Forgotten
Abdication
of solitude, a
stolen moment
in time becomes
captive, tucked safely
amongst guarded memories.
Awakened
from long
imposed seclusion,
loosed, to unearth hidden
treasures, supressed desires
of the soul.
Alive anew, fate demands
her due, exacting
her toll in the mingling
of pleasure and pain.
I'd forgotten.
~ Nadja
Forgotten © Nadja Notariani
November 2012
25 November 2012
23 November 2012
Sharing New Ideas....
Hello! The Creative Juices Begin To Flow....At Last!
This week, I had the opportunity to indulge in something I've been desperately missing! Brainstorming! A kernel of an idea has been rattling around in my brain...amongst various other things that I'd rather have kicked to the curb. Alas! *sighs and rolls eyes* That's not the way life works...at least for us adults.
But! There's always a pearl to be gained from an irritating grain of sand. And if we choose to seek gems rather than rocks, that's what we'll find. Fellow author and dear friend, Wander, has been patiently awaiting my return to the writing table, and today I'll share a song (with accompanying video) that sparked my imagination within that aforementioned idea kernel. Character profiles...here we go! I'll be loosely collaborating with Wander as I piece together a new story - and his perspective will be invaluable as I take on a new challenge. No shy wallflower heroine in this new story! Uh-uh, no. Brazen is the word for the day. But brazen is often a mask...and every suspected villain-ess has a story which needs telling.
As I set out on a new writing adventure....take a minute to enjoy this fantastic song by Within Temptation. I love the 'gothic and otherworldly' feel to this video. It supplies some much needed inspiration for this new and wholly different storyline.
~ Nadja
This week, I had the opportunity to indulge in something I've been desperately missing! Brainstorming! A kernel of an idea has been rattling around in my brain...amongst various other things that I'd rather have kicked to the curb. Alas! *sighs and rolls eyes* That's not the way life works...at least for us adults.
But! There's always a pearl to be gained from an irritating grain of sand. And if we choose to seek gems rather than rocks, that's what we'll find. Fellow author and dear friend, Wander, has been patiently awaiting my return to the writing table, and today I'll share a song (with accompanying video) that sparked my imagination within that aforementioned idea kernel. Character profiles...here we go! I'll be loosely collaborating with Wander as I piece together a new story - and his perspective will be invaluable as I take on a new challenge. No shy wallflower heroine in this new story! Uh-uh, no. Brazen is the word for the day. But brazen is often a mask...and every suspected villain-ess has a story which needs telling.
As I set out on a new writing adventure....take a minute to enjoy this fantastic song by Within Temptation. I love the 'gothic and otherworldly' feel to this video. It supplies some much needed inspiration for this new and wholly different storyline.
~ Nadja
03 November 2012
A Moment To Spare...And Other Sundries
Caught my breath on this fabulous Friday! I have taken to speaking aloud the cliche....T.G.I.F! And I mean it whole-hearted! Phew. Day job kicked this Chickie's toukas the first few weeks. It was a T.K.O. for sure. I am officially a banker - I bank. (Conjures 'What About Bob?' for a quick giggle).
DD#2 is on her way! I heard her voice this afternoon for the last time until her ship returns from deployment. I smiled. I laughed. I cried.
I told her I love her. I begged her to be safe. A piece of my heart travels with her.
How are you all getting along?
Span Of A Breath
Inhale. Eyes
closed, energy simmering
beneath the mask of
flesh and bone.
Exhale. Lids flutter
open. Light gently, surely
overtakes the darkness
at dawn.
Lips part, a subtle
smile overcomes sleepy
haze. A new chance
to live.
© Nadja Notariani 2012
Beautiful
Eyes of the beholder
feast; grey and green converge,
conveying
an unspoken utterance.
Lovers' hands
twine, rough flesh against soft
radiating
a quiet warmth.
Hearts' intentions
align, birthing a
singularity
of souls.
In this moment, I become beautiful.
© Nadja Notariani 2012
DD#2 is on her way! I heard her voice this afternoon for the last time until her ship returns from deployment. I smiled. I laughed. I cried.
I told her I love her. I begged her to be safe. A piece of my heart travels with her.
How are you all getting along?
Span Of A Breath
Inhale. Eyes
closed, energy simmering
beneath the mask of
flesh and bone.
Exhale. Lids flutter
open. Light gently, surely
overtakes the darkness
at dawn.
Lips part, a subtle
smile overcomes sleepy
haze. A new chance
to live.
© Nadja Notariani 2012
Beautiful
Eyes of the beholder
feast; grey and green converge,
conveying
an unspoken utterance.
Lovers' hands
twine, rough flesh against soft
radiating
a quiet warmth.
Hearts' intentions
align, birthing a
singularity
of souls.
In this moment, I become beautiful.
© Nadja Notariani 2012
02 October 2012
Just Three Things....
