Robin Layne's Blog: From the Red, Read Robin - Posts Tagged "title"
Still Another Idea, and Morning Musings
This morning, a variation on the first theme came to me:
From the Read Red Robin
or:
From the Red Read Robin
Today I have broken my pattern by waking up early . . . but I don't want to get worms. I would rather get ideas. I was told that some writers prefer to write early in the morning when they are half asleep, in a semi-dream state. Perhaps that is the same reason I like staying up late doing fun or creative things. I actually enjoy pushing myself into the night. Some nights, I am so tired I think I will go to bed early, but some little thing interests me, and the next thing you know, I've got my second wind. But in the morning, I feel like a zombie for hours--lately, even after I've had my caffeine. I prefer tea to coffee, as my system doesn't like the acid in coffee.
I know it looks strange having a book I'm published in on my "To Read" list. It's just that it's been a while since Medley of Fiction was published, and while I know I read at least some of it, I can't remember if I read all of it. I may have finished it back then, and even written a review of it on another site. Are we allowed to mention other sites here? Perhaps even to transfer reviews from them? If it's kosher for both sites, I could import quite a few. And earlier, I did reviews in on MySpace, where my blog was called "Hatching My Eggs." I lost interest in MySpace when I couldn't view everything on it. Facebook became the new space for visiting with people, but it's different. And I've never ventured into Twitter yet--not sure what my place in it will be yet (bird though I may be). A person's got to spend some time away from the computer sometime! (Which reminds me, I think I made a mistake in ordering a color computer version of a local writer's newsletter when I could get it in black ink in the mail; sure, it probably comes a little sooner this way, but I don't want to print out something that extensive in color, so reading it requires even MORE time at the computer. Remind me to change my subscription to a copy I can easily take with me to ride on the bus.)
In addition to my writing, I am also an editor. I am currently taking an online editing certificate program from UC Berkeley. In June, I graduated from Portland State University with a BA in English, minor in writing, and part of that minor allowed me to be on the editing staff of Ooligan Press, the only student-run publisher of trade books in the world. It was an exciting experience, editing fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and being part of the general publishing process. The university offers a Masters program in publishing. After all the years I have been in college, and also away from college doing other things, I was still an undergraduate when I was there.
But about Medley of Fiction: From what I remember, it's a great collection, from what was a great website, AuthorsByDesign.com. My contribution is a poem called "Eros at My Window." You may know this already, but Eros is the Greek god of romantic/sexual love. Our culture knows him more commonly by his Roman name, Cupid, but I don't like that name as much because it conjures images of adorable baby angels. Eros' darts are real, and they hurt when you wake up from your daze of infatuation. Don't get me wrong, I think erotic love can be wonderful, but in its place, in the balance of the other loves, with agape (unselfish divine love) at its core. For more of a sense of what I mean, I recommend reading C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves, or looking up "love" in a good Greek Lexicon.
I think Medley of Fiction had a very small run, but it does have an ISBN, so I was able to add the book to the site and so get this author page. I have published other poems and short stories, but not in books with ISBN numbers. (Just found out another book in my portfolio has an ISBN; I'm going to add it to the site as well. It has fiction, nonfiction, and poetry of mine in it.) The poems were mostly in newspapers and in a newsletter I used to edit. The short stories are in other small-run books and online; one was in The Lamp-Post of the Southern C.S. Lewis Society. I have also enjoyed doing what is misleadingly called desktop publishing--creating a book of poems, lyrics, and stories, and making a number of smaller booklets to give away, trade, and sell. I have also had stories and poems in literary journals that don't have ISBNs, including two Write Around Portland anthologies and the literary journal of Portland Community College Cascade campus (Pointed Circle). I might write about my experiences with some or all of the above. You can give feedback on what you'd like to read about.
Thank you to my new friends on this site and to the advice and camaraderie you have provided already! One friend has helped me see ways I can improve the short story posted in my writings called "Blood Ties." The version I posted is the one that won an AuthorsByDesign contest, but we can always improve our writing with time. I am thinking of making improvements and re-posting it, but for now I will wait and see if more improvements come to mind. There is also the consideration of time juggling.
Now I feel like going back to bed. Just not a morning person! I tried.
From the Read Red Robin
or:
From the Red Read Robin
Today I have broken my pattern by waking up early . . . but I don't want to get worms. I would rather get ideas. I was told that some writers prefer to write early in the morning when they are half asleep, in a semi-dream state. Perhaps that is the same reason I like staying up late doing fun or creative things. I actually enjoy pushing myself into the night. Some nights, I am so tired I think I will go to bed early, but some little thing interests me, and the next thing you know, I've got my second wind. But in the morning, I feel like a zombie for hours--lately, even after I've had my caffeine. I prefer tea to coffee, as my system doesn't like the acid in coffee.
I know it looks strange having a book I'm published in on my "To Read" list. It's just that it's been a while since Medley of Fiction was published, and while I know I read at least some of it, I can't remember if I read all of it. I may have finished it back then, and even written a review of it on another site. Are we allowed to mention other sites here? Perhaps even to transfer reviews from them? If it's kosher for both sites, I could import quite a few. And earlier, I did reviews in on MySpace, where my blog was called "Hatching My Eggs." I lost interest in MySpace when I couldn't view everything on it. Facebook became the new space for visiting with people, but it's different. And I've never ventured into Twitter yet--not sure what my place in it will be yet (bird though I may be). A person's got to spend some time away from the computer sometime! (Which reminds me, I think I made a mistake in ordering a color computer version of a local writer's newsletter when I could get it in black ink in the mail; sure, it probably comes a little sooner this way, but I don't want to print out something that extensive in color, so reading it requires even MORE time at the computer. Remind me to change my subscription to a copy I can easily take with me to ride on the bus.)
