Tag: writing

Bits and Pieces

Josie Faith Leave a comment

I’ve had a rough week or so in terms of writing anything good enough to deem worthy of finishing. So instead of posting a full song this week, I’ve decided to post a few bits and pieces I’ve written down in the last few months.

Some are sad, some are happy. The styles are all different, and I’m not sure exactly what the tune to some of them are yet. But there is a certain beauty in an unfinished song. They’re in their ‘poetry’ stages. So, here you go:

 

#1: (a song for the seasons)

Wake up blanketed in white
stars like tiny twinkling lights
and I’m finally home
porch is dusty striped with snow
air is biting bitter cold
and I’m finally home

And I open shutters wide
should I run, should I hide
Is it finally time

It’s another barely merry Christmas

 

#2: (a song for fading feelings)

What do I say when the feelings all fade
But I promised you my forever
What do I do when I said I’d stay true
But in all my dreams I’m not tethered
You’re all I have, and I know that
What my heart wants, is what it once had
How do I stay when I feel I must stray
Is my only choice now or never

Every new night I add to my lies
And I weave a new stupid pattern
With every word sent and every word meant
My bond to you has but shattered
You’re who I’ve got I want whom you’re not
I need to hold on but everything’s wrong
What do I say when it all fades to gray
And everything’s gone that once mattered

 

#3: (A song for the towns we call home)

Small town small minds
Not too many passersby
Crazy girls simple lives
Its home
Big fields bigger dreams
Everything is as it seems
Stuck there till seventeen
That’s home
Then we leave and we see what the real world says
About us small town home grown women and men

You tell em where you’re from just by naming a state
All they’ll nod like they know but they don’t what to say
And everywhere you go everything is strange
Like what are you doing here?
You try your very best to be a part of this place
But in the end you’re 2000 miles away
And deep inside a part wishes you’d stayed
Home home.

 

#4: (a song for MY town I call home)

I was born in a town
where the greatest place around
was the Culvers on the side of highway sixty
And our idea of a getaway
Was a 40 minute drive away
To the shores of the Great Lake out in Milwaukee

 

#5: (religious, but my attempt at a song of lament)

Oh Father how I feel like old Jerusalem
Once full of people and the vibrant lives they shared
Now like that silent city I will weep away my sorrows
and it’s more than one small single soul can bear

The tears are streaming faster as I count the names of friends who’ve turned their backs as they have carried on their ways
Now like the silent city I will find no rest tonight
for my mortal heart is once again betrayed

Art Biz with Liz: Short Story Writing

Elizabeth S Leave a comment

Another semester is coming to an end, and what a weird one it has been. With classes over, it’s crunch time for final exams, essays, and projects. One of my final projects this year includes a short story collection, the culmination of a semester’s worth of work. The goal of it is to see my original creative work, which was submitted on a regular basis throughout the past few months, in a complete, polished state.

RCHUMS 325 is a “tutorial,” which is a unique opportunity to participate in one-on-one writing workshops with the Residential College’s creative writing faculty. Tutorials are meant to support students in expanding our understanding of the craft of writing. Through them, we also grow as young artists in developing our voices and creative visions. As such, the course I took centers around creating (and submitting) new and revised stories weekly, which are influenced by critical reflection done both individually and collaboratively with an instructor.

As I learned in another creative writing class, RCHUMS 220 (Narration), I tend to write longer short stories, as contradictory as that may sound. Doing a tutorial this past semester has been invaluable in writing fiction that is around 5-10 pages long, which is shorter than my “short” stories usually are. After this experience, I’d highly recommend that any writer tries their hand at writing a short story from start to finish. Why? Writing short stories can help a person further develop various writing skills, as the process unveils many of the questions and predicaments faced when crafting fiction of any length.

A short story is a chance to create a unique character and storyline, perhaps without requiring as much of a time commitment as a full-length novel. If a writer has trouble with the plot or characters in their short story, it might highlight some areas to work on when writing other works, too. Like any other art form, writing takes practice, and short story writing can help a person improve on a few different elements of general fiction writing.

While it may seem like writing a short story would be easier than writing longer works, it still comes with its own challenges and opportunities for growth as a writer. A good short story must tell a compelling story with a beginning, middle, and end in noticeably fewer pages than a typical novel. Generally, that limits the number of scenes, characters, and plot points that can be included. There’s not as much room for “fluff,” or extraneous information that doesn’t add anything to the story. Thus, writing a short story is good practice for both pacing and extensive editing. While a novel may detail years of a character’s life, a short story may encompass only a day. This was one of the biggest lessons that I learned this semester through my creative writing tutorial. In being accustomed to longer stories, I tried to cover more time than was feasible in one of my short stories, which required heavy revision to improve the storyline and flow.

