#ontheporch

[dweeeeeb]

Motivational Music in the Morning ... #AlexJancula, #TheDevilHatesACoward ... From the #OnThePorch #Album [Official Audio Track] (2023) #MMitM1

#youtube #MMitM1 #Alex Jancula #The Devil Hates a Coward #On The Porch #Official #Audio Track #2023

[clariverse]

When to End a Story

Finishing stories is a valuable skill. But it’s not always easy to tell, especially for us non-planners, when a story is really done. Personally, I have three things I consider and combine to tell for sure.

I find the story is finished when the promise given by its opening pages/core premise is fulfilled. Simply, it’s the answer to “why this story”: what exactly is it that I’m telling? What’s a question this story is an answer to?

Arcs, both character and plot. A story is done when there’s been a change in either the character or the character’s surrounding/situation, in such a way that, if you took the character from that point and put them in their own shoes at the beginning, it would no longer develop into the same story. That said, a lot of things change and shape characters along the way, so pinpointing the ending might require thinking about the promise/Question of the story alongside this.

If I’ve successfully brought characters/worlds to life, there’s always more story; more before this one, more after this one, even if the character dies or the world gets destroyed. So I thought of a fun trick. I wonder, at which point does this story I’m writing become backstory? If I were writing a story set right after this one, what is the last thing I would have to weave in as character/world backstory in order for that story to be strong? That point is the ending point of the story I’m actually working on. I do admit, this method comes with a likely side effect of rogue sequels.

Finally, it’s worth noting, I listen to my intuition. Many times the story just feels done—and later as I analyse it, it turns out the point where I stopped does tick all these boxes. Stories secretly know what they’re doing.

#writing #writers #writers on tumblr #writing advice #writing tip #writeblr #nanowrimo #writing community #nowhereswriterly #amwriting #ontheporch #ending stories #story #stories #write #writer #writing tips #nanowriting

[rickosborn]

This is a painting I just finished (I think). I painted the old house originally alone, but it looked very stark. I painted it as it reminds me of southern VA and/or rural NC. And while the light and shadow are visually interesting, I felt that it needed a bit of a story to make it more compelling. So, I added the porch and man in the foreground. Both of these particular elements (the porch/man and the old house) were influenced by one of my favorite artists Edward Hopper. I often look at his works for inspiration as well as to another American favorite artist, Fairfield Porter. If I could channel either of these painters in my work, I would consider myself quite fortunate, as I love both. It's interesting, the more I look at this piece, the more of myself I see therein. I could write more about that here, but maybe that's for a later discussion. "The Porch and the Past" - 14x18 - oil on cradled Masonite panel - Available . . . . . #onmyeasel #onmyeaseltoday #oilpainting #farmhouse #countryliving #porches #ontheporch #oldfarmhouse #ruralnc #ruralva #fairfieldporter #hopper #southernliving #rickosbornart #farmville #farmvilleva (at Rick Osborn, Artist) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8l6i7kDvt3/?igshid=1ezo3tuq0r9al

#onmyeasel #onmyeaseltoday #oilpainting #farmhouse #countryliving #porches #ontheporch #oldfarmhouse #ruralnc #ruralva #fairfieldporter #hopper #southernliving #rickosbornart #farmville #farmvilleva

[84-rooms]

Birds #84rooms #igart #instsagramartist #instakunst #kunst #blackandwhite #bw #vintagephoto #porch #ontheporch #birds https://www.instagram.com/p/B90vRPQHPai/?igshid=1q6qblblo6831

#84rooms #igart #instsagramartist #instakunst #kunst #blackandwhite #bw #vintagephoto #porch #ontheporch #birds

[kimettesworld]

its a holiday in Canada today, but I’m still getting some sketching in, my cycling/running shades😎 at least they’re mostly red! # createeveryday #colouredpencilsketch #ontheporch #drawingmylife #everydaylifeisart #sunglasses #mylifemyart #artbykguilmette #reflections #hatching #sketchingoutdoors #happycanadaday🇨🇦 #carandacheluminance https://www.instagram.com/p/BzY7a1SH38a/?igshid=1et13c8oqtmzs

#colouredpencilsketch #ontheporch #drawingmylife #everydaylifeisart #sunglasses #mylifemyart #artbykguilmette #reflections #hatching #sketchingoutdoors #happycanadaday🇨🇦 #carandacheluminance

[wilwheaton]

Good news! I embroidered a surprise gift for a friend (I recreated her child’s drawing), and her and her family really, REALLY loved it! I have a lot of anxiety about sharing my crafts, and fear that things aren’t perfect enough. But, I put myself out there and brightened someone else’s day. It makes me want to do more acts of kindness! I think that’s what everyone needs more of right now. (The embroidery and source material are the first thing on my tumblr if you’re interested)

I love that you wanted to make something for your friend, so you overcame the anxiety and the fear of making a thing where there wasn’t a thing before. That says a lot about the strength of your character, and I’m honored that you shared it with me.

