The Creative Mind in a World Gone Mad: How do We Take Back Our Imaginations?

Once I thought that the human imagination was boundless and beautiful overflowing with hope, in the years since, I have discovered that some of our mind's have ventured from the possible, probable, and poetic into a landscape of fear and dread. 

The creative mind's "what if" moment of variability had been intersected. When an elite few realized that their dystopian future would shrink the quantum possibilities into one narrow passage, a new era of manipulation began. Humans don't have informed consent; we have manufactured consent. 

The most steered aspects of our society have been the sciences and the arts. That cross-section of our culture has been handicapped, and our development stunted by this destructive agenda. Imagination? Creativity? ...where? 

Anyone can observe the unimaginative movies, predetermined book publications, and repetitive musical interludes. As a child of the 1980's, I am bored with this curated selection of negative, trash-filled redundancy.

In the past decade, I have become concerned by the lack of original thought in our society. Instead, I perceive a propagandist's point of view influencing us. Yes, even in the arts and sciences is this negative agenda pushing forward. Should I name the offenses, or, can you decipher these issues for yourself?

As an artist, poet, and writer, what should I make of this forced slant stepping on our abilities, skills, and lifestyles? Why am I not allowed to embrace my creative side and ask the questions that beg: What if? The moment that my imagination takes flight into the uncharted territories of the cosmos, I must censor myself. I must refrain from my innate calling as a creative spirit. 

Only when an agenda is corrupt and harmful must all other competition to it be silenced. No questions. No free-thought. No imagination. 

Why? Why do a few believe that they outweigh the many? What happened to the imagination? 

Here at Undawnted, imagination is fearless and will ask questions of the cultural captains: what happened that would allow you to believe you are more important in my creative life than I am? Why would you believe you are better than the rest of us? Why must we believe what you believe? Why must I attend, pray, and be a disciple at your church?

Are those not fair questions to ask? I feel that this elite mindset is of: do as you are told. Period. Another form of corporate toxicity demands more from me than it gives in return. 

That leads into: why is there a conservatorship being placed on the creative world? When did I sign that legal contract? Is it in the vague Terms of Service of the services you don't provide anymore when you turned your back on freedom of speech? Because I certainly have not been evaluated in a court of law as incompetent to stand trial.  

Why can I not tell people to research the findings of Dr. Naomi Wolf (Ph.D.), Dr. Robert Malone (M.D. and inventor of the MRNA technology), Dr. Peter McCullough (M.D.), VAERS reporting, or even Edward Dowd? Is the establishment afraid of real data?

When someone in a position of leadership be it government, corporate, education, or think tank does everything in his or her power to stifle creativity, shut down dissent, and make you censor yourself, then how can our culture have imagination? 

One way. One mind... sounds more like the Borg to me, than a democracy. 

When it comes down to it, we aren't being respected as adults. So if you are wondering why I speak out, this factor is high on the list. Are these governments, corporations, institutions, or think tanks respecting you if you have to censor yourself in order to appease their short-sided agenda? 

What is the Agenda? The World Economic Forums' Great Reset that plunges the world into an economic depression? Do we really want that nonsense? I for one did not elect Klaus Schwab into office. Did you?

So, creative community of artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians, do you need someone to make your decisions for you? Or, are you a capable, cogent adult that abides by the laws of the United States? 

Because "creative" does not have the word: we, in it; but the letters do spell: I. As well, "imagination" does not have the word: we, in it; but the letters do spell: I. Those words embody the artful presence of individuality. The arts cannot and should not be dictated by a collective. That is why imagination is fearless because this journey is for the courageous individual. 

Then why are we doing this? So, find your courage, individuate, and start asking questions. 

Creative courage is contagious!

Have a great and insightful day. 

Book Cover Design: The Expectations of Readers and How You Are Perceived

We have all heard the idiom: don't judge a book by its cover.  

Well, most of us have. Some authors and editors take this idiom to mean that their poor cover design won't be held against them by readers. 

WRONG. 

I could use other people's design mistakes to make my point, but that would be unfair. Instead, I will give a lesson with only my own designs as examples. 

So independent authors, here is your design workshop. 

