Showing posts with label creative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creative. Show all posts

Monday, June 19, 2023

The Official Kick-Off to Summer 2023

June 21, 2023 marks the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.  

For the longest day of the year, Undawnted will begin the festivities with a WordCrafter Blog Tour for the poetry book, Small Wonders, by Kaye Lynne Booth. 


Then A Novelist Newsletter will drop its quarterly update, as well as throw a bash for The Jonah Collector Release Party on June 23rd!

It's a full week here on Undawnted.

Be sure to become a Subscriber to A Novelist Idea and our YouTube Channel for great seasonal programming and entertainment.

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A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. Currently, DL Mullan shares her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.

 

 

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Additions and Updates to Our Poetry Sections

Undawnted has been doing some spring-cleaning, as it were, to our poetry line. 

We are in the process of adding chapbooks like Supernatural Archaeology, and some others whose titles are tentative, but soon to be released on this site. In the Long Form poetry section, we have some great ideas for each seasonal reads. We have begun the process with the release of our Long Form poem: Galactic Ride in March 2022, and the upcoming chapbook release of Eclipse in May 2022. More goodies will be uploaded soon to our Chapbook section. Our goal is to have a long-form poem and chapbook for every month of the year. 

After a large catalog of poetry has been published, then in November 2024, we will release: Oracle. This chapbook will celebrate 30 years of award- winning/level poetry from our own rhymer, DL Mullan.

She believes poetry is for everyone. Her poems are easy to read and digest. The meaning is what the reader brings to the words, but also Ms. Mullan conveys her own thoughts and feelings into the mix. 

In the coming weeks and months, you will see this section change with exciting and even more provocative writings. Ms. Mullan challenges herself on every level to bring her audience the best writing and culture of the age. From poetry, prose, and digital art, there is no comparison to her commitment to the tangible legacy she is creating before your very eyes.

You can have curated... or you can have creative. Undawnted- where the imagination is fearless

 

Have a great and wonderful day.

 

 

Friday, November 26, 2021

Added More Shirt Designs to Undawnted's Apparel and More Store

The resident novelist, DL Mullan, is also a creative designer. Besides the book covers she does for herself and others, she also designs apparel, essentials, and more.

If you would like to see the latest additions to Undawnted's Zazzle Collection, then pop on over!

We have added from our exclusive Legacy Universe:

During the holiday season, more creations will be added. Be sure to visit all of Sonoran Dawn's Collections. There is art, mugs, and anything that will help you brighten your day.

If you just want designer apparel, then here is the nearly 200 shirts to choose from: Sonoran Dawn Apparel.

Keep a design for yourself, or gift some. 
 
Have a wonderful gift buying day! 


Wednesday, November 24, 2021

A Writer's Life is Making the Most Out of the Universe

I am having so much fun!

I knew world building for a novel was great, but universe building is even better. You may have noticed the additions to the Legacy Universe. I love mythology, so I am creating my own for this extended universe of different stories, characters, and supernatural elements. 

It is fun. 

I am also outlining some counterintelligence novels. Often in a universe we see only the effects of the antagonist, I want to get to know them. Should we feel empathy for the bad guys? Or, pity? 

My characters have already been showing me and talking to me in a creative sense, not a "need medication" sense. I believe there are some good scenes in the works. I am brainstorming plot lines and other scenarios as I go along.

Likewise, I have to refocus my efforts. I have been doing chores to get ready for winter. Energy efficient curtains for the back door, shopping for the house, and just regular stuff that needs to be done. That means I have to budget time for writing. I do need to sit down and make some time to write more.

And, do you like the book cover designs? Some will be revised and polished down the line, but you get the idea. 

I love being artfully creative. You should see my Tshirts

Anyway, I am planning out my strategy. Now, if I could get help with my chores! 

A writer's life. I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Have a great and wonderful day.



Friday, December 11, 2020

Never Take the Advice of a Person with an American Flag as Their Profile Pic

That response was literally written under a reply I gave in a writer's group.  