#good news #ontheporch

[myvq]

From @ontheporchpodcast @thevitaminq always giving the #real Click link in bio to watch and subscribe @k.senior504 I've been podcasting with lots of new friends this season. I want all my hardcore VQ supporters to PLEASE support these people when you see them support me. There's a private group on #Facebook called Nola Blk Sake Spaces admined by these entitled #creoles and Africans of European decent in the city who call my sponsors and supporters and bully them out of supporting me because they were mad I wouldn't let them bull peewee's crabcakes. So anyone that ignores that noise I need y'all to show they made the right decision. #nola #realtalk #reallife #ontheporch #fortheculture #community #blackpeople #black #support https://www.instagram.com/p/CRY5PX9jz9t/?utm_medium=tumblr

#real #facebook #creoles #nola #realtalk #reallife #ontheporch #fortheculture #community #blackpeople #black #support

[blessing-beads]

Such a lovely place for dinner. Highly recommended #gingkotreeinn #ontheporch #mtpleasant #diningout #alfrescodining (at The Ginkgo Tree Inn)

#gingkotreeinn #ontheporch #mtpleasant #diningout #alfrescodining

[haciendamoyano]

Full moon in Capricorn #haciendamoyano #naguabo #puertorico #crisisisland #PRIslandStyle #caribbean #tropical #fullmoon #moon #summer #strawberrymoon #paradise #colors_of_night #palmtree #tonight #life #ontheporch #live (at Hacienda Moyano, Naguabo, Puerto Rico)

#crisisisland #summer #live #paradise #naguabo #moon #tonight #puertorico #fullmoon #colors_of_night #life #haciendamoyano #palmtree #tropical #ontheporch #strawberrymoon #prislandstyle #caribbean

[clariverse]

Quick Tips for Writing While Depressed

My combo of bipolar-2 and BPD means that I go through a lot of depressive phases, and they can be a huge challenge to my work ethic and writerly productivity. I’m the type of writer who gets much worse if I don’t at least touch my manuscript or think about writing for a day (mind you, that doesn’t always mean adding words!), so here are some tips and tricks I figured out to navigate the complicated waters of writing during/around depressive episodes.

one step at a time — long-term planning tends to lead to disappointment and anger at myself if I fail, especially because I’m bad at managing self-expectations while working at a lower capacity

bite-sized goals — they don’t take many spoons, but meeting and exceeding them can restore some. Here are some small goals I go for:

a sentence per day

five minutes of writing at a time

just read the last finished scene

read the last scene and highlight the good/bad passages

read the last scene and fill in the metadata (in Scrivener—if I hadn’t done that already) or write a two-sentence synopsis of it

read a page of a book

appearance changes — just like with my personal appearance (hair dye!), changing small things can do a lot to help restore a bit of a feeling of control and break through the depressive routine:

play with different fonts until one feels right for the story

change the background or document icons

experiment with a colour/colour scheme for POV threads

freewrite the first thing that comes to mind, different from your main project, for as long as you want/can

pinterest and aesthetics — making them can be tricky because depression often means nothing is coming out right, but just finding WIP-related visuals and saving them somewhere can get some creative juices flowing and maintain that connection with the story

headphones and daydreaming — sometimes just lying down with music is all I can do, and that’s fine. I like finding songs that fit in some way with my stories, and time spent on visualising scenes while listening to music totally counts as writing time

If these sound like procrastination to you, think again: they all help keep that thread between you and your story alive, even when moods and mental states make it thin and frayed. That thread is important—it’s there for a reason—so don’t let anyone tell you to stop doing whatever’s in your power to help it hold.

The most important thing, for me, is to remember that my productivity levels fluctuate. When things get really Bad, when I can’t work as much as I’d like or am used to, it’s important to acknowledge it because really, really, it’s okay. Tiny steps are still steps—and if there’s a day when even they prove impossible, that really is a day to just spend taking a break and recharging in whatever way works (I watch How I Met Your Mother for the billionth time and sleep a whole lot).

