The Urban Intelligensia

This Writer's Life - Michael Jackson's Influence

Good evening, writers.

Michael Jackson is dead.  Yes, I realize that this is old news by now, but it has taken me a few days to accept this tragic fact. Now, I can gather my thoughts and write about it. Michael Jackson shouldn't be dead.  Yes, he was sick and yes, he had issues; but death seems so surreal for a person like him.  When I first learned of his death, I, like the millions of his fans around the world, was in a state of shock and denial.  No way could the King of Pop be gone from this world.  But he is.  He is moonwalking with the angels now. He'll have to do his concerts with Elvis Presley, a couple of the Beatles and the countless other talents that have left this earth. My goodness, the devil is working overtime.  It seems like the last 2 or 3 weeks have been filled with death.  The plane crash from Brazil. The little boy in Worcester. Farrah Fawcett, Michael and I heard of the weekend that the king of pitchmen, Billy Mays, has died.  What happened to him?!

I'm tired of the death.  Someone needs to invent a way to stop it or at least make our bodies more resistant to it.  I understand that life and death go hand in hand, but when untimely, unnatural deaths occur, it seems so unfair.  Why do we have to die?! I don't want to be immortal - that comes with its own set of problems. And I would love to age gracefully, if not slowly, but at least live until I'm 100 and then pass on. We should all have at least that be a guarantee.

But, back to Michael.  I do'n't care what anyone says or claims - Michael was the force in music. Yes, he had lost cache with many in the Black community because of his ever-changing appearance and opaque skin, but worldwide he was still a force, drawing thousands anytime he made an appearance. Usher can credit much of his success to Michael and was influenced in his music and moves. Many artists were influenced by MJ and his influence will live on in his music.

As a writer, I am influenced by Michael's creativity.  The way he merged music, words and movement created masterpieces that still awe today.  That's what I want to do with my writing.  I want to merge words, images and feelings together to create materpieces of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc. I want my work to inspire, to influence and to inform.  I may never reach MJ's heights, but I want to be a creative force in my own way.

Thank you Michael for all that you gave us.  May you rest in peace.

This Writer's Life - Re-igniting the Passion

Good evening, writers.

Well, it's been almost a week and a half since my birthday and besides, shopping, partying and hanging out, I haven't done much of anything - at least writing wise.  I've lost the writing spark.  It has been snuffed out by stress, depression and fear.  I want it to return but I don't know how to get it back. I feel lost.  I'm waiting for "something" to happen - what I don't know.  But time continues to march on and I feel even more lost with every step. I need a boost, a creative jumpstart.  Ideas and possibilies float in my head, but I remain motionless, unable to act.  My will seems to have gone and I'm just operating on safe mode - get up, go to work, come home, eat, maybe a walk, watch tv/videos and then fall asleep on the couch.  Throw in some magazine reading and a little book browsing and that is my life. Pathetic, I know.  The writer in me, that tiny voice, occassionally lets out a quiet plea for attention.  I look at it briefly and then the darkness takes away any light my interest generates.  I want to scream, but the most I can do is veg out on the couch - thinking of "what if".  I need someone to kick me in the pants and get my ass going. HELP!!!!!

This Writer's Life - Birthday Blues and Weather Woes

Hello writers!

It's been almost a week since my birthday and besides shopping, I haven't done much.  Unless you count shopping and eating my delish choco cake. I feel so unmotivated, so depressed and so helpless. I know I need to be doing stuff, should be doing stuff and yet I am ofen motionless on the couch - thinking but not doing. I need a kick in the pants.  I thought going to last night's graduation at BC would help, but it was only a temporary lift.  Plus, the constant rain does not help.  It's depressing me even more.  All I want to do is sleep.  Help!!!!

This Writer's Life - Another Year Older

Good afternoon, writers.

