The Ninth Day of Appraising Neglect

For this morning’s photographic adventure, I set out to capture appraisal in neglect and neglect in appraisal. With neglects first meaning being to pay little or no attention to, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to try to pay attention to something other than what I was taking a picture of while I took the picture. In other words set up the shot but then pay attention to something else while I pushed the button. Appraisal is a tough one: “the act of estimating or judging the nature or value of something or someone.” What is the shape, color, and/or line of estimating something’s value? I cut two different filters with combinations of shapes. The first one was a bust, but I love this second one I used for these shots.

2023 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 9

Today’s prompt is to write a direction poem.

Over at dVerse Poets Pub for today’s MTB prompt, Björn presents an interesting challenge of limitation that I’m adding to today’s poem. Inspired by Canadian Poet Christian Bök’s poem “Vowels” which Bök describes as “an anagrammatic text, permuting the fixed array of letters found in the title”, we are to:

1. Select a title of one word containing not more than 3 vowels and 4 consonants.
2. Try to find as many words that are using only the letter in the title
3. Combine this into a poem of your own
4. Do not use any punctuation in the poem

Direction

Do not die
in tired ire
nor erect connection

Do not dine
on onion diet
one odd noon

No connection
rooted to creed
or rite enticed

No one crooned
or recited diction
nicer on ice

Yesterday I made it to the library just in time to pick up my hold on Writing in the Dark _{(amazon assoc. link)} by Tim Waggoner, and I’m glad I did. Each chapter has exercises and advice from horror authors.

Today I enjoyed chapter eight “The Horror Writer’s Palette,” and chapter nine “The Horror Hero’s Journey.” In chapter eight he defines the five primary colors of horror’s emotional states as: Dread, terror, horror, shock, and disgust. He defines Terror as the emotional and intellectual reaction to a threat, and Horror as the immediate non-intellectual reaction. I thought that was interesting.

In chapter nine, he discusses how the hero’s journey plot doesn’t fit horror, and outlines eight variations on what he calls “The Poor Bastard’s Decent into Hell” plot structure. I’m going to call it, “The Suffering Everyman Faces the Unknown.” My story fits most closely (for now) with The Suffering Everyman Escapes with Severe Wounds and Scars, meaning she survives, but at a high price. But it’s still early yet. I may change my mind.

This is my kind of craft book. I recommend it for anyone thinking about writing horror and looking for some tips and insights.

Happy Reading and Writing!