Create. Write. Now.

“And kid, you’ve got to love yourself. You’ve got wake up at four in the morning, brew black coffee, and stare at the birds drowning in the darkness of the dawn. You’ve got to sit next to the man at the train station who’s reading your favorite book and start a conversation. You’ve got to come home after a bad day and burn your skin from a shower. Then you’ve got to wash all your sheets until they smell of lemon detergent you bought for four dollars at the local grocery store. You’ve got to stop taking everything so goddam personally. You are not the moon kissing the black sky. You’ve got to compliment someones crooked brows at an art fair and tell them that their eyes remind you of green swimming pools in mid July. You’ve got to stop letting yourself get upset about things that won’t matter in two years. Sleep in on Saturday mornings and wake yourself up early on Sunday. You’ve got to stop worrying about what you’re going to tell her when she finds out. You’ve got to stop over th...

I was reading Lest Innocent Blood be Shed. In the book Phillip Halle discusses how people react when exposed to excellence. I was intrigued when I read his introduction and it caused a lot of thoughts about the subject. Here is the page where he first introduces the idea.

Benjamin Hailstone - Swipe File #4 This video discusses the meaning and significance of trials in our life.  It is the story of a young girl who is suffering from a rare and difficult medical condition, but has found ways to lift and bless others lives, and be active, involved, and loving even in her difficulties.  It also includes some words from a religious leader named Robert D. Hales about some of reasons we have trials, as well as some of the comping mechanisms that we can use to help us through the trials in life that we don't deserve.  This has significance for me, because someone I love is going through a really hard trial that she doesn't deserve.  I had an "awareness of excellence" when I watched this video, and it helped me to feel better about the challenges that people face in life.  I think I want to use some of the principles outlined in this video in a hero story that I'm working on.

Benjamin Hailstone - Swipe File #3 "Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." Jim Carrey A  favorite audio book by a popular religious youth speaker named John Bytheway (yes, Bytheway) comes to mind.  The book is about some of his trials and triumphs through high school, and he tries to use his experiences and some of his moral and religious ideas to motivate readers through high school.  The title,  You're Gonna Make It , expresses the theme of teaching and motivating the reader about what they must do to have a successful social and spiritual experience trough high school.  In that book, he talks a lot about how - as a young middle school-er and a freshman - he really appreciated those who shared simple greetings, like a smile, or a wave, or a simple "Hi!"  As he went on to become a senior, he resolved to always greet and show affability to those around him, because he wanted to return the favor he needed very much in his e...

When we were talking about retelling classic stories, I saw this and thought that it matched pretty well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVP1yedlf5g 

http://www.miniworld.com/adnd/100ThingsAboutUrPCBackGround.html http://crystalstranaghan.com/interview-your-characters/ 100 most important things to know about your character and interview your characters. I thought these was super helpful, especially since I get stuck writing detailed characters.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15JFsMEZy7lLe2Rf0WE_ARwfDpKLoAzgx98uKnlPupNM/edit?usp=sharing

Ok, I want to preface this by saying, this is not my best work, I do not like writing ghost stories, but here is my best shot at it. :) Ghost story- John and his friends are on a group trip to the family cabin, where they plan to hang out for the weekend. Having been apart for so long, they are eager to hear what the others have been up to. When they arrive at the cabin, everything seems pretty normal. They laugh, play games, reminisce, and enjoy each other’s company. When night falls though, things go very very wrong. The cabins lights go out, and James, the superstitious friend, immediately begins to panic. He runs from the cabin, gets in his car and drives away, screaming. The others are confused, until they hear a screech and a loud crash and some screams. Worried, they drive out after James, they find his car, wrapped around the tree. Freaking out, they try to return to the cabin, only, the car is gone, no tracks, no sounds, no lights. John, the one who’s always prepared, ha...