If you have refrained from becoming astute in the ways of publication design and insist on creating your own book covers, yeah, I can spot them. Actually, readers in general can spot bad designs. When that happens, your book undersells, if the publication sells at all. 

Readers will not purchase covers that look and feel unprofessional. So, as the idiom goes: it does not apply to you. People do judge books by their covers.

Independent authors often use or pay for what someone else has created, as long as the background illustration is free or cheap. Some even try to create their own designs, but end up with a less than stellar dismount. What does a poor indie do?

If you are going the route of doing your own book cover designs, then avail yourself to a course in design theory. I had the opportunity to take courses and other avenues of study from creative industry experts when I went to community college. I was lucky. I learned from the best. 

When I first began doing my own designs, I remember how awful they were. My brain does not function well under constant inflammation, and I have to compensate for that ongoing disability. With time, however, I was able to recover my knowledge of publication design. If you have noticed, my book covers and website images look more professional by the year.  

I also have the advantage of being an award-winning digital artist. I understand composition, color, and creativity. Most people are not like me, some of them need a little help. I have offered to assist. Sometimes it works out great, and sometimes it is a disaster. 

I have placed an example of poor cover design above in Flying High. What draws you to the cover? What repels you? Would you read this book? 

This illustration of poor design fundamentals is why most independent or self-published authors under perform in their market. A bad cover means you are handing over your book sales to someone else. Your competition either has a publishing house creating their designs, or the authors have spent $250+ per cover.

What is the solution? Spend money you don't have? Or, learn good cover design?

First, compare and contrast. Go online to any retailer who sells books and look at professional book covers. What do you see that is on all of those covers? How would you modify those designs to make your own style but still be attractive to readers? 

I find that many independent authors just slap a design together without putting much thought in using their covers as a net positive marketing tool. Covers take time. The right design takes time. 

Here are a few cover designs I created: 

Now take notes on what you like and dislike about these designs. What attracts you? What repels you? In comparison with bad design elements in the Flying High example, what are good design elements that you can pick out from these three covers?

This article is your first step in creating a good book cover.

Use it wisely. 

Have a great and wonderful day.

_____

UPDATE: Book Cover Design will be offered via our Premium Content coming in 2023 as a part of Undawnted's Design Elements and Digital Artistry courses. 

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted.

WordCrafter Lingering Spirit Whispers Paranormal Anthology Set Blog Tour: Undawnted Interviews Kaye Lynne Booth

About the Anthology Set

Lingering Spirit Whispers Paranormal Anthology Set, which is released today, December 1st, 2021 from WordCrafter and is available for purchase.

This anthology set is a bundle including Whispers of the Past, Spirits of the West, and Where Spirits Linger. All three anthologies combined into one convenient paranormal set for lovers of ghost stories.

Amazon Books

 

 

 

*****

Author Interview: Kaye Lynne Booth
"Woman in the Water" (Whispers of the Past), "Don't Eat the Pickled Eggs" (Spirits of the West), "The People Upstairs" (Where Spirits Linger)

Where does your inspiration for writing stories stem from?

The inspiration for “The Woman in the Water” (Whispers of the Past) came as I was sitting in front of a roaring waterfall one afternoon. The whole story just unfolded in my mind with the real life setting as the background. I went home and typed it out on my keyboard until the whole tale was down.

The inspiration for “Don’t Eat the Pickled Eggs” came from a paranormal experience of a woman that I knew. Her boss had passed on and she believed that he came to her one night. This created the beginning for the tale of Lillie Belle, a saloon bookkeeper who experiences a visit from her saloon keeper and friend before she is aware that he is gone, and it’s up to her to solve his murder.

The idea for “The People Upstairs” rolled around in the back of my brain since I was a young girl, living at my grandmother’s home. Her housekeeper was an old woman who lived alone in a big house, but she only used three rooms, closing off the rest of the house, and she made some very strange claims, including one that there were people living on the second floor of her home. These ideas led to conversations with my mother and grandmother, and folks around town said that she was crazy. But she always had time to talk with me, even when she was working, and I considered her my friend. After she died, I missed her and I always wondered if maybe the things she said were true, if maybe she wasn’t crazy after all. “The People Upstairs” is the resulting story.

