Third Sunday Blog Carnival: Volume 1, No. 1

Welcome to the first edition of the Third Sunday Blog Carnival!

Believe me when I say that you are in for a treat. This edition is brought to you by 62 contributors: 21 in the Poetry category, 17 in the Fiction category, and 24 in the  Writing/The Writing Life category. The links are presented below. Most of the participants provide a description of their post and I also share my thoughts on each one.

If you enjoy a post, please make sure to leave a comment at the author’s blog. I’m sure they would appreciate the feedback. Let’s support the creative community. Also, let me know what you think of this edition by commenting on this post.

The next Blog Carnival will be on February 19th. If you would like your link to be included, read and follow the guidelines on how to submit carefully. Have your submission in by February 10.

Without further ado, let the Carnival begin!

Jessica Davis presents  #110 posted at Authored Angioplasty, saying, “This piece attempts to explain the philosophy of being a ‘writer’ to someone who does not naturally understand it.” It’s a delightful piece; the “reasons why” stanzas are stunning.

Wendy Ogden presents After the Riots posted at On the Edge, saying, “In the week of the riots across the UK this past summer, I was mulling over a writing prompt of  ‘broken’ in my online flash fiction group. I was watching TV pictures of burning buildings in Croydon, and heard emergency vehicles racing through Peckham. The newspeople were describing how rioters were steps ahead of the police through their communications by Blackberry.  I took some rubbish out to the bins and saw the morning sunshine on the blackberries and decided that what seemed broken was morning.” That’s a great image and an evocative poem.

Mamta Madhavan presents A Note posted at Glimpses of Me, saying, “I was inspired to write this after reading William Carlos William’s ‘This is just to say….’. I wanted it in my writing to give it a personal touch.” I like that this offering is as much about the visual aspect of poetry as it is about the meaning of the words.

Scanner presents Signs posted at Scanner’s Blog. For me, this is classic Americana.

Sancheeta Biswas presents Search for the Divine Soul posted at Sensitivity, saying, “This is my first English language poem that I wrote long back. I was infused in spiritual thoughts, which inspired me to write this poem. Consciously or in the subconscious stage, we all are in search of a divine soul at some point in life. aren’t we?” This has a great flow and forward movement. The conversation with the sun is rather amazing.

Jessica Mokrzycki presents Between Heartbeats: A Poem posted at Ascending Hills, saying, “This poem expresses some of my ideas regarding the nature of God.” It’s a lovely, well-crafted piece.

Pamela A. Rossow presents Orion in Your Eyes posted at Pamanner’s Blog, saying, “This is about unbridled passion and intense love.” A mix of pure science and body chemistry.

Nicole Barth presents The Looking Glass by Nicole Barth [11/30/11] posted at Nicole’s Written Thoughts, saying, “I wrote this recently. It is about someone that I am deeply in love with.” Heartfelt, with beautiful imagery.

Jim McIntosh presents Who Are the Beasts? posted at Holes in My Soles, saying, “We have adopted 2 orphan elephants at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi, Kenya. Each month we receive a monthly update on their progress. A photo of our two-year-old Shukuru consoling a new, young arrival inspired a poem. Hopefully, it will inspire readers to become active in supporting a trust dedicated to rescuing baby elephants who have suffered the trauma of their mothers being shot for their teeth.” Jim’s strong poetic lines demonstrate his love for his subject.

Madeline Sharples presents The Famous Black Bomber Jacket posted at Choices, saying, “This month I’m celebrating my son Paul’s life. On December 31, had he not died, he would have turned forty. This post is about his favorite jacket  – the only piece of his clothing that I kept. However, memories of him are everywhere at home, in our town, and where I go. And of course his memory is always in my mind.” The poem is a beautiful and moving tribute.

Maria Grujicic presents Habitual Phrases posted at Poems That Dance, saying, “This is my favorite post so far.” I like it quite well myself: the whimsy, the lilting rhythm, the touch of sadness.

Londa Hayden presents Thankful for the Thorns posted at Londa Hayden. It’s a poem with an inspirational message written by Londa’s friend Bonnie Harker.

Debra Elramey presents The Journey posted at Pure and Simple, saying, “There are basically two types of people: the destination-driven and the journey-driven. Which type are you?” The crisp images in the accompanying poem illustrate the point perfectly.