Well, it's my birthday today.  Yay ME!!!  But it also makes me think.  Another year has come and gone and I am another year older.  What did I accomplish as a writer?  As a person?  I still have the same job. I took a few trips.  I completed some online writing courses.  I wrote a few articles for which I was paid. I have lived another year to see my baby boy turn 6.  My debt is a little bit lower.  But I'm still depressed over money, my relationships and the lack of a new baby. In another year, I'll be reaching a milestone age.  I want to use the next twelve months to make things happen, end bad habits and make some progress.  It starts today. Happy birthday to me.

This Writer's Life - The Halfway Mark

Good  evening, writers.  And the writing funk continues.  It's now June and we're officially halfway through 2009. I want to start this month and the rest of the year in a new, better direction. I need to make progress not only with my writing, but with my life.  I have to admit that I don't know how. I need help.  My constant funks and perpetual couch surfing is leading me nowhere. What can I do?  I need a drill sergent of a life coach to whip me into shape.  Someone who will be screaming into my eaar 24/7 getting me up from this accursed couch and into a more productive life.

I need it fast.

This Writer's Life - Stalled in the Writing Lane

Good evening, writers.  Yeah..yeah....it's been awhile since my last post.  I'm in one of my funks again. So busy trying to keep my head above water that's all I can see.  Plus, I have spring fever and want to do nothing but fun suff.  Sorry to say, but writing isn't fun anymore - at least not when you're depressed and being pulled in many different directions.  I know I need to stop and focus.  But when I do that, I just stop.  I let myself shut down and zone out in front of the TV or watch my new online obssession - Naruto Shippuden.  Ever since I discovered all the episodes of the hit Japanese TV series, I can't get enough!  I watch an average of 3 - 6 episodes every day! The only reason I'm not watching now is because there was a loading problem with the latest installment.  I figured I catch up on Twitter and my blog and maybe do some online stuff.

Today's Tip - Break through your funk.  Time wil not wait for you to write.

This Writer's Life - My Writing Progress

Good morning, fellow writers!

Today is Monday, Patriot's Day in Beantown, and the start of April vacation. Being a teacher, I look forward to the time off.  It's a chance to rest, relax and recover from the often stressful life of teaching.  Of course, my work comes home with me.  So, at best, this is a working vacation. I have a test to review, a test prep lesson to plan, homework to grade and homework to create. This all involves writing which is one of the reasons I became an English teacher.  But what about my own writing?

My writing progress has been a mixed bag as of late. On the up side, I have written a poem (or two) a day for the April poem-a-day challenge.  You can find it on the Writer's Digest website as one of the featured links. Poetry comes so much easier to me than article or story writing. When I write poetry it just flows out of me like rain from a cloud. I like poetry and all its various forms.  I guess that's why I find it so appealing - the flexibility.  That's one of the things that I'm trying to teach to my students. So, if I can maintain my stamina with the poetry challenge, I'll have something else to show my students.

Another writing achievement was writing and submitting an article on a conference I attended a few weeks ago.  My editor received it at the beginning of last week. It should be appearing in the next edition soon.  Another recent success was finishing the memoir "A Piece of Cake" by Cupcake Brown. I actually read it, wrote a comment on Ms. Brown's blog and a review on my blog.  I also Twittered about it (yes, I have a Twitter).  So, I have done some things with my writing lately.

The down side? Well, where do I begin?  I have a final project due for my Writing on the Web class and while I have an idea of what to say, fear and procrastination have held up the actual writing of it. I need to get up the nerve and just do it (as Nike would say). I need a consultation from a former writing instructor, but it costs $50 and while that is not a HUGE sum of money, it is when you're faced with a mountain of bills. But I need to start thinking long term and need her advice.  The future doesn't look too bright and I need to prepare for it in every way that I can. I still need to query on my book review for "A Piece of Cake" and see who'd be interested in it.  I have a couple of targets, so I need to get cracking.

Overall, I have work to do and time continues to move forward. Before you know it, my vacation will be over and I'll be back in the classroom.  I need to accomplish the things this week to feel fulfilled. So, I'm about to dive right in and just do it.