Fellow writers struggling with working through depression, I see you. We can do this.

#writing #writing tips #mental health #writing with depression #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #writeblr #writing community #writers #writers community #amwriting #ontheporch #depression #bipolar #actually bpd #mental health advice #mental health awareness #writing tip #mentally ill #writing support #writing advice #nowhereswriterly #clariblog

[persiahejazi]

back in the game

I ended up taking a short break that turned into a long hiatus (as one does) after #DVPit, for a couple of fun reasons. One of the reasons came back in April. I had some success in DVPit (a couple of likes from agents which was really cool!!) but this was the first time I’d ever done a pitch contest-- or even been vulnerable and open about my work outside of my critique partners-- and it was kind of overwhelming. Especially seeing how successful other pitches were (deservedly so, might I add!). This was the first time I’d really put myself out there and it was great to interact with everyone else, but I also felt uncomfortable and sub-par. Dealing with rejection is a natural part of life and a guarantee in the publishing world, I’m aware, but I haven’t really developed a thick skin yet. I’m still learning how to pick myself up after rejection happens.

This sounds incredibly sappy, but I took the lack of hearts and retweets as a personal shunning and as a overly sensitive Pisces, I took that to heart. I know I’ll get better at developing a thick skin, but I realize I have a lot to learn.

I realize that I actually self-rejected my own work and this turned into a fear of the work itself. For two months I barely touched my work and I’m just now getting back into the habit of writing everyday.

I have a lot of work I have to do, but I’m going to keep going! Also if anyone has any tips on how to deal with self-rejection, motivation, or other writing related tips I would really appreciate them!

#dvpit #writing #amwriting #ontheporch #am writing #personal

[kimettesworld]

and then you ask yourself, what happens if I combine a continuous line drawing in blue ink, with inktense pencils & a water brush and coloured pencil highlights; while sitting on the porch? this happens ... what do you think? #everydaylifeisart #ontheporch #createeveryday #colouredpencildrawing #inktensepencils #mylifemyart #artbykguilmette #dailyillustration #drawingmysurroundings #funandfunky #colourfulandvibrant https://www.instagram.com/p/BzLcPC8nHlQ/?igshid=1mhjw3s0sr0p7

#everydaylifeisart #ontheporch #createeveryday #colouredpencildrawing #inktensepencils #mylifemyart #artbykguilmette #dailyillustration #drawingmysurroundings #funandfunky #colourfulandvibrant

[hotmamashida]

I truly don’t know what’s scarier, raising Black boys in this country or raising a Black girl in this country. I have to teach them to know their power and never give it away and never undervalue the strength of their Blackness. Never Give Up. #BlackLivesMatter . . . #sundayblessings #BabyShug #2monthsold #babygirl #blackgirlmagic #happybaby #ontheporch #blackzenshit https://www.instagram.com/p/CEPV5dflxSN/?igshid=y4ocjg8rion9

#blacklivesmatter #sundayblessings #babyshug #2monthsold #babygirl #blackgirlmagic #happybaby #ontheporch #blackzenshit

[buttaguru901]

Enjoying the Sunday afternoon in the 901....Salmon, Fish patties, and veggie burgers. #goodeats Be safe, everyone!❤☮🙏 . . . #buttaguru #sheabuttaluv901 #memphis901 #choose901 #sundayvibes #peaceandlove #stayprayedup #love #eatingin #goodfood #veggieburgers #salmon #grilling #ontheporch #herbalinfluences #bbq (at Raleigh, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3rNrWlJV2/?igshid=b8bjukprptij

#goodeats #buttaguru #sheabuttaluv901 #memphis901 #choose901 #sundayvibes #peaceandlove #stayprayedup #love #eatingin #goodfood #veggieburgers #salmon #grilling #ontheporch #herbalinfluences #bbq

[glimmerbugart]

Good morning friends! I've finished painting the little side table for our screened in porch and I love how it turned out. This table was my parents and when we sold that house last year, I kept several pieces so that I could refinish them and use in this house and keep some of my childhood memories. I love this little table and it goes perfectly in the spot next to the porch chairs. The miracle of spray paint!!! #porch #porchseason #ontheporch #warmweather #spring #refinish #furniture #paintedfurniture https://www.instagram.com/p/CAc7EPGgDz2/?igshid=1g5tv6af0vn4o

#porch #porchseason #ontheporch #warmweather #spring #refinish #furniture #paintedfurniture