthology an editor works on is stamped with their particular tastes--everything from POV, to prose style, to subject matter. In other words, you don’t need to be blessed with the genetic lottery. All you have to do is follow the suggestion that is present on most every writer’s guidelines: “Read an issue.”
On the other hand, trying to conform to a single market’s preferences can be limiting. It can kill the mood, staunch the flow of creative waters like a tampon in the pipeline. As such, sometimes I write a story first and then find the best match. Research always plays a part, of course, but not necessarily in the beginning. It all depends on where the muse leads.
Samuel Marzioli lives in Oregon, and often writes outside in the rain under an umbrella. His fiction has appeared in Stupefying Stories 1.8 and the January 2013 issue of Penumbra. Several other stories are forthcoming in Stupefying Stories, Space & Time Magazine and the "A Darke Phantastique" anthology by Cycatrix Press.
Learn more about Samuel Marzioli his blog.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
How to make an arrow ring with metal wire
Is this a western arrow or a cupid's one? Both lovers of tribal inspired jewelry and romantic girls looking forward Valentine's Day can easily jump on the arrow jewelry trend with this metal wire arrow ring. All you need is metallic wire, pliers and 10 minutes of your time. Ready for some DIY fun?
Arma da guerra o freccia di cupido? Questo anello potrebbe mettere d'accordo sia le fan dei gioielli di ispirazione tribale che le ragazze romantiche che già pensano al giorno di S.Valentino. Per realizzarlo bastano: filo metallico, pinze e dieci minuti del vostro tempo.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Homemade blush recipe
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| homemade blush |
I've been a fan of chemistry for long sure that a pharmacy active ingredient is more concentrated than a natural one so it must be more effective. Lately I'm changing my opinion, not that the above statement is wrong, but I'm discovering how effective other products made with natural ingredients can be and in many cases they are more tolerated by skin. Even better some of these products can be made at home so you know what you're putting on your skin.
Today I would like to share with you the easiest way to make a blush at home. My mom discovered this recipe a while ago and when she told me about it I was surprised how easy and cheap it is. If I told you that the white powder we use to finish make up can be done with potato starch?
I hope you'll love this recipe as much as I do.
Sono sempre stata una sostenitrice della chimica convinta che un principio attivo concentrato di un prodotto farmaceutico o cosmetico debba essere più efficace di un prodotto naturale. Recentemente però sto cambiando opinione avendo potuto constatare l'efficacia di alcuni prodotti naturali che sono spesso meglio tollerati dalla pelle. Un'altra ragione per avvicinarvi ai cosmetici naturali è che alcuni potete prepararli in casa e saprete sempre cosa state spalmando sulla vostra pelle.
Oggi vi mostrerò una ricetta scoperta da mia madre qualche tempo fa per realizzare in casa il blush. Quando me ne ha parlato sono rimasta stupita dalla semplicità e velocità del procedimento.
You'll need:
- potato starch
- pigment (eyeshadow loose powder)
- a box
- How to make finish white powder
White powder is transparent when applied and can be used to finish make up and keep the skin matt all day. Use pure potato starch as finish powder.
- How to make blush at home
If want a darker blush you can use all natural ingredients and mix potato starch with cocoa powder. You can use this blush for contouring or as a bronzing powder.
Occorrente
- fecola di patate
- pigmento colorato
- una scatola
La fecola di patate può essere utilizzata da sola come cipria trasparente per fissare il make up e può diventare blush con l'aggiunta di un pigmento colorato, più ne aggiungete più il colore del blush sarà acceso.
Per realizzare un blush più scuro da utilizzare per il chiaroscuro o come terra abbronzante potete aggiungere alla fecola della polvere di cacao. How I Turn an Idea into a Publishable Story
by Barbara A. Barnett
Easy. Bunny wrangling.
If you're a writer, you've likely encountered the term "plot bunnies"—those pesky little story ideas that suddenly spring up and nibble at your brain until you finally write them. I find the bunny metaphor apt. My ideas certainly reproduce like bunnies. That's where the wrangling comes in.