A writer wanted to change all her characters from one racial profile to a diverse group of characters. That sentiment is all well and good, but what do you know about other ethnicities? 

Have you researched, interviewed, and experienced that culture?

Since you haven't taken the time to find out that my profile picture is from my genealogical blog: Our Rugged Individualism, where I have denoted family members who have been in the service of the United States in one capacity or another, I seriously doubt you would take the time to do so with someone else.  

For the sake of history, I have an ancestor who came over on the Anne in 1623. Over 397 years has my family been in North America. I have listed him and others in my 1776 Patriot Project after I discovered direct relations to the American Revolutionary War.

But I guess doing genealogical work makes me ineligible to speak about any topic under the sun, not to mention having my family members born under the red, white, and blue since the inception and dedication of our nation. 

That must be enough evidence of my supposed guilt (of what?) to convict me of utter mental incapacity. 

If you feel that people who are patriotic in any way to the United States of America are absurd, then why are you living in the United States of America? 

Asking for a friend. 

To me if you do not like your country and fellow citizens of that country, the question would be: why are you here? and  moreover: why haven't you left? 

There are many nations on this Earth that hate their citizens so much that they put them to work in the fields (Venezuela), kill them for their skin color (South Africa), and place them in death camps for their religious beliefs (China). 

Why not join one of those fun places? Since you are so enthused that you have picked up where Hitler left off... The United States helped defeat the Nazi regime. People forget. 

So if you make fun of people who are Americans, disabled, female, and from survivors of the Bolshevik Revolution (wow! triple minority status), doesn't that make you the bad guy? The intolerant? The bigot? 

Writers cannot have those immature hangups. Writers have to be authentic persons independent of the mindless fads and fixtures that derail our culture from the endless track of possibilities. 

If you do not know a race or its culture, then why are you writing about them? Writers write from what they know. Those are the rules. So if you don't know, you go out and gain experience. In writing, knowledge matters. 

Today's writers ignore simple guidelines. That separates the good, seasoned writers from the unprofessional, immature writers who give other writers a bad name in independent publishing. 

And, the attitude of discrimination means you don't have the aptitude or temperament to be a writer. You're too caught up in what's in to realize that it is already out. 

Real writers and published authors cannot afford to be ignorant, biased totalitarians. That type of behavior is counter to the creative mind. Yet social justice has produced a whole generation of writers who are so intolerant of others in the name of tolerance (ironic) that someone with knowledge and experience is treated as a leper. 

Is that my finger?

Anyway, I wish people would understand how foolish they look when they pull this crap on experienced professionals. Ignorance is a choice. I choose to counter cultural ineptitude by calling it out. 

Get out of your safe space and learn about other people. 

Have a great and wonderful day.



Sunday, September 20, 2020

Fearless Workshop: The Craft of Writing Effectively

How do you write in a manner that conveys your ideas, characters, and themes?


LEADERSHIP LAB: The Craft of Writing Effectively

Do you worry about the effectiveness of your writing style? As emerging scholars, perfecting the craft of writing is an essential component of developing as graduate students, and yet resources for honing these skills are largely under utilized. Larry McEnerney, Director of the University of Chicago's Writing Program, led this session in an effort to communicate helpful rules, skills, and resources that are available to graduate students interested in further developing their writing style.

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*Update: all workshops and special engagements have now been concluded, and new projects are now under Undawnted's Substack.

A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. This year, DL Mullan has begun sharing her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.

 

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Short Fiction Section Update

I have added and removed items from the Short Fiction section to make a more complete listing:

Novellas/Novelettes
Stories under 40,000 words.

Short Stories 
Stories under 7500 words.

Micro/Flash Fiction 
Collections of oddities and creative anthologies.

Plays and scripts were subtracted and will be added on later when projects are completed. 

Have a great and wonderful day!



Monday, July 10, 2017

Delilah is a Winner!

