I had no intention of writing a journal tonight. In fact, I've had no intention for a couple of weeks now, but leave it to a clown to prod me into writing. Sometimes it's the little things. So, per $lolly's request, here is a massive update on the goings-on in the dA lit community




As a writer, I gather inspiration from a number of sources. I'd say 50% of my ideas come from my own thoughts, dreams, everyday experiences, and weird news articles (I would be lost without Fark.com). The other 50% comes from books, movies, music and visual art. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, they all come together at the same time to form a big bang of an idea. And sometimes it's just one thing.

When I wrote A Life Transparent, I found inspiration in this photograph for the climax of the novel.

When I wrote Crude Sunlight, I found inspiration in the work of Joe Sorren and the music of Tweaker.

As a matter of fact, I could tie a piece of art, whether it be a painting, a drawing, or recording to just about every piece in my gallery. Is there a point to this? Yes.

One form of art begets another. That is, in my opinion, one of the many reasons we artists create art in the first place. We are inspired to create; by creating, we inspire. It's an endless spiral. A symbiotic cycle. Pardon me for waxing metaphysical, but on some level, I think that's what it's all about.

When I joined this site, there was a division line between literature the rest of the community. It's something I've never liked, simply because of my personal views on the nature of art and the necessity of it. Now it looks like folks are trying to do something about that division. It makes me happy. So happy, in fact, that I'm doing a journal about it.

Go read this article. Give it some +. And then go visit =VisualLit. After that, go check out *fotoFRIDAY. And . . . well, there's a whole list coming up after the jump, so contain yourselves. After you've had yourself a big creative orgasm, go thank `StJoan and `youthculture for working so damn hard on this stuff.

Now go on. Take part in bridging that gap. This is an art site. Last time I checked, literature was an art form, so why not mingle? I hear the visual art folks are a riot at parties. Some of them are even known to strip to the Zelda theme music.







Make Every Word Count.
WordCount is a new group that could use some recognition here-- I really like the concept, and I highly encourage you spread the word around. Leave the article some love.

Interview - IfrozenspiritI
An interview with Miss Rachel, the winner of the last fotoFRIDAY contest. I love `bananaprincess's articles-- go take a peek.


fotoFRIDAY Update
The latest *fotoFRIDAY update, including the last five weeks and also a little tip of the hat to over thirty weeks of running the project. I can't get excited enough about that either.


Visual Lit
I am a big fan of inter-gallery relations, especially within the lit community, and this is one project I'd like to see more of. I highly encourage writers around dA to take a peek and look into participating.


Generic Prose Contests
Because seriously folks, we need to pimp some prose. Hosted by the good =smoking-mirrors, no less! Go write something!


fotoFRIDAY
The new fotoFRIDAY prompt is up! I'm going to pry all those dark thoughts out of you this week-- go there and get writing!


FavShare
This is an awesome idea for a project, encouraging the relations between visual artists and us lit folks. Take a look!


Soundzine - 1#
An audio zine of poetry and prose from writers here on dA, including journals and art features. Definitely worth a read -- and a listen. I'll be submitting to this one myself.

Tell Me A Lie
A writing contest run by those fancy folks at LitFFS.


EldritchCabal
EC is a H.P. Lovecraft-inspired community project in on-going fiction in which each person contributes there own portion of a much larger story. Awesome concept, and definitely worth a peek for you fantasy writers.




The wonderful Jon August McRae--known around these parts as =Jon-Law--has released his novel, Io, First Book of Lost and Found Souls, via Lulu.com. Paperback copies are $12 plus shipping and handling. That's a buck cheaper than ALT, folks. What are you waiting for? Go give this man some literary lovin'.


A Life Transparent is still on sale. As I announced in my last journal, I will only take orders for signed copies through the end of May. That gives you one month to scrape together the change. Or, if you want an unsigned (and just as great) copy of ALT, head over to my Lulu storefront and buy a copy for $13 + shipping and handling.


Or, if you want to save money on shipping, buy both books at once! What a NOVEL idea!




I started a new job today. As of 6pm Friday afternoon, my employment with Stevens & Lee, P.C. was voluntarily terminated after almost a year and a half of servitude. I left on bitter terms with one employee (some of you may know who if you have your copies of ALT handy). That's okay, though. I can sleep at night. As for everyone else, it was very bittersweet. I honestly did not expect so many people to pay me a visit and thank me for the work I'd done; I also did not expect the volume of email addresses and phone numbers. I made quite a few lasting friendships there. If any of you S&L folks are reading this, I miss you already.

Before I left on Friday, I managed to stuff about twenty interoffice envelopes with small ALT promo packs and set them out for Monday morning delivery. ALT, for me, will always be tied to that place because that's where I wrote most of it. It reflects a lot of the things I felt at that point in time. I kept it a secret from most of the people there because of those ties and the very thin veil between fiction and reality. Now I don't have the same worries. So, with those promo packs, I included a letter, addressed to an anonymous reader, explaining myself.

Amidst my rum-soaked celebration on Friday evening, I read it to a small crowd on the #LitFFS TeamSpeak server. They said it was inspiring. I'll let you be the judge:


<sub>Dear Reader,

What you're holding in your hands is a personal invitation to something I call A Life Transparent. It's a novel I wrote in secret while working in the copy room. You may remember seeing me scribbling on a yellow legal tablet during my lunch breaks. Well. This is the fruit of that labor.

It's a story about a guy who forfeits most of his life to his job and, in doing so, begins to physically disappear. His name is Donovan Candle, and he is a reflection of how I saw myself in 15 years if nothing changed. He is a man so saturated by boredom that he is fading away from one reality to another.

There's a neat, fast-paced story on the surface, but underneath, there is a message:

One that centers on the repercussions of handing your life over to your employer and letting them treat you however they see fit.

One about letting your dreams slip through your fingers.

One about not giving up. One that says, "It's never too late to do what you love."

Here's something I learned while working here: You are more than your job. It does not define you, but it will if you let it. That's a choice, but first you have to recognize that it is your choice to make--not someone in a suit, not someone behind a desk, and not someone who signs your check.

When I wrote the novel, I thought I was writing it for me. But that's not true. I wrote it for people like me, like you, like anyone else trying to survive in this world whilst in the pursuit of happiness. Some people believe that pursuit is a worthless endeavor, but I'm here to tell you it's not.

There's something the book called a "life pitch." This is your ultimatum. Go make your life pitch.

And if you want to know what a "life pitch" is, well, you'll have to go buy the book, won't you?

I wish you all the best in life, and hope with full sincerity that you managed to do whatever it is that makes you happy.

Because you can.</sub>



That's for all of you. This is your chance right now.

Ready? Set.

Go.

~TK