For much of what I write, going from idea to story is a fairly straightforward process. First, I spew out words and see what happens. I try not to overthink things at that stage; the first draft is playtime, when I can let the plot bunny run wild. Then, once I have a crappy first draft, I put on my editorial hat and try to figure out where the story is. Revision is when I consider voice, structure, characterization, style, and all of those other elements that will help turn my crappy first draft into something potentially publishable. Of course, that's assuming there's a story there worth telling. Not all plot bunnies are created equal. Some are worth prettying up to send hopping through editors' slush piles; others are better off staying home in their burrows. How one tells the difference between the idea worth pursuing and the one best left in the trunk is tricky business that I have no good answer for other than this: go with what feels right. If still in doubt, talk it out with other writers, then go with what feels right.
That's my usual process, but some plot bunnies are more easily wrangled than others. Sometimes I need to set the bunny aside and let my subconscious figure out what the heck to do with it. Days, weeks, or even months later, I'll be doing something inane like brushing my teeth when poof! There's the bunny again, letting me know which direction he wants to go hopping in.
Some plot bunnies require research. And often, a cool detail uncovered in that research will help me figure out what the story is. For "Ghost Writer to the Dead" (Penumbra, October 2012), I knew I wanted to set a story at the Edgar Allan Poe house in Philadelphia, but that was all I had: the setting. So I researched. A lot of tidbits from my research ended up in the story, but one particular detail—that a woman named Lizzie Doten had published what she claimed were new works channeled to her by Poe's spirit—led to my plot in which Poe's ghost tries to dictate a new story to a psychic.
Finally, there are the plot bunnies that go hopping in so many directions that I become overwhelmed trying to catch the little buggers. Or, the bunny just kind of sits there, threatening to do something interesting, but mostly it just nibbles at the grass. That's when I find brainstorming with other bunny wranglers (aka writers) helpful. It's not their bunny, so they can look at it a bit more objectively, or at least from a different angle that I hadn't considered.
Barbara A. Barnett is an avid rejection letter collector, musician, MLIS student, Odyssey Writing Workshop graduate, coffee addict, wine lover, bad movie mocker, and all-around geek. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as Fantasy Magazine, Shimmer, Daily Science Fiction, Black Static, and Wilde Stories 2011: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction. In addition to writing, she has worked in the performing arts world for several years.
Learn more about Barbara on her website.
If you're a writer, you've likely encountered the term "plot bunnies"—those pesky little story ideas that suddenly spring up and nibble at your brain until you finally write them. I find the bunny metaphor apt. My ideas certainly reproduce like bunnies. That's where the wrangling comes in.
For much of what I write, going from idea to story is a fairly straightforward process. First, I spew out words and see what happens. I try not to overthink things at that stage; the first draft is playtime, when I can let the plot bunny run wild. Then, once I have a crappy first draft, I put on my editorial hat and try to figure out where the story is. Revision is when I consider voice, structure, characterization, style, and all of those other elements that will help turn my crappy first draft into something potentially publishable. Of course, that's assuming there's a story there worth telling. Not all plot bunnies are created equal. Some are worth prettying up to send hopping through editors' slush piles; others are better off staying home in their burrows. How one tells the difference between the idea worth pursuing and the one best left in the trunk is tricky business that I have no good answer for other than this: go with what feels right. If still in doubt, talk it out with other writers, then go with what feels right.
That's my usual process, but some plot bunnies are more easily wrangled than others. Sometimes I need to set the bunny aside and let my subconscious figure out what the heck to do with it. Days, weeks, or even months later, I'll be doing something inane like brushing my teeth when poof! There's the bunny again, letting me know which direction he wants to go hopping in.