With all of the scary movies coming out, I decided to put this out from my portfolio. This is a horror story so if you do not like it, so be it. Read at your own risk. Suddenly his legs gave way and he dropped down on his knees. The blood from his new wound was now dripping out. There was not enough time to do anything but the mission. He had never wanted this, he had only ever wanted happiness. But he couldn’t find it where he looked. At last he had resulted to this, letting other choose for him what he was meant to do, what he should be doing with his life. He didn’t believe in such a thing at first. Yet he took the easy way out, and he didn’t look back at all the things he had. Now the last mission remained, and then he could be happy. He pulled out the knife and started to crawl up the stairs. The screams that he had so long ignored were now starting to bother him again. He couldn’t live like this anymore if he wanted to be anything else. Then he heard the crying, the wailing...

Hi everyone, it's me again, this hear is my latest entry in the story, Next time I'll have some interesting Romance story, and a not so awesome Ghost story. (sorry, its won't be my best work) Peace on this New Earth was not to last however, Grothgar, one of the more prominent Darklings that rose up from the Dividing, wanted chaos to reign again, gathering an army of followers he rose up and conquered everything in the surrounding area. He cut communications between the races, he encountered little resistance. Finally, word of his actions reached the Elves, concerned with his rapid conquest, they gathered the remaining races into an army to oppose him. It wasn’t easy, and some exchanges were made in order to buy their help. Together the first Allied Army marched to the Allias Ravine (as it was later known) they’d been informed that Grothgar intended to march his forces through and surprise them. However, Grothgar was waiting for them, his ambush was swift, though the Allies...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15JFsMEZy7lLe2Rf0WE_ARwfDpKLoAzgx98uKnlPupNM/edit?usp=sharing

Scripting a story helps the teller to become conscious of physical movements. In class on Wednesday, February 15 or Dylan's birthday, you will present this short story telling. Consider your characters: how do they walk, carry themselves, where is their body center? Where will you pause for dramatic effect? Put in the story script where you will actually pause. Physical location. How will it change; when will you move to the front of the class, or where will you move directly to influence the audience? Create a sensorium: a place where your listeners experience the five senses of sound, taste, sight, sound, touch. Consider the storytelling backbones of inciting incident, rising action, telling action, climax, denoument, conclusion.

Hi this is my latest post about my actual portfolio of my stuff. The following story is the background story to explain how the world became filled with magic, and magical beasts. In the year 2982, a massive crack nearly broke the earth in half, running thousand several miles wide and a few hundred miles deep, the crack shorted out all electrical systems, millions of people died in the earthquakes and chaos that followed. During the aftershocks of the crack, the continents were broken apart, and crashed together, terraforming the planet. This event was later known as the Dividing, though what followed after was even worse. Dark creatures thought to be myth and legend surged from the crevice in the planet, thousands more were slaughtered, from the population of nearly 10 billion, only a few hundred thousand remained. Humanity was sent back to the bronze age, losing most of their technology in the process. For the next 2000 years, humanity struggled back into existence. However, when...

One of my favorite movies!! "Submarine". The script for this film is so brilliant + and the soundtrack is perfect.

Trevor Brown Mrs. Martinez 4th Period Feb/10/17 Swipe File 3 http://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/short-short-story-competition http://letswriteashortstory.com/short-story-ideas/ https://letterpile.com/misc/Short-Stories-With-a-Twist-Ending

For my swipe file I am posting the lyrics to one of my favorite songs ever. I have loved this song for a long time and it has changed my perspectives on a lot of things, as well as helping me through some hard times. https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tz2hjnw6wqawksvedfqqc3q7eny?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

Way back in once upon a time time as all great stories should start: Lived a teacher, a jolly fellow to say the least. Always going on about Sasquatch, or Sisters, or fish, or dogs and much much more. Though all i will share for now would be the story of the Happy place. Way back in once upon a time time as all good stories should start: There was a magical commercial that would appear on the television. This was no ordinary commercial, for it was one that could take you to the happiest and most magical of places. This could make you become something wonderful and spectacular. This was the power of the york peppermint patty. Now you have to do this right, so to start you must close your eyes and make sure that it is absolutely quiet. Completely silent. Now, you must take the york peppermint patty by the edge of the wrapper in both hands and just give it a little push and pull so you can hear the crinkle of the wrapper. Are you starting to feel it? If you now were to throw it in you...