It's been two weeks since I last posted! Where does the time go? DD#2 will be home for a week - she's been delayed again! - but that is good news for me! She will get to spend even more time at home before her deployment. Book tour with IO, upcoming tour with FMB, job search and caring for home along with eight and nine year old boys has this writer spinning plates like a pro... well, maybe more like a novice...LOL.
We'll just say it's been extremely busy.
Reviews are coming in for A Practical Arrangement, and I'm walking around with a huge smile plastered on my face. Of course, once the tours wrap up, I'll need to settle on my next project! This is difficult... I've got a few ideas waiting-in-the-wings, but no idea of which one is 'calling' to me. Sigh.
Creativity has been nearly non-existent in the last few weeks... it's a shit show here. (I giggle every time I use that term...it's one of DD#1's favorite little sayings. I've adopted it. Ha!) Here's to the return of ideas, daydreams, and plot lines...
I Love You; You Won't Mind If I...
Tell me three things
that made you uncomfortable
or irritated. The words tumble without
meaning. Syllable and speech launch their
assault on well constructed
ramparts, a feeble offensive.
Just three things. A meagre request
to unseeing eyes, dull heart,
ears that cannot hear.
Uncomfortable
and irritating in its arrogance
to one who begged.
And so you have your first.
Just three things. A generous request in
the mind's eye of the selfish soul.
Magnanimous, humble
even, to the unaware.
Cunning and ruthless to the
seasoned, experienced one
who gave until empty.
And so you have your second.
Just three things. An invitation
to the unsuspecting fool. Emotive
and interested to the outsider.
A cruel snare to one who
long attended
alone, abandoned, unheard
innumerable times.
I Love You; You won't mind if I take...
just three things. And so you have your third.
~ Nadja
We'll just say it's been extremely busy.
Reviews are coming in for A Practical Arrangement, and I'm walking around with a huge smile plastered on my face. Of course, once the tours wrap up, I'll need to settle on my next project! This is difficult... I've got a few ideas waiting-in-the-wings, but no idea of which one is 'calling' to me. Sigh.
Creativity has been nearly non-existent in the last few weeks... it's a shit show here. (I giggle every time I use that term...it's one of DD#1's favorite little sayings. I've adopted it. Ha!) Here's to the return of ideas, daydreams, and plot lines...
I Love You; You Won't Mind If I...
Tell me three things
that made you uncomfortable
or irritated. The words tumble without
meaning. Syllable and speech launch their
assault on well constructed
ramparts, a feeble offensive.
Just three things. A meagre request
to unseeing eyes, dull heart,
ears that cannot hear.
Uncomfortable
and irritating in its arrogance
to one who begged.
And so you have your first.
Just three things. A generous request in
the mind's eye of the selfish soul.
Magnanimous, humble
even, to the unaware.
Cunning and ruthless to the
seasoned, experienced one
who gave until empty.
And so you have your second.
Just three things. An invitation
to the unsuspecting fool. Emotive
and interested to the outsider.
A cruel snare to one who
long attended
alone, abandoned, unheard
innumerable times.
I Love You; You won't mind if I take...
just three things. And so you have your third.
~ Nadja
16 September 2012
Stretch The Writing Muscles
A Break In The Weekly Meme...
This ROW80 writer has been stretching her writing muscles, and I've posted below another selection from my venture into all-things-poetry. It's rather addictive, if I say so, myself.
In writing news...
I busily write away on guest posts for my upcoming tour with IOBT! A Practical Arrangement will be featured around some fantastic blogs in the upcoming weeks. So...while I'm piling up the words, I have not begun another novel. Yet! But I've a few projects in the works. Excitedly, I sort through where, exactly, I'll set off for next. Historical writing has emerged as my favorite at this stage in the game, and I'm not at all surprised. But ... (there's always a but, right? LOL.) I've also been working on an entirely different project. Time will tell...
To all my writer friends, please excuse my lack of visiting around. I'll be back at it as the dust settles. A season of change has come upon me, and I'm burning the candle at both ends...and maybe the middle has caught fire, too. Oy Vey! But ...being the adventurer I am...well...I grab it up with all the gusto I can conjure.
‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’
Somber bitterness
stakes its claim,
nestles seeds of
wrath within fertile
wounds.
I am...
laid bare.
Vining tendrils grasp,
seeking purchase upon
facets of hidden self,
suffocating all within
reach.
I am...
afraid.
My soul cries out from
the darkness - 'My God,
My God,Why
Have You Forsaken
Me?'
I am...
separate.
Resounding yet gentle, His
voice whispers
in recesses untainted,
'Be still and know that I
Am.'
I am...
at peace.
© Nadja Notariani 2012
This ROW80 writer has been stretching her writing muscles, and I've posted below another selection from my venture into all-things-poetry. It's rather addictive, if I say so, myself.