Some plot bunnies require research. And often, a cool detail uncovered in that research will help me figure out what the story is. For "Ghost Writer to the Dead" (Penumbra, October 2012), I knew I wanted to set a story at the Edgar Allan Poe house in Philadelphia, but that was all I had: the setting. So I researched. A lot of tidbits from my research ended up in the story, but one particular detail—that a woman named Lizzie Doten had published what she claimed were new works channeled to her by Poe's spirit—led to my plot in which Poe's ghost tries to dictate a new story to a psychic.
Finally, there are the plot bunnies that go hopping in so many directions that I become overwhelmed trying to catch the little buggers. Or, the bunny just kind of sits there, threatening to do something interesting, but mostly it just nibbles at the grass. That's when I find brainstorming with other bunny wranglers (aka writers) helpful. It's not their bunny, so they can look at it a bit more objectively, or at least from a different angle that I hadn't considered.
Barbara A. Barnett is an avid rejection letter collector, musician, MLIS student, Odyssey Writing Workshop graduate, coffee addict, wine lover, bad movie mocker, and all-around geek. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as Fantasy Magazine, Shimmer, Daily Science Fiction, Black Static, and Wilde Stories 2011: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction. In addition to writing, she has worked in the performing arts world for several years.
Learn more about Barbara on her website.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
4 it-bags ruined forever...or not?
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| Customized Fendi baguette bag - pic via Nobody knows Marc |
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| Customized Chanel bag pic via The Coveteur |
You signed up a waiting list then paid a hefty price and finally that it-bag is yours. Now paint over it. It-bags are almost mystical objects: fashion victims show them off with pride and the rich collect them, but in the era of individualism nothing has an absolute value. Even a cult item can be desecrated, customized for arrogance or rebellion, to be different from anyone else. You can take a dangerously permanent felt pen and leave your mark over an iconic quilting to show your personality. Ladies above took the risk, are you brave enough to customize a myth or not? Is it a waste of a timeless piece or tells a story?
Prezzi altissimi e interminabili liste d'attesa tutto per mettere le mani su un oggetto quasi mistico, la it-bag. Le fashion victims le ostentano, gli amanti del lusso le collezionano. Nell'era dell'individualismo nulla però ha un valore assoluto e distinguersi è il nuovo imperativo. Anche un cult come una it-bag può essere dissacrato, personalizzato con una punta di presunzione e di ribellione per rifiutare l'omologazione. Basta un pennarello, pericolosamente indelebile, per lasciare il proprio segno su un'iconica trapuntatura e le borse scendono dal piedistallo per mettere in mostra la personalità del proprietario.
Che ne pensate, personalizzereste una borsa anche se è un mito o è un inutile sfregio di un classico senza tempo?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
A Moment with Steve Chapman
Do you write a story before you find a market for it, or do you find the market before you write the story? Why does this method work with you?
At the risk of appearing to dodge the question, my honest answer is that I write stories both for particular markets and without the hope of a market. As a matter of practicality, my writing gets divided into two separate workflows, each following a different method.
In the first, I focus on the submission deadlines for the likely markets, magazines or editors whom I’ve sold to before or who regularly publish short fiction that feels copacetic with my own. These markets represent a better probability of a sale, or at least suggest that I’ve a good feel for what their editors are seeking, so from a business perspective it only makes sense to pay close attention to them and to try to write to their themes and specifications. So this is what I do. This is my responsible workflow.
But it doesn’t always work for me, because this isn’t the way I like to write.
I come up with many more ideas than I’m ever going to have the time to execute, and I know from experience that I do my best work when an idea I’m excited about resolves itself into a workable structure. I do my least-inspired writing when I’m stuck with a topic/deadline that isn’t striking any imaginative sparks.
So I maintain a second (irresponsible?) workflow that’s all about whatever idea or character or situation I’m most excited to flesh out. This can end up being nothing more than mental doodling, but sometimes these sketches cohere into the fundamentals of a story. When this happens I’ll happily put other projects aside to work on the story that wants to be written.
