This morning I read, in Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for the Page, Stage, and Screen by Robert McKee, “Every consequential moment in life pivots around a dynamic of action/reaction. In the physical realm, reactions are equal, opposite, and predictable in obedience to Newton’s third law of motion; in the human sphere, the unforeseenContinue reading “Contradictory Abstractions: The Dynamic of Action / Reaction”
Author Archives: marialberg
Written in the Stars
Today’s prompt for Quadrille Monday at dVerse Poets Pub is “star.” I’ve been playing around with creating found poetry from The Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper (1653), one of the texts suggested for submissions to the next issue of Heron Tree. Culpeper believed that the medicinal properties of herbs were connected to stars and planets,Continue reading “Written in the Stars”
How to Read Novels Like a Novelist (RNLN): How a Craft Book Can Influence Reading a Novel
The concept of this series of posts is to stop reading craft books, learning from other writers’ chosen examples, and learn from novels, choosing my own examples. However, I had one craft book from the library that I hadn’t finished, Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for the Page, Stage, and Screen by Robert McKee.Continue reading “How to Read Novels Like a Novelist (RNLN): How a Craft Book Can Influence Reading a Novel”
Reading Novels Like a Novelist Attempt 4: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Procedural Tips Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert was available as a free e-book on Project Gutenberg, so it is the first book in this series that I read on Kindle on my laptop. After years of reading on kindle, I finally looked at all of its great note-taking features and went through them on Monday’sContinue reading “Reading Novels Like a Novelist Attempt 4: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert”
The Review of Resolution
Today’s Poetics prompt at dVerse Poets Pub is about resolutions. Every year about this time is when New Year’s resolutions fizzle and dissolve, then are forgotten. Last year, I was completely determined to change my behaviors: I read everything about habits, goals, and motivation; I attended an online conference on having my best year; IContinue reading “The Review of Resolution”
Contradictory Abstractions: The Synthesis of Beauty and Ugliness
It’s the last day of the first month of the new year, and I woke up early, tore apart my mirrorworld, and started fresh. Though conceptually I feel like my ideas are coming together, the images aren’t yet what I’ve been hoping for. How about you? How did your month go? This week I’m exploringContinue reading “Contradictory Abstractions: The Synthesis of Beauty and Ugliness”
How to Read Novels Like a Novelist (RNLN): Kindle Edition
Last week I “won” my first physical book (other than a coloring book) from Library Thing. Won is in quotes because it is actually an exchange for my volunteer labor of reviewing the book, but they call it winning. The coming book that will arrive in my mailbox is a poetry collection which I’ll needContinue reading “How to Read Novels Like a Novelist (RNLN): Kindle Edition”
The Week in Review: Reading, Writing, and Abstraction
How was your week? Did you try reading like a writer? Though I didn’t find a lot to apply to my novel from The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, I did have fun brainstorming unique formats for my novel, and it inspired me to get a copy of S. by J.J. Abrams andContinue reading “The Week in Review: Reading, Writing, and Abstraction”
Memento Poetry Form
The Meeting the Bar prompt at dVerse Poets Pub is a new to me poetry form called “Memento.” The Memento form “created by Emily Romano is a poem about a holiday or an anniversary, consisting of two stanzas as follows: the syllable count should be 8 beats for line one; 6 beats for line two;Continue reading “Memento Poetry Form”
Reading Like a Writer Attempt 3: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
Procedural Tips Since The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill was so different than the others I’ve looked at so far, I had to come up with another color code for my post-its and notes. I marked the beginning of each of the letters with orange, thinking that on second read it would beContinue reading “Reading Like a Writer Attempt 3: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill”
Experience Writing 