Shail Raghuvanshi presents Waiting For Grace…. posted at Muse, Verse n’ You, saying, “The poem is about the grace of the Lord that we think we don’t have due to the worries and turmoils of life, only to discover that the grace was always there. This is something we mortals, all of us, belonging to all faiths, desperately need – the faith that grace is there.” A nice, uplifting piece.

Jim Stewart-Evans presents Killing Time posted at From apathy to poetry, saying, “Have you ever set aside a day to write and found that instead you’ve somehow frittered all the time away? Sometimes time wasting is a poetic inspiration in itself.” I enjoyed this poem; clever wordplay.

Miriam Sagan presents I hang the key posted at Miriam’s Well: Land, Art, and Beyond, saying, “A poem written while in residence with Center for Land Use Interpretation in Wendover, Utah.” Lovely and striking images here.

John H. Maher presents Saturday posted at Galvanized Steel Collective, saying, “‘Saturday’ is a poem of remembrance—and, thus, a poem of forgetting. It reminds us of what we can never remember to forget.” Succinct and devastating. Nice write.

Andrew Scott presents Broodseinde posted at Andrew Scott. This well-structured piece about the horrors of war is not a recitation of the gory details but is nevertheless clear eyed. deliberate, and gut wrenching. It makes a powerful statement.

Shail Mohan presents The dream peddler posted at Words in verse….., saying, “Some times we do see our dreams up close and yet have to let them go.” Great story charmingly told. Nicely layered.

Nivedita aka Divenita Er presents Shadows posted at Restless Fingers, saying, “A poem where ‘shadow’ is a metaphor for our carefree past and your present, tense.” Full of meaning and clever.

Harsh Singhal presents Why have we grown up! 😦 posted at Visualize. Create. Enjoy., saying,

“When nostalgia envelops you in its enchanted embrace,
Your thoughts, your words do become one of grace…
Don’t you worry, they say, for it’s just a phase
Then lost in my thoughts, o’er the fields I gaze.”

The sentiments expressed in the poem many of us have felt. Kudos to Harsh for framing his introduction in lines of verse!

Oscar Windsor-Smith presents High Tide on Baker Street posted at Is that the time? Lord …, saying, “This was a piece that I dedicated to the memory of the legendary musician Gerry Rafferty at the time of his death.” A great story and beautiful writing that manages to be both gritty and sensitive.

Rosanna Silverlight presents A Short Story for a Winter’s Day — First Snow posted at The Wordmine, saying, “”Each year the children of the village wait for the first snow to fall. The snowmen they build tell the people how bad the coming winter will be, and what it will take in return for their lives. This year it has chosen a summer girl, but can Katya find a way to drive back its hunger and save her child?” A beautiful first-person narrative about a mother’s love and grief.

Brad Holland presents What Do the Envious Know? posted at Hollandz, saying, “This story is from a writing prompt combined with other sources such as my twisted and unsophisticated mind. Enjoy the madness.” Some really funny insults here!

Dave Perlmutter presents Chapter One posted at The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time., saying, “This is my first attempt of writing a short story with me representing the main character. The story is not yet complete. If you wish to read and follow the events please do so. If you also want to comment, be my guest…I look forward to your views…positive or negative!!” This early attempt at short story writing shows potential.

Carl Purdon presents Sisters posted at Carl Purdon.com saying, “It was not uncommon for Megan to drop by unannounced, but my apartment was a mess and her sister was dead on the couch. It was complicated, and about to get worse.” This story is wickedly awesome from beginning to end, with the audacity to be outrageously funny. Loved it.

Kriti Mukherjee presents Red in Legerdemain posted at howaboutthis, saying. “‘Red in Legerdemain’ is inspired by a lady who works in a rundown handicraft store in Darjeeling, India. She has the kind of face that stirs up a writer’s imagination. Any similarities between this story and real life is, like they say, ‘purely coincidental.'” A witty story with an interesting twist reminiscent of classic fables.

Lisa Vooght presents A Brilliant Little Fire – A Tale Of the Town Of Renaissance (Pt 1) posted at Flash Fiction, saying, “The link I chose is a serialized story that was written during a “shared world” blogfest for writers back in October (which I helped to co-host). Approximately 60 writers each wrote a four-part story based on a town we created; each week, they were given a choice of prompts and were to showcase a different character, with the 4th installment as conclusion. Choice of time period and genre was up to the writer.” Part 1 of Lisa’s story is nicely detailed and sets the scene perfectly. Great cliffhanger!