In the past this approach has generated some of my favorite stories--which is not always the same thing as producing stories that have sold. While this approach is fun and rewarding for the writing itself, it can often result in a story without likely markets, which has to be put aside until a new market presents itself.
But there’s an extra benefit to this juggling of methods. One of the ways I generate and maintain enthusiasm for writing through long weeks of day jobbing, where little writing gets done, is to keep a rolling task list. That way I can see at a glance that I have to carve out seven hours of writing time from the coming weekend or else potentially world-bothering stories A, B, and C are never going to get outlined/written/revised. A trick that has proven endlessly helpful is to put the story I desperately want to write on the list behind the story that I should write, so that working on the new, shiny idea becomes the reward for responsibly working my way through the previously scheduled tasks, the literary equivalent of a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie.
It can be difficult to shift focus between multiple projects, but I’ve learned over time that it pays to follow my muse unless I’m up against a hard and fast deadline. At least for the moment this dual approach is working reasonably well as a method of balancing inspiration and perspiration.
A lapsed musician and engineer, Steve Chapman lives with his wife and daughter at the New Jersey shore. Though he spends most days high above Times Square, in the evenings he can hear the ocean. Recent stories can be round in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword & Sorceress 27, the Harrow Press anthology Mortis Operandi, and the January 2013 issue of Penumbra.
In the first, I focus on the submission deadlines for the likely markets, magazines or editors whom I’ve sold to before or who regularly publish short fiction that feels copacetic with my own. These markets represent a better probability of a sale, or at least suggest that I’ve a good feel for what their editors are seeking, so from a business perspective it only makes sense to pay close attention to them and to try to write to their themes and specifications. So this is what I do. This is my responsible workflow.
But it doesn’t always work for me, because this isn’t the way I like to write.
I come up with many more ideas than I’m ever going to have the time to execute, and I know from experience that I do my best work when an idea I’m excited about resolves itself into a workable structure. I do my least-inspired writing when I’m stuck with a topic/deadline that isn’t striking any imaginative sparks.
So I maintain a second (irresponsible?) workflow that’s all about whatever idea or character or situation I’m most excited to flesh out. This can end up being nothing more than mental doodling, but sometimes these sketches cohere into the fundamentals of a story. When this happens I’ll happily put other projects aside to work on the story that wants to be written.
In the past this approach has generated some of my favorite stories--which is not always the same thing as producing stories that have sold. While this approach is fun and rewarding for the writing itself, it can often result in a story without likely markets, which has to be put aside until a new market presents itself.
But there’s an extra benefit to this juggling of methods. One of the ways I generate and maintain enthusiasm for writing through long weeks of day jobbing, where little writing gets done, is to keep a rolling task list. That way I can see at a glance that I have to carve out seven hours of writing time from the coming weekend or else potentially world-bothering stories A, B, and C are never going to get outlined/written/revised. A trick that has proven endlessly helpful is to put the story I desperately want to write on the list behind the story that I should write, so that working on the new, shiny idea becomes the reward for responsibly working my way through the previously scheduled tasks, the literary equivalent of a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie.
It can be difficult to shift focus between multiple projects, but I’ve learned over time that it pays to follow my muse unless I’m up against a hard and fast deadline. At least for the moment this dual approach is working reasonably well as a method of balancing inspiration and perspiration.
A lapsed musician and engineer, Steve Chapman lives with his wife and daughter at the New Jersey shore. Though he spends most days high above Times Square, in the evenings he can hear the ocean. Recent stories can be round in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword & Sorceress 27, the Harrow Press anthology Mortis Operandi, and the January 2013 issue of Penumbra.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
♥ Matter Of Style on H&M life ♥
Recently Matter Of Style has been featured on H&M life blog! I'm thankful and impressed that someone inside the giant that is H&M found and appreciated this blog and decided to talk about it!
Below you'll find out what H&M said about Matter Of Style and a recap of DIY tutorials I shared with you during the years inspired by H&M pieces.