Were you always interested in becoming a writer? Or did this craft come to you later than your formative years?

I have been a writer since 1996, the year I sold my first poem. I floundered around trying to figure out what I was doing and the proper way to go about it. That didn’t come until much later, 2012, when I enrolled in Western State Colorado University to earn my M.F.A. in Creative Writing.

Writing is a passion for me. It helps me focus and helps me to keep my sanity. I think all people have a need to express themselves, but they do it in different ways. My self-expression just comes out in the written word.

Writing in the horror genre, specifically the subcategories of the supernatural and paranormal, is specialized. How is this genre different from others you have written in? I think you have to work harder to gain reader buy-in with fantastical genres. When I wrote my western novel, Delilah, I had to work to make readers buy-in to my tough, gritty female protagonist, but I don’t think that is nearly as big a challenge as trying to make readers believe the unbeleiveable.

Are you interested in writing the grotesque or psychological variations of horror?

I wrote a flash fiction piece, “The Haunting of Carol’s Woods” which was featured in Nightmareland, Book 3 of Dan Alatorre’s Box Under the Bed series. That one was inspired by a dream that I had and it was kind of creepy. But I’m not particularly interested in writing like Clive Barker or even Peter Straub.

Do you draw on any experiences you may have had in your life in order to write your stories?

Absolutely. Doesn’t every author? There is good sense in the old adage “Write what you know”. I’m a believer in ghosts and have had several personal experiences, maybe that’s why I like to write ghost stories.

What is the most horrific story you have read in a book/seen on the screen that stayed with you for years? Ever since I was a young girl I’ve been drawn to the horror genre. As a teen, my favorite author was Stephen King and I gobbled up everything I could get my hands on that he wrote, but I also liked John Saul, and Anne Rice. Stories such as those are sure to warp your mind just a little.

When I was fifteen I was babysitting and I found a copy of The Shining. After the kids were in bed, I picked it up and started reading. I found I couldn’t put and kept reading well into the night. At four a.m., when I started to nod off, I was too scared to go to sleep, so I called and woke my mother and made her talk to me until my nerves were calm once more. After I hung up with her I couldn’t resist finishing the rest of the book. I had to know what happened.

Whispers by Dean Koontz gave me a good case of the creeps and stuck in my brain after I learned that the ‘whispers’ were cock roaches. It sends shiver down my spine, even now.

There was a short story in a horror anthology that I read when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, about a baby that was possessed and killed its mother. Understandably, that one stayed with me for a long time and really creeped me out, but I can’t even remember the name of the book or the title of the story now.

Did that influence your writing in any manner?

Horror is difficult for me to write. My brain is not that warped. I guess I am no Stephen King. Lol. But I do enjoy creating tone and setting for my paranormal stories, which are just a milder form of horror.

What haunted location would you like to visit and write in? Would you write about the place and its history? Or would you write a story inspired by the paranormal energy felt there? I have visited many haunted locations. In fact, the submission guidelines for Where Spirits Linger was a paranormal story that revolves around a setting.

I’ve made several visits to a haunted hotel in Cripple Creek over the past year, The Hotel St. Nicholas. There may be a story brewing revolving that setting, but I think it would be set in the past, when it was the only hospital for the then booming mining town. The history will definitely play a vital role in the tale that develops, but I think paranormal vibes could steer the story in a particular direction. So, I guess the answer is both.

****

Thank you, Kaye Lynne Booth for your great answers about the writing craft and this anthology set. If you would like to know more about Ms. Booth, please see her biography and links below: 

