The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis, is a collection of fictional letters from and elder demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood. It tells a story about a young, ordinary Christian man during World War II, but more importantly, it reveals how the enemy tempts us and the best ways to avoid those pitfalls.
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1/7/2018 4 Comments December Update and 2017 RecapHey! It’s time for a recap on December and on all of 2017! ArtI experimented a little bit this month with realism and the markers I received for Christmas (and the two Copics I bought myself as a treat >u<), but not at the same time. In realism, I drew a cat using a reference from The Big Book Of Cats, a huge collection of really nice cat photos. I’ve had it since I was very young, and it’s a well-loved book. I also drew and painted a self-portrait from a picture I took December 2016. I was tired of smiles and frowns, so I picked a silly one! 12/6/2017 0 Comments Note to Self #4Note to Self #4
Metaphors are amazing. Never write anything without them. They give a new layer of depth to your writing that you wouldn't have had by just saying what you want to say. Metaphors can also make a song longer and more satisfying when you describe the same thing in several ways. UpdateI’ve been around. Mostly dawdling on the internet and in real life, postponing a whole mess of things. As you may know, I have several creative outlets, and writing is just one of them, but it usually doesn’t take the forefront of my mind.
I still want to post some writing here. I have many, many topics on my mind that I would love to write essays, short stories or poetry on. For now, I should probably give a formal update. This is my final year of high school. It just so happens that I’m graduating a semester early (thanks to CCP courses), so the end is only a few weeks away for me. After that, I plan to get a job (looking at a music store!) and continue music courses at a college nearby. I have been accepted to a small Christian university only a few hours from home. I plan to major in music composition beginning Fall 2018. During the spring and summer, one would hope that I’d have enough time to pursue my passions (music, writing, drawing), but there’s not much reason for me to believe that unless something changes real soon. My habits are procrastination and laziness, and over the years, they’ve grown deep, deep roots. Yet I always manage to create something. No matter how busy I’ve gotten, I end up doodling in my notes, or singing made-up lyrics as I drive to school, or hearing a concept, thinking—“Now THAT would make an awesome story!” True, usually none of these end up becoming a full-blown piece, but I just can’t get away from it. It’s a big part of who I am. So—on I go. My plan is to write, update, ramble on anything I create for the next few months. Poetry. Music. Art. Stories. Essays. Can I just start now? I know it’s getting to be a long post, but I’ve done so much lately. I’ll share what I’ve done in the past month. 10/28/2017 0 Comments Note to self #3Note to Self #3
If you're unintentionally writing your story to teach a lesson you don't agree with or want, pick a new theme to focus on. Then you don't have to scrap your entire story plan. It probably won't work with every story, but it's worth a shot. 10/20/2017 0 Comments Poetry is FUN!When my pencil can't seem to draw the thoughts in my mind or my fingers can't touch the piano keys that sing my heart song, I turn to poetry and words.
It may be cliche, but man, do I love it. I don't write enough poetry to be an expert at it, but each time I pour my thoughts out through rhyme, I look back at it kind of impressed. Perhaps it's the musician in me, but rhythm is one thing I always make sure I incorporate. Free-form is great and all, but I've found it's hard to read unrhythmic poetry when that's what I'm expecting. And don't get me started on rhyming! I LOVE rhyming! Again, free-form is great, but it's an artistic challenge when you force yourself to rhyme every other line, or try to use couplets at the end of each stanza. It puts your brain in a totally different mindset, and you approach your thoughts in a completely new way. Alliteration can be so cool. Poets used to use it much more often in the Middle Ages, but it can be fun today, too! I accidentally did it once in an online discussion. "I didn't want to delve into the depths of debate, but I've decided differently." Actually, alliteration is always awesome. Anyone at all will adore your amazing announcements if you allocate your words arduously. See what I did there? Anyway, poetry is easy. You can make it as short or as long as you want. You can become a better writer. If you want to rhyme and incorporate rhythm and alliteration, you'll learn lots of new words, and you'll feel pretty clever, too! You don't have to share it with anyone if you think it's bad. It's not like a novel that could take up months of your time. It's refreshing to create something simple and complex at the same time. So try it yourself! Poetry is fun! 10/13/2017 0 Comments Note to Self #2Note to Self #2
Give characters opposing personalities to make the story more interesting. I've been rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I've noticed that each character has a different personality that causes tension throughout the story, but the inspiration comes when they resolve to work together toward their main goals. If you want conflicts under the main conflict that develop the characters and make the story more interesting, opposing personalities are a great way to do that. 10/6/2017 3 Comments Note to self #1Note to Self #1 Don't post a story on your blog when you haven't finished writing it. It won't make sense for you or for the reader in the end if you need to change things because of plot holes, character arcs, etc. Finish writing the story before you post it... it will be worth it in the end! If you're wondering what this is, it's partly an explanation for why I am not posting another part of "Voice in the Darkness" yet. I'll have more of these in the future, sometimes sporadically, simply because I'm learning things about myself and my writing process. Maybe one day I'll have enough of these here on my blog that they'll be useful to other people, too!
9/29/2017 0 Comments Voice in the Darkness - Part 39/22/2017 0 Comments Voice in the Darkness - Part 2
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Lily Calicois an aspiring composer, writer, artist and musician. Archives
March 2018
CategoriesAll Arty Thoughts Book Reviews Monthly Updates Music Narrative Writing Notes To Self Poetry Writing Rambling About Writing Stories Theological |