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| click on the pic to enlarge it |
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| a close up of the article |
The article appeared in many international editions of H&M life, here's the Italian one:
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Thursday, January 17, 2013
Mustache flats? Oui, merci! DIY your own
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| padded Mustache flats - DIY tutorial on Style.it |
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| Mustache flats - DIY tutorial on Style.it |
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| Mustache flats - DIY tutorial on Style.it |
It's hard to find out how all got started. Some trends just start as jokes and then they get viral.
Men with mustache were considered an endangered species along with pandas and the few who shown with pride an eccentric pair of mustache were either hipsters, weirds or Magnum P.I. Maybe it all got started with an innocent laught but from then on mustache became a funny statement on their own. You can't resist them, everything with a mustache will make you laught. Have fun customizing your pair of flats with a fierce pair of mustache.
Get the FREE MUSTACHE PATTERN, gold fabric, some padding fabric, self adhesive facing, glue and
Difficile rintracciare l'origine della mania dei baffi. Ci sono dei trend che nascono per scherzo ma che poi diventano contagiosi. Il portatore sano di baffi oggi è una specie in via d'estinzione e chi ne sfoggia un vistoso paio viene visto come un tipo originale e persino un po' buffo. Sarà stata l'innocente ilarità generata da un paio di baffoni a innescare la mania. Fatto sta che anche da soli i baffi conservano la loro carica di simpatia e il gioco di accostarli a qualunque persona e oggetto ha fatto moltiplicare i gadget a loro dedicati. Non avete ancora un accessorio baffuto? Allora divertitevi a personalizzare un paio di ballerine e anche voi alla domanda Moustache? Risponderete Oui, merci!
Philosophy and Fiction
by Samuel Marzioli
Philosophy is given a bad rap. It’s often considered an outdated approach to finding truth that was made obsolete by the scientific method. But, in fact, philosophy is still an integral part of the human experience. Whenever someone probes the questions of life, the universe and--oh, why not--everything, they’ve entered the domain of the philosopher. It underlies every important field of inquiry and creative endeavor, from science, to art, to education, and even fiction.
As far as fiction goes, a healthy dose of philosophy can often separate the forgettable fluff from a true masterpiece. While we may be fascinated by scenes of blazing guns and magnificent explosions, set in far-flung worlds or distant times, in the end it may just be mindless entertainment. But who can forget, say, Phillip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” and its treatment of what it means to be human, or “Minority Report” and the nature of free will? Or, more popularly, the Matrix and the nature of reality itself. We remember stories like these--often despite their flaws--because they alter or heighten the way we perceive ourselves and our place in the natural order. In effect, they don’t simply regurgitate the human experience; they clarify it.
The good news is one need not be formally trained in order to write a philosophically sound piece of fiction, any more than one needs to have a degree in science to write science fiction. It’s all a matter of approach and subject matter. In my own experience, my story in the January 2013 issue of Penumbra started off as a fanciful yarn about a man and an unusual house. [Vague spoilers to follow] In the first draft, I went through the motions and banged out a working plot, but in the end I found it was ultimately missing something. It had no depth or relevance. In other words, it lacked philosophical weight.
It wasn’t until I started thinking more about the protagonist that I realized he had no significant problems. He was just an average man who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what if he were an older gent that, at the end of his life, was forced to reevaluate the world view he had taken for granted for so many years? That, I believed, was something that spoke to our own experience: the comfort we find in the harmonization of our beliefs, and the tenuousness of things we hold as “knowledge.” And that, for better or for worse, became the foundation of my final draft for, “A House in the Woods.”
We all know, or at least should learn, the fundamentals of good fiction writing. Things like: write a compelling first sentence or paragraph, create a goal or desire for your protagonist, introduce conflict that keeps the character from his/her goal/desire, and deliver a satisfying resolution. But might I add, at least some of the time, incorporate a philosophical theme? It may not always fit, but sometimes, sometimes, it could make all the difference.