The book cover art I did for the novel. Delilah by Kaye Lynne Booth did not make it into the Final Round of the Summer Loving Book Cover Event, however...


...that does not mean, the book cover art I created was a bust. Delilah still walked away with the most votes in the Western category. 

What a feat! 

I am very proud of this cover. It's art. It encompasses the theme of the novel. The cover art does not rely on cheap marketing tricks to be a winner. 

THANK YOU to the person who nominated my cover for this event, the author Kaye Lynne Booth for the support, and ALL the Voters! 

You made the book cover art a success!

If you would like to peruse my other digital creations, please stop by the Art, Cover, & Prints page on Sonoran Dawn Studios for examples. 

Thank you! I cannot wait for more opportunities like this one in the future.

Have a great and wonderful summer!


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

400 Word Challenge

Every once and awhile, I see a writing challenge online and I must take it. This one helped me with a science fiction book I have been writing off and on for what feels like centuries. So I used this opportunity to expand my universe, once again.
“Grrraahwahahaaaa!” The planet screamed from within. The soul of the planet began to emerge from its cloistered hibernation. 
Panicked residents began to flee as giant chasms in the crust opened to reveal the stark truth: this was not a planet; it was a cocoon. A billion years this creature had matured in its chrysalis and now it was about to be reborn. 
Earthquakes toppled buildings. Whole structures split in two. Massive chunks of the concrete and steel gods plummeted to the ground. 
People scattered screaming, yelling, and cowering in fear. The peaceful colony was besieged by terror. Millions were being killed in the upheaval and sheer chaos. 
As the rips in the planet’s configuration widened, a blue glow emanated. Brighter and brighter the illumination blinded people as the creature made its way out. The cool rays vibrated at a frequency too low to hear but easily felt. People froze as their muscles turned to ice. 
Soon the planet would be no more and the chill of the beings’ natural deep space temperature would destroy all the life it came in contact with. Some people found their way into ships and zoomed off into the farthest reaches of the solar system and watched. The dusty red planet succumbed to the overpowering destruction of a live birth. 
I was one of those people. Nine years old at the time, but I saw it. I witnessed how life could change in an instant. Not from malice or hate, but by the law of the universe: change and live or die in your shell. 
Ten billion people lost their lives that day. The creature was an indescribable ball of blue light with different colored orbs revolving around its own circumference like an atmosphere. The inner core of the planet spilled out and now it used as a mining colony for all the precious metals and minerals. 
That is the pendant I wear. A rare pink mineral was given to me as a lasting reminder of how I lost my family and home world in a matter of hours. I really do not need the jewel; I remember every moment in perfect detail. 
The creature disappeared after that day. No one had ever seen another glimpse of the being. Well, not until today. 
I found it. After twenty years of searching the deep trenches of space, I am staring straight at my living nightmare…
 How would you write about the end of the world? 

Have a great and wonderful day!


Thursday, May 26, 2016

Latin to Live By

I like learning things. Anything, really. 

So I was looking up how to say something in Latin... here we go. I clicked on a link to MIT. There, I got to learn Latin phrases, some funny.

So let's read what we can use in public: 

Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat.
It's not the heat, it's the humidity.
Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit!
God, look at the time! My wife will kill me!
Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?
Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
The designated hitter rule has got to go.
Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.
I think some people in togas are plotting against me.
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
If Caesar were alive, you'd be chained to an oar.
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

 and more...