Author Bio

Kaye Lynne Booth lives, works, and plays in the mountains of Colorado. With a dual emphasis M.F.A. in Creative Writing, writing is more than a passion. It's a way of life. She’s a multi-genre author, who finds inspiration from the nature around her, and her love of the old west, and other odd and quirky things which might surprise you. She has short stories featured in the following anthologies: The Collapsar Directive (“If You’re Happy and You Know It”); Relationship Add Vice (“The Devil Made Her Do It”); Nightmareland (“The Haunting in Carol’s Woods”); Whispers of the Past (“The Woman in the Water”); and Spirits of the West (“Don’t Eat the Pickled Eggs”). Her western, Delilah, her paranormal mystery novella and her short story collection, Last Call, are all available in both digital and print editions. In her spare time, she keeps up her author’s blog, Writing to be Read, where she posts reflections on her own writing, author interviews and book reviews, along with writing tips and inspirational posts from fellow writers. She’s also the founder of WordCrafter. In addition to creating her own imprint in WordCrafter Press, she offers quality author services, such as editing, social media & book promotion, and online writing courses through WordCrafter

Author Links

• Website https://kayebooth.wixsite.com/wordcrafter/wordcrafter-press
• Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Kaye-Lynne-Booth/e/B071791Y9W%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
  
• Blog: https://writingtoberead.com/

If you like this interview, then read the others in the Lingering Spirit Whispers series: 

• Stevie Turner
• Jeff Bowles  
  
• Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Join The Monsoon Rain

Sonoran Dawn Studios' Sonoran Monsoon: Earth Changes Book and Cover Art Event has used my artwork and poetry as inspiration. 

Check out the online event on their Facebook page. Everyone is welcome to join as a host (artist, musician, or author), please use the sign up sheet to book your time slot. 

If you just enjoy reading, please be to stop by and get to know the authors and artists. Each has an hour to show you their wares. 

Have fun and make a purchase. Your support keeps independent authors and artists creating beautiful words and images for you.

Have a great and wonderful day!

 

A Brief Discourse in Myths and Legends of Writing and Resources

"All the stories have been told!"

~the oldest known suicide note from a writer

I learned a small stone tablet lamented words similar to the above quote was found by archeologists when I studied literature at the college level. Was the instructor joking? Who knows? But the story still holds water, just read what scholars have discovered about Shakespeare.

According to a New York Times article, Plagiarism Software Unveils a New Source for 11 of Shakespeare’s Plays, Shakespeare used an earlier source study for helping to mold his characters and plays:

The findings were made by Dennis McCarthy and June Schlueter, who describe them in a book to be published next week by the academic press D. S. Brewer and the British Library. The authors are not suggesting that Shakespeare plagiarized but rather that he read and was inspired by a manuscript titled “A Brief Discourse of Rebellion and Rebels,” written in the late 1500s by George North, a minor figure in the court of Queen Elizabeth, who served as an ambassador to Sweden. 

For any new writer, this information may seem like a blessing and a curse. 

Have all the stories already been told? 

What writers can learn from historical data, sources, and books is that story inspiration can manifest from the unlikeliest of places. Research into the past is not for naught and should be encouraged. 

My fiction and poetry writings here on Undawnted are inspired by a combination of Shakespearean dramas and comedies, Joseph Campbell's comparative mythology and the hero's journey, and Jane Austen's tenets of good matchmaking as well as her realism perspective in her social commentary. 

Just like Shakespeare, modern writers can be influenced and inspired by earlier works of fiction and nonfiction alike. A seasoned writer knows how to balance the past with the present to make the most of the future. Writing should entertain and inspire others in turn.

What book or author has inspired you? 

Have a great and wonderful day!

Ekphrasis as a New Source of Inspiration

Poetry has a new section: Ekpharsis. The term means: "a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art," but Undawnted has taken the creativity one step further. 

I have included chapbooks for original poetry inspired by not only masterpieces from artists like van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, and Monet, but also masters in poetry like Poe and Dickinson. Space photography has been included in this series as well. 

As I write, I will list the contents of the poetry books on the selected pages. Once I have enough to warrant publication, I will let you know. 

I hope you enjoy this creativity as well as let it inspire your own creations.

Have a great and wonderful day.

Another Poetry Submission Accepted

An untitled three line poem has been accepted for print publication.

As soon as the poem has been added to the online magazine, I will be sure to post the link here! 

Another exciting conclusion to a burgeoning writing career. I hope everyone who creates submits their art, poetry, and writing to sites. There is nothing more inspirational as seeing your own work out in the world. 

If you do not get published, that is okay. That means more studying, editing, and crafting are needed. One day all that hard work will pay off. So keep trying! 