Samuel Marzioli lives in Oregon, and often writes outside in the rain under an umbrella. His fiction has appeared in Stupefying Stories 1.8 and the January 2013 issue of Penumbra. Several other stories are forthcoming in Stupefying Stories, Space & Time Magazine and the "A Darke Phantastique" anthology by Cycatrix Press.
Learn more about Samuel Marzioli his blog.
Philosophy is given a bad rap. It’s often considered an outdated approach to finding truth that was made obsolete by the scientific method. But, in fact, philosophy is still an integral part of the human experience. Whenever someone probes the questions of life, the universe and--oh, why not--everything, they’ve entered the domain of the philosopher. It underlies every important field of inquiry and creative endeavor, from science, to art, to education, and even fiction.
As far as fiction goes, a healthy dose of philosophy can often separate the forgettable fluff from a true masterpiece. While we may be fascinated by scenes of blazing guns and magnificent explosions, set in far-flung worlds or distant times, in the end it may just be mindless entertainment. But who can forget, say, Phillip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” and its treatment of what it means to be human, or “Minority Report” and the nature of free will? Or, more popularly, the Matrix and the nature of reality itself. We remember stories like these--often despite their flaws--because they alter or heighten the way we perceive ourselves and our place in the natural order. In effect, they don’t simply regurgitate the human experience; they clarify it.
The good news is one need not be formally trained in order to write a philosophically sound piece of fiction, any more than one needs to have a degree in science to write science fiction. It’s all a matter of approach and subject matter. In my own experience, my story in the January 2013 issue of Penumbra started off as a fanciful yarn about a man and an unusual house. [Vague spoilers to follow] In the first draft, I went through the motions and banged out a working plot, but in the end I found it was ultimately missing something. It had no depth or relevance. In other words, it lacked philosophical weight.
It wasn’t until I started thinking more about the protagonist that I realized he had no significant problems. He was just an average man who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what if he were an older gent that, at the end of his life, was forced to reevaluate the world view he had taken for granted for so many years? That, I believed, was something that spoke to our own experience: the comfort we find in the harmonization of our beliefs, and the tenuousness of things we hold as “knowledge.” And that, for better or for worse, became the foundation of my final draft for, “A House in the Woods.”
We all know, or at least should learn, the fundamentals of good fiction writing. Things like: write a compelling first sentence or paragraph, create a goal or desire for your protagonist, introduce conflict that keeps the character from his/her goal/desire, and deliver a satisfying resolution. But might I add, at least some of the time, incorporate a philosophical theme? It may not always fit, but sometimes, sometimes, it could make all the difference.
Samuel Marzioli lives in Oregon, and often writes outside in the rain under an umbrella. His fiction has appeared in Stupefying Stories 1.8 and the January 2013 issue of Penumbra. Several other stories are forthcoming in Stupefying Stories, Space & Time Magazine and the "A Darke Phantastique" anthology by Cycatrix Press.
Learn more about Samuel Marzioli his blog.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Buy or DIY: porcelain inspired fashion
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| Cavalli Resort 2013 all pics via The Terrier and Lobster |
For Resort 2013 collection Roberto Cavalli took inspiration from porcelain patterns. Get these masterpieces in store or DIY your own porcelain inspired version.
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| Roberto Cavalli porcelain dress- stretch dress - blazer - trousers |
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| China blue painted trousers DIY tutorial |
More Roberto Cavalli Resort 2013 collection below
I love animal inspired jewelry, these Flamingo necklaces are amazing!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Introduction to the Godfathers of Science Fiction
by Kristen Saunders
You must forgive me for what I’m about to write, but I’ve committed a most grave sin among passionate science fiction readers. I have been enjoying the genre for years without reading any of the stories from the godfathers of science fiction. I had never heard of Arthur C. Clark or William Gibson until today. Until yesterday I had not touched Orson Scott Card, only a week ago did I touch Ray Bradbury, and I’ve never touched H.G. Wells. My familiarity with Isaac Asimov is limited to one short story called, Liar.
