Personal Reading Recommendations

See my own artwork on deviantart and tumblr.

My friends and family members have learned, over the years, that I should not roam within three miles of a bookstore. Especially if I'm on a money saving record. A good buddy of mine gets absurdly excited whenever she passes a candystore, which I've witnessed at least a dozen times and have been dragged into it at least a dozen more.

I don't like candy all that much, no more than any regular person, so I guess I had to make up for that addiction a different way. Books are to me as chocolate is to my friend, and like my friend, who prefers very specific brands and so help you God if you don't carry them, I have a particular taste.

Most of the literature sporting my shelves are the types of things snobs balk at. Stephen King himself might as well live in my bedroom. There's also a bit of Tad Williams, Philip Pullman, Peter Benchley, Michael Crichton, and I just recently bought a book with a giant shark eating a t-rex on the cover. Sitting on the floor is a little bundle of Goosebumps by RL Stein, a relec from my childhood. Similarly, I own almost every one of Paul Zindles gory short novels. I read them when I was in 5th grade, however old that is. And, of course, Harry Potter. There's also a growing stack of Neil Gaiman that doesn't exactly rival all of King's stuff, but well...

The first thing Travis Baker, my professor for creative writing in my freshmen year, asked me and my peers was this:

"What do you like to read?"

Gaiman wasn't on my list then, but most of the above were. I stressed King and Crichton. Crichton made me sound smarter, and if I didn't mention King it'd feel like a lie. Professor Baker said something to the effect of:

"That's a weird reading list for an environmental writer."

Yeahhh... I guess so. Then again, Crichton wrote Jurassic Park and absolutely loves stories where humans mess up somehow and have to deal with the plague of crazy they've unleashed upon themselves. Plenty of King's stories follow a similar pattern, especially the long ones where the world ends. There's plenty of environmental undertones in The Dark Tower series, for example (which I'll admit I haven't finished yet).

Anyway, I almost forgot the point of this journal entry. Here's a bunch of book recommendations by yours truly. You might notice a trend, mainly that I seem to like horror, fantasy, and strange things. Check them out on Amazon to see if they're your flavor.

Fire Bringer by David Clement-DavisHis Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams
Peter and Max by Bill Willingham
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King
Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
It by Stephen King
How To Survive a Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
The Dragon Bone Chair by Tad Williams
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Beast by Peter Benchley
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende 

Oh. Just so you know... Jaws is an absolutely terrible novel. See the movie instead.

What types of books would you recommend?

By Shayde. Click the image for a bigger view.

Prompt #3, critique policy and Tumblr

 

See my own artwork on deviantart and tumblr.

The next prompt is "New Holiday".


I was kicking around the idea of having a distinction between critiques and posting for show. I know a lot of people look down on artists and writers who aren't privy to criticism, but I personally don't see the harm in displaying something without intention on a rewrite/draw. Maybe it's too personal or maybe they just want to share without judgement. That being said, I'm taking a page out of a writing group I attend and asking people to mention whether or not they'd like open critique on their piece when they send in a prompt response. This goes for both writing and artwork. What do you guys think?

Oh, unrelated, but I just made a tumblr and figured I should list it. Check it out for sketches, reposted literature/poetry quotes and a bunch of crazy nonsense. http://trainridetosomewhere.tumblr.com/

By kattything. Click the image for a bigger view.

"The Red Cat Cried" Prompt responce: Art

First art response to one of my prompts, and it's a really wicked example too. This is a work in progress piece called "The Red Cat Cried" by phantazmas.

"Limping Home" Prompt responce: Don't Forget I'm not in Line

Assemblit was among the very first to complete one of my prompts!

Check it out.

"In the line of studious people, they all stood erect with pride and tears flowing down.
Although just one couldn't stand, he broke the line between not wanting to see and seeing but not believing. At the funeral the man who broke the line bared reality into his whole being and lost the need to stand or think of this wrong. His friend was dead and that was sold to others too. He took to the ground like a dog does to his carpet in the living room. Comfort and satisfaction embodied him like love cascading to a head rush.
A month would go by and every so often his foot wold trip his body a bit, just enough to jerk it. Enough to make him know he is still alive with a pulsating heart and a mind to think of nothing but that moment in time."

View this piece on Deviantart.

Someone's at the door: An introduction

See my own artwork here.

Once upon a time, there was a vertically-challenged girl named Marissa who was absurdly proud of the rather extensive bookshelf occupying 90% of her bedroom. Her adoration for fantasy and horror fiction drove her to earn a degree in Environmental Writing for some reason.

 One day she decided using a blog  to sniff out other writers is probably the best idea, but it was mostly a good excuse to procrastinate on important homework assignments. And it also pacified a certain English professor.

She is also not sure why she is typing in third person. She promises to stop in the next sentence.

There's not too much to say about myself, so I'll keep it short (ha-ha).  I get very excited over bad horror movies, read literature of questionable merit and also over-analyze everything.  I curse a lot and am very ferocious, and if anyone tells you different they are a liar and probably killed your baby. I cannot tell a lie and am never sarcastic. Also my favorite characters always die. In EVERYTHING. EVERY TIME. I never get used to it and am always launched into a state of perpetual heartbreak.  This blog will witness me crying about that with alarming frequency, probably.

I enjoy spinning stories of my own, usually about paranormal themes or dark psychology, and I always end up terrifying myself senseless. It is the best fun ever. I’ll share some of them eventually.

Mostly I’m going to use this blog to post writing prompts and hope people toy with them somehow. Maybe you’ll write; maybe you’ll draw; maybe you’ll deface public property. It will please me either way, and if I like it enough then I'll feature your work.

Welcome to RailwayEquinox!

PS. Your first prompt is limping home.

P.P.S Tell me your favorite book in the comments section.

P.P.P.S. I'm going to post one or two images from Deviantart.com per entry to liven up the blog and also promote some great artists.

By Bluefooted. Click the image for a bigger view.