Everybody knows of those keep calm and carry on, swim on talk on, jabber on, teach on, game on, boss on, learn on, and clean on signs? They get quite annoying after a while to see every time you walk up to a door.  Ex: You walk up the concrete stairs and step by step you feel the anticipation. You try to gaze away, avoid any means of contact with this horrid creature. You reach the door, (so far so good) you walk lift your hand for a knock and nobody answers. You ring the doorbell, and all the while you feel it's presence. It just stands there, and though it's an inanimate object; You feel as though it is gazing into your soul, trying to get your attention at any cost. You frantically ring the doorbell hoping that someone will answer you in your time of need. You know that it's very rude to look inside of the window and that someone on the other side of the street is watching your every move. The realization that no other option presents itself. You finally fall to you...

My Swipe File - February, 9, 2017 In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share in my swipe file some of my favorite love songs.  I've actually found the first two just recently, and I've been listening to them a lot over the past few weeks.  They are such a perfect replication of how I feel about my secret crush.  The songs practically say exactly how I feel.  The ideas expressed in these songs are something I would like to incorporate into a hero story, because I have noticed that almost all hero stories have a love story as well.  I love the idea of a secret love that the hero cannot let anyone - especially the love him/herself - know about.

My Swipe File - January 27, 2017 "With great power comes great responsibility" - Uncle Ben, The Amazing Spider-Man.   I really want to do a hero story that centers around this idea.  If one is ina position to do something to make the world a better place, they are obligated to do so.  If one has ability to do good or to do evil, they are responsible for whatever choice they make. "You've gotta let go of that stuff from the past, 'cause it just doesn't matter.  The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now." - Po, Kung Fu Panda 2.   In my hero story, I also want to incorporate the fact that we can't change what challenges or hardships we've endured in the past.  We can't go back and erase mistakes or misfortunes or wrongs.  But we can choose to overcome and learn from our past mistakes and hardships.  We have power over our future, and we can shape our own destiny "The world doesn't stink . . ."  -  Mark, Highw...

I think these pictures could be really cool to write a story about or add into a story. You can get a lot of inspiration from pictures.

As part of your portfolio, you will need to include the love-story genre. The portfolio may include written stories and stories for telling-only; It would be nice to see the oral story developed in writing too. Love may mean many different things. It may be a love of sport, animal, but please, no love-of video game stories. Why not? Is that love in the truest sense? Maybe you will be able to prove me wrong. Maybe not--don't risk it. We can always have a video-game-story- category too!

This is the location of my Second Swipe file post, Enjoy! http://landofmanybooks.blogspot.com/

Trevor Brown Feb/5/17 Mrs. Martinez 4th period Swipe File 2 http://letswriteashortstory.com/short-story-ideas/ My number one problem with writing is knowing what to write about. This website has a bunch of great ideas for writing. I really like the different ideas and thoughts that come to mind with some of the writing ideas.

"To be everywhere is to be nowhere. People who spend their whole life travelling abroad end up having plenty of places where they can find hospitality but no real friendships. The same just needs be the case with people who never set about acquiring an intimate acquaintanceship with anyone great writer, but skip from one to another, paying flying visits to them all." (Seneca, Letter 2) "It is a mark of a good way of life that, among other things, it satisfies and abides; bad behavior, constantly changing, not for the better, simply into different forms, has none of this stability." (Seneca, Letter 47) "Regard him as loyal, and you will make him loyal. Some men's fear of being deceived has taught people to decieve them; by their suspiciousness they give them the right to do the wrong thing by them." (Seneca, Letter 3) "'Does that mean at are to act just like other people? Is there to be no distinction between us and them?' Most certainly th...

“I am a different person to different people. Annoying to one. Talented to another. Quiet to a few. Unknown to a lot. But who am I, to me?” "They say it takes around 14 days to break a habit. It's been 67 days and you’re still the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about as I fall asleep. So tell me dear; what kind of habit is this?" I've had these quotes sitting in my phone for months because I love them so much. Both of them end with questions that make your heart drop for a second. They show the importance of questions in stories and how they can glue it all together and create an open ending leaving people wondering. They add more feeling. I really want to strive to have these types of questions in my writing and stories.