It can also be deceptively difficult to make a reader feel a certain way about a character when they witness only a snippet of said character’s life. Yet, there are also some advantages to writing stories of shorter length. Shorter timelines may not allow for as an authentic evolution of certain relationships or character arcs, but they can create faster stories. This results in an opportunity to cultivate motion and tension for a more engaging plot and streamlined story. Considering this information can help a writer decide whether they want their idea to be a short story, novella, or longer work based on how much time is necessary for the storyline to unfurl to optimal result. Based on my experiences with RCHUMS 325 this past semester, this is something I’ll keep in mind moving forward, and maybe you will, too.

 

RCHUMS 220: Narration and RCHUMS 325: Creative Writing Tutorial are available during fall and winter semesters through LSA’s Residential College (RC). RC courses are not exclusive to RC students; however, instructor permission is needed to enroll in RCHUMS 325. Check out the RC Writers page here!

Looking Forward: Writer to Writer

Lucy Freeman Leave a comment

Hey arts, ink readers!

I hope exam season is treating you well and you’re finding ways for self-care in the midst of all of it. This week, I spoke with Aylin Gunal, Editor-in-Chief for Writer-to-Writer. I asked her about the publication, how the organization has adjusted to this semester, how she perceives creativity on campus this semester, and how students can get involved. It was a wonderful conversation I’m excited to share with you all!

If you don’t already know, Writer to Writer is a student publication that began in the Minor in Writing program. The twice-yearly collection is open to students across campus and encourages multi-modal writing submissions (videos, photo essays, etc.). The organization’s staff is made up of students, many of whom are in the Minor in Writing program, though others are welcome. 

Thanks to technology, not a ton has changed for Writer to Writer this semester. Aylin told me that they’ve been pretty successful adjusting their regular programming to be online, including their weekly meetings. Additionally, they’ve begun to incorporate more events like writer’s workshops, which have served as community-builders within the organization. This has been especially important, as Aylin realized how valuable the small chat before meetings and between discussions was once it was significantly reduced due to zoom. In order to address this, they’ve been incorporating more intentional community-building activities this semester, including a minor-wide book exchange for the holiday season! Although it’s not quite the same as hanging out in North Quad every week, it’s a way for writers to expand their skills and make friends during this crazy year. 

When I asked Aylin how she saw creativity on campus adjusting this semester, she told me that she really missed the chance encounters that being on campus in typical semesters allows. You can walk through the Diag and see a group of students playing handmade instruments, pass the art museum and see a new exhibit, or walk by a pillar filled with fliers and learn about an acapella concert happening that weekend. Now, the information you get is much more based on following the right people or being on the right newsletters, which can limit what you’re exposed to. Hopefully, however, we find ways to bring some of these simple reminders of “normalcy” back to campus next semester. 

If you’re interested in getting involved with Writer to Writer, you can submit your work to their blog or publication here. If you’re interested in being on the staff, you can email writer-to-writer@umich.edu and attend the next weekly meeting. You can also stay up to date with their activities, including a soon-to-be-announced campus-wide writing competition, by following their Facebook or Instagram pages. 

That’s all from me this week! Good luck to everyone on finals and remember to take some time to take care of yourself! I’ll technically be on hiatus until classes return but keep an eye out… you may get a special post or two 🙂

-Lucy

What is a Hook?

Josie Faith Leave a comment

This week’s post is going to be a bit more informational than creative. As I’ve been messing around with my own music in the past few months, I’ve been trying to experiment with a specific aspect of my songs: the hook. Though ‘the hook’ is usually singular when people talk about it in reference to songwriting, in all honesty a song can have one, three, four, or fifteen hooks depending on what the artist is going for.

But what does this term mean? Why is it so important?

Most people associate the hook with a song’s chorus. This can be true, but it isn’t always the case. Examples of hook-y choruses can be found in many modern pop songs–these are the ones you hear on the radio and for some reason can’t get that one line out of your head. Hint: that’s probably a hook. A classic for me growing up was “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64 ) by Taylor Swift. The “never ever ever ever”s repeat multiple times throughout the song and stick in your head for hours after listening to it. They’re interesting and memorable enough where the song becomes something you want to listen to again. They’re also relatable for many teenagers who’ve gone through similar situations to the one Swift is describing in her lyrics. This is crucial for a lyrical hook.

But hooks don’t have to be lyrical. There are musical and rhythmic hooks as well.