Eamonn Harrigan presents The Woman Who Belonged to Nobody posted at Where the Dead Go, saying, “It’s a short tale of a lady who has put up with too much in her life and is now able to see light at the end of the tunnel–the kind of selfless person we all know who are the backbone of their families, seldom noticed and oft underappreciated.” A gentle character study that seethes underneath the surface.

James Lynch Jr presents  Book Excerpt -Cases of Colesmith Chapter 8 posted at Pocbooks.com. From the looks of this novel excerpt, the story will be chock full of interesting characters.

Suzanne Conboy-Hill presents Time Like the Present posted at Suzanne Conboy-Hill–finding fiction, saying, “The story was written in 2010 as part of a trilogy of Christmas tales, each with a theme of ‘difference’ – epilepsy, autism, and old age. In this story, a World War II RAF veteran, living with his wife in a residential care home, gets ready to meet her for lunch. Meeting the love of your life during war time must have generated profoundly conflicting emotions and established complex memories, such that re-visiting them might be triggered by any number of events. Who’s to know then where reality begins and ends?” This story is charming, relatable, and artfully told.

Daniel Pongo presents Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons Of Blue, Wrap Your Presents To Your Darling From You posted at Out of Nowhere Into Nothing, saying “Tellings between what I just did and don’t want to do again…Dispatches from a septic menagerie; regalings of the spiritually diseased, the psychically polluted, the lost and the never sought…those who never sold out, cos they never bought in, baby!…Now, Danny Pongo and Family at Christmas, 2011…” Daniel also told me, “Strictly, this is fiction, but borne specifically from the landscape of autobiography.” Wild and different. Gotta love those family get togethers!

Rachel Rossano presents Foreboding posted at Rachel Rossano’s Words, saying, “This is a bit of flash fiction (under a thousand words). It is a single scene, almost teaser, depicting what happened before the beginning of my published short story, Exchange, a sci-fi romance.” It has the futuristic technology and evidence of enhanced mental capabilities I’m a sucker for when it comes to sci fi–plus some good old-fashioned action and suspense.

Nicolás Pérez Arce presents Aaron’s Journey posted at Fábrica de sombras, saying, “I write in Spanish, but I read your post and thought it was a good idea to translate my work.” I’m thrilled he did. The cinematic element of the story is innovative and effective.

Zoe Saadia presents If you can trace your ancestry to the Sun God himself, you should choose your mate carefully posted at Pre-Columbian North America, saying, “I’m the author of a historical novel, The Cahokian. The post explains a custom of one of the ancient North American cultures, then presents a relevant excerpt from the book. ” An interesting look into a native American culture and just as interesting to see how the facts are turned into fiction.

Sukanya Bora presents Unchangeable Fate posted at Trivialities of Life, saying, “This is a post I wrote after watching an episode of ‘One Born Every Minute’ on Lifetime TV, a show where cameras roll 24 hours a day, seven days a week at a hospital in Columbus, Ohio, to uniquely capture the high drama, unexpected humor, and overwhelming emotion of childbirth as new lives begin and others change forever. I am not a regular viewer of this show but this particular episode I watched moved me at all levels. It highlights the emotional roller coaster of a young, healthy but financially unfit mother who makes the tough decision of giving up her babies for a better, promising future. My fiction entry is based on this moving, bittersweet story.” The conflicting emotions described in this story ring true as to what it must have been like for all parties involved. Very touching.

Benjamin Savva presents Let Them Say We’re Crazy posted at kidsoftheblackhole, saying,”i take a camera (it’s important to mention i suck at photography) and with it i take photographs. i write 1,000-word short stories (as in, a picture says a 1,000 words) about my favourite photos. the stories are about the world behind the photographs. they follow the adventures of my alter-ego, sasha gallo. he’s sometimes a bit of a handful. but he has a good heart. we live in Amsterdam.” Sweet and rich; real in a way that made me feel as if I were sitting right there in the middle of the action.

Adriene (A.D.) Joyce presents Fragments posted at Sweepy Jean Explores the (Webby) World 4.5. This is a bit of flash fiction I wrote as part of a larger group effort called the Daisy Lemmas Riff. Variations of the female character and on the theme of fragmentation have surfaced in my writing from time to time over the years. It is more than likely that I will flesh out this piece as a full-fledged short story one day.