Ciao for now!

  Start writing!

This Writer's Life - Book Review - "A Piece of Cake" by Cupcake Brown

Hello writers!

I'm very excited about today's post.  Today, I will be writing a book review on the memoir "A Piece of Cake" by Cupcake Brown. This is a can't-put-down, page-turner of a story. This tale will make you laugh, cry, mad and happy - and that was just the first chapter!

The memoir begins in 1976. Cupcake La'Vette Brown was eleven years old. She was living in California with her mother and older brother, Larry. She also had a close relationship with her "daddy" (who turns out not to be her biological father) and her Uncle, her mother's brother, Jr. Despite the teasing of ignorant schoolmates about her "ugly" appearance and her often "fight-to-the-death" battles with her brother, Cupcake (or Cup) has a pretty good life. That is, until her mother's untimely death.

When her mother dies, so does Cup's childhood. She and Larry are forcibly (despite legally) taken from her daddy and Uncle Jr. to seemingly live with their biological father, Mr. Burns. Mr. Burns, as it turns out, has no interest in raising his children and promptly turns the kids over to the maniacal Diane Dobson and her equally sinister daughter, Connie. Diane runs a foster home and takes Cup and Larry there to become her tormented, tortured servants. Their lives, especially Cup's, go from bad to worse to HELL.

After physical and mental abuse, Cup runs away.  She does this many times over the years and meets a cast of characters in her travels. From Candy, who introduces Cup to prostitution to Brett, the love of her life, Cup's experiences change her in ways most people cannot imagine or survive. Cup has seen and done it all -  from prostitution to drug use and gangbanging to alcoholism - Cup's life is a roller coaster of ups and many downs.

When Cup reaches adulthood, things don't get better - they get much worse.  There is her constant drug use and drinking, fighting while drunk, getting kicked out of clubs, endangering her life on many occassions. Cup runs scams, incurs debt, lies, cheats and steals. For many years, while under the influence, she has no remorse over her actions. She doesn't care about others and especially herself (her abortion scenes are proof of this).

Finally, Cup hits rock bottom and she lands hard. One day, after seeing her disheveled appearance in a mirror, Cup decides that she has had enough. Her reflection scares her into making a change. It's a slow process that takes many years, but Cup's determination to rebuild herself pays off - big time. Cup goes from working at a prestigious law firm as a legal secretary to interning for a prestigious judge to graduating with honors and becoming a lawyer. It is literally a miraculous transformation.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is looking for inspiration in their lives. This is the comeback story to end all comeback stories. As a writer, I was mesmerized by the language and the power of the author's showing. Her words created an immediate visual in my mind. As a teacher, I would love to share this book with my students and discuss the many issues that it addresses. This book is a masterpiece.

Today's Tip - If you're interested in memoir writing, buy this book!

Ciao for now! Start writing (and reading)!

This Writer's Life - Writing Stamina

Good morning, writers!

Welll, we're getting into the month of April and my perpetually writing blahs continue.  However, there is one bright spot - the poem-a-day challenge. Since April 1st, I have submitted a poem to the challenge and today will mark my 7th poem! I feel a small thrill knowing that my work will be seen and read by millions (I hope). It seems that is all the stamina I can muster. I do have a writing assignment for my editor due, I need to write a business plan draft for my web writing class and I need to go through the latest issue of Writer's Digest for websites that will help me with my writing (and getting paid to write). So, I do have some things on my plate - now if only I could muster the energy to do them.

Today's Tip - Write when you feel like sleeping.

Ciao for now!  Start writing!

This Writer's Life - Writing Magazines

Good evening, writers!

I recently received the latest issues of Writer Digest magazine and the Writer magazine. The WD magazine features insights from Stephen King and the 101 best websites for writers. The Writer has a special Freelance writing edition. Both magazines are chock full of helpful information that is a boon for any novice or professional writer.

Today's Tip - Go to your local newstand or bookstore and get those magazines!

Ciao for now! Start writing!