A great example of a musical/rhythmic hook is the classic Queen song “Another One Bites the Dust.” Though I could not repeat the lyrics back to you word for word, I can immediately identify this song if it comes on in a restaurant or supermarket or wherever else. The bass line is iconic and functions as a hook within itself. It is recognizable, reproducible, and helps a listener identify the song within seconds. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVIbCvfkO3E ) Other examples of songs with rhythmic or musical hooks include: “Sweet Caroline,” (BUH BUH BUH) and “Mamma Mia.” These both have specific musical passages which are catchy and memorable.

Hooks can be produced with percussive beats as well. The best example I can think of off the top of my head is “We Will Rock You.” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJYN-eG1zk ) There’s a reason Queen is such a successful music group. Their hooks–lyrical, melodic, rhythmic–are all fire. Each song stands apart from the others in a good way and is interesting within itself.

Many record labels encourage artists to focus on adding multiple hooks to a song. Lyrical hooks are the first step–you need words which people will relate with and catch themselves singing on their way to work. But the other types of hooks are just as, if not more, important. They are the small musical passages which will have a song stuck in someone’s head even when they don’t know the words. They’re not quite sure when they even heard the song, but because of the different hooks at play, it will be hard for them to forget it.

A Song for a Step Forward

Josie Faith 1 Comment

A song I wrote for election week and some of the emotions I’ve observed in the past few days:

 

Verse

Weatherman said the forecast was looking cloudy
and I think it’d be safe to say that that’s been true
every word said had we the people doubting
if this was a week which we could all get through

Verse

All got out of bed on Tuesday with a purpose
then the waiting began to see who’d win and lose
each woman, man, other identifying person
was holding their breath their eyes fixed to the news

Pre-Chorus

and it took a few more days than we’d have liked
had our fingers crossed that things would turn out right

Chorus

This is a song for a step forward
a song for brand new days
I know not everyone’s happy
with the decision that’s been made
but this is it, this is now
we’ve got a woman in the white house
history is being made in front of our eyes
what crazy times for us to be alive

Verse

for now the united states still stands pretty divided
but the president elect isn’t only just for blue
to stand for all America, he’s decided
red, blue, him, her, we, them, me, or you

Pre-Chorus

and it took a few more days than we’d have liked
to learn what we hoped to know last Tuesday night

Chorus

But this is a song for a step forward
a song for brand new days
I know not everyone’s happy
with the decision that’s been made
but this is it, this is now
we’ve got a woman in the white house
history is being made in front of our eyes
what crazy times for us to be alive

Bridge

we the people of this country
face the end of a 4 year age
it’s been educational
but we’re turning the page
raise the flag

Half-Chorus

This is a song for a step forward
a song for brand new days
I know not everyone’s happy
but the decision has been made

Chorus

This is a song for a step forward
a song for brand new days
I know not everyone’s happy
with the decision that’s been made
but this is it, this is now
we’ve got a woman in the white house
history is being made in front of our eyes
what crazy times for us to be alive

Outro

what crazy times for us to be alive

 

waves: walking

smitty 2 Comments

another thing i really enjoy writing about is connection. and while this is a very broad topic that tons of people enjoy writing about, and many people in general strive to understand, it still has its interesting aspects. there’s so many ways to approach understanding connections, and we can find ways to translate these methods and processes of thought over to many (if not, all) other displays of connection that are seemingly unrelated.

i’ve realized that i often times glorify perfect human connection, and this forces me to neglect entire aspects of my relationship with another person, work of art, myself, etc. i often times try to assign blame to myself, the other person, or both for the flaws that exist in the relationship, when in reality, trying to foster perfect connection is virtually impossible. we can get lucky in our lives and find people we “click” with, or overcome obstacles in our relationships that enables them to grow for the better, but what does it really mean to connect?

i feel that a connection isn’t just about similarities, but it’s also about the ways in which you challenge them and they challenge you; butting heads, trying to get past each other’s walls, the things we empathize with and the things we could never understand. it’s becoming increasingly interesting to think about in the context of 2020, and the ways in which i think about the people, institutions and systems (created by people) that harm people with my identities.

anyway — that’s all a part of it. that’s why i believe there are infinite ways to connect with someone or something. this concept gave way to this poem, in which i approach my relationship with my mom from a place i never have before with a experiences that i’ve ever thought about deeply until recently.

taken in the law quad last year. by me.

~~~~~~

the cramps come dance on my mama’s legs at night

setting light in her thighs, she stomps them out in the hallway.

 

when the cramps throw a dagger at her, my door flies 

open. the bat signal we negotiated with having said nothing. 

 

my hands pressure the bed. my hands, a servant to thee.

i came running from the shadows, the forest of my dreams

 

to hook my arm in yours in this hallway drenched in drowsy silhouettes and walk.

i pledge to rid the body of all that is wrong right next to you. 

 

this is how i’ve figured to give my love to thee:

one, two, and—if needed—another step times three. 

 

walking