Angela Young presents Rewriting WRITTEN in WATER, Part 2 posted at  Angela Young, saying, “The post is about waiting to hear from my editor and hoping she will like the revisions I sent her, and about a talisman I keep by me while I write. It is also about a film I would like to have directed (A BEAUTIFUL MIND): Each month I blog about something I would like to have done other than writing fiction.” For writers, there’s so much to relate to in this post, such as the necessity for patience and the way we build up hope. It is helpful to know that we are not alone in our experiences.

Christina Hollis presents H.E. Bates–My Kind of Writer … posted at Christina Hollis, saying, “This post talks about my writing life, influences, and interests.” This is a well-written, personable, and engaging piece that makes me want to read Bates’ work.

Rolando (formerly known as Phantomimic) presents Celebrating Writers and Their Cats! posted at Rolando’s Website, saying, “Cats are special, and writers are also special. No wonder they seek each other! Join in a celebration of writers and their cats!” This is a delightful and entertaining article, and not just because I have two cats myself! It includes great photographs of famous authors and their cats.

Robert MacLean presents The Marquis de Sade, Father of Modern France posted at The Devil’s Pleasure Garden. According to Robert, the French may be the “snarkiest people in the world.” For this and other faults, they have to Marquis de Sade to blame! This is an interesting take on French art and literature throughout the ages and their influence on culture.

Karen Baney presents Are You Leaving Money on the Table? posted at Karen Baney, saying, “This article gives concrete stats of sales by distribution channel for a self-published author and shows why the Kindle is a must-have channel.” Interesting stats and further proof that it pays to get on the indie author bandwagon.

Stuart Nager presents How I Write: A Writers Tale posted at Tale Spinning, saying, “This post was my answer to the numerous questions I was getting in the first half-year of blogging on Tale Spinning. My subtitle for the blog is “an experiment in writing” and that is what I have intended it to be: an experiment to find my ‘voice’ as a writer. I cross genre boundaries and don’t ‘play’ by too many rules. It’s been fun, but now it’s time to start getting serious. Novel time!” Great post that answers key questions every writer should think about. It also goes to show how one creative spark can ignite others.

Lyndsay Wheble presents An Open Letter to All Writers of Books posted at Tolstoy is my Cat, saying, “This was a post written in exasperation at losing sleep because epic chapters are now the norm, and because no one thinks about my beauty sleep when looking for the natural breaks in prose. Writers must look for lessons when they find them, and this seemed to lend itself to comedy better than most.” Once again, here’s a dilemma many writers face: How much is too much and do we follow the trend or our own instincts? Funny and well written.

Wendy Ann Greenhalgh presents What’s My Line? posted at Story Scavenger, saying, “What makes a good opening to a story? Writer and creative writing coach, Wendy Ann Greenhalgh, explores the art of good beginnings.” Great analogies and helpful advice to get a story off to a good start.

Clare Johnston presents The Hunter Vs the Hunted posted at ThamesRP, saying, ” Here is a link to my recent post on my publisher, Thames River Press’s blog. My debut novel, Polls Apart, follows the stories of two people caught up in a huge media storm. In this blog posting, I discuss what happened when the hunter (the British media) became the hunted.” An interesting discussion about the state of journalism today and how this reality figures in Clare’s novel.

Kristiana Gregory presents I’m trying something new! posted at kristiana gregory: notes from the sunroom, a writer’s journey, saying, “This recent post explains that after nearly 30 children’s books with traditional publishers, I’m trying something new: self-publishing!” This post also touches on the genesis of the story for the new novel.

James Ross presents Rewrites and Editing and Proofreading . . . Oh, My! posted at Author James Ross, saying, “Writing might be the easiest part of a novel. Look what else needs to be done before the process is complete.” Great points that can’t be stressed enough.

C.C. Cole presents On Book Eating by C.C.Cole May 30, 2011 posted at C.C. Cole, saying, “This is one of my favorite posts.” Truly lots of food for thought (forgive the pun) that touches on writers, readers, and the publishing world.

G.S. Johnston presents Rebecca and Me and POV posted at G.S. Johnston, saying, “Here is a post I wrote about starting a new novel.” This is a great post that suggests a fresh way to examine a crucial consideration in planning a work of fiction or any piece of creative writing.

