"Death row coloured world."

I realise that now is the time I should be telling you (whoever 'you' is/are) some things about myself. Aside from the standard facts - female, nineteen, living in Australia - there are plenty of unknowns. I'll start a list and we shall see how far I get:

1. I tend to get story ideas and fragments when I'm about to sleep or when I'm asleep and dreaming, so I use my bedside cupboard to write on, in pencil. It's cream-coloured so the marks can be seen. One side is almost covered in pencil scrawls because that was the side closest to me for years. The other side has only one thing, something I 'heard' while I was dreaming.

2. Night time is when I get my (best) work completed. Especially around midnight. During the day I'm either at university or at work, so that only leaves the night for my interests. And since I procrastinate greatly before I get any work done (whether it's a story or assignment) I get all the 'fun' things out of the way first (checking my emails, keeping up with the blogs I follow, reading, writing, etc).

3. I find Greek mythology fascinating. My older sister has an entire coffee table book on mythologies from around the world, but I love the Greek myths most. I find that I do the same thing myself; the Greeks created these stories to explain changes in their world, and I write stories to explain things I see or that happen in my world.

4. I'm happy to discover who I am throughout my lifetime because I know who I am by the things I'm not. And sometimes, that's all you need to know.

And with that, I bid you goodnight,

KiaraWrites.

Reading: still Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis
What I've been listening to: "Sincerely Hope It's You" by Edith Backlund, "Huddle Formation" by The Go! Team, "Wedding Dress" by Matt Nathanson, "Colorblind" by Counting Crows, "Come Around" by Rosi Golan, "Eet" by Regina Spektor.

“And maybe we're looking for the same thing.”

In the event that there really is life out there reading this blog, I'm going to start posting more often. That is, more than once every ten days or so.
If it wasn't made clear before, this blog is about my creative writing, what inspires it (usually music), and anything that might go with writing in general. Since not everyone can take creative writing classes, I'm going to be including information I receive in my classes, and any other bites I pick up in my own practice.

I've found that style in writing is similar to style in terms of fashion: what works for someone else is not always going to work for you. Not everyone can pull off wearing pink and red together, just as not everyone can imitate Ernest Hemingway accurately. Try out different things to see what is comfortable for you. Attempt to write in the styles of your favourite authors. You'll either realise that:
a) the reason you like them so much is because you could never write in that same intense, magnetising way in which they write (which isn't a bad thing, mind you); or
b) you can emulate their style so well that it leads to the conclusion that that particular style is easy and can be used by anyone, in which case you might start developing your own unique style.
In any event, try different things. The only way to know what works for you fashion-wise is to try on different clothes. The same goes for style in writing.

I'm currently on holidays from university at the moment, and these 2-week breaks are a killer. I get out of university mode and into “let's have fun” mode, so I barely get any work done. Lately, I've been slacking off when it comes to reading and writing. The only reason I partly finished a story was because it was due for assignment. I say partly finished because we only had to hand in the first 1000-1500 words of a work-in-progress. Also, I tend to read 3 or 4 books in a month, but I've dropped down to finishing maybe one book a month if I'm lucky. One of the most common reasons for why people study creative writing – at least in my classes – is because they enjoy reading. If you read, you'll start picking up on certain accents that an author may use in a book. That's not accents as in 'dialect' but accents as in techniques an author favours. And if you don't read, you don't know what genres you like to read or what themes you relate to. Read, and you shall learn all of this.

Speaking of reading, I have a lot of them to catch up on for university. I go back next week. Something tells me this is not going to be a very prolific week.

And with that, I bid you goodbye,

KiaraWrites.

Reading: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (for one of my university classes)
Listening to: Bloc Party's “Halo”

Can there ever be new beginnings?

My life is surrounded by books and music. I can make yours the same way by following this blog, if that's what you please. You may be surprised by what you discover.

I haven't written anything resembling a story all day. I've been working with what I already have, particularly a story I wrote 2 years as a university assignment. The editing class I've been taking this semester has proven helpful as we learn more about proofreading marks - the short and easy ways to edit a manuscript. There are only about five marks I have down pat after learning for a week. We shall see how far I get at the end of the semester.

Reading is becoming harder to do as I am compelled to prioritise chores and work above all else. I find short intervals of time waiting for the bus, sitting on the bus, a few minutes here and there between tasks. (I wonder if there is a job where I could be paid to sit and read the books I enjoy all day? Wishful thinking).

Had to catch up on my Eisley news. They performed a new song earlier this month, "Sad." I only heard a highly distorted/muffled version of it on YouTube - sounds good so far. (Feel free to send me a link to a better version.) I wish they would come to my side of Australia. Alas, they haven't yet and have no plans to.

My sister, who is currently studying in Eugene, Oregon, comes back in a few weeks' time. Excitement is creeping up slowly. I haven't ventured into her room in months. I dare not. I am threatened by a waterfall cascading from my eyes if I try. Last time I only just got out in time, forcing my mind to think different thoughts.

I have work in less than 10 hours.

And so, with that, I bid you goodnight,

KiaraWrites.

Reading: Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis

Listening to: The National's "Slow Show" (on repeat)