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Round-Up on Symbols; Next-Up Melody. How to choose a Theme & lotsa Links!
Why didn’t I post on Friday if I had the Round-up?
Writing the Round-Up is one of my favorite things to do. I reread the posts by Contributors and spend time in their stories to come up with a logline.
What is a logline?
A one-sentence summary of a screenplay or dramatic piece of writing. In book publishing, it’s often called a blurb, although will be longer than one sentence.
Basically, I distill a Contributor’s 200-word post down to about 20-words.
Ideally, it doesn’t take more than two lines of formatted text.
Those 20-words should have the impact of a teaser or a trailer for a film and make someone want to go back and read the full post.
I didn’t have the next theme fully formed until this morning.
So I waited.
I want to be a surprised by what I write like the Contributors, and I can tell when I’ve come up with a theme that has promise.
I can also tell when a theme is prescriptive… like I want to get something off my chest.
I don’t trust themes that are already written in my head.
I write for discovery, and it’s counterintuitive to propose a theme I’ve already resolved.
In cases where I’m given a prompt I’ve already written about, I push past the first, second, and even third idea to start writing.
If this is getting you jazzed to write on past themes…
Click on the link to write 150 - 200 words on:
I always include new posts with unique links in the Round-Up.
Round Up on Symbols & New Theme - Melody - below!
If you’re reading this for the first time…
And want to know more about the ZINE’s mission, go to ABOUT or FORUM on the Substack platform or read the introductory post I WAS AN EASY LIAR.
4 Contributors weighed in on SYMBOLS:
I wrote about symbols found in nature, whether they are crafted by mini-fascists or divined by Greek symbolism, preventing me from entering my house.
Carole D recalls a social studies questionnaire (with an underlying concern for status symbols) that her second-grade sister dodged with humor & accuracy.
Melissa S investigates her historical attachment to the symbolism of the fan while shopping for one that fulfills nostalgia, function, and aesthetic criteria.
Carol M shares the significance of an infinity symbol on a slender, silver necklace that holds the scant remaining ashes of her dear younger brother.
Intact Animal credits his early days throwing dice & roll playing as a source of respect for the unseen and the ability to visualize unseen symbols in a moment.
READ & HEART this week’s writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
Nazi Pine Cones & The Staff of Aesculapius
Where Symbols took me… Poland. August,1995. 50-years after the Soviet Red Army drove the Nazi German military out of Poland. I was camping near a virgin forest with my German boyfriend, Marc H. Marc had refurbished an old Mercedes camper (circa 1960s) so we could
Contributor Melissa went back to PROMISE to write about the sanctity of keeping her word and a commitment to uphold it not just because she said so.
(Click on the unique theme hyperlink above to read Melissa’s story).
Next Up: MELODY
We were watching a British film last night called The Duke with Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren (as one does).
The film closed with a melody I hadn’t thought of in years.
Surprisingly, I remembered all of the lyrics and the way they’re sung with the melody. It’s as if the song had been burned into my brain and was just waiting for me to call upon it.
The song was JERUSALEM by Sir Hugo Parry with lyrics from William Blake’s poem. The song is considered England’s unofficial national anthem.
Why did a born & raised U.S. citizen like myself know it so well?
For four non-consecutive years, I attended a private prep school for girls in Baltimore, Maryland. While Maryland is a southern state, there is a taste for the north and New England.
Amir M.W.’s essay on Maryland & D.C. being part of the south is enlightening.
We girls were taught to sing Jerusalem, I presume, because the school was modeled after the English public school curriculum or perhaps because Maryland was founded as a refuge for persecuted Catholics from England, a safe-haven for religion.
Either way, this one melody took me down a rabbit hole of memory & research.
Where does MELODY take you?
Read & Share on Monday in 150 - 200 words!
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.
Michelle
Habit...interesting how my immediate thought of habit is associated with something negative like smoking or gambling. I can't speak for gambling since it wasnt a habit for me but smoking was. When I decided to quit years ago breaking the habit was much more difficult that the addiction. I suppose a habit is really anything that has become part of the routine. Habits are definitely positive also. After I quit smoking I replaced one habit with another and started walking and working out. As we know smoking is bad for our health and exercise is good for our health. One thing I
know, I enjoyed both habits.