Sona si Latine loqueris.
Honk if you speak Latin.
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes
If you can read this you're over-educated
Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.
I think some people in togas are plotting against me.
Vidi Vici Veni
I saw, I conquered, I came
Vacca foeda
Stupid cow
Mihi ignosce. Cum homine de cane debeo congredi.
Excuse me. I've got to see a man about a dog.
Raptus regaliter
Royally screwed
Si hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus Latinus alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes!
If you can read this sign, you can get a good job in the fast-paced, high-paying world of Latin!
Gramen artificiosum odi.
I hate Astroturf.
Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione.
I'm not interested in your dopey religious cult.
Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo.
Don't call me, I'll call you.
Nullo metro compositum est.
It doesn't rhyme.
Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema.
I don't care. If it doesn't rhyme, it isn't a poem.
Fac ut gaudeam.
Make my day.
Braccae illae virides cum subucula rosea et tunica Caledonia-quam elenganter concinnatur!
Those green pants go so well with that pink shirt and the plaid jacket!
Visne saltare? Viam Latam Fungosam scio.
Do you want to dance? I know the Funky Broadway.
Re vera, potas bene.
Say, you sure are drinking a lot.
Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant!
May barbarians invade your personal space!
Utinam coniurati te in foro interficiant!
May conspirators assassinate you in the mall!
Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!
May faulty logic undermine your entire philosophy!
Radix lecti
Couch potato
Quo signo nata es?
What's your sign?
O! Plus! Perge! Aio! Hui! Hem!
Oh! More! Go on! Yes! Ooh! Ummm!
Mellita, domi adsum.
Honey, I'm home.
Tam exanimis quam tunica nehru fio.
I am as dead as the nehru jacket.
Ventis secundis, tene cursum.
Go with the flow.
Totum dependeat.
Let it all hang out.
Te precor dulcissime supplex!
Pretty please with a cherry on top!
Magister Mundi sum!
I am the Master of the Universe!
Fac me cocleario vomere!
Gag me with a spoon!
Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.
I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear.
Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?
Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?
Prehende uxorem meam, sis!
Take my wife, please!
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Nihil est--in vita priore ego imperator Romanus fui.
That's nothing--in a previous life I was a Roman Emperor.
Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!
Stand aside plebians! I am on imperial business.
Vescere bracis meis.
Eat my shorts.
Sic faciunt omnes.
Everyone is doing it.
Fac ut vivas.
Get a life.
Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus!
Let's all wear mood rings!
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
I have a catapult. Give me all the money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.

And that is our funny Latin lesson for this adventure. The universe only knows what I will find next on the internet and bring here to entertain and educate.

Have a great and wonderful day!

Source: MIT

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Let's Go Back to the Future

Who would have thought an 80's movie could have such an impact?

I love the Back to the Future movies. What fun. What a treat. I thought once that I would become a movie critic because I had seen so many movies in my youth.

We had a movie theater that had current movies for $3 and popcorn and a drink also cost $3. That fit on my tiny teenage budget. Movies were my getaway. My holidays. My weekends. 

I knew movies were not real and just enjoyed them as entertainment, and escape. Today as a writer, I look back at my movie days and understand that a story is a combination of character and plot. Movies were a great way to learn what works and does not work when building your own fantasy world.

I am very grateful to live the day Marty McFly came to in the future. Chronic and disabling illnesses make everyday feel like you have no future, but today marks a significant change in history. Now we can see how far we have come and yet to go. 

And, where is my flying car anyway?

Have a great and wonderful future day!




Sunday, March 15, 2015

Jumping through Hoops

I love when you have your life set up and then someone updates your browser.

I had everything set up: information fill in the box, so I did not have to remember and type all the time. Then Firefox updated and the add-on I used was no longer useable. I lost password access to many different places including this blog.

@#$%^&*!!!!!

You can fill in the blanks from there. 

So I had to send information to my email, then my phone to verify that is it indeed me. 

I am happy to say that all my memory is not all fuzzy. I had a decent recall for items long forgotten. I know am going to reimage my old blog. I think I know the perfect creative measure. I will return and give you the blog name and url. 

Have a great and wonderful day!


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

New Look; New Outlook

I wanted to design a blog/website that was more like me: cutting edge and creative.

With brain inflammation/injury, sometimes accessing that part of the mind is a challenge. Lately, I seem to have found it again. I like being creative.

I hope you enjoy the art and writing too.

Insights are us? Maybe not yet, but it will come.

Run. ;)

Have a great and wonderful day.

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