In addition to my writing, I am also an editor. I am currently taking an online editing certificate program from UC Berkeley. In June, I graduated from Portland State University with a BA in English, minor in writing, and part of that minor allowed me to be on the editing staff of Ooligan Press, the only student-run publisher of trade books in the world. It was an exciting experience, editing fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and being part of the general publishing process. The university offers a Masters program in publishing. After all the years I have been in college, and also away from college doing other things, I was still an undergraduate when I was there.
But about Medley of Fiction: From what I remember, it's a great collection, from what was a great website, AuthorsByDesign.com. My contribution is a poem called "Eros at My Window." You may know this already, but Eros is the Greek god of romantic/sexual love. Our culture knows him more commonly by his Roman name, Cupid, but I don't like that name as much because it conjures images of adorable baby angels. Eros' darts are real, and they hurt when you wake up from your daze of infatuation. Don't get me wrong, I think erotic love can be wonderful, but in its place, in the balance of the other loves, with agape (unselfish divine love) at its core. For more of a sense of what I mean, I recommend reading C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves, or looking up "love" in a good Greek Lexicon.
I think Medley of Fiction had a very small run, but it does have an ISBN, so I was able to add the book to the site and so get this author page. I have published other poems and short stories, but not in books with ISBN numbers. (Just found out another book in my portfolio has an ISBN; I'm going to add it to the site as well. It has fiction, nonfiction, and poetry of mine in it.) The poems were mostly in newspapers and in a newsletter I used to edit. The short stories are in other small-run books and online; one was in The Lamp-Post of the Southern C.S. Lewis Society. I have also enjoyed doing what is misleadingly called desktop publishing--creating a book of poems, lyrics, and stories, and making a number of smaller booklets to give away, trade, and sell. I have also had stories and poems in literary journals that don't have ISBNs, including two Write Around Portland anthologies and the literary journal of Portland Community College Cascade campus (Pointed Circle). I might write about my experiences with some or all of the above. You can give feedback on what you'd like to read about.
Thank you to my new friends on this site and to the advice and camaraderie you have provided already! One friend has helped me see ways I can improve the short story posted in my writings called "Blood Ties." The version I posted is the one that won an AuthorsByDesign contest, but we can always improve our writing with time. I am thinking of making improvements and re-posting it, but for now I will wait and see if more improvements come to mind. There is also the consideration of time juggling.
Now I feel like going back to bed. Just not a morning person! I tried.
We Have a Name!
A number of elements combined to convince me to call this blog "From the Red Read Robin." First, it was different from the other names because it came to me in the morning after "sleeping on" all the other ideas. Second, the one person to give me feedback on this site, my friend Dustin, preferred it; he likes the wordplay in it. Second, I wore all red Sunday and people complimented my appearance in the color all day long. That morning, in fact, a friend took my picture on the bus.
I made sure "Read" was in the middle so that there could be no confusion with the restaurant.
Red as representing blood is of interest to the passionate writer. I can't remember who said this, but it was something like this: It's easy to be a writer. All you have to do is sit at the typewriter, and bleed.
Red blood is of interest to followers of Christ as well, because he shed that blood for us, not just so we could be forgiven (that's just the beginning, a means to a much bigger end), but so that we could be God's intimate family forever and do the same works that He does, out of the same motives. That's a tall order--one worth reaching for.
Of course, red blood is the food of vampires, and I'm working on some vampire stories (including making improvements on the one I posted on my profile--but please be patient because I'm juggling a lot of responsibilities). I will write in this blog why I am interested in vampires as subject matter and what they mean to me and others.
Red is a color of energy, and I can always use more of that.
Red is also a common color of copyediting marks. I am furthering my training as an editor so I will have a career to support my habits, such as writing and breathing (and which of those two is more important, really? Hard to say!)
Please feel free to comment about this blog--whether any of it interests you so far, though it is just getting started, and what things you'd like to read about that I might be able to write.
I also would love to get feedback on the stories I posted. "Manuel Pascal" is being released in installments, and the first one is pretty short, but if you are anxious to read more, let me know. I will probably post more soon, anyway.
On my next blog post, I am thinking of saying more about the "Read" and maybe the "Robin" parts of the title. I could also give some info on future titles and ideas for posts. I hope this really takes off and gets interesting!
Cheers!
Robin
I made sure "Read" was in the middle so that there could be no confusion with the restaurant.
Red as representing blood is of interest to the passionate writer. I can't remember who said this, but it was something like this: It's easy to be a writer. All you have to do is sit at the typewriter, and bleed.
Red blood is of interest to followers of Christ as well, because he shed that blood for us, not just so we could be forgiven (that's just the beginning, a means to a much bigger end), but so that we could be God's intimate family forever and do the same works that He does, out of the same motives. That's a tall order--one worth reaching for.
Of course, red blood is the food of vampires, and I'm working on some vampire stories (including making improvements on the one I posted on my profile--but please be patient because I'm juggling a lot of responsibilities). I will write in this blog why I am interested in vampires as subject matter and what they mean to me and others.
Red is a color of energy, and I can always use more of that.
Red is also a common color of copyediting marks. I am furthering my training as an editor so I will have a career to support my habits, such as writing and breathing (and which of those two is more important, really? Hard to say!)
Please feel free to comment about this blog--whether any of it interests you so far, though it is just getting started, and what things you'd like to read about that I might be able to write.
I also would love to get feedback on the stories I posted. "Manuel Pascal" is being released in installments, and the first one is pretty short, but if you are anxious to read more, let me know. I will probably post more soon, anyway.
On my next blog post, I am thinking of saying more about the "Read" and maybe the "Robin" parts of the title. I could also give some info on future titles and ideas for posts. I hope this really takes off and gets interesting!
Cheers!
Robin
From the Red, Read Robin
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