Chris Galvin presents Five Things to Do When Submitting to a Magazine posted at Chris Gavin, saying, “People often ask for tips for submitting a piece to a magazine. This is a quick list of my personal top five. Once you have written your story, essay, poem, or other piece that you intend to submit, follow these steps to help increase your chances of receiving that coveted acceptance letter.” Excellent advice that writers would do well to heed.

Salvatore Buttaci presents Building Visibility posted at Flashing My Shorts, saying, “More even than ‘liking’ a book at Amazon.com, ‘tagging’ it helps an author attain much-needed visibility. If a reader doesn’t see your book when searching, how will he or she buy a copy?” Although we writers would rather spend all our time writing, we also should be aware of what is involved in getting our voices heard. This article goes a long way toward steering us in the right direction.

Amber Ruth Paulen presents Polishing posted at Descriptedliness, saying, “Polishing is a piece I wrote after editing a short story of mine. I explore three different mediums of putting down words: word processor, typewriter and longhand, and ask if the medium has any influence on the work.” This is a wonderful post with great examples. I’ve had the pleasure of working with all three mediums, so it was a particular treat for me to ponder these thoughts.

Angela EJ Koh presents In an Iron Mask posted at EJKoh, saying, “If I’m living, I might as well write, and if I’m writing I might as well grow and be changed to what I can’t imagine.” Angela’s message resonates and describes a place many of us have been. I know I have.

Lauren Camp presents The Writer’s Big Question: Why? posted at Which Silk Shirt, saying “As a writer, what’s better – the process of writing, or having written?” An interesting question, which I’m sure has as many reasons for one or the other answer as there are people.

Brenda Moguez presents A Writer’s Dream for Connection posted at Brenda Moguez, saying “When I took up my passion to write I went looking for other writers.  I had such a romantic notion of finding others like me who loved the written word and wanted to share.” This is a beautifully written examination on what it truly means to be a writer, and finding that balance between the need for community and the need for individuality.

Adam Eisenstat presents The Ghost Town of Memory posted at Big Sky Brooklyn, saying, “This post is about a character from my novel named Jimmy Bricks. He’s an unemployed mason turned coke dealer who is bitter about the changes transforming his neighborhood. This is an example of what I call a ‘novel complement post,’ which, further, is part of my idea of ‘expanded literature.'” This is a wonderful post that stretches boundaries and shows how vividly a fictional character can be imagined by a writer.

Deanna Proach presents The Pain of Changing Genres: I Was Treading New Waters posted at De’s Stories, saying, “This post highlights how it felt for me to change my genre from historical fiction to contemporary YA fiction. My first book, Day of Revenge, is set in 1793 France and was released by Inkwater Press. After I completed Day of Revenge and before it was published, I began the writing of To be Maria. It felt great, but quite different to be writing in a completely different genre and at first, I didn’t have the support of my family, especially since they thought that I would stick with historical fiction.” This post is quite relevant in light of the common wisdom in publishing for writers to “brand” themselves. But change is possible and not necessarily fatal, yes?

Lulu Dean presents Write Your Dream Into Reality posted at Lulu Dean, saying, “When I lost my job, I floundered for a while, but eventually started writing what one of my girlfriends called “silly little essays.” With each new day, my goal is to write from my heart, stay true to my dream and keep the Little Debbie Cloud Cakes to a minimum. So far, things are off to a fantastic start! I’ve met some truly inspiring writers online. My books are beginning to sell. And I’ve discovered that “silly little essays” make my heart sing louder than I ever thought possible.” A very hopeful message and a lesson teaching all of us not to devalue what we do. Write on!

estlincage presents under the seat of his pants _ a work in the process of becoming posted at estlincage, saying, “In this post, the diagram is the starting point, the platform, for the placement and juxtaposition of subsequent audio, visual and textual elements. The user can discover the juxtapositions by hovering and clicking. Implications and tensions accumulate over the lines of the image.” This is an innovative way to outline a work in progress and to spark the imagination. Also, there’s a cool link back; thank you!

Errol  Lincoln Uys presents Brazil – The Light at the End of the Long Tail posted at The Bridge, saying, “A writer’s passion gives an epic novel of Brazil  first published 25 years ago a second life! Three key steps to successfully re-launching a book.” This post outlines a fascinating journey and illustrates how epublishing has breathed new life into the writing profession.

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shadows crawl underground
therefore the end of the carnival

Thanks all for reading!

© Third Sunday Blog Carnival, 2012.