In writing news...
I busily write away on guest posts for my upcoming tour with IOBT! A Practical Arrangement will be featured around some fantastic blogs in the upcoming weeks. So...while I'm piling up the words, I have not begun another novel. Yet! But I've a few projects in the works. Excitedly, I sort through where, exactly, I'll set off for next. Historical writing has emerged as my favorite at this stage in the game, and I'm not at all surprised. But ... (there's always a but, right? LOL.) I've also been working on an entirely different project. Time will tell...
To all my writer friends, please excuse my lack of visiting around. I'll be back at it as the dust settles. A season of change has come upon me, and I'm burning the candle at both ends...and maybe the middle has caught fire, too. Oy Vey! But ...being the adventurer I am...well...I grab it up with all the gusto I can conjure.
‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’
Somber bitterness
stakes its claim,
nestles seeds of
wrath within fertile
wounds.
I am...
laid bare.
Vining tendrils grasp,
seeking purchase upon
facets of hidden self,
suffocating all within
reach.
I am...
afraid.
My soul cries out from
the darkness - 'My God,
My God,Why
Have You Forsaken
Me?'
I am...
separate.
Resounding yet gentle, His
voice whispers
in recesses untainted,
'Be still and know that I
Am.'
I am...
at peace.
© Nadja Notariani 2012
12 September 2012
Nadja Wanders....
Hello, ROW80 writers and friends!
I'm sharing and such today at Wander Without Being Lost, with Christopher McQueeney! Stop by for a fun interview and a few pieces of flash fiction I've pulled out of the archives. Lol.
Updates...
* A Practical Arrangement has released! It's hanging out at Amazon and Smashwords. :}
* I have many posts to write for my upcoming blog tour. Phew! So... of course my computer decided to re-arrange all my documents saved to desktop. Ack! I nearly took a heart attack when I first glimpsed my new arrangement...thinking that I'd lost some things. Luckily, all is well. Just disorganized. *Crisis averted*
* I have entered an extremely busy season on life. Goals will have to be set if I expect to be productive. A new list will be posted for next Wednesday. Brainstorming begin.
* Exercise...hmmm. Not so good. *blushes*
* Blog tour is only about two weeks away! Innovative Online Book Tours will feature A Practical Arrangement! Exciting, exciting! Here's the upcoming schedule...
9/24 Arianne Cruz Guest Blog and Giveaway
9/25 My Devotional Thoughts Guest Blog and Giveaway 9/25 Sultry Storyteller Interview
9/26 All Things Writing Guest Post
9/26 Reading Romances Review and Giveaway 9/27 T B R Review and Giveaway 9/27 Free Book Dude Review and Giveaway
10/1 Queen of the Night Reviews Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway
10/1 A Chick Who Reads Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway
10/4 I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read! Guest Blog and Giveaway
10/4 Harlie's Books Review and Giveaway
10/8 Idenity Discovery Guest post
10/9 The Insane Writings of a Crazed Writer Guest Blog and Giveaway
10/9 The Bunny's Review Review, Interview, and Giveaway
10/10 Just Another Rabid Reader Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway
10/10 My Cozie Corner Review
10/10 Reviews By Molly Review
10/11 Mademoiselle Le Sphinx Review
10/12 Reading on the Wild Side Guest Blog and Giveaway
10/12 Oopie Poopie The Bibliomaniac Review and Giveaway
Have a great day! ~ Nadja
I'm sharing and such today at Wander Without Being Lost, with Christopher McQueeney! Stop by for a fun interview and a few pieces of flash fiction I've pulled out of the archives. Lol.
Updates...
* A Practical Arrangement has released! It's hanging out at Amazon and Smashwords. :}
* I have many posts to write for my upcoming blog tour. Phew! So... of course my computer decided to re-arrange all my documents saved to desktop. Ack! I nearly took a heart attack when I first glimpsed my new arrangement...thinking that I'd lost some things. Luckily, all is well. Just disorganized. *Crisis averted*
* I have entered an extremely busy season on life. Goals will have to be set if I expect to be productive. A new list will be posted for next Wednesday. Brainstorming begin.
* Exercise...hmmm. Not so good. *blushes*
* Blog tour is only about two weeks away! Innovative Online Book Tours will feature A Practical Arrangement! Exciting, exciting! Here's the upcoming schedule...