I read Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the sixth grade and horribly failed the accelerated reading test. That particular AR test was set up to fail; it revolved around what bodies of water the Nautilus was in and when. Heinlein and Herbert were introduced to me last year, and I’ve only read one of each of their books. Neither being their most popular pieces. I guess I developed a tendency for fantasy without realizing it.
I haven’t been completely separated from the genre of sci-fi. I’ve watched science fiction movies and television shows for years. Sitting on the couch nestled under warm blankets watching Star Trek with my mom was a regular weekend ritual. I absorbed the story lines with relish and as a child would regularly take my hair band and put it over my eyes to mimic Geordi La Forge. I’ve always been a bit of a nerd and enjoyed reading, but I never really pursued science fiction in the written form.
The realization that I had not read these masters of the page came to me when we started putting together the Ray Bradbury issue of Penumbra. The first time I encountered Bradbury’s work I wasn’t even aware of it. I was at home sitting on the basement couch watching the movie version of Fahrenheit 451. As a high school student I finally understood why everyone had been so obsessed with the book. It was a terrifying prospect to me to go without books or reading, to become a drone that does nothing but watch television, and to watch those thoughts and words burn! I watched the film all the way through. Yet, I still chose not to pick up the book. I didn’t know who the author was, and I didn’t look for other works by the author of the story. At that time I didn’t see the point in reading a book I’d already watched. My mentality since then has changed, but by the time college came around Fahrenheit 451 was something that was in the recesses of my memory.
I wanted to understand Bradbury before I started work on his homage, so I sat on my very comfortable and thoroughly used couch to read his short biography and an excerpt from The Martian Chronicles. The enlightenment I obtained from this molder of sci-fi made me realize what I had been missing. For now, I have a lot of catch up reading to do to repent for my past reading sins.
Kristen Saunders is an intern Penumbra EMag. She loves to write science fiction in her free time and recently started her blog The Musings of a Growing Writer.
I read Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the sixth grade and horribly failed the accelerated reading test. That particular AR test was set up to fail; it revolved around what bodies of water the Nautilus was in and when. Heinlein and Herbert were introduced to me last year, and I’ve only read one of each of their books. Neither being their most popular pieces. I guess I developed a tendency for fantasy without realizing it.
I haven’t been completely separated from the genre of sci-fi. I’ve watched science fiction movies and television shows for years. Sitting on the couch nestled under warm blankets watching Star Trek with my mom was a regular weekend ritual. I absorbed the story lines with relish and as a child would regularly take my hair band and put it over my eyes to mimic Geordi La Forge. I’ve always been a bit of a nerd and enjoyed reading, but I never really pursued science fiction in the written form.
The realization that I had not read these masters of the page came to me when we started putting together the Ray Bradbury issue of Penumbra. The first time I encountered Bradbury’s work I wasn’t even aware of it. I was at home sitting on the basement couch watching the movie version of Fahrenheit 451. As a high school student I finally understood why everyone had been so obsessed with the book. It was a terrifying prospect to me to go without books or reading, to become a drone that does nothing but watch television, and to watch those thoughts and words burn! I watched the film all the way through. Yet, I still chose not to pick up the book. I didn’t know who the author was, and I didn’t look for other works by the author of the story. At that time I didn’t see the point in reading a book I’d already watched. My mentality since then has changed, but by the time college came around Fahrenheit 451 was something that was in the recesses of my memory.
I wanted to understand Bradbury before I started work on his homage, so I sat on my very comfortable and thoroughly used couch to read his short biography and an excerpt from The Martian Chronicles. The enlightenment I obtained from this molder of sci-fi made me realize what I had been missing. For now, I have a lot of catch up reading to do to repent for my past reading sins.
Kristen Saunders is an intern Penumbra EMag. She loves to write science fiction in her free time and recently started her blog The Musings of a Growing Writer.
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