Have a great and wonderful day!

Dreams as Inspiration

As a writer, when I have a strange dream, I like to mull it over for awhile to see what inspiration I can glean from it. 

Have you ever been chased in your dreams? Have you walked through a park? Benn to a haunted house? Or, befriended a vampire, werewolf, or other supernatural creature? 

Dreams are so fun to work with. They give us a window in which to peer into our subconscious hopes and fears. So dreams, even nightmares, have the ability to inspire us to create art, or write poetry. 

I like to keep notebooks by my bed in order for me to take notes when needs be.

Has one of your dreams ever inspired you? 

Have a great and wonderful day.

A Little Inspiration

Sometimes when I need to feel something, I turn to my DVD collection.

Want to be in love? Watch Kate and Leopold. Want to feel scared? Watch The First Power. If you want to be motivated as an action hero, then Witchblade should be on tap.

I used to love watching that show. Of course I refuse to watch the second season. The show went from a web of teasers and subplots to episodic nonsense. I wish someone would do as good as version here soon. I need my feminine action hero fix. Rizzoli and Isles just don't cut it for me. 

Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 rocked the slick chick with a chip vibe.

Anyway, when you need a mood for yourself or a character you are writing, being in someone else's universe can be positive. Even music can be a mood enhancer, I know I have some favorites in the CD player.

So a little inspiration can go a long way. Just remember not to get so caught up in the external that the internal creative drive suffers. It's easy to be sucked in by Hollywood.

Now back to Witchblade. 

A Voice for Your Generation

I've been writing for my local newspaper and my own blog for a little while now. 

I have learned to balance the needs of the community with my own. What I cannot cover, I make sure to link to independent news episodes in order to keep everyone current. Or, if I need some time off because my brain is fried or I am: a video it is!

On a personal blog, it's not that easy. I have to write something, right? Something!

I got to thinking: where are the voices of my generation? Where the hell are all the Gen Xers anyway? Did they all succumb to corporate and family life? What happened to our rebellious spirit?

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one out here. That thought led me to the epiphany: I have become the voice I've been searching for. An odd statement for sure, but a true one.

It's not an ego statement. I am doing that job here and with the Gazette. I finally found my voice. 

It shouldn't be a voice for a generation; it should be voices. Where is your voice on the current state of affairs in politics, government, medicine, health, food/water/air safety? Where are you?

You don't have to be Generation X to get a blog, website, youtube channel or the like. 

Just start saying something. Anything. Be the voice you have been waiting for. It feels good to make a difference in the world.

So what topic makes you verbal? Speak out. Live out loud. It's not too late to become that person your teenage self always wanted you to be. An idealist. A commentator. A rebel. 

A role model.

Be the change you want to see in the world and the world will change to meet you. I've had it happen to me. Stories gravitate to me. When you are on your right path, everything falls into place.

Now to finish my fiction and nonfiction books... then we'll be getting somewhere there too!

Sick, well, or in between, you can make this world a better place. Trust me. The universe is on your side when your heart is pure and you love what you're doing. 

So go out and be: A Voice for Your Generation.

Have a great and wonderful weekend!

By the Light of the Pale Moon

That's right, folks, it's that time of the month again. The moon is full in the heavens. All the crazies are out and the stars like to twinkle, twinkle. 

I cannot hide it any longer. I am in love. I love the night sky. 

I love Orion, the planets, nebulae, Milky Way... all of it!

I have these great binoculars that are just about as good as any telescope I have ever had but these binoculars are easier to position. Much more efficient. I do not have to fumble around with lens, or balance, or anything. I point and gaze.

And, I do gaze.... remember, I'm in love ;)

I may not be the best astronomer in the world, but I  am the happiest. Tonight, before I go to bed, I am going to head outside and look up at the near full moon and wonder. I will wonder why I am the only one outside gazing upward.

When you look at the marvels in our solar system, you can dream of worlds beyond our own. You can dream. You can see that we are but a small blue planet in an ever expanding red shift. 

Out there is where we come from. Out there is who we are. Out there is the undiscovered country of our own imaginations.

Won't you join me?
 

Have a great night!