9/24 Arianne Cruz Guest Blog and Giveaway
9/25 My Devotional Thoughts Guest Blog and Giveaway 9/25 Sultry Storyteller Interview
9/26 All Things Writing Guest Post
9/26 Reading Romances Review and Giveaway 9/27 T B R Review and Giveaway 9/27 Free Book Dude Review and Giveaway
10/1 Queen of the Night Reviews Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway
10/1 A Chick Who Reads Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway
10/4 I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read! Guest Blog and Giveaway
10/4 Harlie's Books Review and Giveaway
10/8 Idenity Discovery Guest post
10/9 The Insane Writings of a Crazed Writer Guest Blog and Giveaway
10/9 The Bunny's Review Review, Interview, and Giveaway
10/10 Just Another Rabid Reader Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway
10/10 My Cozie Corner Review
10/10 Reviews By Molly Review
10/11 Mademoiselle Le Sphinx Review
10/12 Reading on the Wild Side Guest Blog and Giveaway
10/12 Oopie Poopie The Bibliomaniac Review and Giveaway
Have a great day! ~ Nadja
09 September 2012
Researching For Romance Writing: Advancing The Plot Or Skimping On Story?
Welcome back to Researching For Romance, a weekly
series revealing my fabulous finds for use in writing. Please feel free to
share any great sites that offer greater information on whatever topic is
featured. :}
Gratuitous Sundries...Or Great Crafting...
I happened upon an interview with George R.R. Martin, at The Atlantic, and I was struck by a comment he made to Rachel Brown.
'How do you make decisions about the depictions of sexual violence that you include in your writing?'
'Well, I'm not writing about contemporary sex—it's medieval.
There's a more general question here that doesn't just affect sex or rape, and that's this whole issue of what is gratuitous? What should be depicted? I have gotten letters over the years from readers who don't like the sex, they say it's "gratuitous." I think that word gets thrown around and what it seems to mean is "I didn't like it." This person didn't want to read it, so it's gratuitous to that person. And if I'm guilty of having gratuitous sex, then I'm also guilty of having gratuitous violence, and gratuitous feasting, and gratuitous description of clothes, and gratuitous heraldry, because very little of this is necessary to advance the plot. But my philosophy is that plot advancement is not what the experience of reading fiction is about. If all we care about is advancing the plot, why read novels? We can just read Cliffs Notes'. (I've highlighted these portions)
'A novel for me is an immersive experience where I feel as if I have lived it and that I've tasted the food and experienced the sex and experienced the terror of battle. So I want all of the detail, all of the sensory things—whether it's a good experience, or a bad experience, I want to put the reader through it. To that mind, detail is necessary, showing not telling is necessary, and nothing is gratuitous'.
This comment stirred my thoughts a great deal! Why do I read? Is it only to get to the point - or do I read for the journey?
Readers may prefer one or the other - there's no wrong way to enjoy a story! But writers' styles vary when telling a story. I love the details! Martin's comments hit the nail on the head for me - both as a reader and as a writer. I enjoy the journey, and I want to experience the setting, feel the characters' emotions, laugh with them - at them - hope, cry, and cheer them along the way. As a writer, I strive with every new novel to capture more fully the sights, smells, emotions, and heart of the story and its characters. To offer not only a story - but an experience.
What is your reaction to George R.R. Martin's answer? Why do you read?
~ Nadja
Gratuitous Sundries...Or Great Crafting...
I happened upon an interview with George R.R. Martin, at The Atlantic, and I was struck by a comment he made to Rachel Brown.
'How do you make decisions about the depictions of sexual violence that you include in your writing?'
'Well, I'm not writing about contemporary sex—it's medieval.
There's a more general question here that doesn't just affect sex or rape, and that's this whole issue of what is gratuitous? What should be depicted? I have gotten letters over the years from readers who don't like the sex, they say it's "gratuitous." I think that word gets thrown around and what it seems to mean is "I didn't like it." This person didn't want to read it, so it's gratuitous to that person. And if I'm guilty of having gratuitous sex, then I'm also guilty of having gratuitous violence, and gratuitous feasting, and gratuitous description of clothes, and gratuitous heraldry, because very little of this is necessary to advance the plot. But my philosophy is that plot advancement is not what the experience of reading fiction is about. If all we care about is advancing the plot, why read novels? We can just read Cliffs Notes'. (I've highlighted these portions)
'A novel for me is an immersive experience where I feel as if I have lived it and that I've tasted the food and experienced the sex and experienced the terror of battle. So I want all of the detail, all of the sensory things—whether it's a good experience, or a bad experience, I want to put the reader through it. To that mind, detail is necessary, showing not telling is necessary, and nothing is gratuitous'.
This comment stirred my thoughts a great deal! Why do I read? Is it only to get to the point - or do I read for the journey?
Readers may prefer one or the other - there's no wrong way to enjoy a story! But writers' styles vary when telling a story. I love the details! Martin's comments hit the nail on the head for me - both as a reader and as a writer. I enjoy the journey, and I want to experience the setting, feel the characters' emotions, laugh with them - at them - hope, cry, and cheer them along the way. As a writer, I strive with every new novel to capture more fully the sights, smells, emotions, and heart of the story and its characters. To offer not only a story - but an experience.
What is your reaction to George R.R. Martin's answer? Why do you read?
~ Nadja
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)